Discord's Gift

May 1st, 1910: RMS. Carmania

Captain Horace Bradly was looking out from the bridge of the RMS. Carmania, one of the many ships of the prestigious Cunard Line. He was sipping tea from a small porcelain cup he held in his hand. Outside the ship was cutting through the waves at 18 knots, the breeze rushing over the captain's face. The sky was a clear blue and the ocean stretched outwards for miles. Seagulls could be heard in the distance, the birds following the scraps left behind by the ship's passengers.

Then there was a bright flash of light and a golden arc of energy shot through the sky. The spectacle caused the cup of tea in Horace’s hand to fall on the deck, the fine china shattering and splashing hot tea across the floor and on his pants. Suddenly a wooden sail ship appeared right before the bow of the 20,000-ton ocean liner. Captain Bradly immediately turned and ran into the wheelhouse of the bridge, the helmsman already turning the ship hard to starboard.

“Full Astern!” Ordered the captain in a frightened voice.

An officer lunged at one of the engine order telegraphs at the front of the wheelhouse and pulled down the lever to the full astern position, the clicking of the lever adding to the commotion in the room. Captain Bradly ran up to the second telegram and slammed the lever down to reverse the engines, it was far too late, the Carmania lunged backward as her tall steel bow sliced through the wooden hull of the ship before her. The wooden siding and decking of the smaller ship buckled and splintered under the force of the steel bow, rigging snapping as the three large masts collapsed. Sails and ropes strewn across the prow of the Carmania, the tall mast breaking apart and bouncing off the tall sides of the ocean liner into the frigid Atlantic waters. The sailing ship was cut in half, with each side of the doomed ship dragging along the black hull of the much larger Cunard ship, with wooden splinters and scratched paint left behind in the wake of the devastating collision.

The officers on the bridge were all thrown backward by the collision, the men crashed onto the teak flooring, their navy blue suits covered in splinters. First Officer David Burns was the first to get up and he immediately ran to the back of the room and pulled down the lever to close the watertight compartments. Captain Bradly and the rest of the officers subsequently got up and the captain ran out of the wheelhouse and down the bridge wing. He peered over the railing and saw the remains of the doomed wooden sailship being sucked down by the propellers of the Carmania. With wide eyes, the Captain ran back into the boat house.

“Shut off the engines!”

Two officers ran to the engine telegraphs and immediately threw the levers up to the off position. First Officer Burns turned to look at the Captain, “Sir, I have contacted the ship engineer and the damage control team, they are currently assessing the damage to the bow, but they have yet to report any flooding. The watertight compartments have already been sealed,” as he finished David gave a salute to Horace.

“It seems for the moment that the ship is not compromised, I want the lifeboats lowered and for Third Officer Cushing and Fourth Officer Hood to lead a rescue effort on each side of this ship for any passengers and crew on board the ship we just struck. The rest of you will assist me in ensuring the integrity of this ship and preventing panic among the passengers,” said Horace as he faced the Third and Fourth Officers, he then turned to Second Officer Parker before continuing, “Second Officer Parker, I want you to evacuate the Parisian Restaurant and prepare it to house any of the survivors that Cushing and Hood may recover,”

The officers in the room all saluted before in unison saying, “Yes sir!”

Before all the men had left to carry out the orders given to them by the captain, First Officer Burns turned to the captain, “Sir should I contact the telegram officer to contact other ships in the area of the mysterious golden arch of light and the sudden appearance of the wooden ship before us. We could figure out if this is an isolated event or if other ships have experienced something similar,”

“Yes, have a telegram sent, should the engineering report be worse than expected, it would be important to have another vessel en route if the ship needs to be evacuated,” replied Captain Bradly before saluting his men and walking over to a bronze telephone that was wired to a state of the art intercom that connected to the first and second class spaces of the ship. The rest of the officers left to do their assigned tasks leaving the Captain only with the helmsman and navigation officer in the room. Pressing the button next to the phone, the speakers of the ship gave a distinctive static buzz before the Horrace spoke, “Ladies and Gentlemen, do not panic. We have collided with another smaller vessel, but the ship has not sustained any major damage. I ask you to return to your cabins and await further instructions,”

Ocean Spray was mopping the decks of the EMS. Unicorns, all across the deck ponies were helping clean and maintain the rigging holding the massive sails of the ship in place. The ship had left from Saddle Arabia hauling hundreds of fine rugs and tapestries from the kingdom and was returning to Manehatten to unload its precious cargo.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and a golden arch of light emerging from the west rushed through the sky. Then there was a roar of water and Ocean Spray turned to the port side of the ship and stared wide-eyed. Before him was a massive metal ship, its massive black hull giving way to a white superstructure and two towering red smokestacks topped with black. The massive ship loomed over the Unicorn as it raced towards them, but then it began to turn.

