Author's Note
This story has been commissioned by DarknessRising a few months ago. It just took me some time to think about what would happen, who all would be involved besides the main characters, and how the events would unfold.
I hope ya'll enjoy the first chapter of this story. If you do, please give a like. If you didn't like it, feel free to explain how in the comments.
Also for those wondering, here is a link to the story that will help this chapter make sense.
The Voyage of the Mareitania (Just saying this now, it is the first story I posted on here. So if you catch any mistakes, grammar or spelling, let me know.)
I'll try to update this as regularly as possible. Hope ya'll enjoy it.
- Harms Way
Chapter 1: Departure
"Well, that certainly went better than I thought it would." Twilight Sparkle said as she sat down in her seat. "I'm actually quite surprised at how much the President of Prance loved your show, Trixie."
Trixie merely held her head up as she spoke in her usual tone. "The great and powerful Trixie knew that her show would capture the hearts of those ponies with ease. She always wows and amazes any crowd who gathers to watch."
Twilight simply rolled her eyes in response before looking towards the other pony who she invited to tag along, her former rival turned best friend, Sunset Shimmer. "So Sunset, what did you think of all the stuff we did?"
Sunset looked away from staring out the window of the carriage. "I don't know. I appreciate the fact that you invited me to tag along on this trip to help me see more of the world I left behind, but it just seemed kinda boring. Now that I see what you've been doing as a Princess, maybe its a good thing that I'm not an alicorn. I'd get really bored, really fast."
Twilight laughed at what her friend said. "Yeah, visits like these can be a tad boring every now and then, but how often do we get to see all these different countries outside of Equestria?" Her eyes lit up as the memories of all the different Prench sites they went to. "You can honestly sit there and tell me with a straight face that you were bored when we were talking to the President?"
"Pretty much." Sunset replied as she went back to looking out the window. "How much longer til we get to the docks?"
"Maybe another 10 minutes or so." Twilight replied. She then let out a sigh. "Well, at least I can report to Princess Celestia that our visit with the leaders of Prance was successful in improving relations between our two countries."
"Trixie demands that this carriage go faster!" Trixie yelled as she pounded her hoof on the wall. "She doesn't want to be cooped up in this wagon any longer than she has to be!"
"Calm down Trixie. Besides, don't you live in a wagon anyways?" Twilight said as she used her magic to stop Trixie's hoof.
"Trixie's home is far better than this." She replied as she pointed around the carriage.
"Well, soon we'll be at the docks and then get on the Mareitania. From there, it's five days on board a luxurious ocean liner until we reach Manehattan." Twilight said as she levitated a book out of her satchel.
"I remember you telling me about that ship. Didn't you say it's Captain cut Chrysalis' horn off in a fight?" Sunset asked as she looked away from the window. A sudden bump in the road flung Sunset across the carriage, making her land on top of Twilight as she started to read her book. A blush appeared on her face as it was only inches away from the muzzle of Twilight. "Oops. Sorry about that." Sunset said as she got off of Twilight and sat down next to her.
"Its okay." Twilight replied. "But yes, because of his actions, Chrysalis is no longer a threat against Equestria."
"That is awesome!" Sunset exclaimed. "I hope we get to meet him."
"He's actually really nice once you get past the fact that he carries a sword with him wherever he goes. Plus, he's caught the attention of a certain Princess, if you know what I mean."
"Geesh Twi. Never knew you'd be the type to fall for colts in uniform." Sunset replied as she gave Twilight a playful hit with her hoof.
"Not me!" Twilight said as she blushed. "I'm talking about Princess Celestia." Both Sunset's and Trixie's jaws dropped at what the Princess of Friendship said.
"You're joking." Sunset said. "There's no way that the ruler of Equestria would fall for a guy who just sails on a boat."
"Trixie agrees." Trixie added in. "Besides, what is so great about this Captain anyways?"
"Well, I guess you'll have to see for yourself." Twilight said as the carriage pulled up to the docks. As they all stepped out of the carriage, Sunset and Trixie were soon speechless at the sight before them. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle as they all stared at the Mareitania, the former flagship of the Equestrian Star Line. The massive vessel towered over every other boat in the harbor. Her four red and black funnels producing clouds of smoke as the departure time neared. Everywhere Twilight and the others looked, ponies were busy loading supplies on board. "Pretty neat, ain't it?" Twilight asked, snapping Sunset and Trixie out of their trances.
"I've never seen anything like it!" Sunset exclaimed as she stared.
"This boat looks almost as great and powerful as moi." Trixie added. Without warning, the giant whistles on the Mareitania's first funnel went off, causing the ground to shake beneath the trio. "Trixie stands corrected." She said while regaining her balance. "It is as great and powerful as moi!"
