# Relay Story Ch. 1

The wind moaned and made the air-ship groaned. The patter of rain on deck reached all the way down into ship's prison cell. A glass of liquid similar to tree sap scrapped a wooden table as it slide across its surface as the ship tilted slightly. A tan paw chopped down and blocked its path off the table. The paw, which was similar to human hand due to its disposible, gripped the glass and took a sip.

"So why is your unicorn hocus pocus called, 'Dreameater'? Heh, do dream taste good or what?" A humanoid feline-man with male characteristics asked. His long whiskers fluttered as enjoyed the smell of the glass of whiskey in his paw.

A purple unicorn stood nearby. His gaze focused on a green man who wore shackles and a blindfold behind a barred off cell. A tendrill of arcane light connected the bald head of the man with the horn of the unicorn.

The unicorn licked his awesome mustache. The magic connection between the two broke and the unicorn sighed in relief.

"Yeah. So we.re done here. He won't wake up for a long time," the unicorn said and turned around to face the cat-man. "What you say, Wereoew? Why it's called dreameater?"

"Mmm-yess. Wants some?" Wereoew said and began to spin a glass around his paw-finger by moving his finger on the inside of the glass.

"Yes, thanks." The unicorn sunk down at the table. "*Phew.* Dreameater takes a lot of energy and with some reef-whiskey, I be sleeping almost as deep as he will."

The spinning glass floated over to the unicorn while glowing a tint of violet. It flipped around so the bottom was down and the feline-man poured the unicorn a glass. The unicorn took a gulp.

"No, the dreameater curse doesn't make me eat his dreams but it puts a minor demon on his mind that drains him. It's not directly harmful but if applied repeatedly, he can get the same health problems as ponies in comas."

*Sniff. Coral-whiskey. Sniff. Made from spagehetti coral. Probably produced in Jagged Bay. Maybe eleven... twelve years ago.*

*Finally some whiskey. Mistress only drinks wine.*

The green man took another discret sniff of the liqour smell in the room.

*She once explained how cursed on the mind, like Dreameater works. It's said that most of the brain is shut down by dreameater, except for the autistic part. I guess that's why I'm still awake.*

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sun shone down on the sunbathers of Jagged Bay's beach. A group of ponies had waded out into the circular bay's sea water and punched a ball between eachother in some kinda of game. A long stone pier protruded out further away from the bathing area of the beach. Wooden ships of all sized were docked at the pier, from galleons to row-boats. On this pier walked a pair of mares.

One was regular equestrian pony, a unicorn to be precise. She was bit smaller than the other mare. She seemed to be in her adolescense. The ponies that passed her could see it on her neck that her fur was white, while her mane was black and tied into a bum. The bum's linch-pin was a hair-clip in the shape of a purple monarch butterfly. It's wings were the handles one squeezed to release the hair. To top that of, the old unicorn filly gazed around with brown eyes and in the middle of her horn grew an purple crystal out.

She and other mare wore cermonial robes. The older mare wore one in white with gold decorative stitches and a stylized blazing sun on it's back. While the old unicorn filly wore a tan robe, still very regal mind you, with sun symbol on the back cut in half by a supposed horizon. Both of these robes were made by soft fabrics, their hems were fluffy, and small gems were sewn into them at places.

The other mare was in her early thirties. On her neck, one could see that her fur was a green-brown color. The chaotic locks of her mane flowed from her scalp into a what almost looked like a neckbeard. It was in a orange-brown color. She had fiery orange eyes. Right between them though lay a row of golden scales running from the top of her snout to the horn protruding out from behind her hairline. This did not the usual cone of a unicorn but instead looked more like a thick branch calcified into a horn. It bent back like an 's' with a second, smaller offshoot on top of it bending forward like scorpion-tail. She was a kirin. A larger crystal sat the her horn than in the filly's.

Juxtaposted with their fine clothes, on top of them they wore rough saddlebags with many side pockets and rope and bottles attached to their outsides. It looked like the kinda of bags you used if you intended to hike in the wilderness.

They passed boxes being onloaded on the pier and passing sailor ponies and few other creatures, such as demi-humans. They walked onto land and at junctures, the younger one let the older take the lead.

As they enter a buzzling street bazaar, they gathered the attention of their surroundings, which was mostly ponies. Some whispered, some sneered, some waved, some justed stared wide eyed, a few came to either thank the pair of wish them their blessings. At those times the older one would thank them. That slowed them down but only for a few exchanges of words before the older mare excused them and left. The older one wore a calm smile through the whole thing while the younger felt her cheeks redden and constantly shifted her gaze around her enviroment.

Soon they got away from the crowded area as they entered a backalley. Jagged Bay was known for it's slithering labyrinth of backalley pathways. They took and ascending path though the harbour city.