“Hard to Port!” Cried Captain Seabiscuit as the helmsman up on the quarterdeck frantically turned the wheel to avoid disaster.

“Brace yourselves!” Called out by some random pony Ocean Spray could not distinguish before the massive metal hull of the ship before him crashed into the side of the Unicorn. Ocean Spray threw himself on the deck as the soapy water he used to mop the deck spilled all over his light blue fur. Loud crunching noises filled his ears as the deck before him began to buckle under the immense force of the impact, planks of teak shooting up from the deck of the ship as the massive black bow began to tear the Unicorn in half. Ropes began to flail wildly as the rigging holding the sails in place snapped. Lifting himself from the deck, Ocean Spray unfurled his wings in a desperate attempt to escape the carnage before him, but just as he began to take flight, a massive linen sail fell on top of him smashing him back onto the crumbling wooden decks. The screams of fellow sailors blended in with the groans and cracks of the doomed ship as the massive masts of the Unicorn toppled over, the rigging holding them into place giving way and then crashing into the water below.

Suddenly the loud crunching noises stopped as the hull of the massive black ship finally cut through the Unicorn, but then came the horrid rushing noise of water as it poured into the ruined hull of the Equestrian cargo ship. Ocean Spray began to crawl on the deck as the massive sail laid over him, its weight pressing down on his body. As he made his way out from under the massive linen cloth, the blue pegasus felt the deck under him tilt as the stern of the ship began to capsize. The tilt quickly worsened as the weight of the water in the hull pulled the Unicorn into the ocean’s embrace, fellow sailors sliding helplessly into the waves. In a desperate attempt to hang on to the ship Ocean Spray dashed to the starboard railing of the ship, but the deck's extreme angle caused the stallion to slide down towards the frigid ocean below. Water had already enveloped the port side railing and the gaping hole left behind by the collision slipped into the frigid blue, the stern rising high into the sky as the entire hull plunged into the depths.

Ocean Spray hit the water in a splash, his right hind leg smacking into the submerged railing of the Unicorn. The pain from the impact quickly overshadowed the pain of the ice-cold water, it felt as if thousands of knives were constantly being plunged into his skin. Regaining his composure he began to swim back to the surface, the water flowing through his mane as he rose from out the depths.

He gasped for air as he broke through the surface of the water. Looking around him he saw other ponies splashing around the water desperately trying to keep their heads above the water, some crying in agony and others screaming for help. Beside him still loomed the towering ship that had destroyed the Unicorn, its tall hull standing defiantly in triumph as the stern of the Unicorn finally slipped under the waves. There was nothing left of the ship in which Ocean Spray had served for the last six years of his life. Swimming over to his right he took hold of a teak plank and attempted to pull his soaking body up onto the board, but as he placed his weight on the board, the seawater rushed over it throwing Ocean Spray back into the frigid ocean.

Looking up to the towering ship before him he saw in printed in gilded letters at the top of the bow the name of the giant, Carmania. From the top of the Carmania, boats began to be lowered into the water, a distant whistle signaling their descent down to the ocean. Ocean Spray struggled to catch his breath as he continued clinging onto the wooden board as the waves crashed into his blue coat. He knew that the boats were his only chance of survival, the stinging pain of the cold water enveloping his body was beginning to fade, as a numbness bloomed from the ends of his limbs. Precious body heat was seeped away by the ever-present cold as he began to grow weak, his life force following the fleeting warmth of his body.

Thoughts of his family and life back in Manehattan gave him the determination to fight against the numbness and he relished the pain as a sign of life when he slowly began swimming toward the Carmania’s lifeboats. However, the numbness spread, followed by a dreadful warmth, and hypothermia was now clawing away at the life within him. The pegasus magic usually helped mitigate the cold, but that was when he was dry, the ocean’s water penetrated past his fur and helped gnaw directly at his warmth. Ocean Spray pushed harder, determined to make it to the boats, but his vision began to cloud as the false warmth spread, his quickened pace slowed as he slowly fell out of consciousness. As the boats finally touched down on the water Ocean Spray used his last ounce of energy in an attempt to cry for help, but all he could muster was a small whimper as his vision slowly faded into darkness.

