Chapter 2: Notifications [Reedit]
Author's Note
Hey everyone! First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for the long hiatus. A lot of things have been popping up, which left me tired and stressed, and I don't think that is going to end soon. But, I also want to thank you all for favoriting this story, and sticking by through this long wait. So, as an apology, here are two chapters for you all!
Enjoy~~
Chapter 2: Notifications [Reedit]
‘Thud’!
“Dammit!”
The sudden thump and familiar yell from downstairs jolts Spike awake from his sleep. Grumbling from under his blanket, he reaches his claw out for his clock, already having a feeling that it is way too early for something that he is supposed to get used to.
As he pulls the ticking clock under the blanket, he is surprised that it is a quarter past eight. Normally, Spike would hear Twilight’s random curses a couple hours earlier. Either he is a deep sleeper, or Twilight is finally changing her sleep schedule. It doesn’t really matter to him. At least he got a couple more hours of beauty rest.
‘Thud’!
“Ow! My flank!”
With a deep annoyed sigh, knowing this will not end until he shows up, the little dragon crawls out of the comfort of his old basket, and makes his way downstairs. A thought runs through his mind, telling him he should ask Twilight to get a bigger basket, or perhaps his own bed. Maybe even a room if ever given the chance.
The thought soon disappears the moment Spike reaches the main library floor. On one side of the library sits a pile of books that surround the alicorn princess rubbing her hindquarters as she stands back up. A tiny stack of a few books lies on the table in the center of the room.
“Ugh, stupid… stupid…” Twilight grumbles as she stands back up. “How can anypony walk in these jeans? They’re frickin’ tight as Tartarus!” Strangely enough, Spike is slightly surprised that Twilight is wearing these particular skinny jeans for the first time, along with a simple white T-shirt. He has seen her wear pants before, only the loose and comfortable type. Perhaps, she is doing another one of those tests she likes to call ‘Things that are Trendy in Society’ experiments.
“Um, Twilight?” Spike yawns while rubbing his eyes, almost forgetting the topic he wants to say.
“Oh! Morning Spike,” Twilight turns around to the waking dragon. With a flicker of her horn, she teleports herself right in front of him, startling Spike. “Glad you’re awake. Can you go upstairs and check for any books on marine biology?”
A perplexed look appears on Spike’s face after a quick headshake. “Wha’?”
“Can you go upstairs and find some books on marine biology?” Twilight repeats.
“Uh, why would you want books on that?” Spike confusedly scratches the side of his face.
“Apparently, there’s an article in the morning paper saying that a new sea creature has been discovered near Baltimare. And I really want to look into it.”
Spike sighs the moment he hears that. It is not uncommon whenever Twilight finds a new subject she would spend hours on learning, whether it is for her interests or if it is assigned by Princess Celestia.
“I’ll go get it,” he disgruntledly says, walking back up the stairs with his shoulders slumped. It is way too early to be doing something like this.
Over a quarter of an hour later of searching, the little dragon returns with only one book in hand, still seeing the alicorn talking on her own and reading the newspaper.
“Hey Twilight,” Spike calls, lifting the book over his head. “I only found one upstairs…” Before he can finish, the book is snatched from him in Twilight’s aura, and levitates in front of the surprised mare.
“Only one?!” Twilight gasps. “I thought we had more books on marine biology!”
“Well, I guess we don’t,” Spike deadpans, and heads to the kitchen to get breakfast.
“How can that be?” Twilight rubs her chin, and opens another book next to her. “Let’s see…”
Spike returns with two small plates, each with a muffin on top, and two separate cups: one with coffee, and the other with apple juice. Settling them down and preparing to eat, Spike watches Twilight stiffly walk over to the table and sit down hard on the seat with a grunt. She picks up a book with her magic and resumes her studying.
“So, what’s so special about this sea serpent-thing, anyway?” he curiously asks, trying to avoid some awkwardness about the skinny jeans situation.
“Well, according to the papers, they spotted it in Horseshoe Bay close to Baltimare a few days ago in the morning,” Twilight explains. “They said it’s unlike anything they’ve ever seen.”
“Well, it’s the ocean,” Spike says before taking a bite of his muffin. “There are a lo' o' sth'ran' thin's there, righ'?”
