Shore Leave

The streets of Manehattan were busy with the usual activities of those who live and work there. Ponies were seen waiting at food carts and taxi carriage stops along with leaving various shops with bags in either their mouths or their magical auras. However, there was also an unusual amount of reporters walking the streets as well with cameras and assistants in tow. Each and every one of them though were tasked with the same mission as told to do by their superiors. They were on the lookout for the one stallion who had answers to one of the biggest stories in recent history. That of course being what happened to the Mareitania.

Equestria's newest, biggest, fastest, and most luxurious ocean liner was found almost completely abandoned at sea and had to be assisted back to Manehattan thanks in large part to Princess Twilight Sparkle and the rest of her friends along with the Captain of the liner, Steel Blade. Naturally, getting a chance to talk to any of the Bearers would prove to be quite difficult. Starlight Glimmer was always a challenge to get an interview with as well, regardless of topic. The Captain however. He should be easy to get the answers from. It was just a matter of finding him. So in order to be the first newspaper to get the scoop, the Chief Editors of every newspaper in the city had tasked every reporter of theirs to track him down and get the answers they were looking for.

The reason why all of them were searching the city instead of the dock where the liner was tied up at was because when each of them showed up, they were told that the Captain had gone ashore. Where he went to, however, was unknown. This was deliberate on the part of the sailor. He knew that the moment he left the docks, there would be dozens of reporters trying to get answers from him. Answers that he wished he didn't have.

As the reporters patrolled the city, the one they were looking for was sitting alone in a park. Instead of his usual white uniform and Captain's hat, he was instead wearing a black trench coat and fedora with tinted sunglasses. This was his best attempt to get through town without being recognized. And so far, it was working. With the sounds of birds chirping in a nearby tree, the stallion levitated a paper out of one of the pockets he had before unfolding it to read once again.

To: Captain Steel Blade, EMS Mareitania

From: Dotted Line, Red Apple Line Chairpony

Dear Steel,

I hope you are doing well. But as I'm sure you are probably well aware by now, the Equestrian Board of Trade has suspended Mareitania's safety certificate until she is fully repaired and passes an inspection. Obviously this is a significant problem that must be solved as soon as possible. I've already started making some arrangements. But there are some other things that I'd like to speak with you face to face rather than through writing.

Come see me at Red Apple HQ as soon as you receive this letter. I'll be waiting for you to arrive.

Sighing to himself, Steel folded the paper up before putting it back into his pocket. Thankfully, when the ship arrived the previous week, he had Twilight and the others to help explain the situation to Dotted. But that didn't seem to stop him from being upset over everything that happened. As he got off of the bench, he took a look around. From where he was, he could see the building where Red Apple Line's HQ was at. And there seemed to be no reporters around from where he was.

As he began walking, he took off the fedora and started using it like a fan. Wearing an all black colored outfit on a hot summer day was not the best decision he made. But if it meant that the reporters wouldn't recognize him, then it was worth it. With each step he took, his eyes darted back and forth. Once he reached the street, he turned to the left and started walking toward the building located just down the road.

But as he got closer to the building, he could see that the area around it was swarming with reporters. Seeing all of them made his eye twitch with frustration. Why couldn't they just take no for an answer and leave it? As he steadied himself by breathing slowly, he continued walking forward while placing the fedora back on his head. Once he was close, a reporter looked over his way. She was a pink colored pegasus with a yellow mane and tail. On her back was a leather satchel with pockets on both sides.

"Excuse me, sir," she said before approaching Steel, stopping in front of him.

"Yes?" Steel replied while intentionally making his voice sound deeper.

"Have you seen this stallion at all?" she asked before reaching into her satchel and producing a picture of him in his uniform. Putting on as best of an act as possible, the disguised stallion took hold of it with his magic before giving it a look, even tilting his head to the side as he gazed at it.

"Can't say that I have," he replied. "Sorry."

"Oh. Okay," she replied in a disappointed tone while he gave the photo back to her.

"Are all of you looking for him?" he asked while looking at all of the reporters in the area.

"Yeah," she said after putting the photo back in her satchel. "Every newspaper in town has their field reporters out trying to find him so we can finally figure out what really happened to the Mareitania. Guess it's just a race to see who can break the next biggest story first."

