Rose awoke to the sounds of festivities on the city proper. Like a wonderful piccolo and an accordian, all in harmony, sportign the music of the celebrative. A smile crossed her lips as the other musicians joined in. A drummer, sporting barrels as drums with skin stretched taught over each, a violinist, to lead the other strings as the rest drew their bows to the strings of their basses and cellos. Tbuas, trumpets, a trombone, Rose had to get down there as quickly as she could!
Out the door, she was jsut buttoning up her shirt, white as he rpristine coat, adn the moment she spread her wings, she was swooping down the docks to the festivities. A new song greeted her, and it's upbeat nature brought her to glee and joy, stopping on the dance floor to be the new center of attention, tappign ehr feet, shufflign them this and that. A amre joiend her, and the small crowd joiend in, clapping in time. They both shuffled in time, perfectly, swung thsi way and that, arm's hooked and hands at their waists. Thats what Rose remembered.
As she slowly awoke from her...drunken haze, she continued to recollecting her memories as best she coudl, but it was hard enough remembering the best moment of her week...The swing of the ship was horrid, and as she rose, it stopped rocking. Her world didn't stop lignering off kilter. She was stilld runk, and she hated it. Her stomach churned, adn she could only cradled it, hopign o the goddesses it'd nay reveal it's contents.
So the ship wasn't rocking, but the question now was why was she on a ship, and why was she drinking? She hated drinking. Coudl barely hold her liquor, so why should she have any reason to touch it? To celebrate, perhaps, maybe with wine, but she ended up on a blazing ship! A sharp whsitle caught her attention, and a hefty fellow tossed a pair of pants and boots her way. the pants hit her dead in the face, adn the boots tumbled to the floor. Twas when Rose looked at her lower half of her body, coverign herself from the stranger.
"Nay any worry, lass!", the mare smiled. Rose coudl see it in the dark...She just knew it... "Get dressed, head up ond eck, ye've got work to do. This be nay any lazy mare's ship!"
"Whoa re you? And where am I?", Rose hurriedly put her pants on.
"Really? Ye must've nay e'r had anythin' strong as rum 'en.", the mare chuckled. "Ye'r aboard the Brass Maiden. Ship's been dead int eh sands fer 'bout sixty years, but you....Oh, lass, you got her up int he air. Don't even remember that? You were sober fer that'n!"
"What?", Rose asked. "I'm...I'm still tipsy from whatever I drank yesterday, ro alst night, I don't even know. How did I get here, how did I even do that?", Rose asked.
"I'm sure ye'll remember. Jus get on deck, we've got to get going, an ye'r the one with the keys, so sober up, maybe ye'll remember.", the mare began her way back up the stairs, "An' what happened ta yer accent?" She was gone.
Rose was abotu to speak again until her hand fetched the beam behind her blidnly, dragging her down to the ground.
"Hold yer canter, lass."
Rose put a hand over her mouth.
"I know, not what you were expectin'.", she rolled her eyes.
"Wh-what?", Rsoe asked.
"Names Captain Indigo!", she said rather gruffly. "I dun expect ya ta remember lass, but yesterday, you and I ahd a little meetin' afore the whole possession thign came over."
"Teh what?", Rose asked ehrself. "What happened yesterday?"
"Well, it was the festivities, lass, and you were a bit tipsy, so I took ye fer a spin, got a quite a bit mroe out of it. So, here's the thing lass, I like ya. So I be stayin' a bit longer 'n usual."
Rose stood up, "No!", she yelled at the open air. She felt stupid doing that. But she had to say it. Was she even mad? What was happening?
"Sorry ta say, lass, but no nay be an option fer ye. I'm a free spirit!", she chcukled. "What can ye do to a dead mare?"
"So I'm possessed?", Rose asked.
"Duh, I told ya that, lass!", she answered ehrself.
Rose didn't know what to do now.
