My Little Pirate: Buccaneering is Magicby DreamscapeChaptersFinding a Cure(Intro)Setting SailThe Perfect StormFinding a Cure(Intro)Finding a Cure A look of shock fell over Twilight’s friends as she opened the door to Celestia’s chambers. Instead of the princess standing proud, regal, and tall as she normally was when they met her; she lay weak and almost lifeless in her bed. Her mane which normally would shimmer so brightly was faded and tangled. Her eyes normally glowing with care and compassion were pale and tired. The princess struggled to smile as they entered. “Celestia…you look even worse than before.” Twilight said, shaking her head and frowning. The others stood in silence, not knowing what to say. “That’s why I’ve brought you here. I need you and your friends help once more.” Celestia weakly let out as Twilight approached the side of her bed. “And we’re ready for anything.” Twilight said confidently, looking back at her friends as they nodded their heads. “This illness is nothing I or anypony else has ever seen before. Traditional medicine and magic cannot heal this nor can my own powers. Some recent events have led me to believe that this is actually no illness at all but instead that I have been poisoned.” they gasped as Celestia presented them with the information. “It was recently discovered that a powerful relic was stolen from Canterlot without our knowing. It has been determined that the relic was stolen close to when I fell sick. This relic, called the Flower of Medela, is a powerful healing object. It can cure almost any illness even ones never heard of before and can even save somepony from death itself, although its affect will not last forever. It is so powerful that it is rarely used and was kept hidden for thousands of years but now it has been discovered and I believe these thieves are planning a ransom. They will want wealth in exchange for the Flower. If they don’t get their bits then they will keep it hidden, waiting for the right buyer.” “And that means you won’t be cured?” Twilight asked. “Correct…” Celestia began to respond but was quickly interrupted as Twilight began to speak again. “Can’t we just pay the ransom and have you cured as quickly as possible?” “No, something so powerful is practically priceless. The sum of bits they will want will be too high. Equestria cannot function with so much of its funds lost all at once. I will not betray my citizens for my own well-being.” Celestia responded. Twilight pondered what had just been said and sighed. “Yes, I understand. Then what will we do?” “I believe I know where these thieves are headed, a safe haven for all criminals and a good place to find resourceful black market buyers, The Cutlass Coast.” Celestia said. “The Cutlass Coast?” Applejack asked. “Never heard a it.” “It is a land south of Equestria only accessible by sea or air. It is a lawless strip of coast filled with ports and towns housing rebels, criminals, and refugees from all walks of Equestria and other parts of the civilized world. It also houses the black market, a way for all of these criminals to sell, buy, or trade illegal goods. This market has given the coast a rather sustainable economy and an ever-growing community but beyond that lies nothing but untamed jungle. This is because most of The Cutlass Coast’s citizens prefer the ocean for trading and as a lifestyle rather than land. I need you all to go there and find the Flower of Medela. This will be no easy task. The citizens there do not trust or respect Equestrians, especially a princess.” Celestia said, looking at Twilight. “Along with this if they know any of your true identities then the thieves holding the Flower will be alerted and you may never be able to retrieve it. You must act as though you live the life of a seafarer and blend in with their community. Once they believe you to be true, then you can begin asking about the Flower. You will travel to Horseshoe Bay by train and once there you will be given a sailing vessel perfect for a small crew called the Hippocamp. I understand that none of you are trained in sailing or boats but a large crew would draw too much attention. You must go it alone and learn as you do so. This will be a good way for all of you to get used to the lifestyle and better fit in once you reach your final destination. From Horseshoe Bay, you will travel due southeast and within a week should arrive at The Cutlass Coast. Take the Elements of Harmony with you just in case. But keep them hidden and do not use them unless absolutely necessary because when you do, your cover will be blown.” “Yes.” Twilight said. “I have some knowledge of sailing and life on the seas but not much. I know we can do this though and we will.” “Go then.” Celestia said with a smile. Twilight turned to leave but quickly turned back. “…How much time do we have?” she asked with worry in her voice. “Not long. You must hurry.” Celestia said quietly. A tear began to roll down Twilights face. “We’ll get the Flower and return with more than enough time. I promise.” she stumbled to say, choking up from the tears. The others watched, waiting in the hall as the two princesses hugged one another and listened as Celestia spoke once more. “Go,Twilight. I will be fine for now.” she said as the purple Alicorn walked silently from the room and then motioned for the others to follow her. *** Sitting on the train, watching the land pass by them the ponies talked of the adventure that lay ahead of them and about the strange new land and its sea oriented customs. Although they were excited, they mainly did this to keep their minds away from the disheartening site they had seen back at the Canterlot Castle. The company of friends was always a good way to keep their mind off such things and to make time pass quickly. Setting SailSetting Sail The ponies exited the train and were greeted with the cool humid breeze of the ocean that lay in front of them and by the sounds of seagulls cawing in the air above them. The large dock bustled with activity as sailors and dockworkers went about their business. Ships entered and exited the dock and the sound of shouts, bells and rope rubbing against wood echoed throughout the bay. “Wow it’s so…oceany!” Pinkie exclaimed, jumping with excitement. “Oh my, this humidity cannot be good for my mane.” Rarity said worriedly as she fiddled with her hair which was in fact a bit more puffy than usual. “Don’t worry Rare, it’ll be fine.” Rainbow said, setting down a rather average looking box which contained the Elements of Harmony and then rubbing her hoof upon the unicorns head. Rarity gave her a glare and she chuckled. “So where’s the ship?” she asked scanning the area. “Hmm, it has to be around here somewhere.” Twilight responded as she too began looking around. She noticed a grey stallion galloping towards them, his braided black mane highlighted with streaks of grey, flopping from side to side. He skidded to a stop and bowed before her. “Greetings princess, I apologize for the wait…I was busy repairing an ol’ sloop and didn’t see the train come.” he said. “Oh, it’s fine and please call me Twilight.” the Alicorn said, motioning for him to rise. “What’s your name?” “Just call me Docker like everpony else does.” he said with a nervous giggle. “So can you point us to the Hippocamp?” she asked. “…Oh, a course. Sorry bout that, I’m just not used to bein around royalty.” he said, letting his true accent come out. “Follow me.” he said, turning himself around and beginning to stroll ahead. They followed, looking around in awe at the large and fancy ships floating in the ocean to the side of them. Docker turned his head and began to speak. “Now the Hippocamp, she ain’t the newest or the nicest ship on the seas but she’s sure reliable and seen a lot a experience. She’s strong, quick, easy to handle, and just about perfect for a crew yer size or a bit larger…and there she is!” he said with a smile as he stopped in front of the ship. They all stood in silence examining the adequately sized but rather basic ship. Its large masts towered into the air above them and a crow’s nest sat atop the middle one. Its decks laid clean, flat and empty except at the back where two sets of stairs led up to a raised deck which the helm sat upon. Between the two staircases was a small door, leading to the chambers below. At the bow of the boat was a large figurehead of a creature that looked to be the combination of a pony and fish. “Not bad eh?” he asked, breaking the rather awkward silence. “Aww, I like it!” Pinkie said, squishing her face together with her hooves. “She’ll be perfect for yer trip.” Docker responded. “She’s stocked with food, water, and other necessities enough to last about a month if you ration it. Ye should be fine but you may wanna restock once you do whatever it is ye need to at The Cutlass Coast and are ready to return. There’s stuff for entertainment too, books, a few instruments and cards. Boredom is somethin every sailor dreads and something we all prepare for. I was told that ye need to blend in with the dwellers a the coast. Yer gonna have to learn the personality yourself, can’t really teach it. But, I did leave some sailing clothes on the ship for ya. You’ll be needin them to look the type. Oh!” he said with surprise. “Nearly forgot, the Hippocamp has recently been updated with a magic powered motor.” He pointed to two large brass objects on the back sides of the ship with a set of tubes extending from each and a large propeller in the water. It’s not very practical but when there’s no wind ye may be needin it. This time a season there should be plenty a wind