Fools, Foals and Ships named Enterprise

Chapter 2:

“This world is unbelievable!”

I grinned at Travis as he tried not to sightsee as the shuttlepod descended, “the Sun orbiting the Earth part? Or the fact it’s nearly pristine?”

“Both,” he said earnestly.

“Can’t wait to get a good cloud under my hooves again,” Flash piped up, hopping excitedly in front of his seat as he peered over my shoulder to watch the cloud layer approaching.

“Down boy,” Glare teased, pushing the Pegasus back into his seat, “personally I can’t wait to see my folks again.”

“Me too,” Flash and I chorused.

“Watch out for pedestrians when we enter the clouds, Travis,” I warned the pilot as we dropped to just over five thousand feet above the clouds.

“Pedestrians?” Travis sent me a deadpan look.

“You know? Pegasi?” Flash chipped in, “we’re responsible for the Weather in Equestria so we fly around the clouds a lot.”

“And nap in them,” Glare added, “their cloud walking means they can sleep on clouds.”

“Really, you aren’t just pulling my leg?” Travis asked.

“Travis, I know a spell that’ll make any Unicorn or Earth pony walk on clouds,” I told him, “a friend of mine wouldn’t stop harping on about how great a bed clouds made so one time after I had visited Cloudsdale I tried it out. Trust me, there is nothing in known space that comes close.”

Travis was silent for a moment, “wait, Cloudsdale?”

“The Pegasus city,” Glare explained, “made entirely from clouds, very distinctive.”

“So you couldn’t miss it if you tried,” I added as we approached the cloud layer, “so keep an eye for movement and heat signatures.”

“Got it,” Travis said, turning his full attention into his flying.

After a few minutes, Glare turned to me, “so why are we heading to Mane Cross? Don’t get me wrong, landing this thing in Canterlot is asking for trouble…”

“Especially with that shield up,” Flash quipped.

I made a mental note to write to my brother later, “peace of mind really,” I shrugged, “when the worm eaters…”

“Ferengi,” Travis corrected.

“Worm eaters grabbed me,” I repeated, I had no intention of dignifying the Bastards if I could help it, “I was trying to discover what became of a friend’s parents. Several years ago they were ambushed by a Manticore as they travelled to another town, the beast was found dead among the twisted remains of the Mane gorge bridge. Pony blood was found but not enough to say they bled out and the Manticore’s stomach was popped and found empty.

They were written off as dead but to my knowledge no pony checked to see if they made it over the bridge, so while I was taking a vacation I decided to go to Mane Cross the long way round through the Mane Turk mountains and check. Either way I’d at least be able to give my friend closure.”

“Why not take the airship?” Flash asked me.

“Wrong time of the month,” I told him, still very sore about the retirement of the second airship on that route two years ago.

“So, this side trip is to ease your conscience?” Travis ventured.

“And to give you a little practice on landing without starting a riot,” I snarked, “land beyond the outskirts if you can and we…”

The shuttlepod lurched, I went rolling up the port fuselage, sending a hot lance through the crack in my still healing horn, then sending me along the roof and down the starboard side before rolling back into the port hull to find myself with my back to the outer hull and nearly muzzle to muzzle with an orange Pegasus that had wound up on top of me.

“Err… Dusk? Not that you aren’t a handsome colt or unimpressive back there, but I prefer my partners to have Slot…” the Pegasus stiffened painfully with tears in his eyes.

“On the contrary, I happen to share a fondness for the fairer sex,” I retorted, idly noting that the jumpsuits hid more than expected, pushing on Flash’s chest with my fore hoof to get him standing on his hind legs and pushing him off me with the hind hoof planted in his colt makers.

As Flash flopped onto his back and curled up cradling his bruised fruits, I wondered if my old friend Minuette had familiarised herself with Pegasi anatomy.

I’d probably care more if I’d been a better friend.

“What in Tartarus was that?!” Glare exclaimed, the only one of us besides Travis strapped in and looking half crushed by his harness.

“One of your pedestrians,” Travis explained.

“If it was Thunderlane I’ll drop him in the sheep dip,” I muttered, remembering a couple of incidents caused by that stallion being careless.

Or reckless, half of Cloudsdale was crushing on Rainbow after all.

“I think I see it,” I peered over Travis’ shoulder.

“That’s the Mane Turk mountains alright,” I agreed, “the village is in a valley nestled between the four largest peaks, there should be a clearing at the north end of the old bridge to the south, land there and we can walk in.”

