Three Stallions in a boat (Closed)

[Blueblood]

The normal social life of a Prince mainly consisted of a variegated but narrow circle of house parties, soirees, balls, concerts, an other High Society gatherings where well-bred ponies were either carelessly polite or very carefully rude to each other. Blueblood had long mastered this little world, and gotten quite used to being thought the best-looking and most important pony in the room.

However, his experiences of late had been... humbling, to say the least. Beginning, of course, with an utterly disastrous Grand Galloping Gala, when he had almost fatally misjudged the character and tolerance level of a certain fashionable mare, leading up to making an utter fool of himself in a novel series he had hitherto dismissed as vulgar fiction. Vulgar Daring Do might have been, but fictional she was not.

Neverthess, over the past couple of years, he had actually made what he might call "friends" from ponies outside his normal social circle, and at a gentle prompting from Auntie Celestia, he decided to take a break from Canterlot, and spend some time with them.

It was not entirely true that Prince Blueblood had no practical skills; he could sail and operate a boat quite well. He'd often yachted solo on the open seas, so he figured a nice, relaxing river tour would just do the trick. No vulgar adventures, just a leisurely trip down the river from the foothills to the strand.

So far, only one invitee had responded positively that he'd meet the unicorn at the boat landing a couple of miles downstream from the Canterlot Cataract, but there had been another letter, telling him to expect a newcomer. Auntly intervention, he supposed. Well, it would take three to crew the boat properly, so as long as the stallion mentioned wasn't too much of a rube or a landlubber, things would go fine..

[moonshineTheleocat]

Normally, Java would keep it in his own personal interest and agenda to stay as far away from royalty and nobility as he could. Staying anywhere near a gathering of them, may just be the sort of exposure the pony would rather not have in his life. Especially since such an exposure could potentially expose the nobility in his blood that Java had worked so hard in casting away. He’s gotten used to being seen as just a mere commoner in Canterlot, even though he was easily far from it financially.

But when one receives a letter from the princess herself, with a polite request for a pony to meet her nephew, it’s something you can not refuse. And like wise, was what Java had done. With very little choice than to accept the invitation, he had set out towards the meeting spot.

The pony sauntered up to the docks near the mountains, and glanced over the Yatch that was awaiting his arrival. Java’s eyes slowly shifted up and down, inspecting the ship. Was it in good shape? Of course it was. Did it look expensive? Most yachts tend to do so. And who was the captain of such a magnificient river faring vessel? Well apparently the prince himself, according to the letter.

Though, this little fact –did- cause the pony some concern. While he had never actually met Prince Blueblood in the flesh. He had heard plenty of rather disconcerting rumors. One of the most common ones, being he was girlier than a feminine stallion. The sort who can’t stand a dirty hoof.

Which did bring into question… how in the heck was this stallion going to get a yatch down a river without freaking out about grime and running aground.

“Uh….. Prince,” Java called out, as he trotted closer to the ship, His eyes darting the aft to see what the name of this vessel was. “Prince Blueblood?”

[Blueblood]

The actual boat the Prince had brought to the river was technically a skimmer, and not a Yacht. An actual, Ocean-going yacht would have been much bigger. Still, given the way in which the collapsable mast stood straight in the morning air and the hull gleamed in the early sun, he could forgive the amateur making a mistake in distinction.

Blueblood himself was waiting on the pier, nobly resisting the temptation to look at himself in the shiny reflection on his hull. You had to say this for the stallion, he never went out without making an effort to look his best. His captain's hat, cravat, and jacket, in grey and dark purple, set off his coat and mane colors perfectly. Of course, dressing up to that degree for a simple trip down the river might have been excessive, but like most ponies of... limited mental capacity, the Prince took what he could do well extremely seriously.

Ah, and here was his first guest! One of his aunt's recommendations, naturally. There was something familiar about him that Blueblood couldn't place; he didn't think that Java was part of his own society crowd, but perhaps he'd seen him at a larger social function. Perhaps among the servantry and tradesponies? In any case, he stepped forward to greet him. "Indeed, I am he. I don't believe we've ever been formally introduced?"

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java squinted his eyes after having to gaze to a more sun struck portion of the sea-correction, river-faring boat. The sunlight easily bounced from the incredibly clean and well polished boat, and was caught in the stallion's eyes. Nearly blinding him as he gazed up to the magnificent and immaculate vessel. It was well taken care of to say the least.

And past this spectacular flare of sunlight and glow, stood the prince in the flesh. Java could openly admit that, yes, the prince was handsome, and yes if he hadn't heard to many rumors flying around about this said prince, he would likely be, check that, would be very interested in dating the male. But his own tastes tends to drive him away from -high maintenance- and chore-like relationships.

