A Long Way from Home
“Move your flanks. Trim the sails. DECK HAND, TIE THE LIFELINES YOU BUMBLING FOOL.” Captain Jupiter’s voice was formidable, but even after years of command and the power of his trained lungs, he was no match against the storm. He could barely cut through the slam of rain on the deck, the constant moan of the wind, or one of the frequent crashes of thunder that caused everypony’s heart to skip. A nightmarish storm was ripping the ship apart. With every howl of the wind, the timbers of the Autumn Dawn were strained, being pushed to the point of breaking. Ponies scurried across the deck, intent on accomplishing their tasks in an effort to save their flanks and attempt to avoid the captain’s wrath.
This was a bad decision. Atlas regretted his first choice since coming of age to leave the orphanage. Being orphaned in a war- and famine-torn Roam was bad, but the storm above made him fear for his life. He was a crimson red pony and little else. He wasn’t particularly smart, fast, strong, or skilled. He didn’t really have great leadership ability and there wasn’t anything noticeably brave about him. He was just about average in every form of the word. One thing was sure: being a sailorpony was not going to be his special talent as he took refuge in the ship’s hold with the other passengers.
Captain Jupiter stood like a beacon on his station next to his ships wheel. Howling commands and fighting the sting of rain pounding his fur. Jupiter felt something off about this storm. This wasn’t random. The ship’s weather patrol had reported that there were no major cloud systems that they needed to be concerned about. This wasn’t just a storm, this was if the spirits of the sea were trying to steal the lives of every pony and was making good progress if the sounds of masts snapping, and the screams of ponies being thrown overboard was any gauge.
Jupiter was helpless against the torrents of the storm, as were two other ships nearby. Of all his years in his emperor’s service as a shipmaster, he was helpless for the first time in his life. He had the talent for guiding ships out of dangers, the cutie mark of a compass over crossed bones that adorned his sea foam green coat told as much. Things were going from bad to worse. And they seemed to be heading that way in a hurry.
He felt it before it happened. The main mast finally gave way to the unrelenting storm. An unlucky unicorn, focused on repairing cracks in another part of the ship, was speared by the shrapnel of the masts forceful explosion. Wincing as the loss of life increased, Jupiter was in the worst place he could imagine as the mast fell right toward him.
The thunder of wood splintering caused Atlas to look above to the hull’s ceiling. He watched the same as every other passenger around did. The only question was which way the mast was going to fall. As the ceiling parted, all ponies unlucky enough to be in its way had a painless end. He was jolted from his shock as the mast parted the ship in a wide split the aft of the ship.. The mast hadn’t quite split the ship in two pieces but it was close. With an unobstructed view of the world outside, he still could not see much except for the occasional streak of light that tore across the sky. Fear gripped him as he watched the carnage of the storm wrecking the ships and stealing lives. He decided he stood a better chance on his own than remaining in a sinking ship. What choice did Atlas have but to try to escape?
Atlas sprang into the air. He unfurled his wings and caught a heavy current of wind. It shot him into the sky. What had not occurred to him in his panic was that lightning will strike the highest object it can. And this lesson was quickly taught mere moments after Atlas had cleared the ship. With a limb crippling shock that stole the breath from him, he fell.
Jupiter spit salt water and gasped as he surfaced. He had managed to jump overboard before the mast crushed him, but there was little he could do now except watch as all those ponies aboard his sinking ship began to jump into the water to save their own lives. Swimming with practiced strokes that, after years of living on the ocean, had become intuitive, Jupiter headed to a piece of his broken ship. It was one of the solid oak doors that used to secure his personal cabin..
Nearby a dark colored pony surfaced from under the water. Looking about and scared, he did what any scared pony might do. He panicked. He looked about fearfully and saw only the rolling of waves with the occasional flash of light. How did he get there? He had just been flying. The blinding flash he saw, that must have been lightning that struck him. It must have knocked him unconscious. Thankfully he hadn’t gotten too high into the air when it happened. It was a stupid foalish mistake flying into a lightning storm. He should have stayed low to the water until he could fly out of the main part of the storm. It was too late now. He couldn’t get air-born while he was in the water.