“True. But marine biologists said that this sea serpent is very different compared to others.”
Spike stops chewing, and grabs the newspaper from across the table. Wondering what Twilight is even talking about, he decides to read it for himself. Before he opens the paper, he first reads the title of the topic printed in big bold caps.
SPOTTED AGAIN! SEA SERPENT IN BALTIMARE
Spike ponders as he looks at the large picture below the title. It is a blurry black and white photo of what appears to be the known Horseshoe Bay, but Spike immediately notices something strange poking out of the water. It appears to be a long dark shadow almost blending in with the water with a rectangular-shaped back fin, and a couple of odd-shaped probes sticking out from it. A giant blob sits just behind the weirdly shaped fin.
(1) The sea serpent is seen about a few hundred meters from the nearest pier at Baltimare’s seaport. (Picture taken by Sea Side)
Spike opens the paper to the page of the article, and begins reading.
In the early morning of September 18 in Horseshoe Bay, just a week after Sail and his son White Flag first encountered the beast, citizens of Baltimare were struck with awe and fear when the sea serpent was spotted floating close to the harbor. As they all started running to get a look with their cameras, the serpent once again escaped out of the harbor and disappeared.
The dragon skims through the rest of the article, as most of them are quotes from interviews, before coming down to the second image. The second photo is an aerial view of the serpent, no doubt taken by a pegasus. The only thing Spike can make out from the photo is the small amount of reflections from the animal’s skin, and the long water trail being left behind.
(2) The sea serpent making a break for it before disappearing beneath the waters. (Picture taken by Sky View)
Spike continues reading the article until it ends. Not surprisingly, it is just a quote interview from the mayor.
“I don’t get it,” he says with an arched eyebrow. “Why is everypony so worked up about this? And how long has this been going?”
“A week, I think,” Twilight replies from her book, not even noticing her breakfast is sitting in front of her. “It’s interesting that biologists have never seen something like this before.”
Spike rolls his eyes before closing up the newspaper and placing it back where it belongs. After finishing up his juice, he puts away the dishes and makes his way to the front door, leaving Twilight’s food on the table.
“I’ll be hanging out with the Crusaders,” the dragon calls as he is about to exit.
“Okay,” Twilight waves a hand, still immersed with her research. “Don’t forget, we’ll be meeting with the girls at Fluttershy’s at six.”
“Got it.” Spike takes a step out before turning around once more. “Oh, and don’t forget your breakfast. It’s been sitting there.” With that, he closes the door just as soon as Twilight shows her face from behind the book. Looking down is the muffin and coffee just a foot away.
“O-oh! Thanks!” she calls back, knowing her assistant is already gone, and returns her focus to the book. “Now, let’s see…”
With her studying in motion, Twilight blindly extends her arm to find her food. Instead of finding a soft muffin, her hand accidentally dips in the piping hot beverage, causing her to jump and yowl that will make Princess Luna impressed. She grumbles in annoyance as well as weep, gripping her wrist and stares at her hand looking shriveled and soaked in coffee. Her gaze then turns down back to the book, now partially in a puddle of her morning drink she spilled that covers a quarter of the table. She sighs. Perhaps Spike is right. She needs to extend her sleeping schedule, or perhaps go to bed earlier.
The little dragon inhales the warm sweet air with a hint of cool wind flowing by, indicating the end of summer approaching. As he begins his routine walk to meet up with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, his eyes catch a few ponies with a newspaper in their hands.
“Huh, that’s strange,” Spike says to himself. He hasn’t seen almost the entire town with a newspaper since nearly two years ago with the gossiping from the Crusaders. Unless…
Spike vigorously shakes his head. It can’t be them, anyway. It’s obviously about that new sea serpent Twilight explained earlier. If the story about this strange animal has been going on for a week (possibly making the headlines like wildfire), almost all of Equestria must know it by now. The question is, why this particular creature? Spike has seen many weird animals in his young life, and the ocean is equivalent to the Everfree Forest. Except, the ocean is far vaster, and has way more weird-looking creatures.
“Howdy Spike!” A familiar southern-accented voice yanks Spike back to reality. He looks around, and spots Applejack behind her usual apple stand in the corner of the Ponyville open market with Pinkie Pie and Rarity just beside.