Java had to actually catch himself from staring. Though his jaw was already slacking. He was very thankful that he had mastered the art of the poker face and acting when it came to bluffing his way out of practically any situation. For otherwise he might have actually been staring for what felt like forever. And maybe have some slight amount of leakage from the maw. Once again, Java would openly admit, that yes he'd probably drool over the sight. But perhaps bashfully?

“Uuuuuuhhhhh....” Java began as he tilted his head with a puzzled expression. His slackened jaw now pulling back into a searching smile. He already knew well ahead of time he had never met the prince. He was just using it as a leverage to help recover from his near embarrassing revelation.

The pony then shook his head and trotted closer to the other pony. “I don't believe so. No.”

The pony then stuck out his hoof, in a gesture to shake the other's. “Most of my friends just call me Java,” The pony hummed. Though he was also hinting that, this was just a mere nickname. And one that he'd be preferred to be called by.

[SunsetSombra]

Mac wasn't sure he was ready for what was being asked of him...

This kind of thing was a little unusual for his activities - he usually left the adventures of boating for the family outings he and the rest of the apple kin got up to on a regular basis moreso than partaking in any of his own with other ponies...it wasn't really something he would consider a personal interest beyond those family outings. Still, when he's being told on all fronts to partake in something and that he'd been 'invited' by a particular party to meet at Canterlot cataract for a boating trip and bonding session, he knew that he wasn't going to get any rest or peace until he attended.

Of all ponies though, he hadn't expected it to have been a message from Celestia delivered by Applejack to 'mingle' with her wayward and stuck-up nephew, Prince Blueblood...although Macintosh had a sneaking suspicion that it had been the efforts of AJ and her friend Twilight that had facilitated his involvement in the first place. His wasn't commonly, or even likely, a name to be otherwise thrown into the mix that he likely expected to be seeing around this rather 'upstanding' little boating group - oh he wasn't going to ditch them or in any way not attend, but it wasn't exactly like he'd be the most inconspicuous presence...it was hard to ignore the fact that the tall Earth Pony was not in any way, shape or form in the same reformed category as the supposed gathering.

Still, here he was...arriving with a sidesaddle of general items and goods as supplies, he had no idea what he was likely to get up to in the company of the ponies he saw up ahead, but there was no way he could turn back now that he'd made it - An Apple-pony never goes back on their word, and Big mac wasn't about to turn yellow and run at the first sign of a hardship, he was far too much of a stallion for that kind of behaviour. That didn't stop him from questioning and being entirely unsure of the situation that lay ahead, of course, but there was no way he would back out of it now - AppleJack wouldn't ever let him live that down, for a start.

Ah well, Big Mac thought to himself...time to prove to some ponies that who was the bigger stallion - as far as that went he already had the advantage, so it was a good start!

[Blueblood]

For a horrible moment, Prince Blueblood feared that Auntie Celestia had sent him a literal drooling idiot. Fortunately, this threat was seemingly averted as the stallion belatedly recovered himself, to the Prince's slight disappointment. Greetings in his social circle were generally made with more alacrity, even when they were accompanied with more animosity. *But I suppose one must make allowance for the manners of commoners.*

"Java..." Blueblood repeated, as if testing out a foreign word's pronunciation. It rang few bells, even in his mental roster of remote contacts. Not a noble, then, probably. Now, how did it work among commoners; one's name was connected to a trade, if he recalled. "So, you'd be, ah, in the coffee trade, then?"

It wasn't an unreasonable mistake, and the biggest excuse for it was just now arriving onto the Pier. Big Macintosh Apple was so distinctive that the Prince remembered his name, even though he'd had little acquaintance with the stallion himself. With his sister and her friends on the other hand... well, no need to dwell on the past, right? In any case, Blueblood had received advance notice of him coming. "Ah, and here comes the third member of our boating party. Only met briefly, of course, but I'm sure you remember me? Have you met Java, Macintosh?" It did not come natural to a pony like Blueblood to refer to anypony by the simple name Big Mac, partly because some foalish part of his brain would be perpetually asking if there was a Little Mac somewhere to be distinguished from.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java grimmaced a bit. Now this other pony just seemed a horrible mile away from attractive now. While, yes he could admit that the name did refer to a cup of delicious and aroma enriched cup of bean juice. That arouses the mouth watering of a drooling idiot from Java... he simply felt he had to correct the other pony. He was a proud scholar! Scientist! Engineer! To be called a coffee brewer may have been a compliment if he was actually brewing a cup of coffee from his favorite bean. But now it was an insult upon his name!