The ship had listed and was going under. The current of the ship sinking pulled nearby ponies under the water, never to see light again. From where the captain was there were only a few ponies beyond its pull. He tried to yell over the storm but even his mighty voice paled in comparison to the storms force. “SWIM AWAY FROM THE SHIP! NO! STOP TRYING TO SAVE PONIES, YOU WILL ONLY GET CAUGHT YOURSELF!” But every time the captain called ourt, the storm matched his voice with a crash of thunder.
In his mind, Atlas raced to think of a solution. Desperately looking around he saw a pony being held afloat by a large piece of wood. The pony attached was waving a hoof around wildly. Thinking that he should do something to help, he began to make his way toward them. Pegasai were not well known swimmers, but he was going to try anyway.
The Rolling waves pounded Atlas without mercy. He had been fortunate that he could keep his muzzle above water for as long as he did, but it was only a matter of time before a wave had found his mouth the same time he attempted to take a breath. Violently, Atlas thrashed. He had been nearby the pony that had been waving at him, but that was little comfort when faced with a lung full of salt water and no air as the immediate issues.
Jupiter was watching, thankful somepony had the sense to not put themselves needlessly in danger and had managed to stay out of the ship’s undertow. He was also watching when the pony swimming his way suddenly started thrashing violently and promptly disappeared under the surf.. It wasn’t far, but Jupiter wasn’t as young as he used to be. With a few heavy breaths Jupiter swam to where he thought the pony had gone under and dove straight down. The storm had made it difficult to see, but there was no trace of light under the water. Not even flashes of lightning helped the deeper Jupiter got. No longer able to hold his breath he began toward the surface when his hoof struck something solid. Grabbing hold of his charge he came to the surface.
Breaking the surface, the veteran of the waters chanced a look behind him and saw a dark colored pony that might have been the same one swimming for him. Time was running out if it was the same pony, and it was already too late if it wasn’t. Rolling the pony fully onto the door, Jupiter knew he would never get the Pegasus back if he failed. He cocked his hoof back as far as he could reach and drove it directly into the chest of the lifeless Pegasus with a mighty “WHUMP”. After several strikes, it worked. A series of violent coughs met Jupiter’s ears after the final strike.
Atlas spit and sputtered as his lungs rejected the water. Finally able to breathe, he thought it was the best feeling in the world. He made a mental note to never forget how much he liked the feeling of breathing. But it was strangely harder to do than he had remembered and his chest hurt a great deal.
“I thought I might have lost you there, friend.” The voice of the captain carried over the storm.
“I’m very *cough* glad to say *cough* that isn’t the case *cough*,” Atlas had managed to finally cough out.
Without missing a beat the seasoned veteran of the water was back in role. “We need to see if we can find other survivors.”
The order was louder than Atlas expected. Looking up he saw the clouds had dissipated slightly. There was still a lot of rain and there was still a heavy wind but it wasn’t nearly the torrent that it had been a while ago.
“But, it’s still too poor of conditions for me …” Atlas began as he was cut off by a very serious Captain.
“Son, I didn’t ask for your opinion. Get in the air. Fly low and stay near. When you find someone come back to me.”
With the matter settled, Atlas knew he would just have to fight the storm as long as he could. Standing on the broken floating door, he flapped his wings to get as much water off as possible. More pain with each flap but still nothing he couldn’t manage
What followed was not the usual lift into the air with each flap but instead was a graceless splash back into the water followed by a sharp, breath taking pain. He attempted to swim back to the little makeshift raft, the pain struck again.
“I can’t swim forward. There is too much pain in my chest.” Fear gripped at Atlas again as the strength of kicking underneath the water to stay above it, was no longer enough.
Jupiter could hear the Pegasus this time and was back in the water to retrieve the young one once again. This act was getting old. As he rolled Atlas back on the door, he heard Atlas scream in pain.
