“I believe you are ready to test out your healing spell now, Roxanna.”

The mentioned girl flipped through her spell once more, thinking back on the melody Mordecai played on his conch shell. Roxanna stood up (or, at least, the mermaid equivalent of standing), rolling her shoulders back and straightening up her back. She gazed forward at a wilting plant, brown and weak-looking; it wasn’t dead yet, but she doubted it could last much longer. Water rushed into her gills, giving her the energy she needed to fill Mordecai’s cavern with her song. The elder’s eyes closed as he smiled.

Before her eyes, Roxanna saw the plant begin to show signs of recovery. A healthy green returned to its leaves as it began to perk up from a slouching state. As soon as she finished her melody, she squealed like an elated fan girl, swimming over the plant and spinning around it in awe. “Mordecai! Looklooklook! Looooook!”

Mordecai chuckled. “Yes, dear, I can see that. It’s perfectly healed. I’m very proud of you.”

At that, Roxanna felt a surge of pride flow through her veins. For the first time since… well, for the first time actually, she was being praised for her magic. I wonder if Mommy and Daddy would be proud of me…

That evening, Mordecai rewarded Roxanna’s achievement with her favorite dessert of honeyed scallops. “The honey I used for this recipe was a gift from my brother. Sometimes he was sent to the above world back when he was a knight to your parents. He claimed to have received it from the remains of a shipwreck.”

“Did he tell you what the above world was like?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Just… wanna know.”

Mordecai wiped his mouth. “Well, I’ll have you know that the above world isn’t worth any of our time. He didn’t say anything to me about that place once he got back.”

Roxanna slumped in her seat. Guess I’ll go see for myself once I get back home…

Mordecai gave a quiet sigh to himself, not understanding this child’s fascination with the surface. In an attempt to change the subject, he said, “Now, seeing your success with your spell today, we will move on to a basic protection spell tomorrow. I feel that it is important that you are provided the resources needed to fend for yourself, even in these calm freshwaters. You never know what could attack.”

While slightly intrigued by the idea of self-defense, Roxanna was not in the mood to discuss it further. She picked at her treat, her mind roaming in a fantasy of what she was going to do once she returned to the surface that night to see her new land friend. A treasure… she needed a treasure to show Macintosh; that was their plan after all. But what to bring? It needed to be extra special, something that would really show how wonderful life underwater was. As she finished her snack, an idea popped into her mind. “Thanks for the meal, Mordecai! See you later!” With a burst of energy, she leaped from her chair and headed to her room, leaving a surprised and slightly confused merman at the table.

Roxanna dug through the suitcases she had next to her bed; apparently, that portal she came through was also handy as a luggage transporter. Her hands suddenly felt a hard box which prompted her to pull it out. She opened it up to reveal an assortment of jewelry; it was a simple jewelry box. She dug around once more until she found a simple necklace; a thin piece of rope (probably cut from a shipwreck) held two brilliant pearls with a pink seashell in between them, one that looked an awful like the one on her cutie mark now that she thought about it. Mentally throwing the coincidence aside, she put it on and examined herself in the mirror. The decorative pieces of the necklace settled just above her magenta bikini top. She recalled back to when she had first received this piece of jewelry and how her mother said it made her look like such a splendid young merlady. Roxanna brushed a thumb over the shell; a bit of hesitation was stuck in her mind.

What if Mommy and Daddy find out I gave it away? Would they be mad? Of course they would, I’m giving it to a land creature…

The young mermaid looked around her room to see if there was anything else she could give instead, only to see scattered suitcases and a few articles of clothing on the floor. Finally, she shrugged and tucked it away in a little purse before setting it by her bed. Just as she had hoped, the day rushed by, and the waters turned dark. After dinner, Roxanna let Mordecai tuck her into bed. The elder swam to bed himself leaving Roxanna to wait for his snores. After what seemed like an eternity, she leaped out of bed after she heard a snort from Mordecai’s bedroom. She snatched her purse and rushed out her window, not wasting any time to get to the surface. She had to swim up a bit down a connecting river to get to their meeting spot first, but she didn’t mind; a good swim reminded her of the endless blue of her Atlantic home. It still felt a bit creepy breaking through the waves and feeling… nothing. Goosebumps dotted along her arms as the cool night air drifted against her wet skin. If she had been told about air without visiting the upper world herself, the concept would have been impossible to comprehend.

Roxanna turned toward the shore and spotted the tall grass rustling. She ducked back into the water instinctively to avoid any chance of being attacked by an evil land creature, but a peek calmed her fears as she saw the familiar red figure trot through. She swam to the lakeside to meet Macintosh once again. The two smiled at each other.