though. Lastly, you’ll be needin these.” He handed Twilight a set of maps, a compass, sextant and other items for navigation. “Thank you, we can handle it from here…I hope.” she said somewhat worriedly. “I wasn’t told exactly what yer all up to but good luck on yer journey and may the winds and seas carry ye well.” Docker said with a wave as they walked up onto the deck. “Okay everypony, we need to get this ship out of the dock.” Twilight said, trotting up the steps to the helm. Untie the ropes holding us to the dock and I’ll get this ship turned in the right direction.” The ponies quickly followed her instructions and began untying the ropes and placing them on the deck of the ship as she struggled to crank the large wheel. The Hippocamp began to creak as it slowly turned. It nearly smashed into the large ship beside it and Twilight blushed and laughed nervously as Docker watched. But finally it was in position and ready to sail ahead. “Okay now we need to lower the sails to half-mast!” she yelled. The others looked at her with confusion. She paused for a moment not wanting to leave the helm yet. She scratched her head with her hoof and realized that she could use her magic. A magenta glow enveloped the wheel and she rushed down onto the decks. “Like this.” she said, showing them how to use the system of pulleys to lower the sails. After learning what to do the ponies quickly began doing the same. As the sails were lowered, they were caught in the wind and the Hippocamp began to lurch forward. “Okay now then…we need to head southeast. She said, running up to the helm once again. As she placed her hooves on the wheel she picked up the compass with her magic, and held it in front of her face, cranking the wheel, turning the ship in the correct direction. “Alright, now full sail ahead!” she yelled and her friends let the sails drop all the way down and the ship was thrust forward out into the open ocean. The ponies wandered about the ship, excitedly exploring their new home. “This is gonna be funna fun fuuun!” Pinkie yelled. “Oh, I just wish our transport was a bit more…accommodating.” Rarity said, coming out from below the deck. “Least it’s better than swimmin the whole way.” Applejack responded. “Ah yeah! This is gonna be so awesome!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, flipping and spiraling through the air. “Traveling to a strange and distant land to uncover an ancient relic with untold power, it’s like I’m Daring-Do!” Fluttershy was too distracted to listen to or join in on the others conversation. She had noticed a seagull sitting upon the crow’s nest and decided to go take a look. She slowly flew up, gently setting her hooves down upon the wooden boards beneath her and moved over to the gull which sat atop nest’s railing. “Hello there, I’m Fluttershy. Are you heading to The Cutlass Coast too? You can certainly ride with us the whole way if you want. The bird cawed with appreciation. “I’ll call you Gavin, Gavin the gull.” Alright everypony, sorry to break it to you but sailing isn’t all fun and games!” Twilight yelled, still at the helm. She then motioned for them to come nearer. Once they broke away from their conversation and Fluttershy made her way down from the crow’s nest, she began to speak again. “It takes a lot of work and we’re all gonna have do it together. Since we have such a small crew, each of us needs specific tasks and jobs aboard the ship. Rainbow Dash, you’ll be in charge of keeping this ship defended, just in case anything goes wrong. Along with that, you’ll be a deckhoof, helping to lower and raise the sails along with other manual tasks. Applejack, you’ll also be a deckhoof and help Rainbow. Along with that, you’ll be in charge of keeping the Hippocamp in top shape and making any repairs we need. Rarity, you’ll be in charge of keeping this ship clean and shining and if the sails, clothes or any other fabrics need repairs, we’ll be depending on you. Pinkie Pie, you’ll be in charge of keeping our moral up and entertainment. Along with that, we need a cook. Applejack if you’re not busy with your other duties you can always help Pinkie with that too…and Fluttershy.” She said, watching the Pegasus staring at the crow’s nest. “You can be our lookout and tell us if you see any other boats, land or anything else that may be important or a danger to us.” “Oh thank you so much Twilight.” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Of course, I didn’t have anypony else to do it anyways.” The Alicorn responded with a chuckle. “You’ll be needing this.” She said, handing Fluttershy a spyglass. She then quickly flew back up to the nest to see her new friend. “and that leaves me, your Captain.” “Aww, why do you getta be captain?” Rainbow whined. “Ah come on Rainbow! You wouldn’t even know the port side from starboard…and ah wouldn’t either.” Applejack said with a laugh. “But Twi, she has more knowledge bout boats then all a us combined.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Rainbow said with a huff. The ponies went about their duties. Fluttershy sat atop the crow’s nest, peering out onto the flat horizon beyond her while feeding Gavin some bread that she had sneaked out from below deck. Rarity furiously scrubbed certain areas of the deck that she thought seemed grungy but to the average pony would've seemed just fine. Rainbow flew back and forth across the deck, making sure no enemy approached and out of boredom would ask Twilight if anything else needed to be done. She eventually gave up and took a nap in a small hammock she had found and set up between one of the masts and the railing going around the deck. Applejack examined the Hippocamp’s every last nook and cranny, searching for any weak points and repairing any she found as she went. “Hey everpony, looky what I found!” Pinkie yelled, appearing from below deck with a large box of clothes. The others took a break from their tasks to take a look and Rainbow jumped up from her nap. “Argh, me ponies!” Pinkie said, breaking out in laughter as she tied a red bandana on her head, her pink curls popping out from the sides, along with placing an eye patch over her left eye. She then squeezed herself into a white blouse and put a vest over top of it. “Looks pretty good huh?” “Awesome!” Rainbow said, tying a bandanna around her neck as she noticed a belt which held a sword on one side and a dagger on the other. She strapped the belt around her waist and then grabbed the dagger with her mouth and pulled out the sword with her hoof. “How do I look?” she asked through her teeth. “Just one more thing!” Pinkie said, slapping an eyepatch onto Rainbow’s head. “Perfect!” she then rushed over to Applejack, pushing a tattered white and red striped shirt over her head and then taking off her cowpony hat and placing a simple brown tricorne in its place. “There we go!” She then rushed over to Fluttershy, giving her a brown vest and then folding up a bandana and tying it around her head like a headband. For a finishing touch, she put a few beads in her hair and clipped a golden ear cuff onto one of her ears. “Lookin good!” “Not bad but I’ll have to make a few improvements.” Rarity, said looking at a rather fancy velvet plum colored dress with cream accents that she had put on. “Do you like?” she asked, placing a matching laced tricorne atop her head. “Oh it looks great.” Fluttershy said with a smile. Twilight dug deep into the box pulling out a navy blue double breasted captains coat trimmed with gold and a matching tricorne with a plumed white feather sticking out of it. “Perfect.” she said with a smile as she put on the coat, concealing her wings. “Now nopony will know that I’m an Alicorn or think I’m working with Celestia…alright everypony this ship can’t sail itself! Back to work!” she yelled, placing the tricorne on her head. The ponies continued their duties until the sun got low on the horizon and the skies began to glow a warm orange. Pinkie and Applejack disappeared to the kitchen below deck to make a grand dinner while the others helped roll up the sails and drop anchor for the night. As the skies turned from orange to a fiery red, Pinkie appeared from below deck. “Grub time!” she yelled. “Oh my, I certainly hope you’re not being serious.” Rarity hacked with disgust. “No silly, just the expression.” Pinkie said, beginning to giggle. Below deck they sat down at a large round table and Pinkie and her cooking partner, Applejack, set before them plates of tasty tarts, pies, and pastries along with a large bowl of stew. “Now we didn’t have much to work with…mainly just a lot of lemons and limes but hey it prevents scurvy and tastes lemony and limony am I right?” Pinkie asked. “A lot different than the apples back home but ah think we did good.” Applejack said proudly. “Mmm, I can’t wait!” Rainbow yelled, rubbing her hooves together excitedly. “Well go ahead, dig in.” Pinkie responded, shoving some food her way. All the ponies ‘dug in’…Rarity rather delicately, enjoying the hardy stew and the tart and refreshing lemon lime treats. “So, after we’re done… eating I want to… have a little boat party.” Pinkie said in between bites. “I’m in charge of entertainment and this will keep us super entertained.” “What can we do on this boat for a party?” Rainbow asked. “Well I found these!” Pinkie said, holding up a fiddle in one hoof, a whistle in her mouth and a drum in the other hoof. Then these!” she said dropping the instruments and holding up a few decks of cards. “Along with music and cards there’s some tasty juicy stuff in barrels. I don’t know what it is but it’s really good.” She said placing a cup in