“Morning guys.” Spike waves, and makes his way over to the group.
“Morning Spike!” Pinkie cries with a frantic wave.
“Good morning, Spike,” Rarity greets, her soft elegant voice ringing into the dragon’s ears.
“What’s up?” Spike asks as he finally approaches them.
“Eh, the usual,” Applejack answers.
“Say, haven’t you grown a bit?” Rarity asks, immediately catching Spike’s attention.
“You really think so?” he asks excitedly, comparing his height to Rarity’s, which is just above her knee hidden under her long black skirt.
“I think you grew a couple more inches,” Pinkie comments.
“Well, I guess,” Spike agrees, looking up at the beautiful white unicorn when his eyes suddenly lay on the newspaper tucked under her arm.
Spike turns around to have a look at the market. He has been in deep thought since he left the Golden Oaks Library he hasn’t been paying attention to his surroundings. Upon looking at the scenery, his guesses have been correct. Over half of the citizens in the open market, including the sellers behind the stalls, have a newspaper in their hands. He can even hear conversations going on about the sea serpent.
“Gee, is this sea serpent really that popular?” he asks out loud.
“Wha’ wa’th tha’?” Pinkie muffles. When Spike turns back, he sees the pink pony eating a cupcake. How did she manage to get one, he will never know.
“Something wrong, Spike?” Rarity asks with concern.
“Well…” Spike replies, still looking at the scenery. Then, he and the girls capture a cranky-looking mare heading in their direction: cream-colored fur, and a dual-colored mane of dark blue and pink. The only difference is she looks like the Cakes after pulling off an all-nighter with the baby twins.
“Mornin’ there, Bon Bon.” Applejack tips her Stetson as Bon Bon approaches the stand. Rarity, Spike and Pinkie quickly slide to the side.
Bon Bon merely grunts. “Hey… can I get the usual?”
Applejack looks at her quizzically. “Uh, what now?”
“You know. The usual. Two tomatoes, a bag of carrots and lettuce.” The tone in Bon Bon’s voice is seemingly demanding.
Applejack pulls her head back as if she was offended. “Uh… I only sell apples, Bon Bon. I think you meant that fella' over there.” The farm pony points over to the vegetable stand next to hers.
“Wh-what…?” Bon Bon rubs her baggy eyes, looking in the same direction. “O-oh… sorry. M-my bad…”
“Are you okay, dear?” Rarity asks with a hand over her chest. “You, uh… you look like you’ve been, uh… well…”
“You look like Twilight who’s pulled off an all-nighter trying to get a twenty-page essay done,” Pinkie finishes Rarity’s comment. Bon Bon, however, shoots a glare and growls in her throat, earning a surprised and shocked look from the two mares and dragon.
Bon Bon lets out a deep sigh. “S-sorry… I-I just had a rough night.”
“Oh~” Pinkie slowly nods once. “It’s that time of the month, huh?”
“Wh-what?!” Bon Bon shrieks, her eyes popping wide open and her cheeks flustering. “N-no! It’s not that! It’s Lyra!”
“What ‘bout her?” Applejack asks raising an eyebrow.
Bon Bon sighs again. “I don’t know… it’s about this stupid sea serpent everypony's been talking about lately. She’s been nonstop blabbering about it I couldn’t sleep!”
“Even Lyra is into what’s happening lately?” Spike asks, earning a nod from the moody mare.
“I don’t know… she’s like everypony else. Except worse. All day, everyday, I hear her talking about this particular sea serpent in the papers is not like any of the others. That she has a feeling there's something about it. And it drove the Tartarus out of me!” Bon Bon grits her teeth after venting out her frustration, heavy breathing finally settling in.
“Woah, woah, woah. Easy there, Sugarcube,” Applejack raises her hands to settle the raging pony. “Take a breather.”
“Wait, so where is Lyra?” Rarity asks.
“Where do you think?!” Bon Bon snaps to the fashionista. “She went to go look for it! I don’t know where, but I know she left early in the morning with a bunch of ponies! Probably to Baltimare or Fillydelphia, for all I care!”
With a big huff through her nostrils, Bon Bon releases a frustrated groan. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike look at her with confused and surprised looks. To them, she sure has vented out a lot, probably too much.