“Got it,” Travis adjusted course to skirt the mountains instead of flying over, “You know, I never checked but… How many of you did the Ferengi take?”

Glare and Flash shrugged.

“I counted forty two, but I stopped after finding the one name I really didn’t want to see,” I admitted sheepishly.

“Damn they were busy,” Travis said, “ok, I’m bringing her down now.”

We waited as the pod settled, once it was down I popped the hatch, “Thanks Travis, do you mind waiting in the pod, Humans aren’t normal here?”

“Ok, call me if anything comes up,” with that I hopped out and started to circle the craft.

Travis had chosen to land less than a hundred yards from the bridge, a quick check revealed no graves on that side.

“Anything over there?” I called out, pulling my head back from the ravine, that’s one doozy of a drop.

“Nothing, either they made it to town or they were carried there,” Flash called out.

“Ok, lets head into town,” I followed Glare as Flash got a little too excited about flying again and crashed into the branches of a tree, “feather brain,” I muttered fondly.

Mane Cross was very similar to Ponyville, though dominated by low grey stone houses with slate roofs to better weather the high winds, there was even an orchard.

“I’m going to start at the Post Office, you guys going to hang around?” I asked as we entered the main square.

“I’m going to send a Telegram to my folks, so I’ll join you,” Glare said.

“Guess I’ll do the same,” Flash shrugged, wincing from tugging a twig from between his feathers, “what about you?”

“I want to tell them in person,” I replied, entering the Post Office.

“Good morning,” a gentle female voice called out from the back of the room, “How can I… oh! I don’t believe I’ve seen you three gentlecolts before?”

The speaker was a middle aged Unicorn mare with a mint green coat and white mane, wearing glasses.

“We just got into town, we’re passing through but my friends would like to send a couple of Telegrams,” I explained.

“Of course, Juniper, could you send two telegrams for these colts?”

“Yes Grandma,” a young, almost filly, voice replied. A Unicorn filly almost into marehood trotted out with an apron and visor on. She had a mint green mane and tail and a cream coat.

“Is there anything else?” the mare asked as my friends went to the filly.

“Actually I was hoping you could help me,” I replied, “a few years ago a friend of mine supposedly lost their parents to a Manticore attack in the Everfree, the very Manticore that destroyed the south bridge.”

“And you think they may have survived?” the mare asked, correctly guessing my train of thought.

“At the very least they made it over the bridge,” I agreed, “either they died of their wounds and were buried in town or they recovered but were trapped by the collapsed bridge.”

“Do you know their names? If they are in town I can direct you to them,” the mare said.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling, “Zap Apple and Jewel Smith.”

“Oh, I’m afraid they were planning on leaving town today when the airship comes in,” the mare replied.

“That’s alright,” I said, “when is it due and could you tell me where the dock is?”

“The Pandora is due in one hour and the dock is on the eastern side of town, you can’t miss it,” she said.

“Thank you,” bowing my head respectfully, then I turned to the others, “done?”

Glare and Flash both dropped four Bits on the counter, “I’ll get these sent off,” Juniper sent the Bits to her Grandmother then darted off into another room.

“Thank you again,” I said, then headed outside.

“So, next stop, the Dock?” Flash guessed.

“Right,” I agreed.

The mare in the Post Office had been right, you couldn’t miss it. It hung off the side of a cliff with retractable cranes, lifts and gangways.

With everything pulled back it looked like one of those massive diving boards in Cloudsdale.

“Down boy,” Glare teased as Flash stared longingly at the platform.

“There’s the ticket hall,” I said and walked up the steps.

“What do you mean? I checked two days ago!” a Minnesota accented male voice demanded.

“I’m sorry sir, but there’s nothing I can do, the fares have gone up again,” a more neutral accented stallion replied.

“Just as we are trying to go home? Again?!” the first voice demanded.

“Just let it go, Sugar,” a mare that sounded like Applejack said.

I cleared the top of the steps to find a small brown stallion in a uniform being glared down at by a tall Orange stallion with a Zap apple Cutie Mark with a cream coated mare with a jewel Cutie Mark beside the Orange stallion.

“No, every time we try to return to our Family the fares mysteriously go up, I’m done with it!” the orange stallion declared.

“That doesn’t change the fact we can’t afford it,” the mare pointed out, brushing a tuft of her Brunswick green mane out of her eyes.