William Cushing looked out at the debris field before him, large linen sails floated above the waves along with empty crates and planks of wood that had splintered off the sailship. All around the debris field, multicolored figures flailed around in the water, but as the boat continued to lower their movements began to slow.

“Why are the men down there all wearing such bright clothes?” Asked one of the sailors holding on to one of the ropes lowering the lifeboat.

William turned back to the sailor, “My question is how in the bloody hell did an 18th-century sloop just appear out of nowhere? There was a flash of light and then, boom a ship right beyond the bow!” He moved his hands to demonstrate the golden arch of light that had preceded the appearance of the ship.

“We were scrubbing down the sun deck when we saw the flash of light, being behind the forward funnel we didn’t see the sloop until the ship lurched backward. We were bloody scared, and we ran to the side of the ship only to see half of a wooden ship dragging along the hull as it sunk,” replied another sailor as he looked at William, the thud of a boat bouncing off the hull of the Carmania prompting him to turn his head to another lifeboat being lowered for the rescue effort. The distant sounds of expletives were heard as the men on the other boat attempted to use oars to push the boat away from the ship.

A cold breeze blew through the boat prompting shivers from the men on board and rocking the boat from side to side. Officer Cushing signaled for the men to push their oars against the ocean liner to attempt to mitigate the swaying. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the boat touched down on the water and William blew his whistle, the piercing sound signaling to the men above to stop the pulley lowering the boat. As the rope slacked, two sailors untied the knots holding the boat to the hoists that lowered it into the ocean. Once the ropes were free, the men waited for the piercing sound of whistles, signaling that the other boats had touched down onto the sea.

Picking up a voice trumpet housed at the bow of the lifeboat, William turned to look at the boats behind him, putting the brass cone up to his mouth, “Men, we are going to comb over the debris field in a grid, Seaman Wild, you will patrol the eastern reaches of the debris field, Seamen Morrison and Blumenthal, you both will cut through the middle, I will patrol the western reaches. Once your boats are full, return to the Carmania, Second Officer Parker will meet you there,”

The men saluted, followed by the sound of oars sloshing through the water as the lifeboats pushed toward their objectives. William sat back down as his boat was pushed through the waves by the men behind him when suddenly there was a small whimper.

“Over there!” Cried one of the sailors as he pointed towards a sky-blue blob floating next to a teak board.

Immediately the boat's rudder was turned and it slowly made its way to the blob, as it got closer, the blob started looking more and more like a horse. Once they got next to the creature, the men’s eyes widened, it was a pegasus, its blue wings unmistakably attached to the sides of its barrel and soaked with the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.

“How the bloody hell did we find a bloody pegasus in the middle of the ocean!” Exclaimed a sailor in total disbelief, men peering over the side of the boat to gently load the creature straight out of Greek mythology into the lifeboat.

“This day simply gets stranger and stranger, first we have a ship appear out of nowhere and now we find a pegasus, next thing you know there will be unicorns and bloody magic!” Declared William in an exasperated tone as he pulled out a towel and handed it to the sailors so that they could dry off the pegasus.

The pegasus had a sky blue coat with a silver main, its wings far too small compared to the actual size of the creature to allow it to fly, and on its flank, was a tattoo of a wave. William and his crew pressed on, pushing deeper into the field of destruction left in the wake of Carmania’s collision. He was shocked as the crew continued to pull out these multicolored horses, some of which were unicorns and others that were simply colorful horses. Soon, the boat had filled with the freezing and unconscious bodies of the horses, the men doing the little they could to treat the apparent hypothermia that these creatures were suffering.

“Where is the crew? I have not seen a single person out here, just more of these horses,” asked one of the sailors as steam rose from out of his mouth and he furiously rubbed his hands together to combat the numbing cold of constantly dipping his hands into the water.

Officer Cushing turned to look at the sailor and shrugged, “I have no clue, they must have gone down with the ship or maybe just like every strange thing that has happened today these horses were the bloody crew. Anyways, we have to turn back the boat is full and we risk sinking if we try to recover any more survivors, there are still some boats out and they will take care of the rest,”

Once again with the turn of the rudder, the boat swung in the direction of the looming Ocean Liner. After several minutes of paddling, they approached the lifeboat launch hoists and the men carefully aligned the boat to match up with the hoists. Men on either side held the ropes used to tie the boat onto the hoist, and quickly tied knots to secure the boat, testing the strength of their binding with firm tugs. Once all the hoists were secured William blew his whistle, the boat lurching upward in response.