"That... seems a little extreme if you ask me," he replied while looking at the badge connected to a lanyard around her neck. According to it, this mare's name was Strawberry Sunshine and was with a paper called 'The Manehattan Chronicle'.

"Right?" she replied before giggling softly. "I don't really understand why we're having to hunt him down like he's some kind of rare creature. He's just a normal pony like the rest of us. I'm of the belief that if he's making this much effort to not be found, he clearly doesn't want to talk about it."

"You have no idea how right you are," he said in his normal voice as he lowered his sunglasses and winked at her. Seeing this, the mare gasped quietly as it didn't take long for her to realize who was standing directly in front of her.

"It's... It's you!" she softly exclaimed before looking around to see if any other reporters are looking at them. Fortunately, they all were busy conversing with each other to notice who she was talking to. As she looked back at the stallion in front of her, she watched him move his hoof across his lips. Seeing that, she silently nodded.

"If I wanted to talk about it, I'd have done it already," he quietly said. "But I'll tell you what. Let me pass and I'll give you and your paper an exclusive when I'm ready to talk about it. Deal?"

"Deal!" she replied before the two ponies shook hooves in a verbal agreement. Once done, she cleared her throat and stepped aside. "Sorry to bother you, sir," she said while putting on an act. "Have a good day."

"Same to you, miss," he replied before continuing forward. As he walked by her, he could hear her softly squeal in excitement which in turn made him roll his eyes and smile. Once he reached the stairs leading up to the two glass doors, he turned around and saw that she was dancing around excitedly. "Not exactly the subtle type," he said in his mind as he walked up the stairs and pushed open one of the doors before going inside.

Once inside, he let out a sigh of relief as he walked over to the receptionist's desk. Upon hearing his hoofsteps, the receptionist, a gray colored unicorn mare with a black mane, looked up at him. The nameplate on her desk read Stormy Skies.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said as he kept walking toward the desk. "We're not open to the public right now."

"What if I work for the company though?" he asked while removing the fedora and sunglasses.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Captain Blade! I didn't recognize you in that... outfit," she said while looking at him with a confused expression on her face. "Why are you wearing that?"

"Because I'm being hounded by reporters wanting to know what happened on Mareitania's maiden voyage," he replied. "That's why."

"I... see," she replied before clearing her throat. "Well. Since you're here. Dotted Line is expecting you in his office."

"Sounds good," he says before turning and walking down the hallway. After a minute or so, he stopped outside of the doorway leading into his boss' office. With a gulp, he knocked on the door three times. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Ah! Steel! Please. Come in," Dotted replied through the door. Doing as he said, the red stallion opened the door with his magic and stepped inside before closing it behind him. Inside the room, he found his boss sitting at his desk, which was covered with papers and books.

"Am I in trouble, sir?" Steel asked as he approached the desk before sitting down in the lone chair in front of it. The white colored stallion behind the desk chuckled softly after hearing that question.

"Why is it that each time I call you here, you just automatically think you're in trouble?"

"Force of habit, I guess," he replied.

"Well you needn't worry," Dotted said in a calming tone. "You're not in trouble." This made Steel sigh in relief as Dotted got out of his chair and walked over to the window. Through the glass, he could see the many reporters still out looking for the stallion that was now in his office. "I trust you didn't have too much trouble getting here?"

"I feel like a criminal being wanted by the police," Steel replied. "I had to wear this trench coat and fedora just to sneak by them." He then sighed again. "Though I did agree to speak to a reporter with the Chronicle in exchange for letting me through."

"The Manehattan Chronicle?" the stallion at the window asked. "Ah. Good paper. They'll be grateful to you for doing that."

"Yeah," the one in the chair replied. "So... if I'm not in trouble. Then why did you want to speak with me?"

"I just wanted to go over a few things with you," Dotted replied as he turned around and walked back over to his desk. "Firstly, there's the matter of our company's brand new ship already needing to be repaired. Now obviously, we can't put passengers and a full crew aboard her with the only thing keeping the water out being a magical shield."

"What do you propose we do about that then?" he asked. "Where would we even take her to get fixed?"