"Well, come on lass, we got ta go! Whether ye like it'r nay. Captain called ya on deck, ye go on deck.", Rose began her way towards the stairs. Rose grabbed the corner jsut before the steps, stoppign ehrself.
"Not until I get some answers!", Rose said hsuhedly.
"Rose!", the captain returned. "Coem on. I know it be yer first day on a ship, but it's no longer time to dawdle about. We need yeh ta do yer job as second mate! Not lout about like ye'r a new deck swabby!"
"Aye, ma'am!", Rose replied obediently. No, that wasn't her that was the other mare, the ghost. She waited until the captain had gone off before she made her next move. Only that ghost mare made that mvoe first. "Look, lass, if'n ye nay do it, I will. It b'nay hard ta take contorl o'er yer body, ye'r still durnk! Me? I be nay. So, what's your choice, lass?", she asked.
"Go ahead and do it. I know I'll be the one experiencing it, but you do it. I don't want to get thrown off the ship."
"Ye won't, lass!", the mare chuckled, ebginning up the steps to the deck. On deck, a lot of the mates were taking position, save for the musicians aboard. Which took to just sitting about. Theyw ere dressed in the same clothes as all deckhands, though.
"Well, may the soul o' the party be on deck!", one of the musician whooped at the mare as she finally stepped aboard.
"And if it nay be Rugged Grin! I though ye'd styayed in port!"
"Not fer this! Opportunity of a lifetime!"
"Sure is, ald. How bout a skippy toon. Play em somethin' small."
"Alrigth boys. Somethin' small!", the stallion chcukled, putting his piccolo to his lips. It was defintiely shrot, but Indigo liked it. she got to business with it in ehr head.
Frist was to get the engine's running. No one ont his ship but her knew how to get this ship up and running. She did, after all, get it out of the sands. took twelve unicorns, but it was worth it, she got to see her old ship flying again!
"Thsi is your ship?", Rose asked. She checked to amke sure there were no one around before hand.
"Aye. Takin' a peak inta me own mind, lass?", the mare said cheerily.
"Well, I couldn't help. you're proud of it."
"Aye. I be proud of me furner. She's a beauty when she's fit ta fight..."
"Fight?"
"Ye didn't expect ye'd be on a transport ship of sorts, didja lass?", Indigo asked.
"I did."
"Well, more news fer ya. That lass captainin' this 'ere vessel got gold on ehr mind, and nay a heart for any ship carryin' anythin' worth takin'.", Indigo said amorously.
"She'd steal from someone?"
"Hah! She's a priate, wha'd ya think?"
"A...pirate...", Rose echoed.
"Yes, lass. Waht does it take ta get ya ta understand that I'm a pirate? Heh heh!", Indigo chuckled. The mare hummed the same toon that Rugged Grin had piped on his piccolo, following a very familair set of steps, dancing a short gig before going on her merry way.
"And you're not worried the guard will come after...us?", Rose asked hesitantly.
"Lass, ye've been sharin' a body with the queen of priacy!", indigo grabbed one of the levers sat beside an old engine housing, givign it a tug. She brought it to the ground. "I'm The Priate Queen, Captain Indigo Rose!"
Rose did recall ocne hearing a small child's tale of a pirate king and priate Queen. a duo that stole coutnless amounts of times and enver got caught. But she wasn't a child. And it was being told to a small child who wanted to here a story. It was just a story for a child.
"Aye, alss...", Indigo sighed, gripping two that had been set nearly to the floor as well. She pushed them up, to the top of the housing. "It's not a story, it's a tale. A legend!", she said produly. "But it was a perfect legend. I lvied me life. Lived it fully! It ended well, too. Well, it took a few years to get over the fact that me own crew murdered me, and...me own lover crossed me...But t'was a good ending! I died without gettin' caught. that's all that matters. Ship's empty, though,a nd no one has seen the Brass Maiden in about three decades...But this ole flyin' wagon has seen pelnty of battles." Indigo gripped the wheel of a valve set along the housing, and turned it to the right, takigna deep breath before she turned it the oposite direciton. She set for the other.
