An Angel from the Deep

  The Mane 6 waited for their train at the train station. "So, what's the meeting about?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I told you, I don't know, but it sounds very important. Celestia is counting on us to be there." "Hey, maybe she's throwing a surprise party for us!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, the hyper party pony. "When we get there, we might play Pin the Tail on the Pony, eat cake, dance, drink punch, do karaoke, eat cake, play Charades, go bobbing for apples, hit a pinata, eat cake, and how about..." She was interrupted by a hoof being shoved into her mouth. "Um, I'm pretty sure we're not going to be thrown a surprise party, Pinkie." said Twilight. Everypony was used to this demeanor out of their friend. "Oh well, at least I brought my Party Cannon!" she said cheerfully as a colorful cannon popped out of her saddlebag and shot a round of confetti. Twilight rolled her eyes.

  "ALL ABOARD WHO'S COMING ABOARD TO CANTERLOT!" shouted the conductor. All the ponies boarded the train to go to the capital city of Equestria. All the way, Twilight gazed out the window, daydreaming of meeting the mysterious mare. Her dreamy daze was interrupted by the screech of train brakes. They had arrived. "Ah, it's so wonderful to be back in Canterlot again!" sighed the fashionista, Rarity, as she stepped off the train. "Yes, it's a very beautiful place." said Fluttershy, following behind. The Mane 6 made their way to the castle, stopping now and then due to a certain pink pony wanting to sample some local, sweet delicacies. Eventually, they arrived at the castle courts. Just as the letter had said, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were waiting.

  "My friends, it is so good to see you." said the eldest as they entered. All of them bowed, even Twilight, though she was always forgetting she didn't have to since she was royalty now, too. "Princess Luna has witnessed an event of utmost importance. I will let her tell you all about it." The younger sister stepped forward. "Last night, I was watching my skies, making sure all was peaceful, when I noticed one of my stars seemed brighter than the rest. Not only that, but it seemed to be getting brighter. Suddenly, a beam of light streamed from it, and my horn released an uncontrollable beam to meet with it in the middle. Once they met, a scroll appeared from the clash. I was able to retrieve it." She hovered the scroll from a table in the corner of the room. "It's seal was one unlike any other I've seen, yet I still read it. It reads: To the royals of Equestria, tonight a prophecy has been fulfilled. The heavens declare that the new Element of Harmony has been revealed."

"A NEW ELEMENT OF HARMONY?!?!?!" cried the Mane 6 in shock.

  "But there can't be another one. That's impossible!" cried Twilight. "Without all the elements, they can't work!" "Settle down, dears. Let Luna finish." The princess nodded to her sister, and she continued. "This element is like no other. I know the elements still work without it, but it is not at all considered unneeded. I have heard of the sacrifice made in the Everfree Forest regarding the Tree of Harmony. If the keeper of the new element is found, she can give you the power you need in place of the elements, for she shall be a guardian. As you know, friendship is the main key to activating this power, so don't keep the guardian around just for your own benefit, but accept her as one of you, as a friend you will never betray. To the ex-keepers I say, be on the look out for this element. We don't know what it is yet, but you will realize it when you see it. I wish you the best of luck. Signed, Starswirled the Bearded."

The closing left Twilight gaping. "St...St...STARSWIRLED THE BEARDED?!?!?!?!" she exclaimed, once again in shock. "But he passed away hundreds of years ago! How could he be writing to us?!?!?!" "It is a sign from the heavens." stated Luna. "A prophecy has been fulfilled, and it is your duty to fulfill the rest. "But...but..." stuttered Twilight, "but what if we DON'T find the missing element?" "Twilight," whispered a timid, yellow pegasus, "you were able to discover the Element of Magic, so I'm sure you'll be able to find this element." The others agreed. "And once we do, we can throw a huge we-just-discovered-a-new-element party!" cried Pinkie Pie. Twilight giggled. "Thanks, everypony. It's just that I don't have a clue who this mystery mare..." Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she gasped a gasp a mile long, as if she just arrived at Equestria's largest library. "THAT'S IT!" she squealed. "THE MARE WHO SAVED US THAT NIGHT, SHE MUST BE THE MISSING ELEMENT! IF WE FIND HER, WE MIGHT DISCOVER WHAT THE MISSING ELEMENT IS! WAHOOOOOO!"