“What the hay is wrong with you now?” It was a simple question but one that needed answering.
“I don’t know. My chest feels like there is a manticore jumping up and down on my chest when I breathe. And every time I move it just hurts more.”
And there was the answer. Jupiter knew what was wrong. The labored breathing, the pain when moving, and not being able to swim as he had done earlier… this pony, just barely older than a colt, had a broken rib. Maybe more than just one but he was no medical professional. But this answer immediately raised the question of “what do I do now?”
After a long while of tossing in the waves, being hammered by ice cold fat drops of rain for what seemed like hours, the two ponies on a broken door could have been worse off as the storm finally broke and passed. Jupiter could feel the burn of his limbs as they had just gone through the workout of their lives. He was younger than most ship’s captains usually were but by no stretch of the imagination was he a young pony. He was remembering when he was that young. His memory filling with days long past of his first voyage with his father when they had been assaulted on open waters from a small ship of pirates. A simple fishing boat was no match and had almost been taken. The gallant acts of his father would have meant nothing in the end if Jupiter had not taken it upon himself to steer the small boat. He had grown up on the water as his family was surviving from the profits gained as fishers. Because of this he had learned much about the ways of ships and such. He knew the depth of a keel based on a ships size and speed and he knew that more sails didn’t always make a ship faster. He remembered the lessons his father had taught about coral reefs and what they could do to even the mightiest ships. That last piece of information had clicked into the young Jupiter’s mind in time to steer his small fishing boat over the local coral bed. His father had been launching fishing spears over at the pirates and was deflecting the ones thrown back. It seemed his father was invincible. It wasn’t until a gurgling sound was heard that Jupiter turned to see his father impaled by a spear that had found purchase in his chest. Jupiter screamed for his father as they both crashed to the deck of the boat still holding each other. The blood surrounding the spear grew and grew with every heartbeat. That, in turn grew slower and weaker with passing seconds. Even the splintering of wood from the pursuing ship crashing into corals, did little to quell the pain as Jupiter’s father slipped from the world. The burning sensation of his flank was completely missed until his father’s final motion pointed to it. Jupiter’s mark appeared. Those crossed bones under a compass marked a talent and a curse in its own way. Jupiter had guided himself to safety, but to no fault of his own, it still wasn’t a victory. He had lost more than he had gained.
Over the years Jupiter had developed a mastery over the waters, especially when ships were involved. He enlisted into the Roaman Navy and was soon stationed as a helmsman. After a few years, he earned his captaincy after having done well to keep his ships in one piece. Even when there was no way to win in a fight, he had made sure the ship or the crew would fight again another day. Either by positioning themselves in tight rocky spaces that couldn’t be breeched or by out-maneuvering others in open waters.. He was good at surviving where ships had been involved. But there were always losses and they were always very heavy.
He remembered the name of the ship the pirates had used to killed his father many years back. The Revenge was captained by a lowly sea urchin of a pony named Ocean Vice. The boats name seemed ironic to a point that perfectly fit the feelings of Jupiter. When the ship and captain had been discovered during one Jupiter’s campaigns, he made use of it. He ordered all ponies aboard be killed and the ship destroyed. When the higher command had heard of his misuse of military equipment to attack a non-military target, his captaincy was resigned and he was forced out of the navy.
Jupiter hadn’t thought of those memories in a long time. For years he had quelled his anger, he wasn’t ashamed of his decision, but it didn’t bring relief. Time may heal, but the scar of losing his father needlessly, always gave him trouble.The sound of stirring behind him snapped Jupiter back from his trip down memory lane. The pain he saw on the pony’s face was evidence to suggest that this pony was not used to injuries. “Well I better give him a heads up before he does something foolish” he thought.
Atlas had awoken to water rocking him peacefully on his side of the door/raft. Standing hurt him a great deal but he still had no real idea why. Once he was on his hooves the pain subsided for a bit but movement still didn’t feel pleasant.
