The Tempest tales

"Welcome on board." Flynn said as he bowed.
"Thanks, I can't wait to leave." Fizzlepop said.
Flynn straightened up and cleared his throat.
“First of all I have to give you some information, we will not leave immediately as we have to finish loading the goods, so I advise you to enjoy the mainland while you can. Secondly, I warn you that the trip will last about a month if all goes well, so you should bring something to pass the time, I recommend books and maybe a diary, it can be useful to stay sane." Flynn winked and then spoke again. "We will leave around 8 this evening during twilight, so you better get ready, in the meantime I will go and notify the rest of the crew."
"Perfect, all clear." Fizzlepop answered as she nodded.
"Great, see you later." the cat said cheerfully and turned to go back to the airship.

Fizzlepop remained standing on the quay, took the watch from her backpack and gave it a look.
"He said I have to be here by eight, now it's five so I have another three hours left."
She put her watch away and went back to the city.
As she walked she thought about what the captain had said, first she thought about what to bring to pass the time, she really liked the book she had read on the train.
She should have looked for a bookstore but she didn't have the faintest idea where to go and if there was one nearby, the only option is to ask someone.
"Excuse me, I need some information." she tried to ask a mare passing by but she was ignored.
"Hi, I wish ..." she didn't have time to ask another pony who was almost hit by a stallion running with a cart.
Fizzlepop took a deep breath and saw that another mare was passing, did not seem to be in a hurry and was not carrying anything.
"Hi, I would need some information."
"Hello to you, please tell me." the mare gave her the grace to stop and listen to her.
"I would like to know there is a library around here." Fizzlepop asked.
"Of course, just walk about three hundred meters in that direction and you won't be able to lose it."
the mare pointed with her hoof in front of her.
"Thank you very much, I wish you a good evening."

Fizzlepop walked in the indicated direction until she was in front of a building with "Port Blapolis Library" written on it.
"It must be this."
She pushed the door and entered, the library was not very large, derisory when compared with the royal one but she had to be satisfied.
She began to wander around the library in search of something interesting, she really liked the book she had read on the train, maybe there was a continuation.

After several searches she found the object of her desire, in a low and hardly visible shelf there were 3 other books in the series, she decided to take them all.
However, they wouldn't be enough for the whole trip, she thought about what she might be interested in.
Eventually she also picked up a book on navigation and one called "Myths and Legends".
She was about to go to pay but noticed that there were other books on a table, they were empty.
"Diaries ... Flynn advised to take one." Fizzlepop had never written her own memoirs, however it would have been interesting since she would have lived for centuries or even a few millennia, maybe someday she will read the diary and old memories will surface.
"Why not?" she took one and placed it on top of the pile of books she had on her back.
She arrived at the counter and she handed them to the cashier who checked them one by one to see the price.

"That's sixty-two dollars." said the cashier flatly, she seemed to be bored.
Fizzlepop didn't comment and gave her the money.
"Could I have a bag?" she asked the mare.
The cashier put the books in a fairly strong plastic bag and handed it to Fizzlepop who grabbed the bag with her teeth and put it her back.

When she left the room she saw that the sun was starting to set, she looked at her watch and realized that she had spent over an hour and a half in the library.
"I better get back to the ship."
However, since there was still enough time, she decided to take all the necessary time.
During the walk she had visited the stalls along the pier, there were all kinds, most of them sold food such as fish, fruit and vegetables, dried or in oil; the latter were very important as they could be kept for months.
Fizzlepop had little money left but it was better to spend it all because then it would be like waste paper.
She had also bought a mane brush, a fur shampoo, a quill and a bottle of ink, finally a small lockable steel box to put the gems in.
"Trust is good, not trust is better."

When she reached the dock where the airship was docked the sun was disappearing on the horizon.
She noticed that the crew had stopped moving crates and were working on the boat, Flynn was outside writing something on paper.
"Here I am." Fizzlepop said.
The cat turned, "Oh, welcome back Fizzle, I thought you pulled back, crossing the ocean is not something that many do."
The alicorn said nothing to the captain's comment.
"Come on, I'll take you aboard." Flynn said as he climbed the ramp that connected the ship to the dock.
Fizzlepop followed him but she was stopped before putting a plinth on the wooden plank.
"But payment first, I need to make sure you're not trying to scrounge a free ride." Flynn said as he reached out with an open palm.
Fizzlepop rolled her eyes, turned to take three gems and gave them to the cat.
"Perfect! follow me." he said happy after putting the precious stones in his pocket.