“Uhm...” Java began after inhaling sharply from his teeth. His eyes now squinting as if he was he was holding back a reasonable distaste to the incorrect assumption. But, all was forgiven almost immediately. After all, his nickname was a brew.

“Not quite. I am an engineer, ser'ah,” Java began, his head now tilting to the side. “Java is just a nickname my folks have given me because of my coat. And I just fell in love with it. My research and work is signed under my actual name.”

Java's head then turned to the side, after hearing the trotting of a much heavier set stallion. His eyes blinked for a moment after his head recoiled. He had to admit, he never thought that the big burly stallion of the Apple family would be here in person. It must have taken one heck of a bribe to get this guy here.

Not only that. But the reaction was also partly due to the fact that Java found himself contemplating his situation. Two handsome stallions on the same boat with him. A small frown then showed on his maw after a small recollection he had with a friend of his. If THAT happens again, he'd likely fling himself off the boat, and abscond to the neast cave as quickly as possible. Maybe it wouldn't be to bad to day dream tha- NO! NOT OK!

"Ergh," Java grunted after pulling himself away from his thoughts. "Yes. We met. Multiple times actually. During the winter wrap up. But...." Java then turned to Big Mac. His head tilting to the side curiously. Secretly, he already knew the response if he asked an open ended question. Silence. The only way to pull anything from this guy was giving him a yes or no question. So he just open fired in a series.

"Celestia sent you? Your sister was involved? Bribed? Do you think this was a conspiracy against you? Or did the letter just go straight to you?"

[Dunder]

Dunder flew slowly to his destination. Not because of carelessness, but the weight of his saddlebags made him careful to pace himself. Even despite the pacing, Dunder's wings were already fatigued from flying. He made sure to give them a rest and take the train to Canterlot, but now his wings were burning with retaliation to flap. But the pegasus knew in his heart that packing heavy for flying that long of a distance would be worth it.

Still. A letter from the Princess was not something to be taken at all lightly. Dunder couldn't turn down her word. Anyway, Blueblood was nothing Dunder couldn't handle. After spending months trotting through the Zebralands with the unicorn. The letter was just an invitation on behalf of Blueblood to go on a river boat. The work of the Princess was naturally very formal. She said that it was for Blueblood's 'friends' but it came off more to Dunder as business. The pegasus wondered who else would be there. Maybe Muggo' but he was busy running a tavern. Maybe Fire. But she probably had official R.E.A. business to attend to.

Fancy gatherings for upper class ponies were never Dunder's cup of tea. Rich ponies were never really his cup of tea either. But he had to be polite. He just hoped that this boat ride would have some down-to-earth ponies.

He began his descent as he approached the destination of the flight. Eagerly he glided down. That's when he saw the ponies who were there. He could spot three. Blueblood was a given, but he also saw a brown stallion and a beefy red one. As he got closer, he could recognize the brown one. It was Java. The Red one he had seen around in Ponyville but never got to know him.

As Dunder landed softly on the ground, he took a few moments to pant tiredly and drop his saddlebags with great relief. He landed close to the other three, close enough to greet them all. "Sup...Blueblood...Sup.... Java?" He said between pants while looking at the respective stallions. He couldn't be bothered for an upper-class greeting Blueblood was used to. "And hello to you." Dunder said while looking at the red stallion, "I don't know your name...but I guess we'll get to know eachother soon enough." He said with a smile, "What's your name?"

[Blueblood]

"Oh. Academic. I'm afraid I'm not much up in that world." That was something of an understatement. His own memories of his time at university was a hazy memory of essays and exams somehow doing themselves while an endless series of club meetings, parties, and pranks had been going on around him. At the end of the whole thing, he'd ended up with a "gentlecolt's third," which was a polite way of saying that he had done the absolute minimum amount of work that would not get him sent down, but it didn't matter because he was rich and high born. Somehow, it didn't seem politic to go into detail about that.

In any case, Java was currently taken up with questioning Big Macintosh. The general trend of questions began to irk the Prince; he had a sneaking suspicion that he was being subtly insulted. High society was rather full of these social combat maneuvers. Before he could ready his own weapons, a more conventional fencer appeared, much the Blueblood's relief and delight. Dunder was actually a pony that the Prince could consider something of a friend, after everything they'd gone through together. Not that the adventures were enjoyable in themselves; he hoped nothing of the kind would happen on this journey. Still, the comradeship that had developed was genuine.

"Ah, Dunder, so good of you to come! Lieutenant Walker and Muggo Ale couldn't make it, from what I gathered, so Auntie volunteered a few guest suggestions." A mild mis-statement of the facts, but one had to save face somehow. It seemed that Dunder was already acquainted with Java, so there remained only one introduction to be made. "May I introduce you to Macintosh Apple, who rounds out our party of four. Once we get all our provisions stowed, we can set off."