"The only place in all of Equestria with a dry dock big enough to hold her would be where she was built. The Clydesdale Shipyard in Horseshoe Bay."

"Horseshoe Bay?" he asked. "That's quite the journey."

"Indeed," Dotted replied. "Especially considering that she'll have to be towed there."

"Towed?"

"Yes. I've already made the arrangements with a local towing and salvage company. They'll have four tugboats available to tow her to Horseshoe Bay."

"How long do you think the repairs will take?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "It depends on the extent of the damage. Boiler Room Two is already going to need to be stripped out and have new boilers and pipes installed since they were exposed to seawater. The starboard coal bunker will need to be repaired. The telegraph cables strung between the masts need to be replaced. And there's also some minor damage to your cabin that I'm sure you'd like to have fixed." This made Steel shudder slightly as the memory of what happened in that room entered his mind once again. Dotted however was confused by this reaction and raised an eyebrow. "Is.. everything alright, Steel?"

"Could I... ask a personal favor?"

"Of course."

"Is there any way you can have them... give me a new cabin?"

"Why?" he asked in a confused tone. "You just got that cabin."

"Just... trust me," Steel replied. "I'd.. really appreciate it if that could be done." The white unicorn just looked at his friend as he processed the unusual request. Clearly this was something that bothered the stallion in front of him. But he couldn't understand why.

"Did... something happen in there, Steel?"

"Yes. And no," he replied before looking down at the floor and sighing. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"I... see...." Dotted replied before putting the Captain's request down on the list. "Well. I've got it on the list. We'll see what the shipyard can do for you. But no promises."

"Thank you," Steel said before sighing again.

"Anyways. Getting back on track," Dotted continued. "Obviously we've been put in a precarious situation here. Apparently, the maiden voyage has already happened. Yet no pony aside from you has any recollection of what happened after the ship left port."

"Didn't Princess Sparkle explain the reason why to you?"

"Yes. She did. And I suppose it does make sense considering what happened to me, Port, and the rest of the passengers and crew."

"So what's the problem?"

"We've been getting numerous requests for refunds from a majority of the passengers," he replied before using his magic to levitate a stack of papers on to the desk. "Since they can't remember anything about the voyage, they naturally want their bits back. Now obviously we're going to have to grant them their refunds. Otherwise our reputation will be ruined."

"Fair enough, I guess."

"Not that we're running out of money or anything," he continued. "But this will be putting a financial strain on the company. On top of the fact that these repairs won't be cheap either."

"Understood," Steel replied, feeling guilty that this is all costing the Red Apple Line so many bits. "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"We still have one more thing to discuss," Dotted replied. "Obviously with the Mareitania out of commission for an extended amount of time, there's the issue of what to do with your crew. I've decided that they'll be transferred to other ships in the fleet to work while Mareitania is being repaired."

"I see. So where am I being transferred to?" he asked. "Back to the Celestia?"

"No," he replied in a more serious tone. "I'm afraid to say that you aren't going to be transferred to another ship." He then sat back down in his chair and looked directly at the stallion in front of him. "I'm not quite certain what all is going on. But Princess Sparkle is going to be meeting you in Horseshoe Bay."

"Princess Sparkle?" Steel asked with a raised eyebrow. "What does she want with me?"

"I'm afraid she wouldn't give me any further details about that," Dotted replied. "But whatever the reason, it must be very important."

"I see," he replied before a thought rushed into his mind. "And you're 100% certain that the pony you were talking to was indeed Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"She mentioned you might ask me that. That's why she wanted me to give you this," he replied before levitating a scroll over to him. Taking hold of the scroll with his magic, the red stallion inspected it closely. It seemed to be authentic, complete with a purple colored ribbon and seal bearing the royal cutie mark. After seeing that, he undid the ribbon and opened the scroll to read what was written inside.

Dear Captain Blade,

I'm certain that you needed some authentication as to what your employer was saying to you. Given all that you've been through, I wouldn't blame you for being skeptical. I hope you are doing well. But we still have a problem that directly affects you. All I can say is that there has been a development since the last time we saw each other. So I'll be meeting you in Horseshoe Bay personally to discuss this further with you. I'm looking forward to seeing you again.

