The Lost City of Equalantis

Chapters

Chapter One - Digging up Dirt
Chapter Two - Hoisting Sails
Chapter Three - Eight Problems
Chapter Four - Descent Into Darkness

Chapter One - Digging up Dirt

The blazing heat from the afternoon sun radiated out amidst Sweet Apple Acres, saturating the air like a warm blanket. On the Apple family farm, Applejack and Big Macintosh were outside of the homestead digging a long, deep trench in the dirt.

"I tell ya what," said Applejack, wiping her brow from all of the physically exhausting labor of digging, "this might just be one of the best ideas you've ever had Big Mac. I always thought this patch of dirt needed a little somethin' to spruce it up a little, and a pond is perfect."

Big Mac nodded in agreement, and then continued to dig out more dirt. They continued digging for several more minutes until suddenly, a metallic sound came out of nowhere as Applejack thrust her shovel into the dirt for the thousandth time.

"Another rock," she grumbled. "This one looks like it's the biggest so far."

Big Mac came over to help as Applejack tested the dirt around it to find the edge so she could pry it loose from the ground. Once she found it, they attempted to pry it loose, to no avail.

"It's not budgin'!" Applejack exclaimed, exhaustively.

After much more labor, it quickly became apparent that what they were unearthing was not a rock at all. Rectangular in shape, made from old wooden boards and rusty metal hinges, Applejack curiously observed the object as they finished removing the dirt from around it.

"Huh," she pondered quizzically, "it's almost as if it's some sort of--"

Apple Bloom appeared from behind them, atop the edge of the trench. "A treasure chest? Is that a treasure chest?"

For a brief moment of excitement, she wasn't sure if she wanted to jump down the several feet drop in front of her or go the long way around to safely get down. But she decided to hurriedly trot around the other side of the trench instead.

"I dunno," said Applejack. "But it sure looks like one."

"Well what are we waitin' for?" Apple Bloom replied expressively.

"Now wait just a minute," said Applejack, "we don't know what could be in there. It could be, um...something that's not ours, or somethin' bad!"

Apple Bloom groaned.

Big Macintosh looked somewhat uneasy. "You don't think..." His voice trailed off.

Applejack seemed confused for a moment, until she realized what she thought he was implying. "Nopony got buried here, Big Mac. Besides, this is fertile lands. Ya don't bury somepony where rain tends to gather."

Somewhat reassured, he came to the wooden box and dusted off the top. Two rusted metal hinges kept the top closed, but nothing in particular was holding them down.

"Come on, AJ," Apple Bloom begged, "can't we just see what's inside?"

"Oh, alright," Applejack agreed, and opened each of the latches keeping the top of the chest closed. With a loud, obnoxious creak, she opened the chest with both hooves. All three of them looked down into the chest with wide, curious eyes. Inside was simply a piece of cracked and crumpled parchment. The edges were torn in several places and the writings were nearly white-washed, but the general geography of Equestria could be made out.

"A treasure map!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

Applejack thought for a moment to first be rational and assess the other possibilities, but the excitement of the situation was too much for her to handle. "I can't believe we found a treasure map!" She carefully lifted the parchment from the bottom of the chest, and bits of dirt and dust rolled off of it. She blew some air over it to get a better look.

An inscription on the bottom right corner of the map caught her eye and she read it aloud. "Ye who possess this here map: follow the path marked wisely, and beware all obstacles. At yonder place where the X appears is where the treasure of Scraggle Beard the pirate be hidden."

"Scraggle Beard?" said Apple Bloom.

"I suppose ponies names were more descriptive back then," replied Applejack. Her mind raced at what needed to be done next. They couldn't just get up and leave. Who would take care of the farm? The map said there would be dangers, and she wouldn't willingly let her little sister embark on such a venture. There were just so many things that needed to be figured out or planned before she would feel even remotely comfortable going through with something as intensive as a real-life treasure hunt.

The answer was simple, Applejack realized. "We need to talk to Twilight."

"A TREASURE MAP?" Twilight exclaimed giddily. "Oh, I've always dreamed of going on a treasure hunt but I never thought I'd actually get to."

"So," said Applejack, "you think we oughtta plan everything out beforehand?"

"In most circumstances, yes, but there's only so much you can do to plan for a treasure hunt." She said the words as if she'd just eaten a deliciously moist slice of cake. "I've read countless fiction novels about them. Trust me, you can't prepare for everything."

"Well, I suppose that's true."

"I'll gather everypony right now," said Twilight as she rushed out the door of the castle and into Ponyville, leaving Applejack alone in her foyer.

The sound of hoof on crystal echoed from down the hall, and Starlight Glimmer came into the room.