“Howdy.” Macintosh knelt down and set his saddlebags in the sand. They looked packed with… whatever saddlebags could be packed with.

“Hi!” Roxanna grinned and dropped her purse next to her. “What’s in those bags?”

“Oh, just a little somethin’.” He chuckled before taking out a small picnic cloth and spreading it against the rocky ground. It wasn’t very smooth, but it would work. Macintosh pulled out an assortment of apple foods and arranged it onto the blanket. “Apple family specialties. Heh, Ah sneaked out as much as Ah could. Hopefully it ain’t too cold.”

“Food?” Roxanna gazed upon their small banquet. Although she had never had apples before, her mouth was already watering at the smell emanating from the treats. Why didn’t she think about bringing seafood to feed Macintosh? Perhaps next time she could pack a special snack for him, maybe catch a cod or a small pike on her way up. Well, she would have if she didn’t remember that ponies didn’t eat living things.

Macintosh hoofed over a small red apple. “Ya got apples underwater?” When Roxanna shook her head in reply, he continued. “This is whut mah family grows. We have the best apples in all of Equestria. Go on, try a bit.”

The mermaid examined the fruit in her hands. It felt smooth and shone in the moonlight. Slowly, she raised it up to her mouth and took a little bite. The sweet taste flowed over her tongue as she chewed it up, a dribble of juice trickling down her chin. She gulped it down and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Wow! That’s really good!”

“Ain’t it? All this is made from apples. Got some apple fritters right her, mah sis’s favorite.” Macintosh then gave her an apple fritter. Roxanna took no time at all to bite into it. She was in love with the warm, gooey treat. Soon enough she had tasted everything Macintosh had to offer from pie to cobbler to even cider (the non-alcoholic kind of course). The cider was the most interesting food she ate. From what she got out of Macintosh’s explanation, since ponies didn’t live in water, they needed to eat liquids in order to stay hydrated and alive. Roxanna was beginning to understand the need for it due to her mouth becoming slightly dry from no longer being submerged in the lake. Eventually, both of them got their fill and relaxed with each other on the beach, gazing at the moonlight together.

Roxanna noticed a purple shimmer that would occasionally sweep across the night sky and pointed up at it. “What’s that purple shiny thing up there?”

“Oh, that’s our protective barrier. It… well, it’s meant to keep water creatures from getting on land and to prevent ponies from gettin’ to the water.”

Roxanna was quiet for a moment. Macintosh started to worry that he had offended his new friend until she asked, “How did you get here then?”

He let out a chuckle. “Ah dug under it.”

Both of them laughed together and continued to gaze up into the stary night sky. After Roxanna spotted a strange pony shape in the moon, Macintosh spent a few minutes telling her about the Mare in the Moon, a legend his granny had told him many times. The princesses, Nightmare Moon, the Elements of Harmony… he didn’t spare any detail. Roxanna continued to gaze at the moon as she listened to Macintosh’s story. After he had finished, she remembered the gift that she had brought for him. She opened her purse, took out the seashell necklace, and placed it in his hoof. “Um… I know the sea is scary to ponies, but the truth is that we’re just as scared of you as you are of us. I mean, I’m still pretty scared since you’re the only thing I’ve gotten to know about the up world, but I hope this necklace will remind you that at least I’m not scary, and that I want to be your best friend forever. I’d never try to hurt you, Macintosh. I promise.”

Macintosh stared at the simple piece of shell jewelry in his hoof. It was too small to put comfortably on his neck, but it fit perfectly on his hoof like a bracelet. He smiled and embraced Roxanna in a hug, something she was more than happy to return. “Thanks a bunch, Roxanna. Ah’ll keep this forever. And Ah promise the same fer you. Ah’d never try to hurt ya either.”

The two grinned at each other before deciding it was time to say goodnight. They said their goodbyes and made plans for the next night. They gave one last look at each other before returning to their respective homes. Roxanna swam back into bed with a belly stuffed with apple desserts and a mind buzzing with the story of the Mare in the Moon. She let out a yawn and let her eyes finally shut for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, Roxanna awoke late with tired eyes the next morning. It didn’t take long at all for Mordecai to assess the situation.

“While I appreciate that you are working hard on studying your music, my dear, I cannot let you continue to stay up so late. I will be keeping your spellbook with me during the night from now on.” The merman set Roxanna’s breakfast in front of her before sitting across the table with his own serving. “Since it’s Saturday, I let you sleep in a bit today. That also means no lessons for today. Maybe you can take the day to explore the lake a bit more. I know it’s not as aesthetic as the Atlantic, but the waters clear a bit once you swim out aways.”