[SunsetSombra]

Macintiosh looked back at Dunder with a small expression of curiosity - no, he hadn't met this particular pony before and thus simply nodded once firmly in return to the hello given. He wasn't really one to be ACTIVELY super social, but he also wasn't a complete hermit and thus had no problems getting to know new ponies if there was some particular need to do so, which in this case seemed to be what was required here.

Mac wasn't really going to worry too much about this little trip - he seemed to be around a few who knew more about this than he did, which was always a plus...and for the most part, it wasn't unlikely that Celestia's nephew - Bluemud was it? - was being left to fend for himself. If anything particularly went wrong, then Macintosh had a faint idea that things weren't just going to get worse...the benevolant monarch princess would surely be keeping tabs on the whole thing, and thus would probably send assistance should they truly be in need of it.

There wasn't really a whole host of things for the stallion to fret overly much about at the moment - and thus, he relaxed a little more...at least until questions started being fired at him, and then he just raises an eyebrow, giving them the 'responses' they warrented.

"Celestia sent you? "

" Eeeeyup "

"Your sister was involved? "

" Eeeeyup! "

" Bribed? "

" Eeeeenope. "

The last one simply made him roll his eyes and he laughs slightly at the absurdity of it all. " Ah don't much care for speculatin' like that! "

And with that, he simply coughs into a hoof and settles back into his more zen frame of mind; for the current moment, it didn't really seem like there was much else he needed to really comment about, and thus he leaves the floor open to those whom might be better off filling the silence or for things to resume course of activity - at least, that was mostly what was mac had intended upon his re-established silence anyway.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java appeared to be in surprise at the sudden complete sentence. It was almost in full perfect grammar! A complete subject, and an action even! Whats more, it was more than one word to a yes or no question! What an outstanding discovery this was! Here Java believed that this pony underwent some sort of butchered oath of silence where he is only allowed to answer with a "yup," or a "No" Or with just one word in general! But oh ho! HEre he was now! The pony's jaw dropped and a hoof pointing at the large stallion with a slight shake to the end.

"Y-you do actually speak more than just a short utterance," Java exclaimed in excitement. But he quickly calmed himself down after a small cough. "Pardon me. I am just to overly used to you only using the words, Eeeyup, or Nope."

Java then turned his head to face the new arrival. Ah! One of his close friends were joining this strange river side voyage of Canterlot. "Ah! Good to see you again, Dunder. Oh! And stop by my work shop some time this month. I have a gift I'd like to give you." The pony hummed as he then turned his head back to the Prince. Their host for this interesting get together. Whom also seem to be instructing everyone to load in the provisions onto the ship.

The bags Java were carrying were rather bulky. There was a small amount of food stored in the bag, giving that this was just a trip down the river, he was sure this wouldn't last long. But what actually made the real bulk of Java's bag was tools and spare materials. Too many times, too many situations that Java has been in where things have gone horribly wrong, or something just randomly broke down for no reason. All those times, Java was always thoughtful enough to carry the weight of a large surplus of materials, and tools. Annd eventually, the pony just stopped noticing the weight.

Java began to trot up the ramp leading to the ship, his eyes curiously glancing over the handsome prince, taking time to admire his appearance. From the immaculate mane, right down to the flank and hooves. Though perhaps not as carefully, as the eyes... tended to be more difficult to master. "So... Prince Blueblood," Java began with a curious lit to his tone. His lips pursing a bit. Once he was on deck he turned around and turned his head some. His eyes dropping down to the captains jacket he wore, and then flicking up to the hat.

The daffer outfit was of a true sea faring gentleman. Even while as far detached from his noble roots as Java was, he still knew the ins and outs of a large series of things that he could honestly care less for. Fashion was one of those things. But he could always take the time to admire the outfit of an accomplished profession. Such outfits are normally difficult to obtain. But hold a high honor. The main reason why Java refuses to wear a proper lab coat until the day of his doctorates.

And of course, one thing that Java had learned, or had the dillusion of, was that even captains of vessels tend to be well established scholars. Leaders. Or quite likable people.

"How long have you been sailing," Java asked as his eyes now trailed along the deck of the boat. He knew little of water vessels. Most of his time with boats were of the air variety. Mostly Military or Commercial class. But there were still some things that harmonized with his knowledge of airships, and he could make general assumptions. Though maybe not fully accurate. The ship from his vantage point looked as if it was in spectacular shape. The pony couldn't even recall seeing signs of repair from the bank on the side of the hole. Perhaps he didn't even see any signs of lyme or deposits on the deck or corners either.

