Chapter Two: What Do You Do With a Salted Sailor?

*Rarity was walking in town to the local vet. Opalescence wasn't looking too good and didn't seem to be eating much. Rarity wasn't sure what was the matter and so had decided to pay a visit to the vet. Today was a cloudy day, and Rainbow had mentioned something about rain and Rarity was beginning to think that she should've have brought a umbrella. The Opalescence gave a shriek and hissed very loudly in the direction of a stallion that was on the ground next to a very big dog. The stallion looked up at the cat and chuckled. Rarity put the cage in the ground and tried to calm Opal down before she cause to much of a commotion.

"Opal, please be quite, mummy is trying to get you to the vet. Please quite down Opa-" at that moment Opalescence's cage door broke up and she raced across the street. She was running down to the –not the big dog- but the stallion with the fedora. Opalescence jumped and would have clawed the stallion's face if Rarity hadn't caught the cat using her magic. She ran to the cat and gave her a stern looked before turning to the stallion sitting on old cardboard box. The stallion hadn't flinched or even taken notice of the small furry projectile that Rarity had stopped. Rarity coughed to get the stallion attention; it took him a while to realize that someone was trying to talk to him. As he looked up he dropped his at next to the big down with the inside facing up. Rarity took a while to say anything, stunned by the stallions handsome yet scary features, "I am terribly sorry, my good man, for my cats behavior. She seemed to have tried attacking you and I am terribly sorry for that"

"No problems miss. I think you should get it looked as though, it seems to be having some indigestion problems" said the stallion, who began tuning his guitar.

"How do you know it has indigestion?" Rarity asked puzzled at the statement. The stallion shakes his head towards the big dog saying "He knows his way around cats. And he reckons that the smell is indigestion". Rarity looked at the big dog and wondered if dogs could smell illnesses. She then remembered her appointment and said "Well thank you and again I'm terribly sorry for this inconvenience", she turned and went to the cage she had left on the other side of the street. She stuffed Opalescence back I her cage and magically put it on her back when she heard the strum of a guitar. She turned and was hypnotized by the musical poetry. The song the man was playing was not only slow but joyful, something that not all common guitarist can do. Rarity not consciously walked to the sound till she was around a 4 or five yards from the stallion who she had apologized to. Eventually more people gathered around the guitarist, keeping a good 5 yards way due to the sight of the big dog. As the amount of people grew, the tempo of the song quickened little by little. After about a minute of the tune there was a great deal of people around the guitarist. Then the stallion said something to the big dog. The dog did what could be considered a disapproving growl, but the stallion said it again and the dog got up. Walked aver the fedora that was beside the stallion and flipped it up in the air. He caught on his head and began to sway and jumped to the rhythm of the music. The crowd laughed, cheered and clapped to the scene as the dog dance and jumped with the hat. The song after five minutes of the nice tempo and dancing the dog began to stop dancing and dropped the hat on the ground. Flipped it over so that its inside would face up. The dog then proceeded to walk around the crowd of people, to which people deposited a couple bites. As the dog came closer to Rarity, she reached into her purse and took twenty bits and dropped them into the hat. Once the dog had gone around the crowd the song stopped abruptly. The stallion looked inside the hat, and then wolf whistled. He then in a loud voice so that everyone could hear "Please feel free to sing if you know the words" and began to strum a song that Rarity knew well. She remembered how when her father was out to late on Saturday afternoons, how her mother would tell Rarity to fetch him, and how he was drunk off salt. She remembered what they sang every time she arrived there. The song was known as 'What do You do with A Salted Sailor'. It was quite a funny song and when the stallion began the strum the chords of the song, she couldn't help humming the words to herself. Others, however, had taken in his invitation to sing and to stallion; one a pegasus and a unicorn walked into the middle and began singing the lyrics to the melody. Eventually those two were joined by four more who were at least in their forties. Rarity was now biting her lip to stop herself from singing. They were getting closer to her favorite part, about another two choruses away.

'What do you do with a salted sailor?
Oh what to you do with a salted sailor?
Oh what to you with a salted sailor?
Earl-eye in the morning

Put him in a long boat till he's sober
Put him in a long boat till he's sober
Put him in a long boat till he's sober
Earl-eye in the morning

What do you do with a salted sailor?
Oh what to you do with a salted sailor?
Oh what to you with a salted sailor?
Earl-eye in the morning'

Rarity couldn't help it.

"Put him in the hold with the captain daughter,
Put him in the hold with the captain daughter,
Put him in the hold with the captain daughter
Earl-eye in the morning" She sang stunning all the one who had been singing before. They all cheered at this and they all sang. Rarity sang and sang till the song ended. She could remember when she felt joy and happiness like this and it was great. The guitarist stood up and said to everyone still there, "Thank you all for being so kind, have a nice day". Everyone cheered for one last time and began to go back their separate ways. Rarity was still full of the alighted joy she had felt singing that song, this was quickly extinguished when she saw the time on her watch. It was 10 after 7. She was late. She ran to the vet's, dodging people cart and old ladies taking too long to cross the streets. When she got to the vet it was 7:15. She walked up to the counter and rang the bell. In a couple seconds the vet was there and he said, "Ah, Miss Rarity you finally arrived"

"I'm terribly sorry for being late its just-"

"There is no need to tell me I saw you enjoy yourself with the crowd, I must say you are quite the singer" the vet interrupted taking Opalescence. Rarity went red with embarrassment, and sat down in the waiting room and waited.