She arrived on the deck of the ship.
"Crew, come here." Flynn yelled. All the creatures stopped doing what they were doing and approached the two of them, another anthropomorph appeared from below deck.
"My friends, here is the passenger I told you about." Flynn said pointing to her, "Her name is Fizzle and she will stay with us until we get to Saddle Arabia, so treat her like one of the crew."
"Nice to meet you." Fizzlepop said.
"Come on guys, introduce yourself." Flynn urged.

First the anthropomorphic wolf came forward, he had gray fur, his stature was not imposing but he was not even skinny, he had a patch on his left eye and a scar that started from the cheek and went down the neck up to disappear under clothes.
"I'm Boomer, I'm the engineer and repairman for the ship, nice to meet you."
Boomer didn't seem to be a bad person, his voice was welcoming and his expression friendly.

After the wolf came the bird, looking more like a hawk or something similar. He had his arms crossed and a serius expression.
"I'm Tread, I'm the smart one in the crew." his voice was deep and the cadence of his words slow, his appearance was slightly somber and he seemed to have an apathetic character.

Finally stepped forward the shark, among the four he was the largest and most imposing, he was tall and overlooked the others, instead of his left hand he had a hook and a stick instead of a leg.
His face was hard and his posture intimidating.
"I am Bash, I am the muscles of the crew, I protect the ship and eliminate the hassle." he said as he gave a deep and hoarse laugh that made her fur crawl.
Fizzlepop had to raise her head to be able to look him in the eye, it was better not to turn him against.
"Nice to meet you." she said as she smiled the best she could and stretched out a paw.
Bash took the hoof with his right hand, it was big enough to wrap around her leg.
"Welcome aboard pony." he gave another laugh and let go of her hoof.

“Great, now that we've met, I'll show you where you'll be staying. You others get back to work.” Flynn said.
The captain went to the aft castle and Fizzlepop followed him.
As soon as they entered they were in a corridor with many doors.
"So, the room down the hall is my quarters." Flynn pointed to the back door as he kept walking.
They took a couple of steps and stopped in front of another door next to the captain's quarters.
"And this is your room." he said as he opened the door, stepped aside to allow Fizzlepop to enter.

The room was bigger than she had expected, on the wall opposite the door there was a long window, it was not high enough to lean out but it let in a lot of light, under it there was a shelf that ran through it from side to side of the window.
In one corner was the bed and next to it a bedside table with an oil lamp on it.
Immediately on the right there was a table with a chair and next to it a small wardrobe with one door.
"It seems perfect." Fizzlepop said after peering inside.
"Great, I'll show you the rest of the ship."

Flynn showed Fizzlepop the bathroom, it was the only one on the ship but it was well equipped, there was a shower and a squat toilet, she noticed that if you looked at the hole from a certain angle you could see outside. Flynn had explained to her that everything was thrown straight out of the ship but when they flew over land it was customary to attach a tank to the hole.

Later he showed her the galley, the kitchen and the engine room.
Fizzlepop was amazed by the latter.
The engine was completely automated, it had a conveyor belt that loaded the coal into the furnace, obviously it was equipped with a catalyst to reduce consumption exponentially.
The engine did not have the only function of making the ship move, it also worked as a boiler and water purifier, the latter function was innovative since it was usually necessary to have a purification device on board.
In practice, it evaporated the water that was collected in a tank and then used for washing or cooking.

"I think in the meantime the others have finished preparing the ship, if you want you can go back to your cabin or give us a hand." he proposed her.
"Of course, but I'd like to go put my things down first." Fizzlepop answered.
"Ok, I'll wait on the main deck."