"Come on." Twilight said as they all started walking. "Lets put our bags on that cart over there and get on board." Once they all levitated their bags onto a luggage cart, an unexpected voice from behind startled all three of them.
"Greetings and welcome to the EMS Mareitania." The voice said as the trio turned around.
"Flash!" Twilight said in a surprised tone. "What are you doing here?" She then paused as she looked at what the orange pegasus was wearing. Instead of his usual yellow armor, he instead wore a white Captain's uniform with a matching hat. "And why are you wearing that outfit? Where's Captain Blade at?"
"Well... Captain Blade was unable to be a part of this voyage due to being ill. So Princess Celestia made me Temporary Captain until he returns." Flash Sentry replied. Twilight raised an eyebrow as both Trixie and Sunset had looks of disappointment on their faces. They were eager to meet the unicorn that had won the affections of Princess Celestia.
"What exactly do you know about sailing?" Twilight asked as they started walking along the dock towards the gangway.
"To be honest, not much. But I was the first one who volunteered to take the job while he was sick. Besides, how hard can it be?" Flash Sentry replied. "Honestly, I think I did a good job getting this ship here."
"You barely got this ship here in one piece!" A voice from above said, making Flash jump in surprise. Shining Armor looked down from the main deck of the Mareitania as his sister and her friends looked up. Twilight's horn lit up afterwards, causing herself, Sunset, Trixie, and Flash to disappear and shortly reappear on the deck in front of Shining Armor.
"What exactly did you mean by that?" Sunset asked.
"Well, since you guys didn't get to experience the trip here, I'll tell you." Shining replied. "This guy would've crashed this ship into another boat if I didn't put a shield around it." He cast an angry glare at Flash, who tried to hide behind the group. "I'll be sure to let Captain Blade know that you almost caused his beloved ship to be in an accident that would've resulted in fatalities. And I'll also let him decide on your punishment." Flash gulped as Shining Armor continued his stare. "You know, he cut Chrysalis' horn off because she threatened to destroy this ship. I don't want to imagine what he'll have in store for you." Flash gulped as he glanced at his wings. He then quickly ran off towards the bridge. As he ran away, Shining Armor couldn't help but laugh. "Do you seriously still have a crush on that guy, Twily?"
"Well...." Twilight said before her cheeks turned red. "After what just happened here, my feelings towards him just vanished."
"That's a relief." Shining said as he wiped the top of his head off. "Now if you ladies will excuse me, I need to go make sure everything is ready for when we depart." After saying that, he walked toward a group of ponies loading food on board.
"Something tells me this can't end well." Sunset said as they started to walk on the deck. "I just have this feeling that something is going to go wrong."
"What makes you say that?" Twilight asked. "I'm sure Flash didn't mean to almost crash into another boat."
"The great and powerful Trixie thinks that Sunset is just being paranoid." Trixie added in. "What could possibly be out there that poses a threat to something as big as this ship?"
"Don't call me paranoid!" Sunset yelled, getting in Trixie's face. "I'm just concerned, that's all." Just as Twilight was about to say something, the unmistakable noise that was the Mareitania's whistles going off rattled all three of them.
"Weigh anchor!" Flash could be heard yelling. "Cast off those lines!"
"I think its time for us to leave." Twilight said.
"You think?" Sunset replied while chuckling as Twilight rolled her eyes. As they all walked over to the side of the ship to wave farewell to the ponies below, groups of pegasi workers grabbed ropes connected to the other side and started pulling with everything they had. Slowly, the Mareitania's bow started to swing away from the dock. As Twilight waved to the ponies below, she could feel the vibrations of the ship's four giant steam-driven turbine engines start up as they began turning the massive bronze propellers. With one last sounding of her whistle, the Mareitania cleared her dock and began making her way out of the harbor.
"Cannon ball!" Sunset shouted as she jumped off the side of the pool, curling her body up as best she could before plunging into the water with a big splash. Once in the water, she stayed under the surface for a few seconds before surfacing. "Woooo!" She shouted. "Come on in, Twi! The water's fine!"
"Alright!" Twilight shouted back before jumping off the side. "Woo hoooo!" She screamed before hitting the water. Like Sunset, Twilight stayed beneath the surface before coming back to the surface. "Where the hay is Trixie?" Twilight said as she swam around. "She's missing all of the fun!"
"If I had to guess, she's probably standing in front of a mirror somewhere." Sunset replied. "I can tell she likes to admire herself."
"Eh. She's more of a boasting type. Maybe she's trying to pull off another stunt to show how strong she is." Twilight replied.