"Uh, howdy," said Applejack.

"Hi," replied Starlight. "Did I hear something about a treasure map?"

"Yep," Applejack replied as she pulled out the map from a saddlebag to show her.

"Huh, it looks really old. Nothing like the old spells written on dusty parchment that Twilight has laying around."

"I didn't think it was that old." The excitement picked up in her voice. "Gosh, this really is somethin' special aint it? What do you think it leads to? Gold? Diamonds?" Applejack caught herself from becoming too excited. "I mean, I'm just a simple country gal, but I'd be lyin' if I said the thought of findin' buried treasure didn't excite me a little."

"It really is something special," replied Starlight. "Can I see it?"

Applejack gave her the map.

"Hmm, it's kind of difficult to make out, but it looks like the X is somewhere in the Southern Celestial Sea. Farther than I've ever traveled, that's for sure. Most maps of Equestria don't show the outer fringes like this one does."

In the lull of conversation, the sounds of claws on crystalline echoed from the other direction.

"Hello Applejack, Starlight," said Spike. He was reading a comic book and continued reading it with the pages obscuring his view until he'd reached them and his eyes widened. "Is that a treasure map?"

"Sure is," Applejack reiterated. "We found it while digging a trench out by the farm, and now we're just waiting for Twilight to gather everypony so we can figure out what to do."

"Wow, a real treasure map? That's awesome! Where's it lead?"

"Somewhere far," she replied, and then felt an odd sensation to the left behind her.

Pinkie Pie loomed over Applejack's flank as she observed the piece of parchment. "Ooh, is that a treasure map?"

"...Yes. Where in the hay did you come from?"

Pinkie motioned towards the door, which consequently opened to reveal Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity.

"There you are, Pinkie" said Twilight. "I was wondering where you were. So, no doubt everypony is up to speed, yes?"

"Yep," said Rainbow Dash, "I'm ready. Let's go!"

"Um, can we get a good night's rest first? I need to make sure all my pets are ready to be on their own for awhile," said Fluttershy.

"And I need to gather some travel apparel," added Rarity. "Something that says: adventure."

"Okay, hold your hooves," Twilight addressed everyone. "We'll get situated this afternoon, and we'll leave tomorrow at dawn. Does that sound good to everypony?"

A sea of nods and agreement were given to her.

"I'll get some ropes and adventuring stuff," said Dash. "I've got some novel-accurate Daring Do props that we can use."

Twilight rolled her eyes in dorkish delight as Rainbow Dash left.

"I'll pack us some snacks!" added Pinkie Pie.

"I need to fix up some things on the farm before we leave," said Applejack.

"I'll be at my cottage prepping my pets for my departure," said Fluttershy.

"Apparel," said Rarity, leaving Twilight, Spike and Starlight Glimmer alone in the foyer.

"So," said Starlight, "what should I do?"

"Well..." Twilight's voice trailed off, "actually, we need somepony to stay here in case any friendship problems would arise. I think you're ready to take on that responsibility."

Starlight wasn't sure whether to feel annoyed or happy to receive such a heartfelt compliment. She wasn't wrong, though. Everypony up and leaving Ponyville wasn't really a good idea, considering their reputations as bearers of the elements of harmony. Starlight didn't hold such a responsibility, so it was only logical that she would stay. "Well, I guess that's true...what about Spike?"

"What, me?" Spike replied defensively. "Friendship problems? Doesn't sound like something I'd be good at."

Twilight glared moderately at him.

Spike sighed. "Well, I am pretty great and powerful. I'm sure the skillset transfers over...if they have to..."

"I'm still not sure," said Twilight. "What if something that requires magic comes up out of nowhere and nopony in Ponyville is here to stop it?"

"Hey, I could handle--"

Starlight sighed. "You've got a point. I'll stick around here and hold the fort while you're gone."

"You sure?" Twilight replied.

"I'm sure."

"Thanks Starlight," Twilight replied graciously.

It really did mean a lot to Starlight that Twilight trusted her with such a high responsibility. It seemed like it really wasn't all that long ago since she redeemed herself and began the process of learning the value of friendship. After Twilight and Spike left to make preparations for their journey, Starlight became more comfortable with the idea of staying behind. She'd had plenty of adventures already, and was honored to keep things running smoothly in her teacher's absence.

The familiar morning sun rose slowly into the sky, lighting up Ponyville and reminding everypony who dared to be awake at such an hour that their beloved leader Celestia was watching over them. Outside of the Apple Family homestead, the sextet of pony adventurers plus dragon were doing their last-minute goodbyes and preparations for the undoubtedly long journey that they were about to embark upon.