"Because this beauty is in an impressive condition. And given your status... and the looks of this ship, I doubt you are wearing the outfit for show?" On the last note. The pony secretly meant it as a compliment underneath a question. The pony knew well enough that no noble will wear a professional's outfit for looks. Annd... Java was willing to admit that probably his original thoughts of what Blueblood would be like were probably wrong.

[Blueblood]

The whole exchange concerning Big Macintosh's verbalizing left Blueblood blinking in a somewhat puzzled manner. He'd only known the Apple by indirect association, and honestly hadn't paid much attention until very recently of anything said concerning a 'country hick.' Still, even he never doubted a capacity on the stallion's part of using complete sentences. "Er... right. Anyway, glad to see that you're all mostly acquainted with each other. All right with the supplies, there?"

The Prince's own packing had been more in the line of comforts rather than provisions; he wasn't a particularly heavy eater himself, having gotten early into a habit of watching his figure. Still, when it rained, they would be glad he'd thought of brining enough canvas to cover the deck, along with a methylated spirit stove. He used it instead of the more common paraffin variety; the last time he'd tried it, the oil had spilled, and for the next 3 weeks, it was all he could smell. Most of the actual food came from Big Macintosh and Dunder, the farmer and the chef. He supervised their stowing, making sure everything fit neatly; the heavy lifting, of course, he left to ponies more suited to it...

"Hm?" He perked up at Java's question, looking up from a knot he was tying to secure the hold. "Oh, I've been on the water since I was a colt. How do you suppose I got this?" And he angled himself so that his guest could get a clearer view of his cutie mark. The compass rose would have been an expected sight on the flanks of any mariner, but at first glance it did seem a little out of place on a royal personage. "I'm never lost on the water; I navigate the seas of salt and society quite well if I do say so myself." He preened a bit at this. More even than his looks or his birth, he was proud of this acquired skill. If there was anypony in Equestria that he really respected as superior, it was those old sailors who knew even more than he.

Of course, this was a river, and that had its own set of difficulties, but surely it couldn't be too hard, right?

Having completed the preparations, he took position by the rudder and called to the pony on the pier, "Docker, cast us off!" And he did so, unhitching the line and letting the boat coast gently down the stream. There was little breeze at present, so the skimmer relied entirely upon the current to carry it.

[Dunder]

Dunder was pretty out of breath, so much so that he didn't really want to speak. Not that anything he could say would have much importance anyway. He just nodded when Blueblood mentioned the two other companions, Muggo' and Fire. Dunder was sad they couldn't go, but what could be done?

But after Java was finished interrogating Big Mac, the brown earth stallion directed his attention at Dunder and told Dunder that he had a gift. Dunder was unsure what to say, and Java was enough of a wild card that the gift could be anything. dunder hardly had time to ponder on what the gift could be before Blueblood mentioned the last of the supplies needing loading.

Of course, Blueblood assumed the position with the least amount of labor. Instead of helping carrying boxes of stuff, Not like Blueblood looked too weak to help carry boxes.

Before finally boarding, Dunder trotted off and grabbed his saddlebags before pulling them over his body and hauling them aboard, as soon as he could, he laid them down as they probably wouldn't need to be moved that much farther until the boat finally took off. He was there long eanough to hear Blueblood promise that was seasoned enough to know what to do on a boat. Dunder hoped the white unicorn was right. "I'd probably actually be more impressed, Blueblood, if you got lost on a River. Just as long as you know where we are going, we will be fine." Dunder said. "Also, where is your kitchen? I need someplace to put my saddlebags." Dunder said, glancing toward the rest of the ship.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java found himself almost agreeing with Dunder, if it wasn't for the thought of such event being nigh impossible. “Well... I think I'd be more than surprised,” the brown stallion began as he now trotted closer to the edge of the boat and peered down to the water. His eyes examining the water's direction. While a map wasn't something he could store well in his memory, basic landmarks and survival skills was a factor of his knowledge. “In fact, if such a thing was possible and happened, I think I would break my own physical limits and do some sort of acrobatic pirouette off the railings...”

The pony cut himself off momentarily to tap a hoof against the sifter's preventive railings, and continued to explain the sequnce of events that would follow thereafter.

“ ...and soar into the deep end as a way to abscond the sheer absurdity of the thought,” his hoof then pointed to the water. The pony didn't mean it in any figurative language. He meant every word literally. It really showed how much faith the pony was putting into the finely dressed and handsome prince if he was willing to go such lengths into a suicide attempt for unexpected incompetence. The pony then turned around to look to the other stallions aboard the boat. “Should I also mention I am a -very- weak swimmer?”

