Morning Lily turned and looked back me and smiled in my Equestria dreamscape.
 
“Well, at least something connected with this job is going ta be easy!” The large pegasus mare sauntered over me and extended her right front hoof.
 
“Morning Lily is my name. I’m part of Scratch’s security detail but since I’ve got these.” She flapped her wings a couple times. “I still get ta play messenger pony on occasion fer my employer. Please tell me that Petina and Carousel are onboard with ya.”
 
I shook Morning Lily’s hoof and nodded my head. “Yes both of them are onboard. In fact I was just heading back to clean up before having breakfast with them. Would you care to join us, it’ll be my treat.”
 
“I’m not one fer passing up free food so lead the way!” With the mare in tow I made my way back to our cabin. Initially the new mare confused my two cabin mates but by the time I got out of the shower they were merrily chatting away.
 
Once I had made myself presentable we headed off to the dining hall. I’d offered Morning Lily access to our shower but she passed on the offer. “I’m going ta be heading back almost right away so I’ll clean up when I get back ta Ft. Trotterdale. Besides if the weather goes bad I’ll get a bath whether I want one or not!”
 
“Why not stay onboard until we dock?” I asked as we trotted down the hall. Morning Lily shook her head.
 
“Nope. Scratch wanted ta know if she should send a carriage down ta the docks ta meet ya tonight. Also if ya would need a moving van ta bring back any luggage and equipment ya might’ve brought with ya. If I don’t report back pretty soon she’ll start wondering whether I made it, and then she just send some other poor pony out ta make certain I got here. I’d just prefer ta avoid all that nonsense!”
 
So that morning we had unexpected guest with us for breakfast, apparently it was tradition with the Captain that during the course of a cruise that the kitchen serve corn flapjacks at least once. It had something to do with good luck and I’ll say this the galley crew made some fine flapjacks. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside they were served lots of melted butter and molasses drizzled on them.
 
Another tradition aboard the Sea Stallion was the serving of a beverage called Jekta, it is a hot beverage commonly served in the realm of zebras. Jekta is an infusion of several spices, herbs and the root of some unpronounceable plant from zebra’s homeland. Sweetened with honey and sometimes thickened with heavy cream it made an interest change to the regular morning cup of coffee. Apparently Captain Gale Winds acquired a taste for it when served on a schooner that had frequently visited the exotic city ports of the zebras. It was also where he met the zebra mare that he proudly married and brought with him back to Baltimare. For twenty years now they have been happily married and have succeeded in raising a family of four foals.
 
I was very glad that the mares had made reservations since in short order the dining hall was full of hungry ponies. Over stacks of flapjacks and mugs of Jekta we got a preview of what to expect when we docked in Ft. Trotterdale. Morning Lily had only been with Scratch’s entourage for about five months having only recently mustered out of the Royal Equestrian Air Force. She’d had been in the 39th Squadron that was based out of Ft. Trotterdale. In the 39th she’d served as a Slasher, one of the heavily armored pegasi trained to engage griffins and even drakes in close combat.>>1007876s  
Like Captain Solid Shot she had been at the battle of Fort Shield and in the service of Crown she had lost her left eye there in that bloody fight. After being discharged from the military Morning Lily returned to Ft. Trotterdale and began the process of figuring out what she was going to do with her life.
 
Quite unexpectedly she one day received a telegraph asking her if she was interested in acting as a personal bodyguard for some unicorn performer who was based out of Manehattan. After a series of correspondences she traveled Manehattan and interviewed for the job. Much to her surprise Scratch hired her on the spot.
 
“That’s how she rolls.” Said Morning Lily. “She is able ta quickly assess a pony and decide whether they are what she needs or not. And not just ponies, Scratch has brought quite a few zebras and griffins into her company. I was really uncertain about the griffins at first but they’ve all worked great so far. But ya have ta be on yer hoofs all the time around her because she’s constantly making snap decisions. Sometimes she’ll make decisions worth thousands of bits on the drop of the hat!”
 
“She can be pretty laid back at times and I’ve never seen a pony who can party like her, but when its time ta work I’ve also have rarely seen a pony as focused as she is. She’ll do eighteen-hour days fer weeks on end if that is what takes ta get what she’s a needing. She could’ve been a hell of an officer if she had wanted ta be one. She can really motivate ponies ta be more than they believe can, but at the same time she will not tolerate slackers and will cut ya from the herd without a second thought.”
 
Morning Lily took a sip of her drink. “I’ll also warn ya’ll that Scratch also has certain, um, uh tastes and interests that some other ponies might find just a bit scandalous. So if yer are a bit on the prudish side you might be in fer a bumpy ride! She’s got herself a very trusting, longtime griffin partner but she’s one who likes ta um, graze far afield, if ya know what I mean.”
 
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Petina perk up in her seat and Carousel just smiled and nodded her head. “Figured as much.” Said the earth pony. “Since we’re being brought in to help her with some new, revolutionary dance routines.” Carousel smiled at Morning Lily. “After all Petina and I have been performing regularly in Ponyville for almost a year now, and we coached Rainbow Dash for this years Best Young Fliers Competition.”  
Morning Lily stopped stirring her cup of Jekta. “So yer the ponies that taught the Element of Loyalty that saucy dance routine! I wasn’t there fer the competition but according ta ponies that were there it was like no performance they had ever seen. Apparently they’ll never think of corner pylons the same way again!”
 
Petina got a grumpy look on her face. “Yeah but they’ve already changed rules for next years competition. No touching the pylons at all!” The white unicorn mare blew a raspberry to express her opinion of that decision. Morning Lily laughed.
 
“Well I think ya’ll going ta fit in just.” Morning Lily tossed back her mug of Jekta and then rose from her seat. “Well I’m going ta check with the bridge crew then I’m visiting the Ship’s Head before heading out. See ya’ll in Ft. Trotterdale.”
 
Then she strolled out of the dining hall.
 
To be continued.