Your friend,
Twilight

"Does that prove things for you?" Dotted asked, making Steel look up at him.

"Yeah," he replied while looking at the scroll again. "I suppose it does."

"Good," the white unicorn replied. "Now I suggest you get back to the ship and get her prepped for the journey to Horseshoe Bay. The tugs will be with you at sunrise tomorrow to begin the tow."

"Yes, sir," Steel replied before saluting. He then stood up and placed the scroll in his coat's pocket. Upon doing that, he then remembered the swarm of reporters outside. Sighing heavily, he placed the fedora and sunglasses back on. "I'll be on my way then."

"Don't have too much trouble with those reporters now," Dotted said before chuckling. Steel just rolled his eyes before opening the door and stepping back out into the hall. As he walked, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly the Princess wanted to meet him in Horseshoe Bay for.

Slipping out the back door of the building, he had to duck through alleyways and side streets in hopes of avoiding the mob of reporters still looking for him. Fortunately, it didn't take him long to return to the docks. The sight of his liner made him breathe a sigh of relief as he passed through the security gate. Once through, he took off his hat and sunglasses since the reporters weren't allowed to be beyond the fence. But as soon as he did, he could hear the sound of multiple cameras, along with a flurry of flashes, coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw a small group of reporters on the other side of the iron fence.

"At least they're on that side of the fence," he said in his mind as he turned and started walking toward his ship.

"Captain Blade!" one of them shouted. "Captain! Why are you ignoring our requests for an interview? Do you have something to hide?" This made Steel come to a sudden halt while clenching his teeth together. He then breathed in deeply before exhaling. The last thing he needed was for them to get the wrong idea. Deciding to set the record straight, he turned around and slowly started walking toward the fence. Seeing him approach them, the journalists smiled as the camera flashes ceased. But as he got closer to them, they could see that the Captain was clearly annoyed with them.

"Look," Steel said while stopping in front of them on his side of the fence. "I get that you all are just doing your jobs right now. But seriously. Can you all just knock it off?" This surprised the ponies as they all looked at each other. "I've already promised to give an exclusive to one paper. But that won't happen for a while yet since I still don't want to talk about what happened out there."

"Which paper?" one of them asked.

"The Manehattan Chronicle," he replied, making them all sigh with disappointment.

"I knew it!" another one said. "That's why Strawberry was so happy!"

"Alright. Let's go," a security guard said as he and several other guards walked over to them on their side of the fence. "Quit bothering the poor stallion." Soon, the crowd of ponies dispersed as more sighs could be heard. Feeling like he finally was free to leave, Steel turned and started walking away from the fence only to stop when he heard a mare clearing her throat behind him. Looking back, he found a yellow colored earth pony mare with a shiny orange mane. Strapped to her sides were two purple colored saddlebags. She waved at him while smiling after seeing him turn around for her.

"Captain Blade," she said as he walked back over to the fence. "My name is Ginger Delight. I'm with a magazine called Passion Print." After saying that, she showed her badge to the stallion. "Could you answer one question for me at least? It isn't about what happened to your ship. But it's one that our readers are really wanting us to ask you."

"I... suppose?" Steel replied as he raised an eyebrow. He was surprised to see a representative for a magazine that was typically known for offering romantic advice standing in front of him. "What is it?"

"Are you single?" she asked. This question made the stallion's eyes widen as he was completely caught off guard by this.

"I'm sorry," he replied, thinking that he misheard her. "What was that?"

"Are you single?" she repeated. "You wouldn't believe the amount of requests by our readers for your answer. Seems you've garnered quite the amount of affection from mares all across Equestria."

"Wait what?"

"It's true!" she replied. "Ever since the story of what happened here last week broke. And ponies realized who you were. Our mailbox has been stuffed with letters from mares in Las Pegasus, San Franciscolt, Baltimare, Whinneyapolis, Mareami, Ponyville, Canterlot, and here in Manehattan. Even your hometown of Des Mane had mares writing to us. All asking the same question."

"I uh..." he replied as his cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "Wait. How did you know I was from Des Mane? And what do you mean ponies realized who I am?"