“I-I’m… I’m gonna go get my stuff,” she mumbles with a slump of her shoulders. “S-sorry about all the yelling. It’s been frustrating for the past week.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it, Bon Bon,” Applejack waves a hand. “We all have our bad days.”
Bon Bon gives them a small smile before she leaves the mares to the correct stand, followed by a wave.
After nearly a minute of awkward silence, the group lets out a sigh of relief, finally glad it is over.
“You really think she’s having it?” Pinkie interrupts the quietness.
“Pinkie Pie!” Rarity turns to the party pony with a glare. “Please, not in front of Spike! He’s still young!”
“What?” Pinkie turns to Rarity and takes the final bite of her cupcake. “I’m just asking if she’s under stress from her candy shop. It’s really the busiest time of the month for her. Wait…” Pinkie stops midway through her chewing and stares at Rarity covering Spike’s ears slightly flustered. “You really thought I was talking about her per—”
“That’s enough o’ that, Sugarcube,” Applejack interrupts the pink pony. “Now, don’t ya’ have those cupcakes to make fo’ tonight?”
Pinkie gasps the moment Applejack mentions that peculiar word, nearly choking on her food. Her neck suddenly outstretches several inches, and her curly mane and tail rattles. “Oh my gosh! The Super-dazzler-rainbow-sprinkled-daisy Cupcakes! I almost forgot!!” Her legs kick into high gear as she begins running in place before finally sprinting away that will make even Rainbow Dash impressed, leaving a small cloud of dust in her shape before disintegrating.
“At least you reminded her,” Spike coughs, waving away the excess dust.
“Yeah,” Applejack replies.
“Well, I’ll be meeting up with the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” the dragon announces, beginning to walk away. “I’ll see you a—” He suddenly pauses in his tracks, feeling something wrench in his stomach.
“You ‘kay Spike?” Applejack asks. Spike belches loudly a split second later, and a letter forms out of his green flames. The two mares flinch a little from the sudden action, and Spike takes the letter just as it is about to touch the ground.
“A letter?” Rarity tilts her head.
“From the princess?” Applejack adds.
“Yeah,” Spike nods as he opens the scroll. “Wonder what it could be.” He starts reading the first few lines, when his eyes suddenly enlarge and he freezes like a statue.
He looks up to the two concerned mares. “Uh, you know about that sea serpent thing that’s going on lately?” The girls nod their heads. “I have a feeling this is no ordinary sea serpent we’re dealing with.” The dragon spins the paper around and shows Rarity and Applejack the letter. The girls lean closer to have a look.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
As of now, I am sure you are aware of the news about the sea serpent along the east coast. Gather your friends and head to Canterlot as soon as possible. I will wait for your arrival.
Sincerely,
Princess Celestia
Princess Celestia sits in her throne, eyes closed as she rests her mind with an open letter floating in front of her. She rereads the somewhat hasty and slightly poor writing from Twilight Sparkle. Laying her chin on her hand, she patiently waits for her student’s arrival with her friends, judging by how frantic the handwriting is when she received the response letter less than half an hour after she sent hers.
However, the princess is not waiting only for Twilight. She is waiting for a small team of Royal Guards to return soon from a small mission she tasked them. She knows Twilight can handle things perfectly, and Celestia has seen how she and her friends are capable on missions they are assigned with. But, to speed things up, the princess sent a small task force to the areas where this unknown sea serpent has been spotted more often a few days ago.
Her mind is once again interrupted by the sound of the grand doors ahead of her opening. The bright orange light of her sun setting enters first, before the Celestia can make out Twilight bursting through next. Her wings hang halfway open underneath a rather large backpack she has seen before. Behind Twilight enter Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy with Spike piggybacking on her shoulders as they all race down the red decorated carpet to the princess sitting in her throne.
“W-we came… a-as soon as we c-could, princess,” Twilight wheezes, gasping for air as if she just ran a marathon.
“Twilight, everypony,” Celestia announces, rising up from her throne and putting the letter aside with her magic. “I am so glad you all could come upon short notice.”
“What seems t' be the problem, Your Highness?” Applejack first asks as the rest of the girls finally reaches where Twilight stopped.
The princess steps down the small stairs from her throne, approaching the group. “I deeply apologize for calling you so suddenly, my girls,” she speaks.