“Okay,” was all Roxanna had to say. A look around the lake didn't sound too bad, but she would much rather swim toward the surface and see if she could sneak peeks of land civilization. Maybe she could even see the sun, which is what Macintosh said brought light to the day. But then again, she could be seen by an evil pony or some other land creature; perhaps she could ask the young red colt tonight to guard her while she took a quick look at the land once the day returned.

To pass the time, Roxanna swam further out into the lake, having been reminded by Mordecai to avoid anything that could have possibly come from the surface. “It takes a professional to assess items from the surface to see if they are safe for use” he had said. As the day went on, Roxanna tried to get her mind off the land above in order to make the hours seem shorter, but the excitement that rushed through her blood whenever she thought about what else could possibly be up there was too much to settle. How different was it from ocean life? Were there any similarities at all? She had so many questions, even Roxanna couldn’t count them all.

Just when Roxanna thought she couldn’t wait any longer, the sun’s rays began to disappear from above, signaling the end of the day. She wasted no time preparing herself for bed. Mordecai came and tucked her in as usual, this time taking her spellbook with him. Now it was time for more waiting… and waiting… and wai-

Sn-Snoore…

Out of bed she flew! Once she broke through the waves, she was glad to see Macintosh was already there, hiding in the reeds in case any other ponies were out. He smiled and scooted closer to the water’s edge where Roxanna rested her fins. They greeted each other and talked about their day. Macintosh got to watch his parents harvest a special kind of apple called a Zap Apple and help his granny make it into jam.

Roxanna was a little embarrassed that she didn’t have an interesting story to tell like he did, so she proceeded to talk about the new magic she was learning. She looked down at her fins as they floated along with the waves. “Have you ever touched water?” She asked Macintosh.

“Huh? Well, yeah. When Ah take baths er water Ma’s veggie garden. But that water came from the sink er a well. Ain’t never touched this kinda water.”

“Really?” Roxanna’s surprised look was almost instantly replaced with a grin as she held out her hand to him, not bothering to ask what all that pony stuff he mentioned was. “Then come on in!”

Macintosh’s eyes widen, and he takes a step back. “A-Ah dunno… can’t swim none.”

“You don’t have to go in that deep. There’s a little land you can stand on. Just get your… your, umm…”

Macintosh looked down as he saw Roxanna motioning toward his legs. “Mah… hooves?”

“Yeah, hooves! Get your hooves wet!”

He looked at the edge of the water and took a deep breath. Gingerly, he slowly lowered the tip of his hoof in the most shallow part of the water. He gasped and jerked it back. “I-It hurt me!”

Roxanna cocked her head to the side. “Water can’t hurt you. You barely even touched it.”

“M-Maybe it’s cursed to hurt ponies er somethin’!”

Roxanna rolled her eyes. If there was such a hex, Mordecai would have told her. With that in mind, she grabbed onto Macintosh’s hoof, pulling him toward the tide. “Remember my promise, Macintosh. I would never hurt you. Please trust me.”

His gaze cast down at the girl holding his hoof, Macintosh saw the pleading glimmer in her eyes, his heart still pounding in his chest. The tide just touched the tip of his hooves and receded. His hooves sank slightly into the wet sand it left behind. He felt no pain from the minor contact with the lake water. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, Macintosh took a small step into the shallow tide. It quickly dawned on him that the sensation he felt as pain before was nothing of the sort; the water was simply cold. Macintosh’s lips grew into a small smile now that he knew one of his biggest fears was behind him. Roxanna kept her hold on his right hoof and helped guide him into the lake until the surface reached his knees.

“Better stop here. Don’t wanna lose mah footin’.” Macintosh said, Roxanna loosening her grip on him. He looked down at himself; never in all of his life did he think he would be standing anywhere close to a body of water, yet here he was half-submerged in it. Besides the coldness that numbed his lower legs a bit, this was no different than stepping into a bath or pool. He looked over at Roxanna, seeing her smile back at him.

“Like it?”

“Yeah… jus’ a lil’ chilly. Mind if Ah head back to the beach?”

Roxanna nodded, taking hold of his hoof again to help him safely return to the beach. When she felt Macintosh had suddenly jerked and heard his sudden cry, she looked over to see his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth clenched in what had to be a sharp pain. “Macintosh, what’s wrong?” She asked as the colt limped onto the shore. He laid down on the sand as soon as he had reached dry land.