"so, you're going to take my body and this ship out for priacy again..."
"Nay! Lass, ifn' ye think this be jus fer me, ye'r sadly mistaken! thar be a life of adventure way out there!", she threw her arms up. "An' I know ye lookin' fer it. Ye want yer own furner,a ship to call home! Not a cot inside a mslal house ont he docks! Tel em this nay be true!", she said, gripping the second set of levers on the second engine.
"And if I do?", Rose asked.
"Ye won't lass. I know ye won't. Piracy was nay in yer mind, but it's the adventure ya were lookin' fer.", Indigo tugged and pulled a few more dust covered levers. She reached for the second engine's valve, and stopped. It was already spinning on it's own. Not completely, but wobblign back and forth. Witha sigh, she turned it with one finger. "It was too good ta be true...I don't liek this one bit."
"Broken valve?", Rose asked.
"Obviously! Not too bad. Hmm. If I recall, the old valves an' pipes should be set in palce to do the same, but with less of an efficiency than the primary. Alright. Ta work we go!", Indigo pulled ont he hatch handle, pulling it open. the rusted hinges screeched until the lid hit the housing, and Indigo reached into the unmoving mechanics of the engine, turnign smaller valves in the front, and two in the back. She pulled her arm free, then closed the hatch, heading for the boiler. She tapped the meter, and it jolted up, settlign a little ways to the green. "Eh. Enough ta get somewhere, but nay be enough to do somethin' er show boat." Indigo reached for the valve of the boiler's underside, then opened it. Immediately, the old steam was released, hissing through the pipes. The pistons first jerked into motion, slamming into the opposite end, but grabbing locomotion like it were an old lost friend. they kicked into gear, settlign into a slow, idle shifting, slowly climbing.
As Indigo reached the top of the ship, the band was playing again. Same celbrative music as they did in the city.
"Rose, ya did it lass! but how'd ye get the ship goin'? It's a set of steam engines, be it not?", the captain asked.
"Aye, ma'am! Still got some steam left over from when the ship settled inta the sands!"
"Sounds impossible, unelss it be magic infused water."
"'tis, ma'am! checked meself.", Indigo replied.
"I don't know how ye did that, but good ony a! Now, take it her away, ye deserve the honors o' pilotin' her fer her first fligth in decades! the ship of Captain Indigo herself, flyin' once more!"
"Aye, ma'am. I'll be on the wheel in ajiff, jsut gotta make a trip to the hold an grab somethin'."
"Make it quick. It's been a long time, so she might nay have enough to sit for too long."
"Aye, Ma'am!", Indigo marched off. she went down to the cargo hold, alright. Moved to the darker area where...her body laid.
"Is that...", Rose began.
"Me dead body? O' coruse! Ded in me cargo hold, hidin' from me assailants. I admit, I was a coawrd when I perished. But, I was a heart broken coward. They'd all've been dead ifn' me lover did nay betray me...", she sighed, crocuhing next to her skeletal remains. Nos mell, either. Rose was spared the stench. But, what she took to next, shook Rose nearly to the core. She began clearing the otufit of bones! She shook halfway through, and Indigo shook it off, slipping her arms into the sleeves of her jacket. Perfect fit, too. She picked up the pants, shook them, then grabbed the belt of her own pants, slippign them off. the blue breeches slid on perfectly fit for the mare.
"That's so creepy..."
"And I'll have osmeone clean em own remains later. Fer now, takin' me ship is a priority!"
"That's messed up."
Indigo marched back through the cargo hold with hat in hand, doffing the tricornne on her way up the steps, and the moment she was on deck, the captain was on ehr. until she saw her face. "Oh, Rose! I thougth ye were a stowaway..."
"Ma'am, hate ta break it to ya...", she drew the mares cutlass, pushing the previous captain down. "But I be takin' me ship back.", she smiled.