“Does this have to do with this sea serpent?” Rarity asks.
“Unfortunately, yes,” the princess nods, her warm smile turns to a serious look.
“Is this another ancient monster you battled a thousand years ago?” Rainbow asks hovering above the girls’ heads. “If so, we’ll buck it back to the abyss.” She punches her fists together with a faint crack, while Twilight shoots a look up at the pegasus.
Celestia chuckles. “I admire your courage, Rainbow Dash.” She takes a quick moment to gain her composure. “However, this is not an ancient monster I faced a long time ago.” All the mares’ eyes blink a few times in confusion.
“So...” Twilight speaks. “It’s just some… animal, then?”
Princess Celestia calmly walks past the group with her arms crossed until she stops in front of the immense stained glass window. “You are correct, partially.”
“’Partially’?” Rainbow tilts her head to the side as she floats back down to the ground.
Celestia turns around. “To tell you the truth, I do not know.” The mares give each other a perplexed look before turning back to the princess slowly walking past them, her attention on one of the glass pane artworks. It is such a random sentence the princess said, yet, they have a gnawing feeling something is definitely bothering her.
“What do you mean?” Twilight takes a step forward.
“According to a report sent by a biologist,” Celestia explains, stopping several feet from the mares. “There has been a strange pattern on the sea serpent. It visits coastal cities around nighttime, and disappears in the morning.”
“Y-you mean…” Twilight hesitantly takes another step. “Is this... not a sea serpent?”
“Or another of Discord’s tricks?” Applejack speaks out.
The princess looks down on the floor away from the girls’ glances, appearing to be in deep thought. “I have my doubts Discord is involved in this type of situation.”
“Then, what is?” Fluttershy asks in her soft voice.
Eerie quietness settles in the grand hall, including Celestia. She has no answer. As if the air has turned incredibly thin, Twilight feels every breath she makes more difficult the longer she waits for the princess to say a word. But, nothing. The reality bears down on Twilight. This is something that is not only unknown to them, but to the princess. Celestia, ruler of Equestria who has lived for generations has no clue what animal that is wreaking havoc across the entire eastern coast of the country. It could be anything! Something from a faraway land, something that was once thought extinct now returning, or worse, something completely alien.
“So, basically,” Rainbow breaks the silence scratching her head. Twilight rapidly blinks a few times to get her mind out of trance. “We’re dealing with something we never met?”
“Not entirely,” Princess Celestia turns around to face the group, after remaining silent for what appears to be an eternity to Twilight. “A few days ago, I sent a task force to gather as much intelligence about the sea serpent before I called upon you…”
As soon as the princess finishes, the massive doors creak loudly, catching everyone’s attention. A group of nine Royal Guards march in two rows, with one leading in the middle. Unlike the typical Royal Guard, all of whom wear golden armor, their armor is dark grey and appears to be a smaller size. At the rear are two guards carrying a medium-sized chest.
The girls quickly step to the side as the squad continues to march until they halt a few meters from the princess. The leading Royal Guard takes several more steps before he kneels before her. He is a black pegasus with a white stripe running down the middle of the muzzle, and eyes an emerald green.
“Ah, commander,” Princess Celestia announces. “Welcome back. I hope your mission was successful?”
The pegasus rises. “Of course, Your Highness. I apologize for the tardiness, though.” His voice sounds rather young, but husk.
“Not to worry, you are just in time.” The princess turns to Twilight and her friends. “Girls, this is Commander Cirrus, acting leader of the Royal Special Task Force, and one of my most trusted advisors in the military branch.”
Twilight tries to hide her surprised look, which instead makes her look like she is preventing a giggle. She remembers studying a portion about the Equestrian military, but never had the interest. The only branches she knows are the Royal Day Guards of Princess Celestia, and the Canter Night Guards of Princess Luna. Seeing this special task force right in front of her makes her want to know more. But, now is not the time.
Twilight’s train of thought once again puts her back in reality when Commander Cirrus bows before her.
“An honor to meet you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight’s cheeks fluster a little. She still has to get used to ponies bowing to her now that she is a princess.
“A-A pleasure to meet you too,” she returns the bow, not even knowing her wings start twitching.