“How are you feeling colt?” came an innocent question from the old sea pony.
“Don’t ever call me a colt, old one.” The snobby answer slightly surprised Jupiter.
“It was asking how you felt hot head, so simmer down before you hurt yourself more than you already are. Judging by your actions and wincing I would guess you have a broken rib, maybe more than just one.”
Atlas was in no mood to be talked down to by anyone, much less somepony who didn’t know him at all. “Buck off and leave me be. What do you know?” There. That should settle the matter.
“Well son let me put it to you like this,” followed the aggravated response from the sea foam colored pony, “What I know is that you are a little shit to think you’re in any position to talk to me in such a way. I was the captain of the ship you were on. I was the one who pulled your sorry flank out of the water twice. I was the one that got you to cough up half the ocean that you thought would be a good idea to inhale. And I am not the one in pain and can barely stand. Now sit still like a good little colt and relax before you end up more hurt than you already are.”
Let it be known that Atlas had what some might consider “anger management issues”. Ignoring the pain coursing through him Atlas stepped toward the captain. “Oh is that so? Some great captain you must be to sail right into the middle of a storm. And you claim you’re a captain but I see no ship. All I see is a tiny little broken piece of what used to be a door with BARELY ENOUGH ROOM TO SIT ON. I thought captains had at least a little skiff or something. Where is yours? And I was fine. I was swimming to you because I thought I was going to have to rescue your old flank when you were flailing your arms like an elderly mare in heat. And if I had to guess how my ribs , which may or may not be broken, got that way would be from a buffoon of an old grandpa not knowing how help properly. I bet you thought it best to just jump on my chest. So if I understand the situation well enough, THIS IS ENTIRELY ALL YOUR FAULT.”
Having temporarily forgotten the pain in his body, Atlas charged at the water veteran. What he didn’t account for was the fact that the seemingly elderly pony was much more spry and agile than he had anticipated. Being neatly dodged he had only one place to go. So back into the water he went.
“Well that might cool you down a little hot head. Now listen real polite like or I won’t pull you back up. I have all the time in the world. You, on the other hand, will eventually be in too much pain to swim anymore.”
Atlas immediately regretted his position as he knew that the pony not in the water was right. “Tartarus” he cursed in his head. “Fine, get on with it” he stated out loud.
“Now about this being my fault. I followed procedure and sent out a weather patrol every day. They claimed there was nothing in our path. So I believed them. Trust me, had I known we would be in a storm; I would have gone in another direction. Second, I was trying to yell over a storm to all the ponies near the ship as it went down. I was trying to get them to swim away from it. When ships go down it pulls the water around it down with it. Anypony caught in the current will go with the ship until the ship stops. And finally, I AM sorry about your chest. With time being short I couldn’t think of any better plan than to pound your chest until you coughed up water.” Reaching out a hoof to the hot headed and waterlogged pony he finished, “and since I don’t have a ship to be a captain of, how about you just call me Jupiter.
Atlas accepted the hoof as it pulled him to the edge of the raft. “HEY, pull me up” he called when Jupiter didn’t immediately do just that.
“I will if you want but I want you to think for a moment. What would be better? If you hold on to the side the weight is removed from your chest and it won’t hurt so much. And the cool water will help keep the swelling down. Being up here will just be painful and hot. The water is reflecting the sun. I am going to get in the water here in a moment myself. We don’t have water, food, or protection from the sun so we need to conserve what very little strength we have.”
A little light flicked on in Atlas’ mind as he realized the truth in the old sea pony’s words. So long as he was calm, he wasn’t hurting. And the gravity of their situation hit like a ton of bricks. How long were they going to be out here, would they be rescued, was anypony even looking for them? All those questions floated into both ponies minds.
“I think it’s probably best I stay in for a while. Oh, and for what it’s worth, thanks for saving my life. My name is Atlas.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Atlas.” Jupiter calmly stated as he slid carefully off the raft into the water. “We should stay in for a while to keep cool and rest. See if you can get some sleep. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long trip.”