[Blueblood]

And this was why Blueblood was not often seen about with Academics. Whether poetical or scientific, their words came out like a bewildering smoke screen, leaving him a fog-stranded ship in the night. Parsing Java's words as best he could, he shot back, as if in retort, "I'll hold you to that little wager!" Not stopping to think, of course, that winning would mean losing every bit of face he ever had among the fraternity of the waves. Thus does vanity make fools of us all...

"Oh, and the galley's at the port midships, or midboat if you think that presumptuous. I wouldn't try to cook while we're moving; riverboats tend to capsize whenever that's tried." Experience spoke here in awful tongues. It was the same voyage, in fact, that he learned never to take paraffin oil on a boat. The little craft had overbalanced, and the can of oil caught alight. But since oil and water don't mix, the fire wasn't put out, only spread across the surface so that the river looked as if it were on fire. And then the flames touched the vegetation on the banks, and that caught on fire, but Blueblood couldn't put it out because every scoop of water he brought out of the river was itself on fire. The nearby ponies had thought the end of the world was at hand....

He blinked. The traumatic memory had quite carried him away, and they were now close to scraping the edge of the bank. A quick move of the rudder brought them back to midstream, and Blueblood his his chagrin by pretending to admire the riparian scenery, which was rather pretty.

[SunsetSombra]

Macintosh watched as the Ponies conversed - he wasn't entirely sure what it was they were hoping to achieve with their rather awkward dialogues, but he simply shrugged and let them at it...he wasn't really one to get into the middle of something if he knew that there really wasn't a whole lot of reason to intervene. He didn't exactly know any of them particularly well, and since he was being left to his own passive devices, he took it upon himself to be as of the fly on the wall and let them all do whatever they were.

He couldn't deny that being out on the water was a pleasant experience - a little bumpy, perhaps, but it seemed as though the weather was staying on the right side of quiet and the sun was a strong force...Mac momentarily pondered if that was partly because the Princess had a personal stake in keeping things relatively enjoyable outside today, but quickly dismisses the thought. If there was one thing he had learned somewhat from the information source available to him otherwise known as his sister, Celestia wasn't exactly one to do things to benefit herself over everypony else - if there was a weather schedule or some kind of plan, she likey stuck to it no matter what.

the subject of swimming strengths seemed to come up from nowhere, and Macintosh raised an eyebrow at the comment from Dunder - if you knew you were a weak swimmer, why would you even come out to such an event knowing that you would be taken out and drifting above a large body of water. For a moment, Mac wondered if Dunder was quite all there, but he shook off the notion...he wasn't really one to cast a huge amount of judgement at ponies, especially ones he didn't know all that well. Besides, he seemed pleasant enough - perhaps it was just a daft oversight and the prospect of an enjoyable evening in the company of others got the better of his thinking...it was easily done afterall.

This was definitely a large and impressive craft, and the apple stallion couldn't help but understand Dunders excitement - there was, afterall, no telling what would happen on this rather interestingly crewed trip!

[Dunder]

[small detail, but Dunder never said that he was a weak swimmer, Java did.]

"Just don't jump into the water, if the boat sinks then just try to stay on for as long as possible. I can help you out by just...flying." He said, flexing a wing and taking a look back at it, as if to see it was still there. "Anyway, it's a river. If something goes wrong, it's not like we're in the middle of the ocean...with the threat of washing up on some Celeestia-forsaken island." He said as memories of past survival experiences flooded back, "Or something."

When Blubelood warned against cooking while the boat was moving. The unicorn's description only made Dunder think of a sudden capsize just from the stove turning on. Or whatever kitchen had in it. Rich ponies were good at excessively eating, Dunder imagined that their habits would follow them even onto a boat and demand the facilities to support it.

"Don't worry, Blueblood. I'll just be careful when I'm cooking. I'm sure that the designers of this boat would know their customers would need to eat on the boat." Dunder reassured. "And just use normal, vulgar pony terms when describing our nautical...stuff. I can hardly tell my left from my right as it is." Which was true, Dunder often caught himself double or even triple checking his instincts on what was on the "left" and on the "right."

The pegasus hauled on his saddlebags back on and set off on a slow and careful trot to the general area that Blueblood described. Dunder's exploring itch needed scratching anyway.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Posted Yesterday, 07:27 PM

“Hold me to the wager? Well, I hope you win. Because if you loose, fraid you might have a pony overboard,” Java chuckled as he now placed his bags down in the storage. Though he made it easily accessible. He was also quite happy that he went to an enchanter's shop earlier this month to get his saddle bags enchanted to be like bottomless chests. Well, close to it. The endless pocket enchantment was well within his budget, but he was sure there would never be an occasion that he would need to be able to shove the moon, into a tiny bag along with the western ocean.