“She so has a crush on him,” Rainbow Dash snickers under her breath. “Just like that orange dude back at—” She is quickly cut off when Applejack slams her fist on top of her head.
“And these are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony,” Princess Celestia presents to Twilight’s friends.
“An honor to meet you all,” the commander and his squad bow to Twilight’s friends. It feels as though this introduction is taking forever, as Twilight inspects their unique armor design and the team.
“Commander,” Princess Celestia begins. “What intelligence have you gathered?”
Commander Cirrus turns to the princess in one quick motion. “We gathered as much information as possible around every coastal city and town. Interviews, notes, photos and film.”
“Excellent,” the princess smiles, then turns to the mares. “Girls, in order to gain some leverage, I have tasked this squad to the eastern coast to gather as much information as possible relating to the sea serpent. Your task is to find out what this is.”
“Wait,” Rainbow raises a hand like she is in class. “Isn’t that the job for, well, you know, scientists?” Twilight wants to shoot another glare at the pegasus to correct her, but thinks for a minute. She does have a point. Why are they tasked to find out what this sea serpent is, when the biologists have more experience than they do? Or, is there something else about this that no one knows?
“You are correct, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia answers, her eyes veering down and away from the mares again. “However… I feel there is something else about this sea creature.”
The girls turn to the princess all puzzled, noticing a look of concern on Celestia’s face. “This is why I have tasked you girls to solve this mystery,” she continues. “I fear entrusting biologists and scientists is too risky, in case…” She pauses for a moment, not looking at either faces. It makes Twilight feel uncomfortable to what the princess has to say next. “In case the sea creature turns out to be a major threat, I cannot send scientists alone.”
Twilight feels the dread dawning on her. What turns out to be a discovery in the papers is something much worse she ever anticipated. This is perhaps a case like the return of Sombra, or Discord.
“But, I know you all can do it.” Celestia lifts her head to the girls, a smile forming on her. “You girls have dealt similarities like this.”
“Oh, oh~ I remember!” Pinkie springs in the air unexpectedly with a hand up. “It was that dragon, right?”
Celestia nods. “That's correct.”
“Wh-what?” Fluttershy panics, unfazed by the conversation. “B-but, I… n-never dealt w-with… sea creatures…. b-before…” She hides half of her face behind her long hair as she twiddles her fingers.
“Fluttershy, you pretty much told a dragon to get out of Ponyville,” Rainbow reasons to the pegasus, shooting her arm out into the air. “I’m pretty sure a measly sea snake is no different.”
“Actually… sea snakes and sea serpents are different,” Fluttershy whimpers, earning a groan from Rainbow.
“Whatever...” the cyan pegasus crosses her arms and turns back to the princess.
Twilight never realized she has been silent looking like a ghost after Celestia told them the risks about this unknown sea creature, the potential it could bring if it were an enemy. But, that one smile and encouragement is all she needs to know that her mentor trusts they can complete the task, like the many times she has before.
“We can do it,” Twilight declares with a deep breath. “We’ll find this sea serpent.” It feels like a spark just ignited within. She now realizes whatever this serpent could be, they can do it. They handled Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changelings and Sombra in the past. She is sure a sea serpent is no big trouble, despite the limited knowledge they are presented.
“I know you can, my faithful student.” Celestia’s smiles grows bigger as she looks over Twilight’s friends already starting to plan out their idea, particularly Rainbow Dash.
“We’ll kick it back to abyss!” the pegasus cries triumphantly with a punch of her two hands again.
“How ‘bout we figure out what it is?” Applejack reminds, crossing her arms. “And let Flutters talk t' it, before kickin’ it’s flank.”
“Geez, mood killer...” Rainbow drops her arms and gives the farm pony an irritated look.
Looking at the group who are all entranced with how they will execute the mission, Princess Celestia never felt more proud to see how far these girls have come. Her eyes turn to Commander Cirrus and his squad standing off to the side, awkwardly staring at the girls.
“Commander Cirrus,” Celestia announces the special task force, giving their full attention. The girls quickly silence their chattering. “I’m reassigning your team to Twilight Sparkle.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Cirrus salutes. Twilight flinches a little. Never would she have thought her mentor would assign some Royal Guards to her, especially a special task force. She had never done something like this before in her life since her rise to be a princess. Then again, this could be another test of how well she can handle the military.