“Nngh… scraped mah hoof…” He grimaced, raising his hoof to inspect the damage. Roxanna looked at it as well. It was no little scrape. A deep abrasion ran across the fleshy part of the bottom of his hoof. It bled and got soaked into the sand underneath. Roxanna dipped her head into the water, immediately sensing blood as her gills breathed. Just off the coast, she spotted a pointed rock that must have caused Macintosh’s wound. She sat back up and saw the colt reaching for the cloths he had used to wrap their feast in.

“What are you doing?” Roxanna dragged herself closer to him.

“Gotta cover this cut… stop the bleedin’. Ah’ll git mah parents to take me to the hospital in the mornin’. This time of night’s too suspicious… need to think of an excuse to-” He stopped talking once he felt Roxanna’s hand on his leg. She took away the cloths and held up his hoof, gently placing it on her scaly lap.

“No… I can help you. Just stay still.” Before Macintosh could say anything else, Roxanna let a gentle song fill the air. After singing just a couple notes, her throat started to glow with a warming golden light. Macintosh’s eyes widened to saucers as he witnessed what had to be some sort of magic. His mind told him that this might be dangerous, but Roxanna’s calming voice eased any anxiety that was building up inside him. As she continued to sing, the shining glow she was creating began flowing from her neck and into large, stunning ribbons of gentle light. It danced through the sky, slowly rippling like silk gliding underwater. Macintosh might have been lulled to sleep on the spot if it weren’t for the tingling he suddenly felt on his wound. The magic light that had surrounded them started wrapping around his hoof, sending a sensation of warmth and comfort through his entire being.

Then it all stopped.

Macintosh snapped back to reality and noticed Roxanna with an amazed smile on her face. Looking down, he let out a gasp as he saw that his gash had completely healed. No pain, blood, or scar remained, as if his injury never happened in the first place. “...How-”

“Yeah, um, remember that magic I told you I had a couple of days ago? That’s one of the things I learned to do… though I don’t remember the glowy stuff ever happening. The last time something like that happened was when I first sang at the concert ha-”

“That was amazin’!” Roxanna immediately felt herself being wrapped into a tight hug by Macintosh who was wearing a massive grin. “Ah never saw anythin’ like that in mah life! An’ you ain’t even a unicorn!”

“A-A what?”

“And yer voice! That voice… Ah’ll never get it out of mah head. Roxanna, Ah can’t thank ya enough. Ya saved me from a heap o’ trouble. If there’s anythin’ Ah can ever do to repay ya, let me know.”

Once more, the pony and the mermaid met gazes under the moonlight. Roxanna slipped her tail back into the water, her eyes never leaving the ones in front of her. “Of course. Um… thank you.” She gave him a smile, and he happily returned his own. The crickets chirped in the distance. The lake’s waves created a soothing whisper that warmed the cool night’s atmosphere. Once again, the night was peaceful.

A mighty splash erupted from the lake. “Roxanna!”

The two children let out a startled cry as they jumped in their seats. Roxanna’s heart pounded in her chest as she immediately recognized the source. “M-Mordecai..!”

The old merman sped toward the edge of the water, his pearl-topped staff radiating intimidating magic toward Macintosh. “Roxanna, get back in the water at once!”

“W-Wait! Don’t hurt him!” Roxanna pulled herself across the rocky sand and stopped in front of the colt who was trembling with fear.

Mordecai’s face was one of pure shock until a fuming grimace replaced it. He raised his charge staff just slightly. “Not… hurt him? What has gotten into your mind, child?! Get back into the water!”

Suddenly, a new voice was heard. A distant voice was growing closer to the three of them with each passing second. “..intosh! Another pony was coming into view. Her curly orange blew in the breeze as she ran closer to the colt she was calling for. Large aqua eyes grew wider as she saw the sight in front of her, and she immediately tried to make her way to Macintosh. However, a run-in with a near-invisible force field kept her from getting any closer. “Macintosh!! Whut are ya monsters doing with mah son?!”

“M-Mama!” If the panic Macintosh was experiencing wasn’t evident before, it was clear as the purest water now.

“Monsters?!” Mordecai roared with burning rage as he aimed his magic at the mare. “No one ever calls me nor the princess of Aquatania a monster!” A massive lightning bolt shot toward Macintosh's mother, but the magic barrier between them prevented any damage from being done to her. Macintosh was attempting to make a run for it back through the hole he had dug. Mordecai, however, was not having any of it. “Don’t move, land creature!” He pointed his staff toward Macintosh, freezing him in his tracks.

“No, Mordecai, please!” Roxanna dove back into the lake and grabbed onto his waist. “Don’t hurt him! He’s my friend!”