"Now, you're sure you two can handle runnin' the farm while I'm gone?" Applejack asked Big Mac and Apple Bloom. Big Mac gave her an uninterested look, and Apple Bloom still seemed bummed out that she wasn't allowed to go.

"I'll take that as a yes, and a 'eyup'," continued Applejack.

Starlight spoke to Twilight. "How long do you think you'll be gone for?"

"I'm not sure, but it'll be at least a week or two. I've never traveled so far in my life, so I don't have much to go off."

"Well," said Starlight, "I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks," Twilight replied with a smile. "You too."

Rainbow Dash was doing loops in the sky to pass the time, but eventually got bored and vocalized her desire to leave. "Come on, let's go!"

"Alright," said Twilight. "Well, here we go."

The seven of them began their journey with the morning sun directly in front of them, casting their shadows far over the landscape behind them. Pinkie Pie was playing the role of navigator as she held the map in front of her in the front of the pack.

Applejack stopped for a moment and gathered her bearings before trotting up to Pinkie Pie.

"Uh, Pinkie Pie?" said Applejack.

"Mhm?" Pinkie Pie acknowledged.

"You've got the map rotated sideways."

"Uh, girls?" said Twilight. "The train station is that direction."

She was met with briefly surprised stares.

"Oh," said Applejack. "Yeah..."

Chapter Two - Hoisting Sails

A loud whistle followed by the slow build-up of mechanical momentum set the train in motion towards the southern region of Equestria. And there was going to be plenty of time to reflect and think as they made the journey to as far as the locomotion would take them. For several hours, they rested and enjoyed the views of the landscape passing by.

Sitting in the corner of their cabin, Twilight had the map sprawled out on the seat next to here, as well as a saddlebag full of relevant texts she had packed for the journey.

"Don't you think packing books was a bit unnecessary, darling?" said Rarity.

Twilight briefly found herself more amused than annoyed at Rarity's question, since the mare herself had packed at least ten different outfits for herself. Twilight gave her a quick roll of her eyes and a small smile in response. "I'm reading about the area the map appears to be guiding us."

She had the attention of everypony now. "Apparently, the Southern Celestial Sea has had its fair share of mysterious disappearances in the past. Many sailor-ponies and pirates of times past became lost in the sea in sudden weatherstorms."

"Pssh, nothing I couldn't take care of," said Rainbow Dash, arrogantly.

"Maybe so," Twilight continued, "but that's not all that's weird about it. There's an ancient legend that attempts to explain the mysterious phenomena which says that the disappearances are due to more than just natural weather accidents."

"Like what?" Pinkie Pie interjected. "Pirates? Ghosts? Aliens?"

"No," replied Twilight. She paused for dramatic effect. "The legends say that long ago, there was an ancient race of ponies that inhabited an island in the Southern Celestial Sea, and on that island was the entirety of their civilization. It's been said that they held great technological powers, even more advanced than the feats of science and engineering we've accomplished today."

"What kind of technology?" said Rarity.

"Nopony is entire sure," Twilight continued, "but there have been rumors of course. Things like flying machines, advanced medicine, biological enhancements, communication through the air..."

"What's so special about flying or communicating through the air?" Said Rainbow Dash. "I can do both." She stopped for a moment. "Nevermind, carry on..."

"Um...what kind of biological...enhancements?" asked Applejack.

"I don't know," said Twilight. "All of these things are just rumors passed down for generations. Nopony really knows how true they are, if at all. It's not even determined if they ever existed. And if they did, they disappeared."

"So..." Fluttershy gently raised her voice, "where did they go?"

"Nopony knows for sure," said Twilight, "but it's been theorized that the island sunk below the ocean's surface and their civilization was lost in the process."

"That's hogwash," said Applejack, "an island don't just disappear overnight."

"Maybe if it was cotton candy," said Spike as he noticed Pinkie Pie grabbing more than a hoof-ful of h'orderves from a nearby food cart.

"Well," continued Twilight, "it is just a legend after all, but I thought it was interesting. There's often a grain of truth to most ancient stories and legends."

"Pardon me for being a tad obtuse," said Rarity, "but what good is an X in the middle of a sea on a map going to do if we want to find it?"

"I thought the same thing at first," Twilight explained, "but it appears that this map possesses magical properties. It's very subtle, but I've noticed a small shift in perspective as we've been on the train. It appears that the closer we get to the X, the more detailed the map becomes."

"Well ain't that neat," said Applejack.

"Quite," added Rarity.

"Mmmmmm," said Pinkie Pie, who had just taken a bite of a sugary confection.

Several more hours passed as the train traversed further through the landscape until they had reached a small port town near the southern peninsula. The voice of the conductor came over the intercom. "Attention, everypony. We will be reaching the end of the line shortly. Please collect your belongings and prepare to disembark. Thank you."