But then he heard a strange comment from Blueblood. He wasn't entirely sure what he meant by the boat suddenly capsizing if someone was to so much as grill a cheese sand-which. Perhaps it was some sort of weird sailor voodoo that he was missing, but that would be absolutely perposporus.“I don't know how a boat capsizes when someone cooks. Maybe if the oil catches fire, and blows a hole in the aft. But I have a dry extinguisher just in case,” Java assured Blueblood.

He then approached, Dunder from the side and gave him a small nudge to get his attention. He then pointed a hoof in the described direction. “Port means left in relations to the boat's front and back. Midship means the middle of the boat. Usually lower decks. Kinda like back in Pinto when I was saying Starboard Beta?”

The pony then inhaled deeply and then turned his head to Blueblood, and raised a hoof to herald his attention towards himself. "My dear prince! This river has mutliple forks, what's our course looking like?"

• 
  

[Blueblood]

Dunder's imprecation to use vulgar terms took Prince Blueblood slightly aback; to him, nautical terminology was itself vulgar, in that only common ponies in rougher trades used them regularly. It was the only piece of vulgarity of which he was not ashamed to use himself. And, though no living ear had heard it, when caught alone at sea in the midst of a tempest, he could swear like a sailor, though not so vigorously or creatively.

It was extremely unlikely that the three other stallions in the boat would ever hear such an outburst, save in the hypothetical and unlikely instance that one of them had brought a bag of near-infinite capacity that somehow dropped into the water, suddenly draining the river and capsizing the boat. Then the Prince might be a little irked.

Blissfully unaware of the fact that such a bag had been brought aboard, Blueblood conversed genially enough with its owner. "Ah, you sail yourself? Airships, I suppose, given that the Pinto's a desert." He was struck once again by the impression that he had seen or heard of Java elsewhere in his social circle; he must have, since airships were not a poor pony's hobby. He pointed a hoof to a particular branch as he turned the rudder. "We're taking the south-east fork, but they join up again later. I may take one of the canals over, though, to stop in at Roam, if you like; I'm going to meet a pony there."

The river was not crowded these days; the advent of rail meant that there were more direct methods of travel and shipping. One found the occasional barge or pleasure cruise, such as the one here. They traveled on in silence for a while, during which time the Prince found himself looking at the most silent among them. "I suppose you've never traveled much, Macintosh? This will be a treat for you then." He spoke with an aristocratic confidence, that sort of tyranny that would let nothing stand in the way of making a pony enjoy himself, even if he didn't like the company or the event provided.

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java looked up with a hum, his attention now turning to Blueblood with a gentle smile on his maw. “Sail? Well, that would be a disallowed terminology on an airship! As the ship isn't pulled by air! Well, this one in.. particular uses air. WELL it's technically being pushed... by air. So yes I guess sail would be the proper word in my ships case due to the engines!”

The pony then ran his hoof along the river sifter's rail. His smile now growing a bit wider. “It looks nothing like this one here. It's a cobble really. I breathed life into an old ship in it's grave and gave it a second chance. To test some major redesigns for airships across Equestria. And we rode into the sky!”

He then looked back up to Blueblood with a chuckle. “She looks like a wartorn griffon general. And she's about the size of a five crew military skirmisher. She's a little fragile. But she's fast.”

Java's expression went blank for a moment as he now began thinking to himself. Fragile was actually an insult to the ship after everything that she went through, and is still holding up strong. “Mmm... Ok. Not fragile. But somewhere along the lines sky pirates got caught in the mix. And it just... went from a simple test run. To skies of twisted metal.”

[SunsetSombra]

Macintosh was momentarily brought out of his dazed pondering as the prince addressed him - he couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the comment...other than his usual trips with the Apple kin, he really didn't remember much about having travelled on his own for much beyond business reasons. He'd probably spent a good portion of his personal time keeping the farm running smoothly alongside AJ, and it was just a small little regret that perhaps he hadn't really done vast swathes of much else for a long time...heck, not since his mid-colt days had he really had a trip out on his own for a good time.

" Eeeenope! " came the answer from the Apple stallion, a small shrug delivered nonchalantly. " Can't say that it's been mah biggest priority... "

In all honesty, as much as he wasn't sure about the group itself or it's current performance, he really wasn't one to speak in that regard...and it was better for him to just try and relax, and even perhaps get to know some of this silly ponies a little better - although, he mused, it wasn't likely he'd see a great deal much more of the prince after this event, for better or worse. At the very least, he didn't want to be the sour apple of the bunch, and thus decided it was simply better to attempt to enjoy the situation whilst there was pleasantry in the air!

