When Slipp opened his eyes next morning, he saw a pink pony in front of his face.
"C'mon, you slippery old Slipp, rise and shine!" the pink pony squeaked. "Let's see if you were telling the truth when you said you could cook."
Slipp tried burrowing deeper into the bedlinen, but the pony jumped up onto his bed and started bouncing on it. "Go 'way, s'only just dawn, beat it!" Slipp grumbled. "Who are you anyway?"
"This is Pinkie Pie," Twilight said, coming into the room. "You said you were a cook, so today you're going to work with her at Sugar Cube Corner."
Blaggut poked his head from beneath the pillow, giggling dozily as he watched the proceedings. "Show those ponies what yore made of, Cap'n. Burn up a mess o' skilly an' duff; that'll warm the cockles of their 'earts, ha ha harr!"
Reluctantly Slipp followed Pinkie Pie out.
No sooner had Slipp left than Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo came dashing in and threw themselves upon Blaggut, buffeting him mercilessly with Slipp's pillow. "C'mon, Mr. Blaggut, they said you were a carpenter, we wanna see you carp!"
"Carp, y'say. Well, I dunno," said Blaggut as he sat up and scratched himself absently. "Let's see, mates, wot d'yer want ole Blaggy ter carp for ye?"
Sweetie Belle was in no doubt at all. "A little boat to sail in on the pond, one big enough for the three of us to sit in. Can you build a boat?"
A boat? Blaggut had never built a boat before. He looked around frantically, trying to think of an excuse to get out of it. "'Old 'ard, mateys. I haven't got any timber to build a boat with!"
"We can help ya with that," said Apple Bloom. "We've got a lot of wood lyin' around our farm, Sweet Apple Acres. Ah'm sure Applejack would let ya borrow some!"
"C'mon, let's go!" said Scootaloo. The three little fillies dashed outside, and Blaggut followed them, wishing that Slipp hadn't said he was a carpenter and wondering how he always managed to get into this mess.
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An air of gloom hung over Sugar Cube Corner. Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose as she entered.
"Phew! What's that smell? Has somepony moved a compost heap in here?" she complained.
Pinkie Pie giggled. "Silly, that's the old seagoing dish that my new friend Slipp has cooked up! It's called skilly an' duff. Like to try some?" She held out a plate of it.
"I think I'll stick to cupcakes," said Rainbow Dash. "No wonder searats are so wicked and wild. I'd be evil too if I had to eat crap like that all the time!"
Slipp came out from the kitchens, pushing a trolley piled high with platters of his creation. The searat captain was quite proud of his newfound cooking skills. Clad in a clean white smock and a tall chef's hat several sizes too big for him, he swaggered up to a table. "Skilly an' duff, that's the stuff t'put a curl in yer mane, made by me own fair paws. Anypony want some?"
Twilight and Starlight came in. "How's the new guy working out?" Starlight asked.
"Pretty good!" Pinkie said. "Look what he just made. Skilly an' duff! Want to try some?"
Just to be polite, Twilight had a bite. It tasted as bad as it smelled. "You'll excuse me asking, Slipp, but what exactly do you put into this, er, skilly an' duff?"
Slipp winked. "Haharr, that's an ole seadog's secret; a bit o' this an' a touch o' that, lashin's of wild garlic, white dead nettle, some cleavers an' just a smidgeon o' dogwort."
Twilight clapped a hoof to her mouth and ran out of the restaurant.
Slipp hooked a clawful of the steaming concoction from Twilight's plate, straight into his mouth. "Wot's wrong with her?"
"I don't know," Pinkie said through a mouthful of skilly and duff. "Tastes fine t'me!"
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The Cutie Mark Crusaders were testing their new boat on the pond. Blaggut was surprised and pleased by his success. Amazingly, he had actually managed to make a boat that floated. Applejack had donated an old cider barrel, which the searat had cut in half. The barrel lid provided a keel for balance. Inside the barrel he had wedged short flat planks for seats. A big stick served as a mast, and an old tablecloth of the Apple family's hung from it for a sail.
"Ha harr, mates, I'm a boat builder! All me life I've been called stupid an' clumsy an' thick as two short planks. But I ain't, I got clever paws, I kin make boats, good uns!"
"It's beautiful!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"Let's call it the Water Pony!" said Scootaloo.
"Will ya write the name on it, Mr. Blaggut, please?" Apple Bloom asked.
Blaggut had hoped they would not ask him this. "Er, well, maybe one of your sisters oughter do that, shipmates. I never learned no writin', bein' a seara- er, carpenter, there wasn't no need fer such things."
"Okay, I'll ask Rarity," said Sweetie Belle.
"Aye, she prob'ly kin write proper fancy; I bet good ole unicorn ladies like 'er does writin' a lot."
"If she isn't too busy," Sweetie Belle added. "I heard her say she has a big order to fill. She makes clothes."
When they got to Rarity's house, they found her sitting at her sewing machine with her glasses on and a tape measure around her neck. Her mane was a little ruffled, so they knew she was really working hard.
"Yes? What do you want, Sweetie Belle, darling?" she asked.
"Never mind," Sweetie Belle said, backing out of the room. "I can see you're busy."
"It's quite all right. If you need anything, I'm sure I can take the time out from my schedule to help you. What is it?"
Blaggut spoke up. "If it's not too much trouble, marm, the little uns and I were wondering if you'd write the name on the boat I made for them, the Water Pony."
Rarity stared at him in surprise. "You made a boat? Really?"
"Well, he is a carpenter, isn't he?" said Scootaloo.
"Right. Of course he is." Rarity stood up. "I would be delighted to write on your boat. It's no trouble at all." She was busy, but she didn't mind taking a few moments to help her sister and her friends. She was the Element of Generosity, after all.
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A few minutes later, Rarity and Blaggut were watching the Crusaders sailing around the pond. A small group of young ponies had gathered around, lining up for boat rides. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were in their element, sailing, paddling, and roaring orders.
"Two at a time, only two at a time. Who's next?"
"Okay, y'all sit there an' y'all sit over there. Hold on now!"
"Watch out for big fishes an' pirates!"
The boat sailed wonderfully on the slightest breeze. Blaggut looked on with pride. "And to think this is the first boat I ever made!"
"What was that?" Rarity said. "I thought you were a professional boat builder!"
Blaggut jumped to cover his mistake. "No, I said I was a carpenter, remember? I make all sorts of things, beds, tables, chairs, and all that. I just never built a boat afore."
"Oh, that's right," said Rarity.
Blaggut exhaled. He had nearly given himself away.
He heard Rarity sigh too and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, I've just got so much work to do," Rarity said. "A singer named Sapphire Shores has put in a big order for a bunch of diamond-studded dresses for her next show, and I've got nopony to help me. Normally Twilight Sparkle's dragon Spike would lend me a hand, but he's off adventuring with that scruffy little mouse, Mariel. In Africa, if you can believe it!"
"Well, maybe I could help you out," said Blaggut. "I never tried sewing before, but I'll do what I can."
"It's not the sewing I mind," said Rarity. "But Sapphire Shores wants all her dresses to be covered with diamonds, and I don't like digging for diamonds. It makes my fur and hooves all dirty. Ugh!"
"Well, I don't mind getting dirty."
"Yes, I can see that," said Rarity.
"If you show me where to dig, I'll dig up the diamonds for you," Blaggut said.
Rarity's face lit up. "Really? Oh, that would be fantastic!"