After a few minutes, they made it up beside the boat deck, crewmen grabbed hold of the boat and pulled it toward the ship, the davits folding backward. Waiting for them at the top was both Second Officer Parker and Captain Bradly along with several other crew members. The men immediately helped pull the limp equines out of the boat and moved them down to the Parisian Restaurant. Passengers had congraded on the exits of the lavish lounges to see the commotion that was unfolding on the boat deck, the crew doing their best to keep the passengers at bay.

“Officer Cushing, I have talked to Officer Hood on the port side, and it seems like the crew either went down with the ship or there were no humans on board,” the captain then pointed in the direction of the restaurant and continued, “The Parisian Restaurant has been boarded up to prevent passengers from seeing the creatures. I need you along with Dr. Mills to treat the survivors and keep them isolated from the passengers, he will be waiting for you there,”

“Yes sir!” William saluted the Captain before he began to drag out one of the small horses, and both the Captain and the Second Officer assisted him in gently placing the creature on the ship's deck. Just as they were about to pull out another pony, First Officer Burns came running down the deck before stopping next to the Captain.

“Sir, the damage report is complete. The bow plates had some minor deformation, but the ship is safe. A message has been relayed to the Cunard offices informing them of the collision. We have also received replies from all ships in range and they have also reported seeing the golden arch of light. Mauritania is en route to offer assistance and is about 30 miles away and closing,” he pointed to the northeast as he finished.

“Thank you, I’ll be heading back to the bridge,” the Captain turned over to the Second Officer, “Officer Parker, inform me when rescue efforts on both sides are complete so I can get this ship underway,”

“Yes Sir!” Replied Parker before he and William turned to move the remaining equines to the restaurant.

There was a darkness that then faded into a blinding white as Ocean Spray slowly regained consciousness. After a few brief seconds, the white gave way to a beautifully sculpted plaster ceiling, wreaths, and vines framing a smooth surface with the center featuring a small crystal chandelier. Surrounding the plaster ceiling were expertly carved dark wooden beams and ornate wooden pillars. He looked down, along the walls were rich brown tables and chairs, all featuring intricately carved decorations, the walls decorated in white paneling. Ocean Spray was amazed by the luxurious splendor of the room, he had never been in such a lavish place in his life.

Finally, he turned his head to the right and froze. Towering before him were two tall figures, one wore a long dark overcoat and a white cap with a black brim, an emblem of a crown, and a golden lion surrounded by a wreath emblazoned on the front. The other wore a brown suit, and both looked like hairless apes, their faces featured a tiny muzzle and small almond-shaped eyes, and the one in the suit also had a gray mustache and short gray mane. He tried to shuffle backwards but the tightly wrapped blanket around him prevented his escape.

“Please don’t hurt me,” squeaked out Ocean Spray, his dry throat making it difficult to speak.

The apes immediately recoiled back as they looked at him stunned. Then he noticed more of the tall strange creatures in the room looking at him with similar expressions before giving each other perplexed glances.

The creature with the overcoat and cap knelt towards him as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks and he began to shake in fear, “Don’t worry, we are not going to hurt you, we are here to help you and your fellow shipmates. We are surprised that you can talk”

Ocean Spray began to relax and stopped struggling against his blankets, with his fear subsiding he began to notice an aching pain from his right hind leg, His throat stung due to dehydration, “Water please?”

The creature with the overcoat turned to look at the creature with the suit who had already walked to one of its compatriots holding a wide brim cup. The suited creature quickly returned and held the water cup to Ocean Spray’s mouth. The blue pegasus slowly sipped on the elixir of life, the burning in the back of his throat soothed.

“What is your name, what do you call yourselves?” asked the suited creature pointing to the still-sleeping ponies on the floor.

Clearing his throat he replied, “Ocean Spray, I am a pony, specifically a stallion from Equestria, how about you?”

The two creatures turned to grin at one another before the creature with the suit and mustache replied, “I am Dr. Mills and here next to me is Third Officer Cushing, we are both humans hailing from the British Empire,”

Officer Cushing turned away and looked at one of the other humans in the room and shouted across the room, “Tell the Captain to come over and have the telegram relay a message back to London, we have discovered a new intelligent life!”