"What? Seize her!", the mare captain rose to her feet.
"And what?", Indigo asked, sheathing the cutlass in her on belt. "Ye'd really parry with the Queen of priates herself, Captain Indigo Rose?", the alabaster amre held her arms wide, smiling. "Well, I was until me own crew did me in. Can tell ya now, unles any of ya have a gun, ain't no one takin' me down."
"Mutiny, you double crossing-"
"I be the owner of this vessel, and a pirate true ta her name. Waht'd ye expect, lass? It's not like I didn't have this plan afore we even boarded this vessel! So it nay be mutiny. Ye just fell into a bad trap."
"You Witch!!", she swore.
"Careful lass, lest ye want ta get rhown into the brig. Kick the engines into gear and pull her starboard afore take the wheel, lads! We're going home!", she commanded. No one moved. "Oh right. None o' yeh know how to pilot this vessel. Heh heh. spur o' the moment. Miss me old crew.", she sighed, pushing the previous captain aside as she ascended the steps to the helm.
It was one massive nostalgia trip to simply put her hands on thewheel again. She felt like a mother returning to ehr child once more...If only that were the case. She did many things, but never mothered a child. This was as close as she'd get. The music was playing soft as the band slowly piped out a low tune, the ship was full of silent deckhands. Indigo had to do her job. She opened he rmouth to speak, but it wasn't her words that came out.
"Indigo, I will put you down myself, it's not your body."
"Oh, lass, rigth now i'tis! Ye're at the helm of me ship, do ya think I'd jus let this go?"
"No. But you're going to let me have my share of the adventure.", Rose smiled.
"Now that's what I'd like ta hear. Where to, lass?"
"Somewhere beautiful?", Rose said.
"Aye. Night's fallin', best place is the midst of the sands, away from the city lights. Beautiful night, cold air ta keep yer coat on end. We've got enough fuel, why not take us starbaord about one twenty two?"
Rose smiled, turning the wheel to the right. The ship didn't turn yet, though.
"Set the throttle, about sxty percent and put her inta gear.", Indigo instructed.
Rose pushed the lever labeled as throttle, then let Indigo deftly find the lever that set teh ship in motion.
"Pull.", Indigo commanded.
Rose gave a hearty tug, feeling the engines of the ship rumble underneath her feet and the ship slowly kicked into gear, turning, moving.
"Alright, lass, have her straighten out afore she misses her mark."
Rose slowly turned the wheel, slowing the ship's curve until she was movign straight ahead. Indigo grabbed another lever, then pushed it forward and the ship kicked up dust as the engines whrired to a new form of life, accelerating the ship to a speed Rose hadn't seen any ship this size fly.
"Get down here you mutinous mare!!", the previous captain charged up the steps towards Rose with another blade.
Indigo propped herself on the wheel, kickign her boot onto it's heel, "An' what d'ya want, lass?"
"To kill the traitorous witch trying to take over me own furner! It be me ship! Not yours!", the mare lunged forward, blade held forth.
Indigo moved out of the way deftly, leaving the attacker to stagger. The mare went for another strike. and another. None connected. Indigo didn't even draw her own blade. In the end, the previous captain swung, nearly struck Indigo, and before she could pick the blade up again, Indigo had kicked it out of her grip, taken it by the handle, and thrust it through the mare's side. Rose shivered. Did she jsut...?
"Sorry, lass. But ye both're getting in me way. Yer unsoiled hands, Rose. Ye'r attitude, wnech.", Indigo spat at the kneeling prisoner. "Get her out of me sights! Lock her in me cabin. Anyoen who knows anythin' 'bout medical nonsense, tend ta her. I don't want her dead yet."
Rugged Grin stood from his place amongst the group of musicians, letting out a long sigh as he approached the two. "I'll take care of her. I'm a doctor.", he said, helping the mare up.