front of Dash. Rainbow stared at the strange liquid in it and shrugged, grabbing the cup with her hoof and gulping it down. “Wow that’s really good. So sweet! This could actually be fun!” she said with surprise, placing the cup back on the table. “Be careful it’ll make ya feel funny!” Pinkie teasingly warned. “Alright everypony, yummy drinks all around!” Pinkie yelled, noticing that they had finished their dinner. She poured the juice into cups and handed them out. “Now let’s go up on the deck. Its gonna be a nice night!” she yelled, hopping up the stairs. *** Twilight stood silently at the bow of the ship, staring into the clear night sky above her, she could see many more stars than she ever had back in Ponyville and many constellations that she’d heard of before but never seen. She could hear the sounds of laughter and talking behind her, coming from the others sitting in the warm glow of the lanterns that surrounded them. She glanced back, noticing Pinkie Pie silently walking towards her. “What are you doing over here?” she asked. “Just looking at the stars.” Twilight responded with a sigh. “The skies are quite beautiful out here.” “There’s something else too isn’t there.” Pinkie said with concern, placing her hoof on Twilights back. “Yeah…I’m just worried…if we don’t make it back in time, if we can’t find what we’re looking for..I…” Twilight struggled to let out. “Look at everything else we’ve done…” Pinkie said. “Do you know how many times we’ve saved the day? A lot. This time won’t be any different. We’ve done it before and can do it again. Cheer up!” Pinkie said comfortingly and then tightly hugged her friend. “Thanks Pinkie.” Twilight said, embracing the hug. “I’m just doing what the cap’n ordered and helping out a friend.” she responded. “Now come on, we’re practicin’ are pirate accents, we landlubbers need a bit a practice.” Pinkie said in her best accent, followed by a laughing fit and a few snorts. “Aye.” Twilight said with a smirk and followed Pinkie back into the warm lantern light. The friends all attempted to speak their best pirate accents, talked, joked, sang as Pinkie played the instruments she had found, played cards and laughed late into the night. Finally heading below deck and settling into their bunks for the night, awaiting another day of traveling the seas. The Perfect StormThe Perfect Storm Fluttershy was the first to awake in the morning. The swaying of the ship with the waves was uncomfortable for Fluttershy. She rarely flew, and much rather preferred to be on a steady surface. She sat up straight from her hammock. Her light pink mane had misplaced hairs and dark lines highlighted her teal eyes. “Are you awake, Gavin?” she asked her little seagull friend. The small sea bird did nothing but turn his head and preen his feathers. Fluttershy let out a breath, and got onto all fours, almost stumbling on the rocking ship. “Come on, Gavin!” she gestured going up the stairs.The little bird flew and rested quietly on Fluttershy’s shoulder. The small Pegasus then opened the door at the end of the stairs slowly, trying hard not to wake her friends. “I’m not used to all this… I wish I were back home with all my animals… Angel Bunny must be so sad without me…” She lightly nuzzled the sea bird and imagined it was one of her pets from back home. “I especially don’t enjoy the rocking of this ship!” As she started to think about it, the rocking seemed to be getting a bit rougher. She’d also noticed the winds were picking up, but simply blew it off, in assumption it was all regular at-sea weather. “Fluttershy!” The butter-colored pony was startled from the voice behind her and jumped a little before turning around. “Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash…” she greeted in a shy manner. “I can’t sleep!” she announced. “This place is awesome when I’m up, but I can’t rest with the swaying and everything!” Fluttershy nodded. “I know, Dash! I don’t like being out here… I just want to go home!” Rainbow put one hoof around her homesick friend. “I know, Flutts, but we gotta do this for Celestia! It’ll be okay!” She offered a warm smile, but then turned her attention to the clouds. “Something wrong, Dash?” the pegasus asked Rainbow in a small voice. For a good minute, she ignored her friend, only giving her focus to the clouds above them. “Wait here for a minute!” The rainbow-maned pony warned her friend. “I have to check something out!” Before Fluttershy could answer, Rainbow sped off into the clouds. Fluttershy wasn’t a weather pony, so she had no clue what was going on, but she knew there was something wrong if Rainbow was examining the clouds. She and the little seagull waited patiently below, hoping everything was okay. “R-Rainbow Dash!” she called up, wondering where she went. “Is everything okay?” The cyan pegasus poked her head out of the cloud and looked down on Fluttershy. “Hey, Fluttershy! Come check this out!” Fluttershy took a couple steps back. She’d always been afraid of heights, and Rainbow Dash was aware of that. “I-I can’t… I have to stay here and make sure Gavin’s okay!” Rainbow let out an annoyed grunt and smacked her hoof against her face. “Come on, Fluttershy! Just a minute, please?” The shy pony sighed, and flew up into the clouds with Rainbow. What she saw above the cloudy layer shocked her. All around them was thick, gray masses of fog. Within the layers, she could see a spark of light travelling through the dense fog. “Wh-what’s going on?” Rainbow shook her head. “I-I don’t know… I haven’t seen anything like this in Ponyville before… Even when it’s supposed to storm, it doesn't get this way and there’s never heavy layers like this.” “We-we have to tell the others!” Fluttershy said worriedly. Rainbow gave her shy friend a quick nod, and dove beneath the clouds again. Twilight woke up not after long. She came out with a messy mane and bags under her eyes. She, just like Fluttershy and Rainbow must’ve not slept well, but as soon as the two saw her awake, they immediately and urgently approached her. “Twilight!” the two pegasi chanted simultaneously. The purple mare’s eyes widened a bit from the sudden appearance of the two. “Oh, hey girls…” “Twilight! A storm’s coming!” Rainbow warned. “A storm?” She was suddenly alert and awake. “How do you know?” The rainbow-maned pony pointed her hoof upward. “That.” she said in an almost teasing tone to her smart and knowledgeable friend. “A-and the winds are getting stronger….that always means a storm's coming.” Her shy friend added. Twilight looked at the two. “We have to tell the others! This is something I wasn't prepared for!" The young princess ran back down the stairs, urgently awaking the others and warning them of the bad news. Only a few hours had passed since Twilight had been warned of the event unwinding before her. The winds had dramatically picked up, the skies had darkened even more, rain started falling heavily, and the waves were thrusting the sides of the boat more powerfully than ever. The whole crew struggled to simply stay on their hooves. They mostly tumbled and fell, except for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who seemed to stay airborne. Twilight remained on hoof, knowing the strong winds could easily blow her away. “Come on girls!” Twilight yelled after finally giving up on attempting to stay on deck and make sure the ship was okay. “We’ve got to take cover!” Quickly, the six ponies and Gavin fled into the safety of the room below. They huddled together, trying to stay safe from the raging storm. “Okay…” Twilight began. “We should be safe from the storm if we stay down here…” “But what’re we gonna do if the anchor can’t hold and we get off a track? It’s gonna take even longer to get there!” Applejack pointed out. “A-and what if we get lost and don’t even know where we end up?” Fluttershy added. “Then we’ll never return to Ponyville and the princess will never be healed, and then somepony else will have to raise the sun and take over Equestria!” Pinkie thought pessimistically. “It’ll be okay!” Twilight assured in a quiet manner. “Stop worrying until something bad actually happens!” “So this isn’t bad?” Rainbow asked in a rude tone. Twilight let out a long sigh. “Sure, we left Ponyville unbeknownst of these events, and we never actually came up with a plan in case something like this did happen, but still, we have to look at the bright side of things! We’re still healthy! Just be grateful and stop worrying about the things that could possibly happen!” The rest of the ponies grew silent and tried hard to think of the good, but were constantly reminded of the storm by the loud crashes of thunder and the harsh rocking of the boat. Getting to sleep was probably the worst part of the whole situation. They’d all had trouble the previous night, but this was even harder. The moment they’d finally become relaxed, another loud boom of thunder would send a shiver up their spine. *** “Umm… Twilight?” Fluttershy gently shook the mare, trying to wake her up. “Twilight…. I think the storms over. The small, yellow pegasus gently shook her friend, but she did not wake or even make the slightest of movements. “Oh, that’s okay.. I’ll just tell you when you wake up…” The sudden sound of wings flapping startled her. Gavin flew erratically around in circles before landing on her shoulder, a look of urgency in his small beady eyes. “What is it Gavin?” she asked, sitting down on the hard wooden floor, not understanding what he was so worked up about. “The storm is over, we’re going to…” she stopped midway through her sentence as she felt something cool against her flank. “Oh my!” she yelled quietly as she jumped up, water dripping off of her wet fur. She looked down and realized that the room was quickly filling with water. “Everypony wake up!