"You're Wooden Blade's younger brother," she answered. "You know. Wooden Blade. Famous celebrity actor."

"Yeah?"

"Well," she continued. "He comes in from time to time and gives us an interview along with helpful advice for both mares and stallions seeking romance. And it just so happened that he stopped by the office the day after your ship came back here." Hearing this, the red stallion sighed as he wasn't expecting to hear his older brother's name at all today.

"Has he said anything else?"

"No," she said. "He was surprised though when we asked him his opinion on what happened to your ship." Her ears then flattened slightly as she looked at him. "I... take it the two of you don't really talk to each other that often?"

"Not really," Steel replied. "He's always been too busy with his career to be bothered with the likes of me."

"Ouch. I'm... sorry to hear that," she said. "I honestly can't say I know how that would feel. I've always been close with my sister."

"Wish I knew what that was like," the stallion replied as his mood began to change to one of depression.

"Anyways..." she said, trying to get back on track. "When we asked him about his opinion on what happened to your ship, he responded by saying that he was surprised that 'his little brother' would overtake him as the talk of Manehattan. You can imagine the look on my face when he said that."

"Probably one of surprise?"

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "Until then, I don't think anypony knew that he had a younger brother!"

"Sounds about right," he replied. "Probably didn't want others knowing that his brother was a sailor. So what exactly does this have to do with your question?"

"Well," she replied. "Since he's already taken as far as relationships go. Many mares would like to know your status."

"Why?" he asked. "Are you saying that all of these mares who sent letters to your magazine are wanting me just to get closer to him?"

"Some? Definitely. But not all," she said before winking at him. "So what's your answer? Are you single? Or has some lucky mare already gotten to you?"

"I'm single," he answered, making the mare in front of him grin before she took hold of a pen with her mouth and started writing the answer down on her notepad. From where he was standing, the stallion couldn't help but be impressed by how neat her writing was despite having to use her mouth to do it. "You have very nice writing," he complimented, making the mare smirk before removing the pen from her mouth.

"I'd be more than happy to show you just how talented this tongue really is," she said before licking her lips seductively. She then giggled softly before looking over what she wrote down. "I appreciate your answer though, Captain. You have no idea how much our readers will love to hear that." She then turned her head and dipped her muzzle into one of the saddlebags before producing a laminated card between her lips. Using his magic, Steel grabbed hold of the card and took it out of her mouth before looking at it. The small pink card had a picture of her along with her name and the address of Passion Print's office in downtown Manehattan. "Maybe you could stop by and give me a one-on-one exclusive sometime?" she asked in a clearly flirtatious tone before winking at him again. "I'd love it if you did."

Sweat could be seen forming on the stallion's forehead while he gulped as the mare turned and wiggled her flank at him, clearly signaling to him what she meant.

"See you around, Captain Blade," she said in a seductive tone before walking away, giving her flank an added swing which allowed the stallion to see her private goods. As he watched her leave, he turned around and started walking toward his liner, breathing heavily as he walked. As he approached his ship, he placed her card inside one of his coat's pockets. Stopping next to the gangway leading up to the ship, he heard multiple sets of hoofsteps coming from behind him.

"Not so easy being the talk of the town. Is it," a familiar voice said, prompting the Captain to turn around to find his older brother, Wooden Blade, standing in front of him. The light brown colored unicorn stallion with slicked black hair smiled as he stood there with his fiancé, Sassy Saddles, standing next to him. Behind the two of them was a pair of private security guards. "It's good to see you again, little bro. Long time, no see."

"Yeah," Steel replied. "It has been."

"How you been?"

"I've been better. That's for sure," he said before sighing. "And you?"

"I'm doing alright," Wooden said. "Just finished up a rehearsal today for a play downtown. Figured I'd drop by and say hello to my now famous little brother."

"Is that so?" Steel asked. "Tell me. Would you have come down here to see me if none of this extra publicity happened?"

This question clearly caught the actor off guard as he just looked at him with a surprised expression. Sassy just stood silently by Wooden's side, visibly uncomfortable with how awkward this conversation suddenly became.

"Well. I uh..." the older stallion began to say.