"Nay. Not you, lad.", Indigo rejected. "You tend ta her once, keep her from bleedin' out, remove the blade, and I'll get someone else to tend to her. Don't want ye ta soil yer hands with the blood I spill.", Indigo fished a set of gloves out of her coat pocket. "Rose. Ye get the honors of takin' over. I got business ta take care of."
Like a wave of wind washing through her body, Indigo left the mare to herself in her mind and body. It felt much akin to having infinitesimally small thread pulled out of every part of her body from deep within. Further than the flesh, muscle, even bone. Rose saw the ethereal manifestation of the blue mare seep into the features of the wounded mare Rugged were escorting.
Rose took the wheel as they left her sight, leading the ship to...well, wherever she desired. With the labels of the controls fresh in her mind, she gave a few glances at the gyroscope, compass, even the horizon. As night fell, lights illuminated in the distance, on the horizon, where ports were marked on maps. She turned the ship to one, and found the three levers which controlled the ship's throttle, pushed the three of them completely backwards, pushed two others forward, and an impact of metal on metal sounded, screeching as it ground together. When she pushed the throttle forward nothign happened. She pulled the clutch on the anchor, and it fell to the sands below, stopping the ship completely. She got to work with her next task. Shifting metal housings by hand.
She obviously got the information from Indigo. Each of the side-mounted turbines can convert into steam powered jet engines. An amazing feature of technology seen in only old, exotic, or hobbyist ships. It's a time, money, resource, and manual work tasking feature of any ship. As Rose dropped her coat on deck, she spread her wings through the slits in her shirt, and leapt off, spreading her massive wings. Took a bit of maneuvering, but she latched onto the extended metal housing, and used her weight and the momentum of a flight-induced swing to pull the metal slat down. She grabbed the handle on it's side, then put her foot on a piece of extended metal, which had to be the winglet of the housing, and pulled it over the turbine. On the other side, she moved each piece of the intake inward, and stopped. She didn't know what to do next. She knew she had to close the intake, but she didn't know what to do with that, because it's still incomplete.
A tight hold gripped Rose's chest, and she took a few deep breaths as Indigo's voice joined her thoughts.
"Oh boy, lass, what d'ye got in mind fer this old engine housin'?", she asked.
"How do I link the intake rotor to the shaft?", she asked.
"Oh...Pull each blade back out, make sure to line up the teeth of the piece connected to the cone, reach into the housing and bring the shaft from the turbine into the intake prop. Got that, lass?", Indigo asked.
"Got it.", Rose pushed each of the intake blades out. She reached in, found the greasy shaft, and pulled it into place. She then fit each blade of the intake in properly, and Indigo finished it off by lockign everything in place with a key she puleld from her coat pocket.
"Why is this a thing?", Rose asked.
"Lass, ye know what it's for, unless curiosity struck ya ta check what it does."
"Speed, I know, but why has there not been a steam intake turbine model made to replace traditional turbine propellers?", Rose asked.
"Beats me, lass!", Indigo smiled. "But ye know what this is for, an' that's good! On to the other! Yous et the throttle to max, right?", Indigo asked.
"Aye. Did that before coming down here."
"And me coat?"
"On deck. You weren't a pegasus, were you?"
"Nay! Jus' an earth mare."
"Figured.", Rose leapt off the turbine housing. It looked old and rusted in places. She flew under the ship to the other side and did the same, cutting the time down to more than three times as fast. When she was done, she went back to top side and grabbed a hold of her coat, donning it once more and folding her wings tightly to her back.
"Clutch! Don't ferget the clutch, lass!", Indigo warned.
Rose reached for one lever, stopped, then reached for another. She pulled the lever, then put one foot on it as she grabbed a rather thickset one, pushing it forward. Each segment clicked as loudly as the last, but the further the pushed, the harder it got to move the lever. She picked her foot off the clutch lever, and metal slammed into place, whirring up both of the turbine housings. She hit the lever to reel the anchor back in, thenturned the ship as it began to take off, aimed for the port at the far side of the desert. She was headed home.