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Her friends jumped up, startled by the raised voice that they almost never heard. “What the…”Rainbow muttered, shaking the sea water from her fur. “Oh no! Not good!” she yelled, realizing the situation at hoof. “Not good at all!” Twilight trotted in place, impatiently attempting to figure out what they should do. Giving up she quickly rushed up the stairs and the others followed close behind. Opening the door, she was greeted by bright morning sun and warm air. Squinting her eyes, she realized that the boats bow was slightly raised. She galloped to the railing, placing her front hooves on it to look over. The almost clear blue water of the sea rushed into a rather large hole near the stern of the ship. She glanced further ahead and realized what had created it. She could see the lighter color of a large coral reef in the distance. The anchor must have slipped and The Hippocamp had been crashed into the reef during the storm, leaving the hole and then drifted away once the sea became calm again, letting the water come in. “We have to get that hole plugged up now!” Twilight yelled, pushing herself from the rail and turning to face the others. “I got this!” Applejack responded, peering over the edge to see where exactly the hole was. She paced back and forth, planning the next move. “Everypony else, we need to start getting that water out of here. If not, we won’t be having a boat for much longer.” Twilight said frantically, feeling the ship underneath her hooves slowly rising higher into the air. Applejack galloped ahead, stopping the empty box that had contained the clothes they now wore, with her hooves as it slid down across the deck. She pushed hard, smashing the crate with the weight of her body and then picked up as much of the wood as she could in her mouth, disappearing down into the watery chambers below. Rainbow Dash, pulling Fluttershy along with her, flew down behind the orange mare. “We need buckets Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled, as she glanced back and forth across the dark chambers, hovering above the water. “Here.” Fluttershy said, picking a bucket up as it floated by. “Good, I know there’s more than that. You need one too.” Rainbow said, taking the bucket and plunging it into the water. Taking in air, Fluttershy dove into the water, quickly reappearing with a bucket in her hooves. “Here.” Twilight said, using her magic to lift Rainbow’s full bucket of water up the steps. Then once it was up top, Rarity used her magic to continue it over to Pinkie who then dumped it over the edge. As she passed it back to Rarity, another full bucket was coming her way, effectively creating a chain. Applejack trudged through the water, until her hooves could no longer reach the floor beneath. She then began to paddle forward until she looked down and saw the blue ocean beneath and her head nearly touched the ceiling. She dropped the wood, letting it float beside her and grabbed a hammer in her mouth from a belt she had discovered the day before and put around her waist. Pushing a board into place across the hole, she struggled to take a nail from a small pocket in her belt. Finally after losing many nails into the water around her, she gripped one in her mouth along with the hammer. She dove under, her tricorne floating above her. She once again struggled, attempting to put the nail in place and pound it into the board. The hammer slipped from her teeth and floated gently down to the floor beneath as she tried to grab it in her hooves. She came up gasping for air, hitting her head against the ceiling above. She knew she didn’t have much more time and filling her lungs with air, dove under once more. Putting the nail in place she slammed her hoof against it pushing it into the wood. She did it again and again until its head was embedded into the plank. She then moved to the opposite side repeating the process. She grabbed another board from her pile which now pushed against the ceiling. She placed it across the first board and pounded a nail into each side. Even though she knew she would have to swim father ahead into the ship, closer to the entrance to get air, she continued filling the gaps of the hole. She knew that if she did not at least block enough of the hole to just let a small leak come in, the ship would be lost and most likely her friends too. She couldn’t let that happen. The urge to breathe became stronger and stronger but she knew she could not open her mouth or she would be gone. Finally pounding the final nail into a board which covered the last of the hole, she opened her mouth. She began to choke, bubbles floating up from her mouth. Slowly, her eyes closed as she floated upwards. “The water isn’t coming up anymore.” Dash pointed out as Twilight took a bucket from her mouth. “Applejack must have plugged the hole.” Twilight responded. “I knew she could do it!” “Um…where is she though.” Fluttershy pointed out. “No!” Rainbow yelled, her pink eyes growing wide. “Something’s wrong.” She said, as she dove into the water. Nervously, Fluttershy followed. The two Pegasi used their wings to push themselves through the dark blue water, bubbles floating up from behind them as they went. Fluttershy stuck close behind Rainbow Dash, not fully sure where their location was in the ship. After what seemed like ages, peering over top of Rainbow, Fluttershy finally saw the limp lifeless body of her friend floating in the water ahead. She struggled to keep her mouth shut from the shock as she pushed forward, now directly beside Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned Pegasus grabbed Applejack’s front hooves and motioned for Fluttershy to go to the other end. Fluttershy quickly grabbed the pony’s back hooves and they began to swim back the opposite way. Fluttershy’s view slowly began to fill in with darkness and her lungs began to sting but she pushed herself forward, knowing that she could not leave her friend down in the water. The weight she pulled suddenly got heavier, she turned and realized that Rainbow Dash had let go, her wings and body no longer moving. Fluttershy quickly used one of her hooves to grab onto Rainbow’s and kept the other tight around Applejack’s hind leg. She now faced backwards, pushing her wings in the opposite direction to propel all of them forward. She couldn’t look back to see where she was going but hoped it was a straight path to the stairs leading up to the deck. Nearly losing consciousness along with the others, her back hoof finally hit a step and she pulled the two upwards. Finally, her snout burst out from the water and with a gasp she yelled “Help!” Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight, standing halfway down the steps quickly rushed to her side. They pulled the limp ponies up the steps as Fluttershy crawled after them, coughing water from her mouth. Lying in a puddle of water, Rainbow Dash slowly came back into consciousness, seeing the blurry faces of her friends, including Applejack looking down at her. She turned her head sideways and coughed water out onto the deck as her vision returned. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Fluttershy yelled, jumping on top of her soaking friend. Rainbow wrapped her hooves around her friend, weakly smiling as she stared into her caring eyes. “You saved me didn’t you? You saved both of us?” she asked. “I…I guess I did.” Fluttershy muttered, beginning to blush. “You’re one brave pony.” Dash said hugging the shy Pegasus even tighter. “Yeah you are!” the others said simultaneously, as they piled on top of the two Pegasi. “Alright everypony, this ain’t over yet.” Applejack said as she stood up from the pile. “We still gotta get all the water out a here and I gotta fill in the rest a the leaks.” After diving down and finding more buckets, the ponies once again created a chain but this time a much more efficient one. They worked well into the afternoon, finally hauling the last of the water out and over the edge. Applejack used a caulk like paste to cover the leaks of the hastily boarded up hull while the others picked up the food, barrels, crates, and other items that had been scattered below deck and put them back in their place. Opening a trap door to a small compartment beside her hammock, Twilight saw the box containing the Elements of Harmony and opened it with a sigh of relief, seeing that they all were still there. She then closed the door and used her magic to slide a rug back over top of it, concealing the location. “That’ll do until we got a better chance to fix it.” Applejack said, brushing her hooves together as she finished up on the hole. “Whew! It’s been a long day” she sighed. “It has, I think we’ll just stay here for the night and hope this doesn’t happen again.” Twilight said. “I looked at the map and we haven’t gotten too off course. The location of the reef we struck is a little off to the west of where we should be but it shouldn't add any more than an extra day to our trip. We’ll rest tonight and get sailing again tomorrow.” The starving crew too busy to eat anything all day finally had a large and well deserved dinner, soon after heading to their hammocks, eager to rest. Day after day the seas remained calm and the ponies slowly became accustomed to the never ending motion of the ship, the ever warmer and more humid air, the flat blue horizon which blended into the sky above, stretching infinitely into the distance, and the daily tasks and routines of living out on the sea.