As the train came to a stop, everybody grabbed their saddlebags and left the train to set hoof on the outdoor cobblestone station. The air was warm and wet, and a salty sea breeze blew ferociously towards them. Further down towards the waterfront was a small village and a dock in the calm bay. They made their way down towards the dock and set hoof on the old, creaky boards. The soft sounds of lapping water and gulls permeated the air as they walked down the aisle with extravagant boats on either side.

"So which boat did you rent?" asked Rarity. She was eyeing a particularly exquisite and stark white sailboat with elegant sails and a glossy finish.

"Turn around," Twilight replied.

Behind them was a simple wooden sailboat with slightly tattered sails. It wasn't very big, but it would suffice for the seven of them. A simple wooden steering wheel was located on the bow and a square opening on the floor was located on the stern, presumably for storage and sleeping.

"I should have figured..." said Rarity as she began to board the boat with everyone else, climbing up a steep wooden plank onto the top.

Fluttershy watched her hooves carefully as she climbed up the plank with water on both sides beneath her. She wasn't particularly scared of water, as she could always fly away if she needed to. It was rather the things under the water that scared her most.

"So you think we can wear eye patches and stuff?" Asked Rainbow Dash, rhetorically of course. "I've always wanted to be a pirate."

"Argh, me matey!" said Pinkie Pie, shaking her hoof and closing one eye.

"Alright," said Twilight. "We're gonna need everypony's help to keep this ship sailing smoothly. Dash and Fluttershy, you two will be in charge of the sails. Make sure they stay aligned and working properly. Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you will be in charge of navigation. As for you and I, Applejack, we'll cover anything else that needs doing."

"Aye aye, captain!" said Pinkie Pie.

"What about me?" asked Spike.

"You can swab the poop deck," joked Rainbow Dash. Spike gave her a raised eyebrow.

Twilight gave Spike a real answer. "Keep an eye out for anything interesting. We'll need to have someone in the crow's nest to spot things from far away."

"You got it," Spike gladly replied as he climbed up to the crow's nest.

"Here Rarity," continued Twilight as she levitated the map in her direction, "you hold onto the map and let us know if anything interesting happens, okay?"

"Aye aye," Rarity replied in a laughably odd accent.

"Everypony set?"

Everypony nodded.

"Alright," said Twilight Sparkle. With the salty winds blowing in her face, staring out over the endless ocean before them, she raised on hoof into the air and shouted four words that she'd been waiting to say for hours. "LET DOWN THE SAILS!"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy let loose the ropes holding the sail together in a small roll at the top of the mast. With the soft sounds of rippling fabric falling downwards towards the floor of the ship, they suddenly surged forward away from the bay as the wind caught the sails. Within seconds, they were already fairly far away from the shore and heading out into the open waters of the Southern Celestial Sea.

"This is amazing!" said Rainbow Dash, who was flying by as the ship bounced through the waves splashing beneath the bow. Fluttershy had quickly put her hooves on dry planks, wanting nothing to do with flying over open water.

"A little bumpy, I'd like to add," said Rarity just as the boat crashed over another wave, the map remaining stationary in the air above her.

Applejack stood with both hooves on the steering wheel of the ship, her eyes focused and unwavering. "Doin' the best I can, Rarity!"

"Oh, it's nothing a pony can't get used to," said Rarity.

A faint noise came from far above them in the crow's nest. "Hey, there's a telescope up here!" said Spike.

Several uneventful hours passed as the view of the shore behind them faded away beyond the horizon. Now the water truly filled their views in every direction. Everypony but Applejack who was steering the ship and Spike who was keeping an eye out had surrendered themselves into the small hull near the back of the ship.

"How's the map, Rarity?" asked Twilight.

"Everything looks normal to me."

The map had zoomed further in, and the coastline was barely visible on the northern side. In every other direction was, presumably, open waters.

"Oh, um...maybe there is something. What's this symbol supposed to mean?"

"Symbol? What symbol?" replied Twilight. She rushed over to her. "Is it the X?"

"No, it's some sort of blob with squiggly marks coming off of it. Really, whoever made this magical map had no sense of artistic direction."

Twilight looked at the map. "Rarity...how many squiggles is that?"

"...Eight, I think?"

"I hope that isn't what I think it might be..."

Pinkie Pie chimed in with her usual optimism. "Maybe there's a squished spider stuck on the paper?"

Fluttershy and Rarity's faces became disturbed, both for similar but different reasons. The mellowed voice of Applejack came from outside. "Uhhh, everypony should probably come out here now!"

Outside, the weather had become cloudy and the winds were blowing colder. "What is it?" said Rainbow Dash. "I can't see anything!"