"What kind of stunt do you think that would be?" Sunset asked. She then paused as she placed a hoof to her muzzle in thought. "Only thing I can think of is if she tried levitating this ship out of the water." Upon hearing that, Twilight's eyes quickly shrank at what Sunset said.
"She's right!" Twilight thought. "Uh... we should probably go find Trixie." With that said, the two ponies raced off in search of the blue unicorn as the sun began setting across the horizon.
Up on the bridge, Shining Armor was looking out in front of the ship for any dangers. "Umm... Captain Armor?" A voice from behind said. Shining turned around to see the one pony who he thought would never willingly approach him. "Could I t-t-talk to you for a moment?"
"Yes. Go ahead." Shining replied as Flash jumped up and rested his front hooves on the railing of the bridge wing.
"Look. About earlier.... you know, when we were about to crash into that other boat.... and you put a shield up around it before we hit..."
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to say... thank you. If you hadn't done what you did in time, that little fishing boat would have been crushed."
"Oh it's no problem." Shining replied. "I've actually been wanting to talk to you about something as well. Something that even though won't last much longer, I think you need to learn from it."
"What would that be?" Flash asked.
Shining used his magic to levitate Flash's hat off of his head. "This." He said, holding the hat in front of Flash's face with his magic. "Even though you've only been in charge of this ship for roughly 12 days, you seem to have let the title of "Captain" go to your head."
"Really?" The pegasus asked, staring into his reflection on the shined metal piece on the front of the hat.
"Yes." Shining replied. "Ever since we left Manehattan, you've been ordering everyone around, which granted is what a Captain usually does, but not to the extent that you've been doing."
"But I-"
"Like that time you asked me to pour you some tea and feed you a muffin." Shining said, his eyes fixated on Flash. "That is way out of line for what Captains do. I know Steel Blade would never do that... and I haven't even met him yet." He paused, breaking his gaze to watch the moon rise above the horizon, before turning his attention back towards Flash. "Once at sea, the Captain doesn't get the power to just make ponies do the most ridiculous things for him. He is supposed to be the leader for a crew, a pony to look up to."
Flash sighed once he heard that. "I guess I haven't been a good role model for the others, haven't I?"
"Not in the slightest." Shining replied. "But considering we still have four days left on this trip, you still have time to make up for it."
"I do?" Flash asked suddenly, his eyes locked onto Shining. "But how?"
"For starters, by knocking off the ridiculous orders."
"Deal!" Flash blurted out.
"Second, here is an example of the first rule of the sea. If I didn't put up that shield and we collided with that boat, every pony on board that smaller boat would have been killed. And guess who would've been held responsible."
"Me?" Flash asked sheepishly as he pointed at himself.
"Yep." Shining replied. "Since you're the Captain until we get back to Manehattan, not only are you responsible for this ship and everything that happens to it, but also for every single pony on board." Flash gulped as his eyes shrank in fear. "With great power and rank comes great responsibility." Shining added. "Something that I've grown accustomed to ever since becoming Captain of the Royal Guard. Each time we go out on a mission, whatever happens, I'm responsible for it." He looked over towards the pegasus. "What I'm trying to say is, you need to grow up. And I think this experience will help you do that."
"I think... I get what you're saying." Flash said as he looked out over the bow. "I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving. I just wanted to see what it was like to be in charge of something for once instead of just being some other guard."
Shining placed a hoof on the pegasus' back after hearing what he said. "Who knows." He said. "Maybe someday, you'll be more than just a guard. But that all depends on how much you mature and start taking responsibility while being in the Guard."
"Well, Captain Armor.... thank you for the talk." The pegasus said while yawning. "You have the watch until the night watch comes to relieve you."
"Alright." Shining replied. "You going to sleep?"
"Yeah. Gotta be up bright and early if I'm gonna relieve the night watch." Flash said before turning around and walking away.
"Gotcha." Shining replied as he watched Flash disappear inside. "Huh. I think I finally got through to him." He thought as he turned around to return his gaze to the front of the ship.
Twilight and Sunset were walking along the deck when they heard a familiar voice yelling out in front of them. "Trixie is Queen of the world!" Trixie cried out as she stood on her hind legs at the very front of the ship. Twilight and Sunset each laughed silently behind her.
"Uhh... Trixie?" Twilight asked, getting the blue unicorn's attention as she turned around to face the other two. "You feeling alright?"
"Trixie is fine." She replied. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just wondering." The alicorn replied. "So... what do you guys want to do?" Sunset's stomach growled in response.
"I think I could go for some food." The orange unicorn replied, placing a hoof against her belly.
