Refugees (Spring Tide, Open)

[Whisper]

A breeze off the ocean blew the brown-and-mint mane of a grey unicorn mare into her face as she stepped off the ramp and onto solid ground for the first time in days. Slightly wobbly and trying to find her footing on the wooden dock, Whisper winced as her stomach sloshed about. She wanted to throw up, but was cursed with an iron gut; she'd get no such relief. Gulping air, Whisper crept across the planks until she reached dirt and breathed in its dry scent. She refused to look behind her at the ship. It would be best to forget her unpleasant trip and continue on her journey to Neighroby. Both salty ponies and exotic zebras crowded around arriving ships, many of the faces around her hardened from trying lives Whisper would have rather not thought about. A terrible sinking feeling welled in her chest and she blinked back tears in both sympathy for those around her and self-pity/longing fit her comfortable home in Manehatten, her familiar office with her familiar clients and her familiar blankets. Only the items in her saddle bags were what remained of her past life. Everything else had been either destroyed or stolen in the Diamond Dog attack about a fortnight ago. She balked at continuing on her journey alone. Wasn't there another pony who had been talking about traveling to Neighroby? It was rather difficult to forget such a... green pelt. Whisper looked about. He'd had to have gotten off about the same time as she, which meant he wouldn't be far...
Distracted and slightly hopeful, Whisper trotted about, asking for the fellow unicorn named Spring Tide.

[Spring Tide]

    Spring Tide stood on the boardwalk not far from where the Peacock had landed. So far he had asked two zebra and a seapony for directions to Neighroby, but he could not understand what any of them had said. He suspected that the latter may have been inebriated. He trotted around for a few more moments peering around for a sign that pointed which direction to go. There were plenty of signs, many of them in Zebrican and then Equestrian, that pointed to everything from the local pub, the general store, the flea market; everything except the road further inland. It would probably be a good idea to head further into the town than just the docks before he accepted defeat.


    As he continued to look all about him, Spring Tide witnessed something that he loved to experience. Dozens of ponies, kelpies, griffons, and zebras going about their business, walking among each other without enmity. He had seen plenty of it in Manehatten in the poorer districts, near the port and the industrial areas. Some ethnic blending had also occurred in places like Starlit Square where Spring had worked for a time, though there had been much fewer zebras there. They were all over the place in that port. Given that it was their homeland, it made sense. There was plenty of activity: beings hauling cargo off of ships, passengers disembarking, sailors making their way to the pub. It certainly was hot out, much different than western Equestria. Tide knew it was because this port was much closer to the equator of Equus.


    It was at this point that Tide heard his name spoken aloud. He turned towards the speaker and saw a gray unicorn mare standing before a salty boatswain some ten yards away. The sailor was shaking his head, the name was not familiar to him. The mare had a hopeful smile on her face, but Tide could tell that every negative she received slowly eroded her confidence. He decided it was best not to keep the lady waiting.


    Spring Tide trotted up to the gray mare. “You are looking for Spring Tide?” When he had her attention, he explained “I am he.” He wore his canteens and saddlebags and his faded gray-green cloak. He had thrown on his hood to block out the sun’s rays and it partially shadowed his face. He bent in a small bow, then looked back at the mare. At this distance, he saw her face and along with her brown and cyan mane, a feeling of familiarity crept into his mind. For a moment he pondered on where he had seen her before, remembering her visage and voice, but not the precise moment when he had first encountered it. His lips pressed together as he thought. He gestured at her with a hoof as he said “I have seen you before… My memory can be terrible to me sometimes though. What was your name?” 

[Whisper]

Whisper flicked her tail as she examined the cloaked stallion in front of her. He certainly looked familiar. The coat seemed the right color, anyway. Whisper prided herself on recognition, but being so ill on the ship had taken its toll on any chance of certainty. Her usually well-cared for bow slipped from her mane into the dirt road and Whisper picked it up with her mouth, placing it nearly in her overstuffed saddle bag with a snort of annoyance.

"Yes, we met briefly on the Peacock before I, um, had to leave the conversation suddenly." Whisper cleared her throat at hinting at her illness and continued hurriedly. "I heard you say your were headed to Neighroby. I didn't get to tell you that I'm going the same way and thought we could travel together. I do have a map... Unless, of course, you've been here before..."

Heaven forbid she insult the stallion. Had she insulted him? Whisper twitched her tail again (curse those stupid mosquitoes!) and vaguely considered tying it up. She'd never cut it, of course, but having it drag along in the dirt simply wouldn't do.

[Spring Tide]

    When Whisper mentioned them having spoken on the Peacock, the framework of their interaction returned to him. Yes, he had spoken to her on the ship briefly, the day before. She had seemed so uncomfortable, he felt that he needed to help ease her anxiety. He also remembered seeing her at the docks when they had first boarded, with an uncertain look about her even then.

    Spring Tide smiled kindly and nodded to the mare. "Of course. I would relish the company." He started to trot along. "It is good that you have a map. I left so suddenly, I forgot to get one myself. I normally do not forget things like that."