The stallion seemed to shrink at the cold truth in her words.

“I’ll just be… going,” the small Pegasus disappeared as the couple settled onto one of the three steamer trunks with them.

I walked over slowly as the mare hugged her husband, “excuse me?”

The stallion looked up with stern eyes, “can we help you?”

“Are you Zap Apple and Jewel Smith?” I asked.

“Who’s askin’?” the stallion demanded.

“Sugar,” the mare reprimanded.

“My name is Dusk Shine,” I said, “I used to live in Ponyville where I met Appljack, Apple Bloom and Big Mcintosh.”

The mare gasped, “you met our foals? Great Celestia! Are they alright?”

I smiled softly, “they were fine when I knew them, but I’ve been out of town for the past few months so I can’t speak for them recently,” I explained at their curious looks, “though Applejack can be a bit stubborn, she tried to do Applebuck season by herself after Mac was injured a few months before I left.”

The stallion chuckled as his wife looked horrified then fell silent and whistled innocently when she gave him ‘A Look’.

“Well, I’m Zap Apple and this is my wife Jewel Smith, what can we do ya for?” the Orange Stallion asked blowing a loose strand of his red mane out of his eyes, trying to divert his wife’s attention.

“I was looking for you because your family thinks you are dead,” I said honestly.

“Oh No!” Zap embraced Jewel as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“At first I thought so too, but looking into it I found that your bodies weren’t found an no one checked to see if you made it over the bridge,” I continued, hoping that by being quick but clear I could minimise any pain.

“So you volunteered to find out?” Zap guessed as he rubbed his wife’s back.

“Not exactly,” I admitted, “talking about you is a painful subject for them so I decided to go alone. If I was wrong then at least I could tell them where you were buried, either way they’d have closure.”

“However, that is thankfully unnecessary,” I added brightly, “ready to go home?”

“Yes but… we can’t afford the fare,” Jewel said, drying her eyes.

I frowned and looked at the ticket office where the stallion from earlier was sitting, he looked up and may well have pissed himself before he looked down hastily.

“And what if alternate means of travel could be arranged?” I asked.

“Maybe,” Zap said slowly, “but how?”

“I and my companions didn’t arrive by airship or chariot, and the roads gone,” I pointed out, “five ponies will be a squeeze but we should manage.”

"What about our luggage?” Jewel asked.

I looked over the trunks, “is there anything in them that will react badly to a shrinking spell?”

At the shake of their heads I gestured for them to stand and prepped a shrinking spell, trying hard not to show how much pain it was causing me, in a flash all three were the size of match boxes and I floated them over to Jewel who put them in her purse.

“Ready?” the two Earth Ponies nodded, “Guys?”

“When you are,” Flash said, I nodded and started walking back.

“That’s it?” I snorted in amusement at Zap’s disbelief.

“I thought the same thing the first time, trust me they’re safe,” I reassured him.

“Just one thing, our pilot isn’t a pony,” I stated as we approached the pod, “he’s an Ape-like creature with a body structure similar to Minotaurs.”

The couple shared a look,” but he’s ok?”

“I trust him with my life,” I said solemnly, Flash and Glare nodding.

“Very well,” Zap sighed, “if you trust him.”

“One moment,” I knocked on the hull and the hatch popped open, I lifted it up and Flare hopped in.

“Climb on in, Glare will get you seated and buckled,” I said to them, the couple looked warily at the hatch then cautiously entered.

I climbed in to find the Apples on the rear starboard bench seat with Flare strapping them in, I took the seat behind the pilot on the port side, leaving Flash to lounge on the rear port bench after entering, closing the hatch behind him.

“So you found them?” Travis asked, looking over his shoulder at me.

“Yes, and you are providing a free taxi ride,” I joked, then turned to the others, “all set?”

“Ready,” Flash said brightly, ignoring Flare glaring at him.

“We’re ready,” Jewel said.

I turned around, “To Ponyville Travis, with most haste,” I said in my best Blueblood impression.

That got a laugh as Travis cycled the engines and, with a gentle lurch, the pod lifted off, orientating to face south east and starting off towards Ponyville.

I watched the forest go by far below, craning my head at one point as what looked like Zecora’s cottage passed by.

Soon enough we were hovering over the edge of the Everfree, a short walk from Sweet Apple Acres.

“I can’t thank you enough,” I just smiled at the grateful couple.