Spirit walked out of the supermarket and took another bit from his sandwich. It was sunflower and gorgonzola cheese. The wolf got up from where it was sitting next to the supermarket and walked up to Spirit, a plea of hunger in his eyes. Spirit reached into his bag and pulled out two cans of dog food, "Here you go, you're reward for dancing today". Spirit toke out a paper bowl and dumped the contents of the two cans. The wolf looked at what was in the bowl and looked back up at Spirit. Spirit sighed and bent down and whispered into the wolf ear "Look, I know that stuff sucks but once were out into the open I'll hunt with ok? So just eat this stuff till I've had my fill of being here." The wolf looked and the food and then said "This better be good". Spirit laughed and looked up at the sky, and frowned. He looked around and saw a small store, turning as he walked he said to the wolf "Saying I'll be back" he went into the shop and found what he was looking for. He came out of the store with a small umbrella, he walked towards the wolf who was on his last bite was reluctant to eat. Spirit looked at him and sighed saying "Ok you funeral" this got the wolf to eat the last bit.

It was at least an hour and half after their performance, and they were scouting for a place to stay. They had found a map of PonyVille and they had used to search for a good spot to sleep in. they had looked all throughout the northeast part of the town and the south west part of the town. What they were looking for was either an Inn or a good spot in between the apartment that would provide cover from the rain. It was around 8:30 when the rain came down, and it came down hard, it was heavy enough for every pony in the town to flee for their homes. Spirit and the wolf were under the umbrella still looking for good place to stay at. Then Spirit saw something that wasn't right, there was a lone mare under a balcony, avoiding all drops of water as possible. She looked familiar and he felt that she didn't belong there and so went to her. He heard the cats high pitched hiss over the sound for the rain which was saying something. The mare turned to shush the cat and then turned to see why she was so angry.

"Oh hello" said the mare, stunned by his appearance. Spirit looked at the umbrella and then at the rain and then made a gesture that indicated the road. She looked confused. He sighed and the wolf made what could be called a chuckle. Spirit coughed and said trying to sound as polite as possible "Do you need help getting home?"

Rarity was walking down the street, with company she would describe as unusual, a mostly silent guitarist and his big dog. This was already uncomfortable for Rarity for she was still remembering about Opalescence trying to claw his face, which she was still trying to do. Opalescence had been quite since he had offered to walk her home. Rarity wished that she would be quite, it was really embarrassing her. She made a embarrassed smile towards the stallion direction, but he didn't seem to notice. He looked as if he was trying to remember something yet it was impossible to remember. They walked on for a little and the dog slowed down just a bit and caught back up so that it was in between the two of them. It shook its head a bit splashing a little water. She looked up at the umbrella the stallion was holding and saw that it was covering her entirely, not letting a single drop of water hit her. She looked over at him again and saw that part of his side was dripping wet. This made her feel guilty and at the same time thankful. She smiled and looked at him again, he still looked like he was trying to remember something. She turned to Opalescence to try to get her to be quite.

"Now I remember" said the stallion which made Rarity jump a bit, he hadn't talked for so long she thought he would never. The stallion smiled and said "You know, you have a very nice voice". Rarity was taken aback. She stammered a bit before answering to the statement " W-W-We- Well you are a really great guitar player, where did you learn how to play?"

"Where did I learn how to play? Hmmmm. Well its kinda hard to say"

"Why is that?"

"I've been to so many places I don't remember what I did there"

"You've been to a lot of places then have you?"

"Yup, the farthest I've been from the border is Moria"

"Moria, are you serious, that's almost of the continent. You went there?" Rarity was now intrigued by this stallion who has travelled the world and comes to see PonyVille as a new place. Rarity then inquired "What is Moria like, exactly? I've only heard of what come out of there, I never heard what it's like"

"Well I would tell you but we have seemed to be at your place" said the stallion. She turned and saw her house. She thought she would be happy but she felt disappointed, as if a really tasty looking candy was placed in front of her and she ate it, only to find out it wasn't that good. Then she asked "How did you know this is my house, I mean it is but I didn't tell you where it is?"

"My friend here is really good at finding places" he said gesturing to the dog.

"That is a very smart dog then" Rarity said patting it on the head. The stallion laughed, Rarity was annoyed and asked "What is so funny?"

"That's not a dog, it's a wolf" Rarity almost screamed in fright. She stepped back slowly forgetting it was raining outside, the stallion moved with her to make sure she didn't get wet. Rarity said stammering in fear "but wolves are vicious and vile creatures aren't they? And you're walking around with one as a pet"

"Hey he isn't my pet, he is my pack brother" the stallion said sternly and then said, calming his voice "Well miss, have a nice day, it has been a pleasure talking to you"

"The same goes for you… um… my I get your name please?"

"Spirit" and with that the stallion and the wolf walked back into the rain looking for something she wouldn't know.

Hello Thank you for taking a look at this story. if you can't guess what my insparatin was, then i can give you a hint

FUS-ROH-DA