Finding a Cure(Intro)Finding a Cure A look of shock fell over Twilight’s friends as she opened the door to Celestia’s chambers. Instead of the princess standing proud, regal, and tall as she normally was when they met her; she lay weak and almost lifeless in her bed. Her mane which normally would shimmer so brightly was faded and tangled. Her eyes normally glowing with care and compassion were pale and tired. The princess struggled to smile as they entered. “Celestia…you look even worse than before.” Twilight said, shaking her head and frowning. The others stood in silence, not knowing what to say. “That’s why I’ve brought you here. I need you and your friends help once more.” Celestia weakly let out as Twilight approached the side of her bed. “And we’re ready for anything.” Twilight said confidently, looking back at her friends as they nodded their heads. “This illness is nothing I or anypony else has ever seen before. Traditional medicine and magic cannot heal this nor can my own powers. Some recent events have led me to believe that this is actually no illness at all but instead that I have been poisoned.” they gasped as Celestia presented them with the information. “It was recently discovered that a powerful relic was stolen from Canterlot without our knowing. It has been determined that the relic was stolen close to when I fell sick. This relic, called the Flower of Medela, is a powerful healing object. It can cure almost any illness even ones never heard of before and can even save somepony from death itself, although its affect will not last forever. It is so powerful that it is rarely used and was kept hidden for thousands of years but now it has been discovered and I believe these thieves are planning a ransom. They will want wealth in exchange for the Flower. If they don’t get their bits then they will keep it hidden, waiting for the right buyer.” “And that means you won’t be cured?” Twilight asked. “Correct…” Celestia began to respond but was quickly interrupted as Twilight began to speak again. “Can’t we just pay the ransom and have you cured as quickly as possible?” “No, something so powerful is practically priceless. The sum of bits they will want will be too high. Equestria cannot function with so much of its funds lost all at once. I will not betray my citizens for my own well-being.” Celestia responded. Twilight pondered what had just been said and sighed. “Yes, I understand. Then what will we do?” “I believe I know where these thieves are headed, a safe haven for all criminals and a good place to find resourceful black market buyers, The Cutlass Coast.” Celestia said. “The Cutlass Coast?” Applejack asked. “Never heard a it.” “It is a land south of Equestria only accessible by sea or air. It is a lawless strip of coast filled with ports and towns housing rebels, criminals, and refugees from all walks of Equestria and other parts of the civilized world. It also houses the black market, a way for all of these criminals to sell, buy, or trade illegal goods. This market has given the coast a rather sustainable economy and an ever-growing community but beyond that lies nothing but untamed jungle. This is because most of The Cutlass Coast’s citizens prefer the ocean for trading and as a lifestyle rather than land. I need you all to go there and find the Flower of Medela. This will be no easy task. The citizens there do not trust or respect Equestrians, especially a princess.” Celestia said, looking at Twilight. “Along with this if they know any of your true identities then the thieves holding the Flower will be alerted and you may never be able to retrieve it. You must act as though you live the life of a seafarer and blend in with their community. Once they believe you to be true, then you can begin asking about the Flower. You will travel to Horseshoe Bay by train and once there you will be given a sailing vessel perfect for a small crew called the Hippocamp. I understand that none of you are trained in sailing or boats but a large crew would draw too much attention. You must go it alone and learn as you do so. This will be a good way for all of you to get used to the lifestyle and better fit in once you reach your final destination. From Horseshoe Bay, you will travel due southeast and within a week should arrive at The Cutlass Coast. Take the Elements of Harmony with you just in case. But keep them hidden and do not use them unless absolutely necessary because when you do, your cover will be blown.” “Yes.” Twilight said. “I have some knowledge of sailing and life on the seas but not much. I know we can do this though and we will.” “Go then.” Celestia said with a smile. Twilight turned to leave but quickly turned back. “…How much time do we have?” she asked with worry in her voice. “Not long. You must hurry.” Celestia said quietly. A tear began to roll down Twilights face. “We’ll get the Flower and return with more than enough time. I promise.” she stumbled to say, choking up from the tears. The others watched, waiting in the hall as the two princesses hugged one another and listened as Celestia spoke once more. “Go,Twilight. I will be fine for now.” she said as the purple Alicorn walked silently from the room and then motioned for the others to follow her. *** Sitting on the train, watching the land pass by them the ponies talked of the adventure that lay ahead of them and about the strange new land and its sea oriented customs. Although they were excited, they mainly did this to keep their minds away from the disheartening site they had seen back at the Canterlot Castle. The company of friends was always a good way to keep their mind off such things and to make time pass quickly.
Setting SailSetting Sail The ponies exited the train and were greeted with the cool humid breeze of the ocean that lay in front of them and by the sounds of seagulls cawing in the air above them. The large dock bustled with activity as sailors and dockworkers went about their business. Ships entered and exited the dock and the sound of shouts, bells and rope rubbing against wood echoed throughout the bay. “Wow it’s so…oceany!” Pinkie exclaimed, jumping with excitement. “Oh my, this humidity cannot be good for my mane.” Rarity said worriedly as she fiddled with her hair which was in fact a bit more puffy than usual. “Don’t worry Rare, it’ll be fine.” Rainbow said, setting down a rather average looking box which contained the Elements of Harmony and then rubbing her hoof upon the unicorns head. Rarity gave her a glare and she chuckled. “So where’s the ship?” she asked scanning the area. “Hmm, it has to be around here somewhere.” Twilight responded as she too began looking around. She noticed a grey stallion galloping towards them, his braided black mane highlighted with streaks of grey, flopping from side to side. He skidded to a stop and bowed before her. “Greetings princess, I apologize for the wait…I was busy repairing an ol’ sloop and didn’t see the train come.” he said. “Oh, it’s fine and please call me Twilight.” the Alicorn said, motioning for him to rise. “What’s your name?” “Just call me Docker like everpony else does.” he said with a nervous giggle. “So can you point us to the Hippocamp?” she asked. “…Oh, a course. Sorry bout that, I’m just not used to bein around royalty.” he said, letting his true accent come out. “Follow me.” he said, turning himself around and beginning to stroll ahead. They followed, looking around in awe at the large and fancy ships floating in the ocean to the side of them. Docker turned his head and began to speak. “Now the Hippocamp, she ain’t the newest or the nicest ship on the seas but she’s sure reliable and seen a lot a experience. She’s strong, quick, easy to handle, and just about perfect for a crew yer size or a bit larger…and there she is!” he said with a smile as he stopped in front of the ship. They all stood in silence examining the adequately sized but rather basic ship. Its large masts towered into the air above them and a crow’s nest sat atop the middle one. Its decks laid clean, flat and empty except at the back where two sets of stairs led up to a raised deck which the helm sat upon. Between the two staircases was a small door, leading to the chambers below. At the bow of the boat was a large figurehead of a creature that looked to be the combination of a pony and fish. “Not bad eh?” he asked, breaking the rather awkward silence. “Aww, I like it!” Pinkie said, squishing her face together with her hooves. “She’ll be perfect for yer trip.” Docker responded. “She’s stocked with food, water, and other necessities enough to last about a month if you ration it. Ye should be fine but you may wanna restock once you do whatever it is ye need to at The Cutlass Coast and are ready to return. There’s stuff for entertainment too, books, a few instruments and cards. Boredom is somethin every sailor dreads and something we all prepare for. I was told that ye need to blend in with the dwellers a the coast. Yer gonna have to learn the personality yourself, can’t really teach it. But, I did leave some sailing clothes on the ship for ya. You’ll be needin them to look the type. Oh!” he said with surprise. “Nearly forgot, the Hippocamp has recently been updated with a magic powered motor.” He pointed to two large brass objects on the back sides of the ship with a set of tubes extending from each and a large propeller in the water. It’s not very practical but when there’s no wind ye may be needin it. This time a season there should be plenty a wind though. Lastly, you’ll be needin these.” He