"Something was in the water over there!" Spike replied from atop the crow's nest.

"Well where did it go?"

Dash's question was promptly answered by the sudden impact on the left side of the ship, sending a splash of water spraying over top of it and over everyone on the deck. Moments later, eight large tentacles rose into the air on both sides of the ship and began to thrash about in every which direction.

"Coming down!" Spike yelled in complete fear as he jumped from the crow's nest. Twilight caught him with her magic before he hit the deck.

Twilight set him down on the deck. Things were about to get serious.

Chapter Three - Eight Problems

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"Uhh, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked nervously. "Was this in your books?"

One of the slimy, dripping tentacles tipped forwards and began to sweep towards the deck, smashing into pile of crates sending wood and splinters flying in every direction.

"Now's probably not the time!" Twilight replied, readying her horn for magic. Standing together in the middle of the deck with eight tentacles surrounding the ship, everybody readied themselves for whatever was about to happen next. Spike cowered behind Twilight's rear leg, Rainbow Dash rose quickly into the air, Rarity's horn glowed with magic, Pinkie Pie put on a determined face, Applejack stood by some crates, and Fluttershy was already high, high up in the air.

An ear-piercing screech and a thundering roar put tension into the air right before another tentacle came crashing down directly onto the deck with a loud thud. Waves around the ship were created as the ship was pushed into the water several feet from the impact, and the tentacle began to thrash back and forth. Taking action, Applejack readied some random debris on top of the crates and started using her hooves to buck them at the tentacles. With her hind-legs, she bucked the debris towards the tentacle on the ship's deck. It stopped for a moment, then rose into the air directly towards her.

Applejack took a step backwards as the tentacle moved towards her. "Uhh, little help somepony?"

"Over here, you wet, slimy behemoth!" Rarity called out from the other side of the tentacle. She tossed a piece of broken crate at it with her horn but it seemed un-phased and continued to move towards Applejack. She backed up further towards the edge of the boat until her hind-legs were up against the railing.

"Jump over!" Rarity called out.

"What? The edge? Why in Equestria would I do that?"

"No, the tentacle!"

Applejack readied herself, charging towards the tentacle as it swept down towards her. In the last moment before impact, she kicked up from the deck into the air over it and found herself much higher above the ground than she expected. She flew towards Rarity, whose horn was glowing white, and landed next to her.

Meanwhile, Twilight had positioned herself near the edge of the ship to cast a spell on the water nearby. Her horn glowed coldly and a beam of white burst from it onto the choppy waters, freezing the area around one side of the ship. But the tentacles quickly broke free, so she continued the process and built upon the ice over and over.

Spike leaned over the edge and watched, unsure of what he could do to help at this moment.

Rainbow Dash had risen higher into the air to gain a better vantage point. Below her she saw all eight tentacles, four per side of the ship, sprawled out around the deck like they were trying to crush it in half. Thinking quickly, she circled downwards and flew as fast as she could on one side just above the water. A whirlpool quickly formed on that side of the ship and the tentacles on the other began to shrink down into the water due to being pulled from the whirlpool.

"What should I do?" Rarity called out helplessly.

"Help me load the cannon!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed from the other side of the ship.

"What? We have a cannon?" Rarity and Twilight both replied in unison as Rarity galloped over to Pinkie Pie.

"You can't seriously think I wouldn't have packed my party cannon!" Pinkie Pie answered them. "Rarity, load one of your bags!"

"What? Why my bags?"

"Because, they're heavy!"

"Well, I suppose that's true..." said Rarity as she quickly retrieved one of her bags from a nearby crate.

Pinkie quickly loaded it into the cannon and lit the fuse, sending one of Rarity's bags at one of the tentacles in the air around the ship. It hit with a soft thud and several colored fabrics fell out above the water.

"My sailor-pony designs..."

"Next bag!" Pinkie Pie ordered.

Rarity reluctantly grabbed another one of her bags and Pinkie shot it towards another tentacle and a shower of food bits exploded in every direction.

"The fine cuisine I packed for celebration..."

"Got any more?"

"I suppose..." replied Rarity, grabbing one more bag.

"Ready? Aim...Fire!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with vigor and excitement as she lit the fuse on her cannon, sending a barrage of fashion supplies at one of the tentacles in an explosion of color. The ear-piercing screech returned and that tentacle retreated into the water.

"What was in that bag?" said Applejack as she bucked another piece of debris at a tentacle. "My efforts ain't doin' much!"

"My collection of sewing needles..." Rarity replied dejectedly.