    After a few more feet, Spring stopped and threw off his hood. He was dripping sweat from his brow, so he used his magic to pull off his cloak and wiped the sweat away with it. He went further to wring the water from it and sent the salty water into the sea. Then he stashed the cloak in his left saddlebag. "I guess this garment is not going to be as useful as I thought it would be. It keeps me warm in a temperate environment, but in this equatorial region, not so useful. Perhaps something lighter would be better..." he half muttered to himself.

    "I have never been to this country before." He told Whisper. He turned to face her, and only now noticed any hint of illness in her features. "Are you alright, er..." Spring Tide began waving his hoof about as if to grasp something. "You still did not tell me your name..." he grumbled setting his hoof down. "You look a bit... green."

[Whisper]

Whisper grimaced at the dripping sweat from the cloak, but quickly pulled herself back together.

"Ill? Me? Well... Yes. It was my first time on the ocean, to be honest. I'm feeling considerably better now that I'm on dry land, though." She wrapped up her tail in a neat bun and used her ribbon to secure it in place.

"Oh! Before I forget again; I'm Whisper, from the Peaceful Moments Office back in Manehatten? It was a small place across the street from the Clop'n'Stop Hotel, the perfect distance from my apartment. Not too far off a walk to exhaust you, but enough to enjoy the morning bustle of the city, you know?"

Whisper sighed wistfully before gathering herself and heading in the direction the map she'd poured over for the past few days had pointed.

"What about you? What did you do before the attack?"

[Viper Pit]

Viper Pit walked along the path, headed for home after a long expedition with some Zebra travelers. He would have to get caught up on current events pretty soon, but he was feeling great! Humming to himself, he failed to notice the swarm of ponies also leaving the docks until he felt a squeeze under his cloak.

"What's wro-?" he asks before cutting himself off, finally noticing the horde of downtrodden ponies departing from the boats. His earlier happiness quickly changed to shock.

Serpents, what happened while I was gone? he thought to himself. He'd better ask somepony, get a grasp of the situation. Looking around, he could see no one who looked to be in a talking mood. Finally, his gaze settles on a pair of ponies looking at a map. Quickly trotting up to them, he slipped into a soft, polite tone.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but I've been with an expedition into the jungle for a while so I'm not quite caught up. If it's not a sensitive topic, what happened?" he asked, adjusting his glasses while Emily and Gwen slithered under his cloak, causing it to shift slightly.

Quit it, you two! You'll scare them! he thought, not daring to say it out loud for fear of looking crazy. At least, for fear of looking more crazy than everypony thought he was already.

[Spring Tide]

    Spring Tide did not know what to make of the mare's grimace. He ignored it. "I am glad to hear you are feeling better. Truly? I have been on boats offshore before, but never have I traveled overseas prior to this voyage." Spring had not fallen ill during the entire trip. Even during the days when the seas had been rough, he could not recall feeling even slightly queasy. In fact, he realized that he had gotten his sea legs on the second day of the journey, long before the other passengers. Strange that. He did not have extensive water craft experience, beyond when his mother would take him to the lake in the Whitetail Wood and they would paddle along on a raft she had built. He also remembered having paid an Earth pony to ferry him across a bay on his way to Manehatten.



    "I am afraid I have never heard of your company before. What did ponies do at the Peaceful Moments Office?" Tide politely asked. It sounded like some kind of marriage counseling office. “Me? Oh I stayed at an inn in the mid city. I tried to make it as an investigative reporter, but that did not pan out as I had hoped. So I decided to take up a less exciting occupation. I worked as a sales clerk at Bridledale’s on Starlit Square. Have you ever been up there? Lovely architecture. Well, it had lovely architecture.” he followed her for a few feet, then asked “Wait, do you know what direction we are supposed to go? May I see your map?”



    A moment later, a dusty orange unicorn walked up to them and asked about recent events. For a moment Spring stared at him, head tilted, eyebrow raised, clearly confused by the question. “How do you mean? How long were you out there?"

[Viper Pit]

"In truth, it had to be about four months." He sighed, knowing the question was gonna be asked. "We found nothing of note, save a few expensive relics and old tribal masks." Then he raised an eyebrow, something just occurred to him. Emily and Gwen, unbeknownst to Viper, poked their heads out of his cloak to either side of his head, eyeing the ponies he was talking to, their eyes and scales shiny having just shed a day ago.

"Hang on, are you two on your way to neighroby? And for that matter, is everypony here headed there as well?"

Well, if this was the case, the neighborhood was going to get a little crowded.

[Whisper]

Whisper was about to respond to Tide when another Pony interrupted them. Perhaps Whisper's wooziness was returning, but it seemed like something was writhing under that cloak. And what was with everypony wearing cloaks? It may be fall, but Neighroby was sweltering. Everypony knew that, didn't they? Lost in her thoughts and a little cloud-minded still from the journey, Whisper realized she hadn't heard a word spoken. She attempted to catch up, but jumped several feet into the air when a pair of snakes raised their heads next to the new pony's.

"Aieee!"