handed Twilight a set of maps, a compass, sextant and other items for navigation. “Thank you, we can handle it from here…I hope.” she said somewhat worriedly. “I wasn’t told exactly what yer all up to but good luck on yer journey and may the winds and seas carry ye well.” Docker said with a wave as they walked up onto the deck. “Okay everypony, we need to get this ship out of the dock.” Twilight said, trotting up the steps to the helm. Untie the ropes holding us to the dock and I’ll get this ship turned in the right direction.” The ponies quickly followed her instructions and began untying the ropes and placing them on the deck of the ship as she struggled to crank the large wheel. The Hippocamp began to creak as it slowly turned. It nearly smashed into the large ship beside it and Twilight blushed and laughed nervously as Docker watched. But finally it was in position and ready to sail ahead. “Okay now we need to lower the sails to half-mast!” she yelled. The others looked at her with confusion. She paused for a moment not wanting to leave the helm yet. She scratched her head with her hoof and realized that she could use her magic. A magenta glow enveloped the wheel and she rushed down onto the decks. “Like this.” she said, showing them how to use the system of pulleys to lower the sails. After learning what to do the ponies quickly began doing the same. As the sails were lowered, they were caught in the wind and the Hippocamp began to lurch forward. “Okay now then…we need to head southeast. She said, running up to the helm once again. As she placed her hooves on the wheel she picked up the compass with her magic, and held it in front of her face, cranking the wheel, turning the ship in the correct direction. “Alright, now full sail ahead!” she yelled and her friends let the sails drop all the way down and the ship was thrust forward out into the open ocean. The ponies wandered about the ship, excitedly exploring their new home. “This is gonna be funna fun fuuun!” Pinkie yelled. “Oh, I just wish our transport was a bit more…accommodating.” Rarity said, coming out from below the deck. “Least it’s better than swimmin the whole way.” Applejack responded. “Ah yeah! This is gonna be so awesome!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, flipping and spiraling through the air. “Traveling to a strange and distant land to uncover an ancient relic with untold power, it’s like I’m Daring-Do!” Fluttershy was too distracted to listen to or join in on the others conversation. She had noticed a seagull sitting upon the crow’s nest and decided to go take a look. She slowly flew up, gently setting her hooves down upon the wooden boards beneath her and moved over to the gull which sat atop nest’s railing. “Hello there, I’m Fluttershy. Are you heading to The Cutlass Coast too? You can certainly ride with us the whole way if you want. The bird cawed with appreciation. “I’ll call you Gavin, Gavin the gull.” Alright everypony, sorry to break it to you but sailing isn’t all fun and games!” Twilight yelled, still at the helm. She then motioned for them to come nearer. Once they broke away from their conversation and Fluttershy made her way down from the crow’s nest, she began to speak again. “It takes a lot of work and we’re all gonna have do it together. Since we have such a small crew, each of us needs specific tasks and jobs aboard the ship. Rainbow Dash, you’ll be in charge of keeping this ship defended, just in case anything goes wrong. Along with that, you’ll be a deckhoof, helping to lower and raise the sails along with other manual tasks. Applejack, you’ll also be a deckhoof and help Rainbow. Along with that, you’ll be in charge of keeping the Hippocamp in top shape and making any repairs we need. Rarity, you’ll be in charge of keeping this ship clean and shining and if the sails, clothes or any other fabrics need repairs, we’ll be depending on you. Pinkie Pie, you’ll be in charge of keeping our moral up and entertainment. Along with that, we need a cook. Applejack if you’re not busy with your other duties you can always help Pinkie with that too…and Fluttershy.” She said, watching the Pegasus staring at the crow’s nest. “You can be our lookout and tell us if you see any other boats, land or anything else that may be important or a danger to us.” “Oh thank you so much Twilight.” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Of course, I didn’t have anypony else to do it anyways.” The Alicorn responded with a chuckle. “You’ll be needing this.” She said, handing Fluttershy a spyglass. She then quickly flew back up to the nest to see her new friend. “and that leaves me, your Captain.” “Aww, why do you getta be captain?” Rainbow whined. “Ah come on Rainbow! You wouldn’t even know the port side from starboard…and ah wouldn’t either.” Applejack said with a laugh. “But Twi, she has more knowledge bout boats then all a us combined.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Rainbow said with a huff. The ponies went about their duties. Fluttershy sat atop the crow’s nest, peering out onto the flat horizon beyond her while feeding Gavin some bread that she had sneaked out from below deck. Rarity furiously scrubbed certain areas of the deck that she thought seemed grungy but to the average pony would've seemed just fine. Rainbow flew back and forth across the deck, making sure no enemy approached and out of boredom would ask Twilight if anything else needed to be done. She eventually gave up and took a nap in a small hammock she had found and set up between one of the masts and the railing going around the deck. Applejack examined the Hippocamp’s every last nook and cranny, searching for any weak points and repairing any she found as she went. “Hey everpony, looky what I found!” Pinkie yelled, appearing from below deck with a large box of clothes. The others took a break from their tasks to take a look and Rainbow jumped up from her nap. “Argh, me ponies!” Pinkie said, breaking out in laughter as she tied a red bandana on her head, her pink curls popping out from the sides, along with placing an eye patch over her left eye. She then squeezed herself into a white blouse and put a vest over top of it. “Looks pretty good huh?” “Awesome!” Rainbow said, tying a bandanna around her neck as she noticed a belt which held a sword on one side and a dagger on the other. She strapped the belt around her waist and then grabbed the dagger with her mouth and pulled out the sword with her hoof. “How do I look?” she asked through her teeth. “Just one more thing!” Pinkie said, slapping an eyepatch onto Rainbow’s head. “Perfect!” she then rushed over to Applejack, pushing a tattered white and red striped shirt over her head and then taking off her cowpony hat and placing a simple brown tricorne in its place. “There we go!” She then rushed over to Fluttershy, giving her a brown vest and then folding up a bandana and tying it around her head like a headband. For a finishing touch, she put a few beads in her hair and clipped a golden ear cuff onto one of her ears. “Lookin good!” “Not bad but I’ll have to make a few improvements.” Rarity, said looking at a rather fancy velvet plum colored dress with cream accents that she had put on. “Do you like?” she asked, placing a matching laced tricorne atop her head. “Oh it looks great.” Fluttershy said with a smile. Twilight dug deep into the box pulling out a navy blue double breasted captains coat trimmed with gold and a matching tricorne with a plumed white feather sticking out of it. “Perfect.” she said with a smile as she put on the coat, concealing her wings. “Now nopony will know that I’m an Alicorn or think I’m working with Celestia…alright everypony this ship can’t sail itself! Back to work!” she yelled, placing the tricorne on her head. The ponies continued their duties until the sun got low on the horizon and the skies began to glow a warm orange. Pinkie and Applejack disappeared to the kitchen below deck to make a grand dinner while the others helped roll up the sails and drop anchor for the night. As the skies turned from orange to a fiery red, Pinkie appeared from below deck. “Grub time!” she yelled. “Oh my, I certainly hope you’re not being serious.” Rarity hacked with disgust. “No silly, just the expression.” Pinkie said, beginning to giggle. Below deck they sat down at a large round table and Pinkie and her cooking partner, Applejack, set before them plates of tasty tarts, pies, and pastries along with a large bowl of stew. “Now we didn’t have much to work with…mainly just a lot of lemons and limes but hey it prevents scurvy and tastes lemony and limony am I right?” Pinkie asked. “A lot different than the apples back home but ah think we did good.” Applejack said proudly. “Mmm, I can’t wait!” Rainbow yelled, rubbing her hooves together excitedly. “Well go ahead, dig in.” Pinkie responded, shoving some food her way. All the ponies ‘dug in’…Rarity rather delicately, enjoying the hardy stew and the tart and refreshing lemon lime treats. “So, after we’re done… eating I want to… have a little boat party.” Pinkie said in between bites. “I’m in charge of entertainment and this will keep us super entertained.” “What can we do on this boat for a party?” Rainbow asked. “Well I found these!” Pinkie said, holding up a fiddle in one hoof, a whistle in her mouth and a drum in the other hoof. Then these!” she said dropping the instruments and holding up a few decks of cards. “Along with music and cards there’s some tasty juicy stuff in barrels. I don’t know what it is but it’s really good.” She said placing a cup in front of Dash. Rainbow stared at the strange