“Don’t, your Family will be doing enough of that soon,” I pointed out, “Go, this has been a long time coming, no need to wait any longer.”

“Thank you again,” Zap said, then started back towards the farm, his wife close beside him.

I looked to Flash and Glare, “we’re burning daylight and I for one can’t wait to get home.”

“My cousin’s on this side of town,” Glare said, “I’ll catch you two up later.”

“Guess I’ll stick with you for a bit,” Flash said lazily, hovering upside down next to me.

“See you at later Glare,” I said, Flash giving his own farewell as I started heading into town.

It almost felt like a dream, I could only see the barest hints of time’s passing as we passed through, ignoring the ponies that stopped and stared or pointed, whether at me or the uniform? I don’t really care.

“You know what?” Flash said beside me after a while, “Despite everything that’s been thrown at you, you still have a heart of gold.”

“I’m not so sure anymore,” I admitted under my breath, I could almost feel Flash’s concerned gaze so I raised my head to speak…

And got a mouth full of paper.

I resisted the twin urges to: A) spit it out and B) to extract it with my magic.

Pulling it off with my hoof, I saw it was a piece of paper with the words ‘The Holder of this Note is Entitled to…’

Hang on!

This seems familiar.

“To the Viginity of One Elusive Belle?” I stated in disbelief, “That Idiot!”

“Hypocrite,” Flash called out as a pair of Pegasi ran over, one stallion and one mare, “you did the same thing yesterday.”

“But I couldn’t lose,” I interjected as the mare cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, but I bel… Dusk Shine! But you died!”

“Charming,” Flash drawled sarcastically.

“Rumours of my Death have been greatly exaggerated,” I deadpanned, “and this?”

Cloudkicker smirked as I held up the paper, “well, Elusive lost it in a drunken poker game and it found it’s way into my hooves. I fully intend to cash it in.”

“You really expect him to give it up to you?” I deadpanned.

She puffed up indignantly, “and what is that supposed to mean?”

“Scuttlebutt has four different colts in three cities claimed to have taken your virginity in the space of a two day period,” I shot back.

“Are you implying I’m a slut?” she demanded.

“I’m merely stating the rumours,” I countered smoothly, “not my fault you interpreted it that way.”

She huffed, “well I’ll just take that an…”

“I hold it now,” I argued, “finders keepers.”

“Wow, didn’t know you swung that way,” Thunderlane blurted out, “I mean, everyone thought you were sweet on Applejack.”

“On the contrary, I happen to prefer the fairer sex,” I disagreed, “but how often does Prime blackmail material like this fall into your lap?”

Thunderlane shrugged, “never.”

Cloudkicker fumed, “just give it to me,” she made a grab for the slip but I caught her and threw her back.

“This stays with me and you two are going to buzz off, understand?” I said, staring down at her.

“Yeah right?” Cloudkicker scoffed, “what’re you gonna do? Send us to the Moon?”

“Don’t you know it’s a bad idea to give ideas to the colt pissed off at you?” I deadpanned.

Both gulped, “You wouldn’t really…” Cloudkicker started.

“Do you want to find out?” I asked ominously, fixing a look on her.

The mare was moving in under a second, Thunderlane sticking around a moment longer, “you’ve changed Dusk,” he then took off after Cloudkicker.

“He’s right, you’re right scary when you want to be,” Flash agreed.

I stuffed the paper in my duffle bag, “are any of us the same anymore?” I asked aloud.

Flash stilled beside me, “no… I guess not.”

We continued in silence for a few minutes, then I reached the Golden Oaks library.

It was just as I remembered it, bar the green door and a lot more tool marks around the windows.

“So you lived here?” Flash said, looking over the place, “it fits you.”

“A lifetime ago, maybe,” I replied, opening the door and entering the ground floor of the library proper, dropping my duffle on the nearest table.

I was taking in the minute changes I could make out, when a female screamed.

“SPINES!” before Flash could react I was up the stairs, my horn Charged, I heard a second, less piercing scream as I hit the second floor landing coming from… My Room!

The door was locked so I blasted it down and rushed through, stopping on the other side.

Spines was sitting in the centre of my old bed, her stomach swollen and her vagina leaking copious amounts of clear fluid, on her left with her claw wrapped tight enough his hoof to draw blood was Elusive.

The normally Prim and Proper stallion met my gaze and instantly started shaking.

“What in All The Worlds is going ON!”