[Spring Tide]

Spring Tide listened intently to the newcomer. He knew little of this land, and was intrigued to hear that there were jungles as well as a savanna to explore. Expensive relics, or expensive-looking relics? Tide wasn't sure of this pony's qualifications, but if he were some amateur explorer, then anything could look valuable to him. It took experience to discern the junk from the true artifacts. At least, it made sense logically that that would be the case. Spring wasn't much of a treasure hunter, preferring a wealth of knowledge over gold and silver.

    Two snakes poked their heads out from under the newcomer's cloak. Tide cried out in panic and stumbled a few steps backward. "You have sprouted two more heads! Snake heads!"

    Normally Spring could appreciate all animals. Through observation, he could understand how they would fit into a larger ecosystem and work to preserve the balance of said ecosystem. The top apex predators he respected for the danger they represented, while the smallest scavenger he praised for the valuable service they provided. However, snakes had a special place in his heart, one of alien grotesquery and abject terror. They were creepy and icky, cold to the touch, with no appendages and soulless black eyes. Half were venomous and they all swallowed their prey whole. It made him shudder just to think about it. And this guy was comfortable enough to have them on his body, touching him. 

[Viper Pit]

Viper Pit sighed at their reactions, before shooting glares at Emily and Gwen. See what you did?
At his chastisement, they shrank back into his cloak as he rubbed his temple in irritation.

"I'm very sorry about them, they're just curious. They're friends of mine, and wont hurt you." He gave them an awkward, apologetic grin. Why were ponies so scared of snakes? Granted, some species are among the most dangerous creatures alive, but that's just coincidental.

"And don't worry, they're boa's. They aren't venomous anyway. Now, back to my earlier question? Is everypony here on their way to Neighroby? If so, I can direct you since I live there." he offers, pushing his glasses up higher onto his face, inadvertently drawing attention to his silvery eyes.

"Of course, if you two don't mind traveling with an eccentric stallion like myself." he chuckles, more to himself than anypony.

[Whisper]

Whisper felt her ears grow warm. "Y-yeah. I figured they're weren't poisonous, what with them being on your back and all." Her ears flopped over. "I promise I'm not really afraid of snakes, they just... Surprised me, is all."

Feeling a little stupid, Whisper shook her mane. "Anyway, yes we're headed to Neighroby. We were going to follow my map, but if you're familiar with the area, that would be much better." She grinned. "We're all eccentric in our own way, you know. What did you say you're pets' names were?"

[Spring Tide]

    "Ah yes, boas. Those hardly ever bite, if I recall." Spring Tide was visibly calmer now that the snakes had returned to their hiding place. He would remain wary of the beasts, though they had been fairly small and their lack of venom made them much less dangerous... Spring coughed a few times during the moment of awkwardness. He cleared his throat; apparently the humid climate was stuffing up his throat with mucus. That, or it was the foreign germs. Best not to think of that right now.

     "So you are a local? That is fortuitous. As Whisper said, we are planning on making our way to Neighroby. If you would be so gracious as to guide us, then we would welcome your presence." Spring smiled at the peculiar stallion. Very fortuitous, that he would appear and be friendly and willing to show them the way to where they were headed. Spring Tide was an optimist most of the time, but he often could tell when things were a bit fishy. The fact that he stood literally 200 feet from a fish market had nothing to do with it.

     "I can not speak for the other ponies aboard our ship, but since Neighroby is the main pony settlement in this region they likely are headed that way. As for what happened, well it is a bit of a long story. Perhaps we could begin our journey and I will tell you on the way?" Spring was eager to get going. It was late morning, judging from the position of the sun, and the daylight would only lessen from that moment on. Hopefully, Neighroby was not so far away that Spring and his party could get there before nightfall. He did not relish the idea of being in a strange wilderness in the dark without the knowledge that he usually acquired before venturing out into said wilderness. "Oh, and you did not mention your name. What is your name, sir?" It was always better to learn a name early on in a relationship, rather than to refer to them as orange one, or creepy snake pony. 

[Viper Pit]

"Indeed, they don't bite unless provoked, or hungry." Viper confirms with a reassuring smile. "Ah, but where are my manners?"

He takes a step back and holds a hoof to his chest, giving a bow. "I am Viper Pit, Reptile biologist, adventurer and Archeologist. And these beauties are Emily and Gwen." He says, indicating the snakes beneath his cloak. "Truth be told, the archeology is just a hobby." He looks back up at them. "And yes, I live in neighroby." His nose wrinkled at the smell of the fish market, going off topic. "Blegh... fish."

[Whisper]

Whisper glanced at the serpents under Viper's cloak and grinned a little. She wasn't sure about "beauties", but she could appreciate them, of course.

The smell of fish made her stomach churn again. "Let's do be on our way, then. Feel free to correct me, Viper, but I think the map said to head this way?" She pointed down a road that led past the marketplace toward the desert. She shifted her saddlebags on her back and hoped she had brought enough supplies for the trip. "How far is Neighroby, anyway? I'm always thrown off when it comes to distance on these maps."