liquid in it and shrugged, grabbing the cup with her hoof and gulping it down. “Wow that’s really good. So sweet! This could actually be fun!” she said with surprise, placing the cup back on the table. “Be careful it’ll make ya feel funny!” Pinkie teasingly warned. “Alright everypony, yummy drinks all around!” Pinkie yelled, noticing that they had finished their dinner. She poured the juice into cups and handed them out. “Now let’s go up on the deck. Its gonna be a nice night!” she yelled, hopping up the stairs. *** Twilight stood silently at the bow of the ship, staring into the clear night sky above her, she could see many more stars than she ever had back in Ponyville and many constellations that she’d heard of before but never seen. She could hear the sounds of laughter and talking behind her, coming from the others sitting in the warm glow of the lanterns that surrounded them. She glanced back, noticing Pinkie Pie silently walking towards her. “What are you doing over here?” she asked. “Just looking at the stars.” Twilight responded with a sigh. “The skies are quite beautiful out here.” “There’s something else too isn’t there.” Pinkie said with concern, placing her hoof on Twilights back. “Yeah…I’m just worried…if we don’t make it back in time, if we can’t find what we’re looking for..I…” Twilight struggled to let out. “Look at everything else we’ve done…” Pinkie said. “Do you know how many times we’ve saved the day? A lot. This time won’t be any different. We’ve done it before and can do it again. Cheer up!” Pinkie said comfortingly and then tightly hugged her friend. “Thanks Pinkie.” Twilight said, embracing the hug. “I’m just doing what the cap’n ordered and helping out a friend.” she responded. “Now come on, we’re practicin’ are pirate accents, we landlubbers need a bit a practice.” Pinkie said in her best accent, followed by a laughing fit and a few snorts. “Aye.” Twilight said with a smirk and followed Pinkie back into the warm lantern light. The friends all attempted to speak their best pirate accents, talked, joked, sang as Pinkie played the instruments she had found, played cards and laughed late into the night. Finally heading below deck and settling into their bunks for the night, awaiting another day of traveling the seas.
The Perfect StormThe Perfect Storm Fluttershy was the first to awake in the morning. The swaying of the ship with the waves was uncomfortable for Fluttershy. She rarely flew, and much rather preferred to be on a steady surface. She sat up straight from her hammock. Her light pink mane had misplaced hairs and dark lines highlighted her teal eyes. “Are you awake, Gavin?” she asked her little seagull friend. The small sea bird did nothing but turn his head and preen his feathers. Fluttershy let out a breath, and got onto all fours, almost stumbling on the rocking ship. “Come on, Gavin!” she gestured going up the stairs.The little bird flew and rested quietly on Fluttershy’s shoulder. The small Pegasus then opened the door at the end of the stairs slowly, trying hard not to wake her friends. “I’m not used to all this… I wish I were back home with all my animals… Angel Bunny must be so sad without me…” She lightly nuzzled the sea bird and imagined it was one of her pets from back home. “I especially don’t enjoy the rocking of this ship!” As she started to think about it, the rocking seemed to be getting a bit rougher. She’d also noticed the winds were picking up, but simply blew it off, in assumption it was all regular at-sea weather. “Fluttershy!” The butter-colored pony was startled from the voice behind her and jumped a little before turning around. “Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash…” she greeted in a shy manner. “I can’t sleep!” she announced. “This place is awesome when I’m up, but I can’t rest with the swaying and everything!” Fluttershy nodded. “I know, Dash! I don’t like being out here… I just want to go home!” Rainbow put one hoof around her homesick friend. “I know, Flutts, but we gotta do this for Celestia! It’ll be okay!” She offered a warm smile, but then turned her attention to the clouds. “Something wrong, Dash?” the pegasus asked Rainbow in a small voice. For a good minute, she ignored her friend, only giving her focus to the clouds above them. “Wait here for a minute!” The rainbow-maned pony warned her friend. “I have to check something out!” Before Fluttershy could answer, Rainbow sped off into the clouds. Fluttershy wasn’t a weather pony, so she had no clue what was going on, but she knew there was something wrong if Rainbow was examining the clouds. She and the little seagull waited patiently below, hoping everything was okay. “R-Rainbow Dash!” she called up, wondering where she went. “Is everything okay?” The cyan pegasus poked her head out of the cloud and looked down on Fluttershy. “Hey, Fluttershy! Come check this out!” Fluttershy took a couple steps back. She’d always been afraid of heights, and Rainbow Dash was aware of that. “I-I can’t… I have to stay here and make sure Gavin’s okay!” Rainbow let out an annoyed grunt and smacked her hoof against her face. “Come on, Fluttershy! Just a minute, please?” The shy pony sighed, and flew up into the clouds with Rainbow. What she saw above the cloudy layer shocked her. All around them was thick, gray masses of fog. Within the layers, she could see a spark of light travelling through the dense fog. “Wh-what’s going on?” Rainbow shook her head. “I-I don’t know… I haven’t seen anything like this in Ponyville before… Even when it’s supposed to storm, it doesn't get this way and there’s never heavy layers like this.” “We-we have to tell the others!” Fluttershy said worriedly. Rainbow gave her shy friend a quick nod, and dove beneath the clouds again. Twilight woke up not after long. She came out with a messy mane and bags under her eyes. She, just like Fluttershy and Rainbow must’ve not slept well, but as soon as the two saw her awake, they immediately and urgently approached her. “Twilight!” the two pegasi chanted simultaneously. The purple mare’s eyes widened a bit from the sudden appearance of the two. “Oh, hey girls…” “Twilight! A storm’s coming!” Rainbow warned. “A storm?” She was suddenly alert and awake. “How do you know?” The rainbow-maned pony pointed her hoof upward. “That.” she said in an almost teasing tone to her smart and knowledgeable friend. “A-and the winds are getting stronger….that always means a storm's coming.” Her shy friend added. Twilight looked at the two. “We have to tell the others! This is something I wasn't prepared for!" The young princess ran back down the stairs, urgently awaking the others and warning them of the bad news. Only a few hours had passed since Twilight had been warned of the event unwinding before her. The winds had dramatically picked up, the skies had darkened even more, rain started falling heavily, and the waves were thrusting the sides of the boat more powerfully than ever. The whole crew struggled to simply stay on their hooves. They mostly tumbled and fell, except for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, who seemed to stay airborne. Twilight remained on hoof, knowing the strong winds could easily blow her away. “Come on girls!” Twilight yelled after finally giving up on attempting to stay on deck and make sure the ship was okay. “We’ve got to take cover!” Quickly, the six ponies and Gavin fled into the safety of the room below. They huddled together, trying to stay safe from the raging storm. “Okay…” Twilight began. “We should be safe from the storm if we stay down here…” “But what’re we gonna do if the anchor can’t hold and we get off a track? It’s gonna take even longer to get there!” Applejack pointed out. “A-and what if we get lost and don’t even know where we end up?” Fluttershy added. “Then we’ll never return to Ponyville and the princess will never be healed, and then somepony else will have to raise the sun and take over Equestria!” Pinkie thought pessimistically. “It’ll be okay!” Twilight assured in a quiet manner. “Stop worrying until something bad actually happens!” “So this isn’t bad?” Rainbow asked in a rude tone. Twilight let out a long sigh. “Sure, we left Ponyville unbeknownst of these events, and we never actually came up with a plan in case something like this did happen, but still, we have to look at the bright side of things! We’re still healthy! Just be grateful and stop worrying about the things that could possibly happen!” The rest of the ponies grew silent and tried hard to think of the good, but were constantly reminded of the storm by the loud crashes of thunder and the harsh rocking of the boat. Getting to sleep was probably the worst part of the whole situation. They’d all had trouble the previous night, but this was even harder. The moment they’d finally become relaxed, another loud boom of thunder would send a shiver up their spine. *** “Umm… Twilight?” Fluttershy gently shook the mare, trying to wake her up. “Twilight…. I think the storms over. The small, yellow pegasus gently shook her friend, but she did not wake or even make the slightest of movements. “Oh, that’s okay.. I’ll just tell you when you wake up…” The sudden sound of wings flapping startled her. Gavin flew erratically around in circles before landing on her shoulder, a look of urgency in his small beady eyes. “What is it Gavin?” she asked, sitting down on the hard wooden floor, not understanding what he was so worked up about. “The storm is over, we’re going to…” she stopped midway through her sentence as she felt something cool against her flank. “Oh my!” she yelled quietly as she jumped up, water dripping off of her wet fur. She looked down and realized that the room was quickly filling with water. “Everypony wake up!