At times, when the barrage of house let up they be treated to amazing vistas of the sea but also the enourmous circular bay. Almost in the middle small but island like a mountain stuck up. It was hard to see from here but spiraling stairs had been cut into the cliff-island making a path for the top. A great temple stood ontop of it. The temple of the Sphinx, Obsidioness, one of Princess Celestia's oldest friends from according to the rumour.

The kirin stopped and so did the unicorn in tow. The kirin looked towards the temple.

"You did well in there," the kirin said as she looked over to the smaller mare.

A warm, tropical breeze blew in her mane.

She smiled at the filly and reached out toward her with one hoof. Her hoof was cloven and had a tuft of the same type of untameable orange-brown hair her mane was of. She caressed her cheek once.

The filly smiled back awekwardly. Her cheeks blossomed in pink. She looked down towards her hooves as she started to rubbed one of her hooves.

"Ye... Mmm... T-thanks Master," the filly said and looked up again but only slightly. She peeked up at her master.

Her master held a radiating smile towards her.

They stood there for a moment before her master turned around and said, "We're gonna visit an air-ship before it leaves, if you're wondering where we're going." She flashed the filly a smile. "Was told it leaves in the afternoon and the creatures that asked for our presence for a deeeallll, appearently."

The filly immidiately forgot about her embarrassment and looked up at her.

"A deal. But daymares don't take payments" the filly said.

Her master nodded approvingly.

"Yes, but I have a feeling they want us to pay for their services rather than the opposite. Appearently, they were traveling towards Equestria to set up a deal with the order but when they heard we were present in the city they sent word for us. The letter sent to Obsidioness insisted it would be worth our time."

The pair continued their ascent. Their hooves clopped against the cobblestone streets as they climbed. They were walking to the harbour's second pier: A steep cliff that air-ships docked at.

Eventually they arrived at the air-pier and found the docked airship: The Sayalk.

The airship which was usually airborne by a balloon twice the size of the ship stood on stone platfrom that had been built out from the cliff. It's balloon was deflated, wrapped, and bound around a pole at the ship's center.

Boxes were being loaded onboard with rope and both sailor ponies and clear non-crew member ponies walked onto the ship on a plank with rope-rails.

The pair walk onboard on the plank. As they stepped on deck they were quickly greeted by a duo of mares.

One was cyan and wore brown cavalier hat with a green eather attached to it. She was an earth-pony. The other one wore big, thick-framed, black glasses and had grey fur. She was a pegasus.

The pegasus's eyes widen at the pair and her wings involenterally flapped.

The cyan pony jump up in their the kirin's face. She hid one of her eyes behind a hoof.

"Arrgghh! Me ce Captain of me ship. Arrggghh, matey!" she said and smiled.

As the captain made her antics, the pegasus smiled and shook her head.

The kirin looked at her with a puzzled smile.

"I see. So you're... The captain?" the kirin said.

"Yes, ma'am. And you're the daymare, right? I could tell by the crystal in your horn." The captain pointed a hoof towards the kirin's horn. "That had to hurt to install, right? I bet so. Once I visit my sister's house, it's a rock farm out in the middle of the wastelands, her kids had made rockcandy. Let me tell you that some pain to digest. I was rock n' rolling in my bed for three days straight after that. And when your niece is a as loud and talkative as mine, it's hard to get in rest. I don't know where she got it from and-"

"Captain!" the pegasus behind her shouted and break off her rant. "They didn't come here about your vaction trips. Aren't we guiding them somewhere?"

She gave her cpatain a knowing look. Her captain blinked a few times before she smiled brightly and nodded her head vigoursly.

"Of course! Fizzlepop's crew! Ha! I forgot!"

The pegasus made a look that said, 'No, really?'

"Come along Daymare, you don't wanna miss out on this. Fizzy totally napped one of those nightguys your kind always butt heads with. Is isn't that great?"

"A nightmare?" asked the unicorn filly in shock and disbelief.

The captain snapped her head towards the filly. She had clearly not noticed her presence before. She bounced on her and grabbed her cheeks like bowling ball.

[If this section is cringe af then note that I'm just tryin' out a new style. I usually never write characters like this one. In fact, I suck at comedy and try to only make serious story because I know I can't into other stuff. That's why just tryin' right now.]

The captain's hoovs clapped together as what they were holding disappeared in a flash of light. The grinning captain fell to the deck as the filly reappeared behind her.

The kirin smiled and laid a hoof the filly's shoulder to calm her.

The pegasus shook her head, walked over to her captain, and raised her up on her hooves again.

The captain was all smiles and scratched the back of her head.

[Now, I realized that this scene is cliche as it is gay. But is is gay in the old sense or in the new age sense?]

The captain looked over to the kirin and said, "I didn't see you brought such a cute thing along. She seems to be about the same age as Maud." She gave the filly a warm smile. "What's your name, little filly?"