  She found herself hopping around the group in circles squealing "Yes!" quickly over and over. Everypony just watched her. Rainbow Dash facehoofed herself. "Gah, please don't tell me she's still obsessed with that so-called mystery mare." "Sorry, Dash, but it's true." replied Applejack. "Checked up on her earlier...on the beach." Everyone continued to look at the overly-excited mare, with Pinkie bouncing behind her, joining her fun. "Twilight, once again, CALM DOWN!" Celestia said with a raised voice. Twilight got an unsettled look on her face as she realized her sudden outburst and the princess' reaction. She stopped in her tracks, her cheeks turning bright red. "Have you settled down, now?" asked the princess. "Um...hehehe...yes." she replied.

  Roxanna swam through her window and under her bed where she kept all her land items. She dug them out from under the sand. She looked at all the treasures she and Squirt have gathered over the last few years. It was fun to try and guess what each thing was for. Roxanna found herself in a giggle fit thinking of the possibilities. "What's so funny, Angelfish?" asked Mordecai, entering the room. Roxanna's heart skipped a beat when she heard Mordecai. "N...N...Nothing Mordi." she stuttered. "I...I'm just daydreaming." "Under your bed?" He came over and lifted the sheets that draped over the edge. The two gave a long gasped at the sight of each other. Mordecai frantically looked at the pile of things that surrounded his daughter. "Wha...Wha...What IS ALL THIS?!?!?!?!" He dragged Roxanna out of the way and pushed the bed aside.

  Roxanna noticed that Squirt followed her and was looking through the window, a worried look on his face. She opened the window and held him like a scared child and her teddy bear. "I have a feeling these didn't just so happen to be here, were they?" asked Mordecai with an angry look on his face. Roxanna gulped as Mordecai clutched his staff harder. His staff, his magical staff, was a sign of power and authority in the sea. It was made of violet coral with a shiny, white pearl at the top, slightly hued a golden yellow. "WELL?" yelled Mordecai. "N...No." replied Roxanna. "I found them." "WE found them, sir." admitted Squirt, who couldn't bare see his best friend be the only one to blame. Mordecai raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "These little adventures you have with Roxanna, where do you go?" "Leave him alone!" cried Roxanna. "Silence!" replied Mordecai, his gaze returning to Squirt, who was trembling in Roxanna's arms. "We...We..." He looked up to Roxanna for an excuse, but she only lowered her head in surrender. "When I first came here, we found a sunken ship, and we found much of those things in it." "Roxanna, I don't believe what I'm hearing!" cried Mordecai. "You know Rule #23: Stay at least one hundred and fifty clam shells away from sunken land ships!" "There is no danger in them!" argued Roxanna. "Luck, dumb luck that ship was!" he replied. "You know how dangerous ships are. Your father back home is still recovering!"

  A week ago, her father was swimming too close to the surface, and he was accidentally hit by the rudder of a ship, nearly costing him his life. Miraculously, he survived and was taken in for treatments. Roxanna rubbed her arm. That event scared her dearly, but she wasn't going to let her surrender from her side of the argument. "Well, that was a MOVING ship." stated Roxanna. "And besides, we're not dealing with humans anymore." "But those creatures are still horrid, devilish, fish-eating scumbags who want nothing more than to rid of us!" "That's not true!" cried Roxanna. "They're kind, caring, wonderful ponies who want to learn more about us!"

Everything went silent.

  Then, Mordecai asked sternly and slowly, "How do you know all this?" Her pupils shrank as she realized what she was going to have to confess. "I...I..." "No, Roxanna don't tell me, you didn't...you didn't GO TO THE SURFACE, DID YOU?!?!?!"

Another moment of silence.

"ROXANNA!" shouted Mordecai, pounding his staff on the ground. "YOU DID, DIDN'T YOU? IT IS CLEARLY STATED AS RULE #1, NUMBER ONE, ROXANNA, THAT UNDER ANY UNREASONABLE CIRCUMSTANCES, CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN!"

"But if I never went up there, they would have died!"

"WHO, ROXANNA?"

"6 ponies, the evil sea spirits destroyed their ship and were drowning them! I had to do something, and just had to!"

"If you have had let them be, there'd be six less to worry about. And you say they want to learn about us? What better way than to kill us and gut us?"

"Lies, they are LIES!"

"ROXANNA!" he yelled once more. "I will NOT accept this ANYMORE! As long as you live under these seas, you will obey my rules. When these rules are broken, there are bad consequences. Roxanna, since you have broken your promise with me and your family, punishment must be issued.

  And with that, he levitated all of the land items with his staff. With it raised, he pounded it on the ground. Suddenly, all of Roxanna's precious land items incinerated with an underwater magic. Every last treasure Roxanna and Squirt collect perished forever. She threw herself to the ground and bursted into tears. Mordecai swam out the door, but not before taking one more look at Roxanna. He hated having to be so harsh, but it was the only way he could get through to her. He left the room, leaving a bawling Roxanna behind him.