"Trixie agrees." Trixie responded. "She has grown quite famished since being on this boat."
"Well then, lets go get some food and cider." Twilight said as she turned around, Sunset and Trixie following close behind as they all walk towards the superstructure of the ship. As they approached, Twilight saw Shining standing on the bridge. She gave him a kind wave with her hoof as she walked inside, which was swiftly returned by a salute from her older brother.
"Well... things might actually go smooth on this trip." Shining thought to himself as he watched the three mares walk inside. Turning his attention back towards the front, he noticed something odd. A fog bank lay just ahead of the ship as it sliced through the moonlit waters of the Equestrian Sea. "Perfect chance to see if the guy was serious or not." He thought as he walked over to the Captain's cabin, located just behind the bridge. "Flash!" Shining yelled as he knocked on the door. "You up?" Some faint, yet audible grumbling was heard on the other side of the door for a minute before Flash opened it.
"Yes Captain Armor? What is it?" The pegasus asked as he rubbed a hoof against his eye.
"You might want to come take a look at this." Shining replied, motioning for Flash to go up to the railing. "This fog just came up out of nowhere." Flash did as he was told to do and went up to the railing. As he looked ahead, he put a hoof to his chin.
"Hmm..." Flash said as he looked out. "We might wanna slow down." He said before walking inside the bridge. Slowly, he turned each engine telegraph to "Half Ahead". The clanging of the bells inside each post made Flash's jaw clench tight as he was still partially asleep. "Hey uh... Shining?" He asked as he walked into the chart room. Inside, on a wooden desk laid the map that showed the ship's course. "Where exactly are we?" Shining walked inside and took a look at the map.
"Lets see..." He said as he looked closely at the map. "We've been sailing for roughly nine hours at full speed, which on this ship is.... 25 knots." He quickly grabbed a book from underneath the desk called "Beginner's Guide to Sailing." "Good thing Princess Celestia gave this to us." He thought as he opened the book. Flipping through the pages with his magic, he stopped on a page labeled "Knot Conversion". He squinted his eyes as he looked at the chart. "One knot equals 1.15077845 miles per hour." He read aloud. "Where's Twilight when you need her?" As Shining tried figuring out the mathematics, Flash stepped back outside just as the Mareitania became engulfed by the fog.
"Alright..." Shining said to himself as he tried writing the numbers down on a paper. "Just take 1.15 times 25...." He wrote the problem down and quickly solved it. "28.75. Now take that times 9." His mind strained as he tried solving the problem. "Roughly 259 miles."
"Hey Shining!" Flash yelled. "Figure out where we are yet?"
"Working on it!" Shining yelled in response. He quickly looked at the ship's compass that was mounted on the helm. "259 miles going south west." He turned his attention back towards the map. "Wish Twily was here right now. She'd have this figured out in no time." He thought as he looked closely at the map. "Uh.... Flash?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I just found out where we are..."
"Where?" The pegasus asked as he looked inside.
"If I'm right, we're roughly six miles... off the coast of... the Island... of Sirenia." Flash's eyes shrank upon hearing that name. He instantly remembered the argument that occurred earlier.
"Crap!" He thought as he stepped back. "Quick!" He yelled as he rushed inside towards the ship's wheel. "We need to-" His movements suddenly froze as his ears picked up faint singing coming from the fog.
"Ahhhh ohh ahhhh"
"Ahhhhhh"
"Ahhhh ohh ahhhh"
"Ahhhhhh"
".... listen to this lovely singing...." Flash said as he slowly stopped walking towards the wheel.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Shining asked as he walked back onto the bridge. "What-" Like Flash, Shining Armor froze in place once his ears heard singing coming from the fog. "... singing is more lovely than this?" Shining asked as he suddenly felt calm and relaxed.
"I don't know...." Flash replied in a calm tone. "But I want to hear more of it." He slowly placed his hooves on the wheel and started turning it to the left. Soon enough, Mareitania started listing over on her starboard side as she swung to the left. "Ahead full... Mr. Armor." Flash calmly ordered.
"Aye Captain Sentry...." Shining replied as he used his magic to push each engine telegraph lever down to "Full Ahead". The large turbine engines shuddered as they began picking up speed once again, making the entire ship vibrate. Soon, every guard on board was lining the sides of the ship, standing in relaxed poses as the ship emerged from the fog bank. In front of the ship, loomed an island with a large mountain in the center. The island shone bright under Luna's moonlight as the waves crashing on the sandy beaches glistened under it's rays. Looking on from inside the bridge, Flash and Shining watched as only a few miles separated the Mareitania's bow from the shores of the Island of Sirenia.