"Exactly," Steel replied. "You wouldn't have. You wouldn't even have thought about it."

"This... is... starting to turn into something that should really be discussed between just the two of you," Sassy said. "I'll... just go wait in the carriage." After saying that, she gave Wooden a peck on his cheek before she and the two security ponies walked away, leaving the two brothers alone.

"Wooden," the younger brother continued. "This is the first time that you and I have spoken since you left for Las Pegasus all those years ago."

"Steel," Wooden began to say. "I just-"

"No!" Steel interrupted while raising a forehoof. "You're gonna listen to what I have to say!" Seeing that, the older brother closed his mouth and just stared silently. "Mom and Dad helped you become what you are. They paid for all of your acting classes. They moved their work schedules around to go visit your plays and performances. They even gave you enough bits to help you get to Las Pegasus! And how do you repay their years of support?"

"Steel. Look. I-"

"Shut it!" the younger brother ordered as he glared at him. "You repaid them by removing both them and me from your life!" he yelled, not caring if others could hear. The red stallion breathed deeply, trying to steady his nerves so he wouldn't lose complete control of himself. "When we heard about your success, we were so happy for you," he continued. "Mom and Dad were so proud. They hoped that you'd come back and visit them or even write them a letter. But you never did. Do you have any idea what that did to them? What that did to me?"

Wooden just stood there and sighed before looking down toward the ground. "No," he softly replied. "No I don't know."

"It broke them!" Steel angrily answered. "They felt as though they weren't good enough for you anymore!"

"Well what about you?" he asked. "Have you visited them at all since you've attained all of this?"

"Well," Steel said. "No. But that's for a completely different reason."

"What do you mean?"

"It's.... complicated," he replied. "But I at least wrote them a letter a few days ago and told them that everything was alright. Which is more than you've done for them!" Once he said that, Steel just silently looked at his brother. He certainly wasn't expecting to have this conversation at all. But now that he was, he wasn't going to hold back. He was going to make sure that his older brother knew exactly how he felt. "You have an easy life, Woody," he continued. "Going to parties. Sleeping with any mare you want. I was honestly surprised when I heard you were settling down with Sassy though. And top it off, you make tons of bits all because you entertain ponies across Equestria. Meanwhile I had to work my flank off to achieve my goals in life. I had to put myself through the Equestrian Merchant Marine Academy by working two jobs. And look at what my efforts got me." He then turned around and pointed at the massive ocean liner behind him. After that, he turned back and faced his brother. "No parties. No mares. Well. Until now, thanks to you. And only a modest salary."

"You think being a celebrity is easy?" Wooden asked.

"Kinda," he bluntly replied.

"Well it isn't," the older one said. "I'm always being hounded by the paparazzi. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up just to find a pegasi journalist peeking through my bedroom window. I never have any privacy in public. And I always have to be nice to everypony. Even on days where I just wanted to strangle the first reporter I saw. Otherwise my reputation would be forever tarnished. It's stressful!" Now it was his turn to take some deep breaths to maintain his control. "Yes the parties are nice," he went on to say. "And having all those memorable nights in bed were amazing. But it just didn't satisfy me anymore. That's why I decided to settle down and get into an exclusive relationship with Sassy. And yes, the bits do keep me in a good living condition. But it all comes at the cost of my sanity!" He then looked at the liner behind his brother. "Granted I have no idea how much that compares to being a Captain. Which I am proud of you for achieving by the way."

"Thanks."

"But just imagine how much harder your life would have been if ponies figured out sooner that you're my brother," he continued. "I saw you and those reporters before you came over here. And I heard about this little citywide hunt for you. I could see that you were at your breaking point already. Trust me when I say that if you saw how many reporters I have to deal with on a daily basis, you'd prefer what you experienced today." He then paused as he looked down once again at the ground. "That's why I stopped talking to you, Mom, and Dad. To protect you all from this."

"Well. You kinda blew that when you told that mare from Passion Print that we're brothers."

"Yeah..." he said while rubbing the back of his head with a forehoof. "That's my bad. I was just so surprised when she said your name that I just accidentally let it slip out." He then cleared his throat. "But hey. Look on the bright side. At least now you'll pretty much guarantee that Mom and Dad will become grandparents someday."