"Uhh, girls?" interrupted Twilight. Her ice barrier had broken and another tentacle came thrashing downwards in a swiping motion, knocking the four of them off their hooves. Twilight lost her grip on the map, and it landed near the edge of the ship where water was intended to drain out from. From the ground, Twilight called out to Spike. "Grab the map!"

"On it!"

Spike quickly ran towards the map, only to suddenly find himself leaning sideways.

"I think that's enough whirlpool Dash!" Twilight called out again.

The eight-tentacled creature was beginning to get sucked into the whirlpool, but so was the ship. The map began to roll towards the other side of the ship as the whirlpool sucked them in further and further. Spike scampered downwards along the deck, digging his claws into it to keep traction. The map was now sitting precariously on the railing of the ship, and the whirlpool was spinning full force.

"Spike!"

"Map, I know!"

"No, watch out!"

In an apparently last ditch effort, the creature extended one more tentacle towards their ship, knocking Spike into the air, and the map as well. The ship was nearly vertical as it spun around the center of the whirlpool and the creature disappeared beneath the surface. Like a bolt of lightning, Rainbow Dash flew towards Spike and caught him above the water's surface. The map however, was not caught, and began to slowly disappear below the surface.

"The map!" Spike called out as Rainbow Dash let him down on the deck of the ship. The whirlpool had begun to subside and everybody was regathering their bearings.

Rainbow Dash quickly flew down in an attempt to retrieve the map, but the creature resurfaced in that very spot, showing its rows of sharp teeth and horrifying mouth as it screeched directly into Dash's face before diving beneath the surface once more. She flew back to the deck to meet with everybody else.

"Did you get the map?" Asked Applejack. Dash's face gave her the answer.

"Consarn it," Applejack continued. "What in Equestria are we supposed to do now?"

Twilight pondered for a moment, but couldn't think of anything. "I don't know..."

"Major bummer..." said Pinkie Pie.

"My sewing collection..." added Rarity.

"Well, at least we're all alright," said Twilight. "One, two, three...where's Fluttershy?"

"Over here!" said the faint voice of Fluttershy from a faraway distance. She was above the water but below the deck of the ship on the other side. They rushed over, only to see the yellow pegasus gently massaging the monstrous creature's tentacle that had tried to attack them just moments prior.

Applejack stood in awe. "What in the..."

"The poor little guy had urchins stuck all over his suction cups," said Fluttershy as she plucked one out.

Mouths still agape, they watched as Fluttershy finished consoling the monster, returning with the map in her hooves.

"The map!" exclaimed Twilight. "How did you--nevermind. All that matters is we're safe and we still have the map."

Fluttershy handed it to her. It was soaked with water, but the writing appeared to still be okay. The eight-squiggled symbol on the map slowly faded away, leaving only their ship in the middle and the open ocean surrounding them on all sides.

"Well, that was quite the surprise," said Applejack. "But the map did say there might be trouble."

"Well, let's just hope that's the worst of our troubles," replied Rarity as she began the lengthy process of wringing the water out of her mane.

An hour or so later, they had mostly cleaned up the damage that the creature had done to their ship. Spike was sweeping up splinters on the deck, Rarity was styling her mane, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were scrubbing off the slimy residue left by the tentacles, and Rainbow Dash was steering the ship.

"Keep on swabbin' the poop deck, mateys!" Dash called out from behind the helm of the ship.

Spike looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. "I think it's time for somepony else to steer."

Before any further discussion could result, Twilight came out from inside the ship. "It looks like we might be getting somewhere. There's a symbol on the map that I don't quite recognize."

Rarity stopped styling her mane. "Does it have eight squiggles on it?"

Twilight smiled. "No, it looks like an island."

"Land?" Asked Rainbow Dash. "Where? I don't see anything on the horizons."

Twilight looked for herself. "Hmm...that's weird. It should be right over...there!"

She gestured to the right of the boat and looked at the map. Their position was in the center and the symbol was to the right, but now it appeared to be heading north as if they had just passed it.

"Turn around," said Twilight.

"Aye aye, captain," replied Rainbow Dash as she pulled the ship's helm to the right. The symbol on the map appeared again and they slowly began to approach it.

"Hoist the sails to slow our speed," she instructed. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew towards the mast and pulled the ropes to let the sail up into the air. The ship slowed until they were no longer moving swiftly in the water.

"Hmm, it should be right here," Twilight reiterated. She looked out to the side of the boat to where the symbol appeared to be but saw nothing except empty water stretching all the way to the horizon.

Fluttershy landed softly next to her. "Um...could it be that it's...under the water?"

Based on how Fluttershy had said it, Twilight realized it wasn't exactly something she was excited about. "Maybe. But there's only one way to find out."

"I don't suppose there is a submarine attached to this vessel, is there?" said Rarity.