"So what are you guys hungry for?" Twilight asked as she and the others walked along a corridor towards the dining room.
"I could go for a slice of apple pie and a mug of cider." Sunset replied over the growling of her stomach.
"Trixie will have the same." Trixie added as they reached the elevator that would take them down to D Deck, where the dining room was located. Before Twilight could use her magic to open the doors, she felt the floor start to tilt beneath her.
"Uh oh...." She thought before she, Sunset, and Trixie all slid down the slanted floor, crashing into a wall just as the floor returned to an even level. "What in Equestria was that about?" She yelled as they all stood up.
"Think we should check it out?" Sunset asked as the floor vibrated beneath them.
"Yes. We should." Twilight replied before her horn lit up. In a flash, the trio disappeared momentarily before reappearing outside Mareitania's bridge. The audible singing that slowly became louder as the ship moved on made Twilight feel uneasy as she walked into the small enclosed area of the bridge. The first thing she saw was Flash Sentry hunched over the wheel in a relaxed state as her brother looked on from the other side of the bridge. "Uh... Flash..?" She asked in confusion. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, Princess." The pegasus replied. "Hey Shining... come take the wheel for me, would ya?"
"Aye sir." Shining replied as he walked over, taking Flash's place behind the large wheel. As Twilight looked on in confusion, Sunset turned her head to see the front of the ship.
"Twilight...?" Sunset asked in a panicked tone. "What is that island up ahead?" Twilight poked her head outside and looked ahead of the ship.
"I don't know." Twilight replied in her panicked tone. "But we're about to crash into it!" Quickly, she ran back inside and grabbed the wheel, trying to turn it as Shining placed his hooves on it at the exact same time.
"No touchy, little sis." Shining said as he pushed back against Twilight's force. Twilight looked into Shining's eyes as she struggled to turn the wheel. She immediately noticed that his eyes were flashing green as he held the wheel firm against his younger sister.
"This can mean only one thing!" Twilight thought while looking at his eyes. "The singing, the green flashes, the unusually relaxed state of each stallion here. This must be the work of.... the sirens!" "Shining! Snap out of it!" Twilight yelled as she waved her hoof in front of his eyes. She then tried pushing his body away from the wheel to no use. "Guys!" She yelled while turning to Sunset and Trixie. "Help me!"
"Trixie has an idea." The blue unicorn replied as her horn lit up in her pink magic. Twilight watched as a pink aura surrounded Shining's body. With a jerk of her head, Trixie's magic flung Shining off the floor, crashing through a wall before landing in the chart room behind the bridge. "Oopsie." Trixie said as she blushed. "Trixie thinks she might have overdid it."
"You think?" Sunset asked.
"Pretty.... pink.... princesses...." Shining's voice could be heard as Twilight grabbed the wheel.
"Hang on tight guys!" Twilight yelled as she swung the wheel to the right, prompting Sunset and Trixie to grab onto the railing. The ship immediately heeled over on her port side as she started turning right. "Ha!" Twilight yelled. "Nice try sirens!" Immediately after saying that though, Twilight heard a strange grinding noise. "Uh... please tell me that isn't what I think it is." She said as her eyes shrank in terror. As she said that, a few feet below the waterline, a rock had pierced the steel plated hull of the ship, tearing a large gash into the port side as water immediately started rushing in.
"Twilight!" Sunset yelled. "Run this ship into the beach! Now!"
"On it!" Twilight replied as she spun the wheel to the left. Slowly, Mareitania tilted over on her starboard side as she swung back to the left before her momentum carried her bow straight onto the sandy beach, grinding to a halt. Once stopped, Twilight let go of the wheel. "We need help!" She yelled. "We need to block out this singing!" After saying that, her horn lit up. Rushing out onto the bridge wing, she shot a beam into the air. The beam stopped several feet above the mast before transforming into a dome shape. "This sound-proof barrier should help." Twilight said as the dome encircled the crippled liner. Once fully in place, the only sound that could be heard was the groaning coming from the damaged hull as water continued pouring in through the massive gash.
"Ugh!" Shining groaned as he emerged from the chart room. "My.... head. What hit me?" He then looked at the wall beside him. "Or rather.... what did I hit?"
"Shining!" Twilight yelled. "Thank Celestia you're back to normal!" She quickly gave the confused stallion a tight hug before stepping back. "Quick! We need the watertight doors shut! Now!"
"Uh... why? What happened?" He asked, holding a hoof against his head.
"Well... we kinda hit something and now.... we're stuck on a beach." She replied, causing her brother's eyes to shrink in horror at what he just heard.