"What about you and Sassy?" Steel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sassy doesn't want kids," he replied. "She made that abundantly clear when we first started dating."

"Fair enough."

"Look. I'm sorry for not being around for you and the family," he continued. "I just wanted to keep you all safe from the annoyances I have to deal with constantly." He then let out a sigh before continuing. "I know that there's probably a part of you that doesn't believe me. And trust me. I'd be in that same position if the roles were reversed. But I'm being sincere here."

Steel sighed heavily after hearing that. Wooden was right though. Part of him did want to tell him to take that apology and shove it. But a bigger part told him that he was still his older brother who seemed to genuinely be sorry for everything between them. After several minutes of silence between the two of them, Steel walked forward until he was directly in front of his brother and gave him a hug.

He could hear him gasp as soon as he did this before he felt him slowly return the hug. After another minute or so of this, both stallions let go of each other.

"So when's the next voyage?" Wooden asked. "It'd be nice to get away for a while. Maybe I'll invite Mom and Dad as well. It'd be a start to my way of making it up to you all."

"That does sound like a good idea. Can't say for certain when the next voyage will be though," Steel replied. "Mareitania's got to be repaired first."

"Repaired?" he asked. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Follow me," the younger brother replied as he turned and started walking to the edge of the dock. As the two stopped at the ledge, Steel gestured down at the magical white shield that stood out on the black painted hull.

"What happened there?" Wooden asked as he gazed at what he was shown.

"It's... a long story, Wooden," he replied. "One that I'm not entirely ready to talk about quite yet."

"How come?"

"You know me," he replied. "I tend to avoid talking about my feelings and bad experiences."

"Yeah. That's true," the older brother said. "You always did do that. But you honestly shouldn't keep something like whatever this is about bottled up inside you." After saying that, a moment of silence passed before the older brother thought of an idea. "You know," he said. "If you want. I know this great psychiatrist in Las Pegasus who can help you. She owes me a favor anyway because I got her a part in a play a few months back."

"I appreciate the offer," Steel replied. "But I can't really go anywhere now. Thanks to your slip up, I'll be stalked by reporters and mares no matter where I go. Celestia knows what I'll have to deal with on upcoming voyages now."

"I've learned to just ignore the paparazzi," Wooden said. "Even if you give them an honest answer, sometimes they'll spin it in any way that would benefit their paper's sales. The mares on the other hoof. That's tricky. Yes you can ignore them as well. But for some strange reason, that just seems to make them want you more. Even though it's well known that me and Sassy are a couple, you wouldn't believe some of the fan mail I receive."

"Exactly," Steel replied. "And that mare from Passion Print. She was clearly flirting with me. Asking me to give her an 'exclusive' and saying 'she'd be glad to show me how talented her tongue was' when I complimented how nice her writing was."

"I suppose those were clever euphemisms," his brother said. "Ginger Delight is definitely one who can be creative at times." He then looked down at his little brother. "Look. Whatever choice you make is something only you can do. And if you need any help or advice, I'll be there for you. I promise. All you have to do is let me know."

"Maybe once everything calms down..." he said. "I'll.... take you up on that offer. Just... not now." This made Wooden tilt his head as he looked at him.

"I understand," he replied. He then gave his brother a light pat on the back. "Let me know if you need anything. I'll be here in Manehattan for the foreseeable future so I won't be far," he said before beginning to walk away. "I'll see you around sometime. Be safe, Steel."

"You too, Wooden," Steel replied as his brother continued walking away. As he watched him pass through the gate, the stallion sighed again before turning and going up the gangway to his ship. "Well," he said in his mind as he stepped aboard his liner. "I definitely wasn't expecting to deal any of this today." Once aboard, he looked around at all of the furniture that was piled up on the starboard side of the room. Some expensive paintings were also on the floor. Clearly no pony had been through to straighten things up. As he looked at all of this, it made his mind flash back to his ship listing dangerously to starboard.

Shaking his head a few times to snap himself out of it, he started walking down the corridor toward a staircase that would help get him up to the boat deck. "Alright, Mareitania," he said as he walked. "Time to get you ready for your trip."