"Unfortunately not," Twilight replied as she trotted over to an unopened crate. Her horn glowed with magic as she opened it up and lifted 7 light tan diver's suits.

Rainbow Dash oogled, Applejack looked uneasy, Spike did a hoof bump with Pinkie Pie, Rarity sighed and Fluttershy turned pale.

"Drop the anchor," said Twilight with a grin. "We're going under."

Chapter Four - Descent Into Darkness

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Click for atmosphere. Or rather, watersphere :)

Or whatever combination of greek/latin words to make up a word. Whatever. Just click it.

After putting on and packing her dive suit with whatever useful items she could fit, Twilight came towards the edge of the ship and peered into the water below. She checked the map one more time. Whatever it is that was supposed to be indicated by the symbol was directly in front of where she was looking. She just wondered what it was going to be.

Behind her, the rest had put on their diver's suits. The light tan suits completely covered their body and legs, and thick metal helmets covered their heads with only a small glass circle to see out the front.

"Well, I suppose doing my mane was an entirely useless effort..." said Rarity as she donned the helmet, her voice becoming muffled in the process.

"Echo! Echo!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with her helmet on.

"You sure this is the best way a' goin' about things, Twilight?" Asked Applejack. She was putting her hooves into the suit.

"Yes," she replied. "As far as I know, there aren't any spells that allow you to breathe underwater."

The rest put on their diving suits, including Spike, whose suit was considerably smaller but helmet the same size. He put it on and wobbled slightly to the left before regaining his balance.

"Is everypony ready?" Asked Twilight.

"I suppose so," said Fluttershy.

"You bet! Let's do this!" replied Rainbow Dash.

"Wait--" said Twilight, but with a trot and a dive, Rainbow Dash jumped over the edge of the ship and plummeted into the water.

"Wait, Rainbow Dash, we're supposed to--" Twilight stopped herself and dove after her.

Pinkie Pie galloped to the edge and jumped off. "CANNON BALL!"

Following suit, Rarity, Applejack, Spike and Fluttershy jumped off the edge into the water beside the ship. Underneath the surface, Twilight's horn glowed with magic and slow blue tendrils made their way out from her towards everybody like a spiderweb.

"Hello? Can everypony hear me?" said Twilight.

"Whoa, you can talk inside my head?" replied Rainbow Dash.

"Yes," Twilight replied with a sigh. "That's what I was trying to set up before getting in the water."

"Oh, sorry."

"No worries. All's good. Everypony else there?" A series of responses confirmed her query. "Okay, let's head downwards and see what this is all about."

Twilight ran a rope through each of their suits, tying them together to ensure they couldn't drift too far apart. As they descended, the shimmers of light from the sun above the surface gradually became dimmer as they descended further into darkness. Above was the light blue color of seawater in sunlight and below was the gradient of blue to black in a seemingly never-ending abyss. The eerily silent sounds beneath the surface filled their helmets, as well as any noise that anybody made due to Twilight's spell that tethered their voices together.

"Fluttershy, are you doing alright?" Asked Rainbow Dash. The sounds of more rapid breathing were filling up everybody's helmets.

"I'm...okay," she replied and put on a more determined demeanor. "I'm fine. It's just that, well...anything could be out there...anywhere..."

Rainbow Dash slowly drifted towards her as they descended deeper into the darkness below, until she could see her directly through the small window in their helmets. "Fluttershy, if anypony here is the safest, it's you. Even that giant tentacled monster was happy to see you."

Fluttershy smiled and thanked Rainbow Dash.

After several minutes of delving deeper, a dim light far below them appeared in their vision. "Does everypony see that?" asked Twilight. It was a pale blue circle of light, but as they came closer, it became more pronounced and several others began appearing nearby. "What are those?"

"They look like big bubbles," said Pinkie Pie.

"But," Twilight replied, "bubbles can't possibly get that big under the immense surface pressure at such a depth."

Rainbow Dash entered the conversation. "Unless...somepony put them there."

They slowly neared closer to the light blue circle of light beneath them and things gradually became even more clear. Smaller objects and creatures appeared to be inside the bubble, moving about in every direction. Things suddenly became very apparent and they could see an entire city of bubbles with tubes connecting them along the sea floor. One larger bubble was in the center and several medium sized ones connected to it. Some smaller bubbles attached to those as well. The area nearby was lit by the light blue glow, casting shadows on any sort of features on the sea floor. Like a candle in the night, it was the only source of light in a sea of darkness.

"Somepony? I a'int heard of anypony making anything underwater like this before," said Applejack. "What kind of pony would live way down here?"