“Twilight,” Celestia says her name, and the alicorn snaps her attention to her. “Good luck, princess.”
“Of course,” Twilight replies confidently. “We'll do it.“
“You are free to use the Royal Library and stay here,” Celestia offers. “I have rooms prepared in the next tower.” After finishing her sentence, she turns around and walks off to the side through an open door, escorted by two regular guards.
Twilight gulps as soon as the grand doors close. She remains quiet for a moment, thinking about the task they are assigned. This is not an uncommon mission she and her friends had before, but something is pulling her mind that there is more to this. The princess seemed more concerned about this sea serpent since they arrived. She never mentioned about what the biologists are doing, only what they did. There were other points the princess made that didn’t sound right to Twilight. What did she mean when Twilight was ‘partially correct’, or when she claimed that there is ‘something else about this sea creature’? Plus, Celestia sounded hesitant on certain topics when asked what this serpent could be. She even looked like she was in a hurry when she left.
“So,” Rainbow Dash breaks the stillness. “What’re we gonna do now?” Twilight ceases her deep thinking, and turns around to her friends and the task force all staring at her. Calculating the steps in her head, it feels as though they’ll be spending some time with this case. First, they have to figure out what sea serpent it is. Then, it is looking for it. However, this is a lot more strenuous than finding a needle in a haystack. This is searching miles and miles of ocean along the east coast. Even if they do find it, they need to figure out if it is friend or foe.
It may sound impossible, but Twilight knows she has her friends. And with Celestia providing the information gathered by her special task force, they will have a good lead to figure out what this creature is.
“Orders, Your Highness?” Commander Cirrus asks the princess again.
Twilight smiles. “We’re gonna make a discovery. We’re heading to the library.”
“Woo!” Pinkie cheers again, pulling out a detective hat, a bubble pipe and a magnifying glass from behind. “Time to solve a mystery!”
Chapter 1: Shadows in the Deep
The ocean breeze sweeps along the surface of the bright blue ocean, creating waves that are both magnificent and harmless on a lonely sailboat casting in the general direction. The sun shines as bright as ever on another cool and amazing summer day.
On this lone sailboat, a light orange stallion steps out from beneath the deck, taking in a big gulp of the ocean scent. For a good whole minute, he lets his light brown spiked hair flow along the wind, and his ears listen the seagulls and waves crash into each other.
“Thank you Celestia,” he says to himself, “for a beautiful vacation.” He puts on a white hat before making his way to a younger white stallion with a blue mane steering the boat.
“Well, what a pleasant morning to see my son steering the boat all by himself,” he lightly chuckles.
“Thanks father,” the young stallion replies happily at his father’s remark.
The white stallion spins the helm, letting the sails catch the ocean wind, and the boat begins moving along. The father watches his excited son steer the elegant boat all on his own, feeling a sense of proudness after teaching him how to do it since he was young.
“Hey, son,” he calls to his son. “How about we make a stop in Manehattan before we head home?”
The young white stallion’s ears perk up in excitement when he heard his dad’s offer. “Really, dad?”
“Sure. You’ve always wanted to see what the big city looks like.” The father stops for a moment as he searches through a chest nearby and takes out a large hand-held film camera. “Also, I looked at the map. We’re quite close to the city. So, I thought we could stop by for a day before we head home.”
“Oh, that will be great, dad!”
The father chuckles lightly as he twirls the dial on the hand-held device, and begins filming the scenery. He starts pointing the camera towards the bow of the elegant boat, catching a seagull taking off from the deck to meet up with a few others circling around a small area tens of meters away. After a few seconds, he pans the camera over to his son driving the boat through the calm waves as they set their course for home.
“Oh, come on, father!” the son whines jokingly as he sees the camera pointed right at him, unable to stop a giggle from escaping his muzzle.
“Oh, don’t be so shy, White Flag,” the father says. “Your mother wants to see her grown up son steering a boat all by himself.” A faint blush appears on the young stallion, fumbling his four-fingered hands over the helm as he tries to concentrate without having to look embarrassed in front of his father filming.