Arriving in her room, she took off her backpack and emptied it, she decided to leave only the box with the gems inside, she put the key around her neck along with the watch, and finally she put the backpack in the small closet. She wore no clothing but the black cloak she was wearing at the time.

She left her room and went back to the main deck, as Flynn had said everything was ready, the ship just had to be untied.
"Here you are, Fizzle, have you got everything right?" Flynn asked from above her, the captain was at the helm and had a map and a compass in his hand.
"Yes, I've done everything, what can I do?" she asked them.
"You can help me untie the moorings." Boomer had appeared from behind her.
"Ok, tell me what to do."
"It's simple, you have to stay on the ship, when I have untied the knots you just have to pull the ropes and roll them up." he explained quickly.

Fizzlepop went to the side of the ship facing the dock, when Boomer untied the first rope she pulled with all her might, the rope was thick and heavy.
When they untied the last, Boomer quickly got on board and pulled the ramp inside.
"Great job Fizzle, you will become an excellent sailor." he complimented her with his thumbs up.

"Now we have to get the airship off the ground, luckily it's much easier than it seems, the captain will explain." Boomer said as he disappeared below deck.
"Exactly, come up here Fizzle." Flynn called her.
Fizzlepop climbed the stairs and stood next to him.
“So, this is the rudder, it is to control the ship horizontally, if you turn it right the ship will go starboard, if you turn it left it will go port. In addition, if we are stationary and you turn the rudder, the aircraft will rotate on its axis. "
Fizzlepop listened carefully, she was not a navigational expert but she was very interested, Flynn was very quick and clear to explain.
"In addition to the rudder there are also three levers, the first from the right adjusts the altitude, if you pull it up you go up and down you go down. The second is used to adjust the speed and direction of travel. And last but not least, the lever that is used to make the aircraft move perpendicularly to the right and to the left, used for maneuvers such as parking or passing in tight spots. " he finished explaining.
"All clear." Fizzlepop said as she nodded.
"Great, would you like to try?" he proposed her.
Fizzlepop was somewhat perplexed “Are you sure? I don't want to destroy your ship. "
"Don't worry, I'm here." Flynn said confidently as he moved to make room for her.

"Okay, we can't get up in the air right away, we have to get out of the harbor first, so back off." he gave her directions.
Fizzlepop pulled back the second lever and the ship moved slowly.
"Well, now that we are far enough away we can take off, push the first lever to an altitude of 500 meters."
The alicorn followed the orders and the airship began to rise in altitude, the sensation was strange because there was no longer the movement generated by the waves, more they climbed and smaller the world below, for Fizzlepop it was an experience new and exciting.

"Perfect, now we have to head east so we need to turn the ship first." Flynn pointed to a compass that was mounted near the rudder, now they were facing west.
"I'll ask you a question, Fizzle, now that we're stopped, would you use the rudder or the third lever to turn the ship?" The captain tried to test her but the pony had listened carefully.
"The rudder." she replied with certainty.
"Okay, go ahead."
Fizzlepop turned the rudder to the right and the ship turned 180 degrees.
"Well done, and now full speed ahead." the cat yelled happily.
Fizzlepop was infected by the captain's cheerfulness and smiled, looked at the second lever and pushed it forward without hesitation.
She suddenly felt thrown back but she remained steadfast on her hooves, the ship began to move forward and continued to accelerate until it reached cruising speed.

"Boomer was right, you will become an excellent sailor." Fizzlepop turned her gaze to Flynn, the cat was leaning against one of the stair railings.
"Thank you, few have ever paid me a compliment."
Strangely Fizzlepop was fine, since she had started this journey she no longer felt any weight on her shoulders, it was like being free, she had no school to think about, prejudices to hide from, expectations to keep.
Maybe one day she would return to Iponia, but for the moment she didn't even think about it.