Twilight squinted her eyes looking inside the main bubble. She saw the faint figures of underwater creatures moving about inside. It didn't appear as though there was any air inside the bubble like she had previously assumed. She reasoned it must just be water at a lower pressure. "I think I know what kind of pony," Twilight replied. "Seaponies."

"Sea ponies?" said Rarity. "I thought those were just a myth."

"Apparently not so," Twilight replied. "I'm just as surprised as you are. In all my readings I've never come across any scientific literature about seaponies. Only folklore. If this is true, that there is a fourth race of ponies, then this is an absolutely monumental discovery!"

"Don't you mean fifth?" said Pinkie Pie. "Earth ponies, unicorn ponies, pegasus ponies, alicorn ponies and sea ponies?"

Twilight smiled. "Well, kinda. Alicorns are more of a combination of the three land-dwelling ponies."

"I thought they were just pegasus and unicorn?" replied Rainbow Dash.

"Well," replied Twilight, "that's a common misconception, you see--"

"Um," Fluttershy softly interrupted, "we appear to have been seen by somepony. They're heading right towards us."

Two mysterious-looking creatures swam up to them, their skins appearing to be scaly and black with two small blue eyes on their heads. Their forefins looked similar to theirs, but were more slim and flat. Their hindquarters were joined at the base and ended with a tail that flapped back and forth as they came closer towards them. A light atop one of their heads flicked on and shone across the seven of them in their diving suits.

A few moments of silence went by, before a blue tendril of magic appeared from the creature who had a light on their forehead. The tendril slithered through the water until reaching Twilight.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Who are you?"

"Uhhh," Twilight fumbled for words. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am the Princess of Friendship in the world above the surface. The world of Equestria. These are my friends and the bearers of the elements of harmony."

The tendril of magic shot back towards the two black creatures and they appeared to be conversing with one another. A couple seconds later, the connection was re-established. "Princess Twilight Sparkle," the creature addressed her. "We are the race of seaponies that reside in the city below the surface. The city of Equalantis."

Nobody could think of anything to say, so the voice continued. "Come, we'll bring you into our city and allow you to see things properly. Much like you, we wear these suits because the immense pressure of the water that surrounds us would be too difficult to withstand. Except in our case, we can also breathe in it."

The two seaponies grabbed hold of the rope that bound the seven of them together and dragged them towards the city of Equalantis. As they drew closer, they briefly saw a city of seaponies living within the domes before they descended into an underwater cave. The two seaponies led them through it for a bit, until reaching a room with a circular door at both ends. They let go of the rope and one of them closed off the door behind them. A strange sound emanated from all around them and the water vibrated slightly for several moments. Suddenly, they felt as if the pressure on their suits was considerably less.

"You can take off your diver suits," said one of the seaponies. He took off his own suit and hung it up on the wall nearby. He was a dark blue seapony with a unicorn's horn. The other seapony did the same, revealing himself to be a dark green seapony.

"But, we can't breathe in the water," said Rainbow Dash.

"Trust us, it will make the transition much easier. It will only take a moment."

"Transition? What transition?" Twilight replied.

"Well we certainly can't have you clunking around in those suits the entire time. Not to mention your limited air supply."

"You don't mean..." Twilight muttered, and then began to remove her diver's suit. She held her breath and took off the helmet.

Everybody else did the same. They held their breaths for several moments as the blue seapony's horn glowed a brilliant white color and surrounded them with an aura of magic. The water swirled gently at first, then began to pick up speed. Bubbles of air obscured their vision as the vortex picked up speed and the magic increased in magnitude. Then, in a brilliant flash of light and bubbles, it dissipated, revealing six seaponies. And one seadragon.

"Sweet heavens, we're seaponies!" exclaimed Applejack as she turned her head to look at her tailfin.

"Weeee!" Pinkie Pie squeed in delight as she swam around the small cylindrical enclosure.

"Hey, where did my wings go?" Rainbow Dash said disappointingly. "Ah, who cares. This is awesome!"

"Just think of the fabulous designs I could make for seaponies," said Rarity.

"And sea dragons," Spike added as he swam around getting used to his fishly appendages.

The circular door in front of them swung open and the two seaponies swam through it, revealing a colorful landscape beyond imagination. The domes they had seen on the sea floor were only scratching the surface. Below them was a vast, underwater cavern filled with buildings and homes that rivaled Canterlot and the Crystal Kingdom in complexity. Artificial lights and bio-luminescent organisms fully lit the cavern. It was a conically-shaped structure, with the point ending near the bottom far, far below them and rings of structures populated the outsides in several layers. Seaponies and some other marine creatures swam from place to place below them. What was on top of the sea floor was only the beginning. The city of Equalantis was more like a sprawling civilization.