" Ah gotta say...it certainly seems like the perfect day for it! "

[Dunder]

"Perfect day for sailing is probably true. I dunno, I've never sailed. But I can certainly tell you that today is a good day for swimming." Dunder said as he peeked over the sides of the boat to see the water splashing against the hull. suddenly a thought entered Dunder's mind. "Hey, should somepony be driving the boat...er... ship...yacht? I'm not really find of pushing a canoe out of a river bank, I can imagine that doing the same for a vessel this size would be nearly impossible." He said. The thought of all four of them struggling to push out a crashed yacht didn't sit right with him.

"Well, maybe if we crash we could have more time to swim." He said with a chuckle, "And then I could actually cook. You have to explain to me again. So I cannot cook while we are moving, right? I don't see how turning on a stove and cooking some hay-burgers would cause the whole ship to capsize."

[Blueblood]

"I am glad you approve of my choice in verbiage." If the Prince had been any drier in his tone towards Java, the river would have dropped an inch or two in its level. "Airships are rather beyond my line of captaincy, anyhow. You'd have to be mad, really, to pilot a vessel that had to power itself entirely or crash. At any rate, never met an entirely sane captain of one before." And Blueblood wasn't at all entirely certain that he'd except the present company!

In any case, his attention soon returned to the tiller, and he directed the rudder of the sleek vessel to put it out into midstream. The river flowed straight on for a stretch, which was good, particularly as there wasn't a breeze that merited bringing out the sails yet. Of course, yet was the key word here..

Scanning the horizon for signs of turmoil, and incidentally striking a rather dashing pose as he did so, the Prince mused, "Well, call it a captain's superstition. At any rate, the last time I tried, I met with disaster, and it would be dashed bad form as a host to court it with guests and traveling companions. Still, if you think you can manage it..." He waved Dunder on, as if to say that he was free to do as he liked, but if something horrible happened, let it be known that he had been warned.

Nothing on the horizon, so the course would be set downstream for a while. Blueblood lashed the rudder to keep the course, and settled back to observe his guests. "There are bends and pools that are better for swimming in further on; fishing too, if you're fond of the sport. I'm not; could never stand the flopping things myself. And the bait, yeugh." He shuddered. "Rather horrible thing, being a worm. Do you think they know it?"

[moonshineTheleocat]

Java’s jaw hung just slightly. Not quite opening his lips just yet, but enough to display the level of hurt he was feeling after the prince had turned away. His head then suddenly drop with his ears flicking back. It was one thing to say that he wasn't entirely sane. Multiple visits to various psychologist and doctors told him that already, and eventually he just accepted it. But to say that he was insane for dreaming to soar ever higher? For such a thing to be said, was like having your own parents dash your dreams by saying you weren't allowed to be what you wanted to be as a foal. “B-but… have you even… tried it…” the stallion uttered weakly, though inaudible for the most part.

It took a few more seconds, but the stallion was able to straighten up, and pull himself back into reality. He listened to each stallion sharing their two bits. Easily able to agree with Big Mac any day. Sure, looking past the minor struck of depression he had just endured, this was almost disheartening to Java that moments before he had hoped to stay cooped up in his lab. And continue his lifelong research. Which, also reminded himself that he hadn't really spent to many days away from his work. “It makes me feel… a little ashamed that I wanted to waste this day working…”

He spun around. His hoofs now trotting closer to the group, but his eyes quickly turning to admire the white stallion standing perch on the deck in an action pose. Sure, it might be the typical one for a sailor, but something about long manes made it attractive. When he came to a stop, he was beside Dunder, looking over the edge of the railings and down to the river water below.

He couldn't imagine himself swimming, after all, he was well aware he could hardly keep his head over the water for long if there wasn’t any footing available. His body was simply too dense to give him any assistance. Not to mention, unable to gain any real distance with a doggy paddle. That, and no pony actually taught him how to swim.

But finally, something snapped his attention away from the water. The extended talk of fishing. It wasn’t really a sport he’s actually tried. But he has thought of it. Nothing but him, a friend, a boat, and a few rods in the quiet. Sounded entertaining enough, but the prince apparently didn't like anything that flopped? Guess this meant he wasn’t a fan of worms either.

The pony then looked away with a confused expression to the stallion. He didn’t know the stallion for long, but he quickly recalled the many different rumors about him. Handsome, yet more girly than a barby foal.

“What’s wrong about being a worm?” The stallion asked with a curious lilting note. The stallion then turned back to the water, to stare into it’s depths. “They get to dig around in the tunnel in the dirt. And help plants grow! Sure… they might lack brain power, and wiggle about, but knowing your own importance in life is enough to drive them along. And just keep digging. Till you’re tied to a hook and fed to a fish.”