"It's been a while, and it will soon be dark, I think it's time to go for dinner, I can't wait to eat what Tread cooked."
Fizzlepop was shocked, she would never have thought the apathetic Hawk was a cook.
"OK let's go."
Fizzlepop followed Flynn into the dining room.
When she arrived shw felt that there was a good scent in the air, however she could not recognize it.
The environment was cramped but still allowed to move around without hitting walls or furniture.
On one long side of the table was Bash, he had to be there because of his size, he wouldn't have been next to someone else.
In front of him was Boomer, the two were talking animatedly.
Flynn sat at the head of the table, he motioned for her to sit beside him, to his right.
Fizzlepop sat down, a wooden plate and a steel spoon were placed in front of her, everything was very different than it was in the royal palace, however she did not mind, in fact she found it much more practical and quick.

From the kitchen door Tread appeared, as soon as she saw him Fizzlepop burst out laughing.
He was dressed in an apron, in his hands he held a large pot and had the usual apathetic expression even though he seemed slightly annoyed.
For Fizzlepop it was a comical thing that made her die with laughter, the others of them had a grin on their face.
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself, I hope I didn't offend you." Fizzlepop said as she wiped a tear with his hoof.
"You didn't offend anyone, in fact we made a bet to see if you were laughing or not." Boomer replied witty. "Come on, pay out the money!" he added as he reached out to Bash.
The shark made a kind of grunt as he rolled his eyes, moved slightly to the right and took the money out of his pocket, counted it and slammed it into Boomer's palm.
"Ha ha ha." Tread pretended to laugh "Instead of sitting there and having a good time, pass me the dishes."
One by one they passed their plate which was filled with some kind of soup.
"What is it?" Fizzlepop asked.
"Fish soup." Boomer answered "I recognize it by the smell." he added.

Fizzlepop was somewhat perplexed, although ponies were omnivores, they never ate any type of meat or fish, it was simply a matter of ethics and a habit they had always had.
She smelled the dish again, the scent was really inviting, the coloring was rather dull, it was a mixture of gray punctuated by bits of vegetables such as carrots and onions.
She took some with her spoon and stuffed it in her mouth without thinking twice.

She was amazed by the taste, it was quite savory and the texture was silky, you could feel the bits of vegetables on the tongue and the softness of the fish.

"It's really good!" she said as she took another spoonful.
However as soon as she looked up at her and saw that they were staring at her, she immediately stopped and put the spoon down.
"What's up? Did I do something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"No, we just didn't know you could use magic, we were convinced only unicorns could." Flynn said.
Fizzlepop realized they hadn't seen what's under her cloak yet, she was undecided whether or not to show her scars and horn but in the end she decided that she didn't make sense to hide it, sooner or later they would find out.
She grabbed the hood with her hooves and pulled it back revealing her ashamed.
Fizzlepop expected to hear noises of disgust or nasty words.
"Wow, you are the coolest pony I've ever seen!" Boomer said with his mouth open and the spoon suspended.
"He's right, you're even scarier than that dog over there." Flynn said good-naturedly.
"Mr. Shiny Hair spoke." Boomer responded to the taunt with a laugh.

"So I don't make you sick?" Fizzlepop asked.
"Of course not Fizzle, in our country having a scar is a source of pride, it means that you survived another day to tell what happened and sometimes brag to others." Flynn explained, then pointed at the shark with a finger. “Take for example Bash, he has suffered almost every kind of injury: he has lost a hand, a fin, an eye, a leg and even a few teeth. However, he faces them with pride and head held high as every wound is a testament to how strong and resistant he is. In addition, the scars give a lot of style and frighten the opponents. " he finished saying while he winked.

The scarred alicorn smiled "I had never thought of it this way, I have always tried to hide the scars for fear of what others thought, but now you have made me change my mind, thanks." she said happily to the others.
"You're welcome, and now let's start eating again before it gets cold." said the captain.

For the rest of the evening they talked and joked with each other, Fizzlepop enjoyed hearing the stories of the four sailors, in return she told them about the boring life in the royal palace and the stupid nobles, obviously ignoring the fact that she was a princess and an alicorn.

When they finished dinner it was already half past eleven in the evening.
Fizzlepop gave a long yawn and rose from the chair.
"I'm tired and it's been a long day, I think I'll go to bed."
"Certainly Fizzle, good night." Flynn said.
"Good night." the other three repeated.

Fizzlepop went back to her room and got under the covers, and within minutes she was asleep.

Flynn

Boomer

Tread

Bash