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. Her friends jumped up, startled by the raised voice that they almost never heard. “What the…”Rainbow muttered, shaking the sea water from her fur. “Oh no! Not good!” she yelled, realizing the situation at hoof. “Not good at all!” Twilight trotted in place, impatiently attempting to figure out what they should do. Giving up she quickly rushed up the stairs and the others followed close behind. Opening the door, she was greeted by bright morning sun and warm air. Squinting her eyes, she realized that the boats bow was slightly raised. She galloped to the railing, placing her front hooves on it to look over. The almost clear blue water of the sea rushed into a rather large hole near the stern of the ship. She glanced further ahead and realized what had created it. She could see the lighter color of a large coral reef in the distance. The anchor must have slipped and The Hippocamp had been crashed into the reef during the storm, leaving the hole and then drifted away once the sea became calm again, letting the water come in. “We have to get that hole plugged up now!” Twilight yelled, pushing herself from the rail and turning to face the others. “I got this!” Applejack responded, peering over the edge to see where exactly the hole was. She paced back and forth, planning the next move. “Everypony else, we need to start getting that water out of here. If not, we won’t be having a boat for much longer.” Twilight said frantically, feeling the ship underneath her hooves slowly rising higher into the air. Applejack galloped ahead, stopping the empty box that had contained the clothes they now wore, with her hooves as it slid down across the deck. She pushed hard, smashing the crate with the weight of her body and then picked up as much of the wood as she could in her mouth, disappearing down into the watery chambers below. Rainbow Dash, pulling Fluttershy along with her, flew down behind the orange mare. “We need buckets Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled, as she glanced back and forth across the dark chambers, hovering above the water. “Here.” Fluttershy said, picking a bucket up as it floated by. “Good, I know there’s more than that. You need one too.” Rainbow said, taking the bucket and plunging it into the water. Taking in air, Fluttershy dove into the water, quickly reappearing with a bucket in her hooves. “Here.” Twilight said, using her magic to lift Rainbow’s full bucket of water up the steps. Then once it was up top, Rarity used her magic to continue it over to Pinkie who then dumped it over the edge. As she passed it back to Rarity, another full bucket was coming her way, effectively creating a chain. Applejack trudged through the water, until her hooves could no longer reach the floor beneath. She then began to paddle forward until she looked down and saw the blue ocean beneath and her head nearly touched the ceiling. She dropped the wood, letting it float beside her and grabbed a hammer in her mouth from a belt she had discovered the day before and put around her waist. Pushing a board into place across the hole, she struggled to take a nail from a small pocket in her belt. Finally after losing many nails into the water around her, she gripped one in her mouth along with the hammer. She dove under, her tricorne floating above her. She once again struggled, attempting to put the nail in place and pound it into the board. The hammer slipped from her teeth and floated gently down to the floor beneath as she tried to grab it in her hooves. She came up gasping for air, hitting her head against the ceiling above. She knew she didn’t have much more time and filling her lungs with air, dove under once more. Putting the nail in place she slammed her hoof against it pushing it into the wood. She did it again and again until its head was embedded into the plank. She then moved to the opposite side repeating the process. She grabbed another board from her pile which now pushed against the ceiling. She placed it across the first board and pounded a nail into each side. Even though she knew she would have to swim father ahead into the ship, closer to the entrance to get air, she continued filling the gaps of the hole. She knew that if she did not at least block enough of the hole to just let a small leak come in, the ship would be lost and most likely her friends too. She couldn’t let that happen. The urge to breathe became stronger and stronger but she knew she could not open her mouth or she would be gone. Finally pounding the final nail into a board which covered the last of the hole, she opened her mouth. She began to choke, bubbles floating up from her mouth. Slowly, her eyes closed as she floated upwards. “The water isn’t coming up anymore.” Dash pointed out as Twilight took a bucket from her mouth. “Applejack must have plugged the hole.” Twilight responded. “I knew she could do it!” “Um…where is she though.” Fluttershy pointed out. “No!” Rainbow yelled, her pink eyes growing wide. “Something’s wrong.” She said, as she dove into the water. Nervously, Fluttershy followed. The two Pegasi used their wings to push themselves through the dark blue water, bubbles floating up from behind them as they went. Fluttershy stuck close behind Rainbow Dash, not fully sure where their location was in the ship. After what seemed like ages, peering over top of Rainbow, Fluttershy finally saw the limp lifeless body of her friend floating in the water ahead. She struggled to keep her mouth shut from the shock as she pushed forward, now directly beside Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned Pegasus grabbed Applejack’s front hooves and motioned for Fluttershy to go to the other end. Fluttershy quickly grabbed the pony’s back hooves and they began to swim back the opposite way. Fluttershy’s view slowly began to fill in with darkness and her lungs began to sting but she pushed herself forward, knowing that she could not leave her friend down in the water. The weight she pulled suddenly got heavier, she turned and realized that Rainbow Dash had let go, her wings and body no longer moving. Fluttershy quickly used one of her hooves to grab onto Rainbow’s and kept the other tight around Applejack’s hind leg. She now faced backwards, pushing her wings in the opposite direction to propel all of them forward. She couldn’t look back to see where she was going but hoped it was a straight path to the stairs leading up to the deck. Nearly losing consciousness along with the others, her back hoof finally hit a step and she pulled the two upwards. Finally, her snout burst out from the water and with a gasp she yelled “Help!” Rarity, Pinkie, and Twilight, standing halfway down the steps quickly rushed to her side. They pulled the limp ponies up the steps as Fluttershy crawled after them, coughing water from her mouth. Lying in a puddle of water, Rainbow Dash slowly came back into consciousness, seeing the blurry faces of her friends, including Applejack looking down at her. She turned her head sideways and coughed water out onto the deck as her vision returned. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Fluttershy yelled, jumping on top of her soaking friend. Rainbow wrapped her hooves around her friend, weakly smiling as she stared into her caring eyes. “You saved me didn’t you? You saved both of us?” she asked. “I…I guess I did.” Fluttershy muttered, beginning to blush. “You’re one brave pony.” Dash said hugging the shy Pegasus even tighter. “Yeah you are!” the others said simultaneously, as they piled on top of the two Pegasi. “Alright everypony, this ain’t over yet.” Applejack said as she stood up from the pile. “We still gotta get all the water out a here and I gotta fill in the rest a the leaks.” After diving down and finding more buckets, the ponies once again created a chain but this time a much more efficient one. They worked well into the afternoon, finally hauling the last of the water out and over the edge. Applejack used a caulk like paste to cover the leaks of the hastily boarded up hull while the others picked up the food, barrels, crates, and other items that had been scattered below deck and put them back in their place. Opening a trap door to a small compartment beside her hammock, Twilight saw the box containing the Elements of Harmony and opened it with a sigh of relief, seeing that they all were still there. She then closed the door and used her magic to slide a rug back over top of it, concealing the location. “That’ll do until we got a better chance to fix it.” Applejack said, brushing her hooves together as she finished up on the hole. “Whew! It’s been a long day” she sighed. “It has, I think we’ll just stay here for the night and hope this doesn’t happen again.” Twilight said. “I looked at the map and we haven’t gotten too off course. The location of the reef we struck is a little off to the west of where we should be but it shouldn't add any more than an extra day to our trip. We’ll rest tonight and get sailing again tomorrow.” The starving crew too busy to eat anything all day finally had a large and well deserved dinner, soon after heading to their hammocks, eager to rest. Day after day the seas remained calm and the ponies slowly became accustomed to the never ending motion of the ship, the ever warmer and more humid air, the flat blue horizon which blended into the sky above, stretching infinitely into the distance, and the daily tasks and routines of living out on the sea.