White Flag turns the helm slightly left, allowing the boat to steer back to its original path with ease. So far, everything is beautifully quiet and peaceful. Another big gust of wind pushes the boat ahead. Still filming, White Flag’s father pans the camera away from his son as soon as he spots a large school of fish swimming towards the surface just underneath them. The colorful reflections on each fish’s scales from Celestia’s sunrays look as if there is a rainbow underwater. Unfortunately, the father’s camera only captures in black and white.
Besides from the downgrade in his camera, something else almost leaves the middle age orange stallion perplexed. The school fish are rather close to the surface, a few almost popping out of the water, then suddenly diving several meters. They could be running away from some predators, he wonders.
“Hey, father,” White Flag calls. When the old stallion turns around, he sees his son with a look of worrisome as he stares out towards the starboard side.
“What is it, White Flag?” the father asks, slowly veering his eyes in the general direction.
“I… I think I see some bubbles.” With a raised eyebrow, the father hops over to the opposite side, the film camera still in his hand. As he peers over the edge, his eyes do spot an incredibly thin layer of foam spread out in tiny chunks a few meters away.
“Do you see it, dad?” his son calls again.
“I do, son,” he replies. “They’re not bubbles, though. Looks like sea foam.”
“Oh… because, from a distance it looked like—”
A sudden rumble rocks the boat in all directions, as if they hit a hard wave. Both earth ponies stumble, nearly falling on their flanks.
“What was that?!” White Flag begins to panic.
“Don’t worry, son,” the father tries to reassure, holding on to the mast as support. “P-probably an underwater quake.”
“How’s there a fault line near Equestria?”
“Um… well…” The stallion stammers as he tries to regain his balance. Though, his son does have a point. There are no fault lines anywhere near Equestria.
The rocking finally subsides after less than a minute. Of course, the father and son are no strangers to rough waves. They have tackled much violent ones. However, for a boat to be rolling around calm waves like it just hit a big one perplexes them. Unless, something just hit their boat.
“Are you okay, White Flag?” the father turns to his son, nearly losing his grip on his camera. He makes his way to him, his free hand keeping close to any solid object incase the boat hits another rough wave.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
The father hops over and begins to take over the helm as his son watches his mentor do his work while holding the camera. Spinning the wheel a hard left, the boat readjusts itself to a slight stable position.
“There we are,” he coos, before turning back to his son with a proud smile on his face. “Nothing too serious. Probably something going on underwater.”
“I hope you’re right, old stallion,” White Flag teases a little.
“Hey, who are you calling old?” the father jokingly argues, before the two break out into a light laugh.
Again, the rumbling from below reappears, abruptly stopping the two. This time, there is no trembling. Looking around to find the source, White Flag suddenly catches several bubbles constantly fizzing on the surface.
“Father,” he points.
Both stallions rush towards the starboard side, White Flag holding up the film camera to catch whatever may be that is causing the bubbling. Peering over the side, the father only sees the dozens of tiny bubbles rising up through the clear crystal blue ocean that goes on without end.
“See anything, father?” White Flag asks filming the ocean.
He shakes his head. “Nothing…”
Then, he sees something. A faint dark smudge just emerging from the deep blue, quickly ascending close to where they are. The rumbling grows with each passing second as the shadow rapidly clears until both stallions feel their boat begin to vibrate. It is then before the father could yell the surface explodes uncomfortably close to the boat, swiping both stallions off their hooves and on the hardwood deck. Seawater splashes all around, and the air quickly turns to a smoldering smell of something burning.
Still holding the film camera firmly in his hand, but drenched in water, White Flag clamps his eyes shut to a terrible roar, as if it were a giant dragon. As he opens both eyes, they quickly dilate as the giant entity splashes down. Another wave, though smaller, shoves the boat away from whatever surfaced, sending the young white stallion sliding and losing his grip on the camera. Quickly smacking it next to a small rope pile, White suddenly slams into the edge, his hind hooves catching him before the young stallion slid overboard. Feeling a painful numb on his legs and side, the White looks up to see what thing blew up the water surface.
It is nothing like any dragon to what he sees. The beast is still screaming that terrible low roar, and White's heart beats like a heavy drum as his eyes catch the immense creature. Its body is sleek and black, and has a long rectangular shaped fin on the top. Struggling to get up, but his entire body feeling like jelly, White can do nothing but lie still, watching in such fear he has never felt before in his young life before slipping away.