“Friend?!” Both guardians exclaimed as they once again make eye contact with each other. Vengeful glares were exchanged. Mordecai turned back to Roxanna, formidably looking down at her with cold eyes. “No Mer will ever… ever call any land creature… a friend.” He gripped his staff tighter in his fist.

“He saved me!” She exclaimed. “I got trapped in the rocks, and he freed me!”

“You did whut?!” Macintosh's mom immediately gaped at with great alarm.

“Sh-She looked scared! A-Ah couldn’t leave her like that! And she saved me too! She healed a big scrape Ah got!”

Mordecai suddenly turned toward Roxanna looking like he had just been betrayed. “You used your precious magic… on a land creature?!”

“You let her use her evil witchcraft on ya?! What were ya thinkin’?!” The mother shouted once again at her son.

“Enough!” Mordecai’s yell echoed through the night and silenced everyone. He shut his eyes tight in frustration. All eyes were on him as he pulled his staff towards his chest. “I have made up my mind. For the three of you, this night shall have never existed.”

“M-Mordecai…” Roxanna’s eyes began to water as she gazed up at him with pleading eyes.

His staff began to illuminate. “For the princess’s protection, I will remember tonight so I may train her better to keep away from the likes of you.” He pointed toward Macintosh once more. “You, how long have you known the princess? Speak!”

His hooves quivered beneath him. “W-We met two nights before this one, s-sir…”

“Don’t ya dare call that thing ‘sir’!” The outraged mom hollers, finding Macintosh’s tunnel under the barrier and wriggling herself through it to rescue him.

“Silence!” Mordecai quieted the group once more. “Three forbidden nights… no memories of these nights will ever be remembered! Once dawn breaks, none of you will have any recollection of what transpired here!” With a mighty swing of his enchanted staff, a brilliant beam of light blasted at the remaining three.

“No!” A distressed cry from Roxanna escaped her as she sprung out of the water as high as her tail could thrust her to block Mordecai’s cast. It only took a couple of seconds for the spell to fire, but in that amount of time, a glimmer of magic formed from her voice that grew into what could only be described as a shield big enough to only protect part of her face. But as soon as it had appeared, it vanished as Mordecai’s spell struck them. Roxanna splashed back into the water, knowing she was too late. All was silent as the affected took a moment to gather their bearings. Roxanna and Macintosh could only share one last quick glance at each other before Mordecai pulled the young mermaid back under the waves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The underwater cave was still and quiet as Mordecai loomed over Roxanna, her head downcast while her face showed a mixture of devastation and shame. Her guardian could only glare back down at her. “You have been asking questions about the surface world lately,” he says sternly, finally breaking the silence, “but I was foolish to think you wouldn’t actually go up there yourself. What were you thinking?! Do you even realize what could’ve happened to you? You could’ve been killed! You would have been unless I intervened! What would I have done then, Roxanna? What would I tell your dear parents who were ready to give everything they had to ensure you wouldn’t be harmed during these political affairs? All these years of them teaching you the dangers of the surface world were for nothing!” He pounded his staff against the sandy ocean floor, making Roxanna jump. “But tomorrow… tomorrow will be like nothing ever happened, and you will no longer wish to return to that horrid world above the waters…” he glanced deep into her saddened eyes, “and I will make sure of it.” Mordecai gives a sigh. “So… is there anything you have to say for yourself before you go to bed?”

Roxanna cautiously lifted her head back to look at Mordecai’s eyes, his face still as stern as ever. Her stomach turned as she could only shake her head. With that, Mordecai turned around and left her room. Now alone, Roxanna curled into her bed and hugged her pillow close to her chest. She let out her cries silently so Mordecai wouldn’t hear her and come back to yell at her. Would she really forget everything she learned about the surface world once she woke up? All the memories about the beautiful skies, the stories about the mare in the moon, the delicious apple foods and drink… and her best friend Macintosh… all gone? Roxanna was determined to not fall asleep that night; maybe the spell wouldn’t work if she never slept in the first place. But her bout of crying wore out her body, and she didn’t even realize her eyes shutting for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The light streaming into Roxanna’s eyes the next morning woke her up. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes, letting out a yawn and stretching before getting up and swimming to the little kitchen she and Mordecai now shared. She saw Mordecai setting breakfast on the table, looking over and noticing. He clears his throat, looking away with what seemed to be hints of nervousness. “Ah, good morning, Roxanna. Did you… sleep well last night?”

Roxanna simply nodded and sat at the table, casually eating her meal of seaweed. After a period of silence, Mordecai spoke up again. “Anything in particular happen?”

She gives him a slightly odd look before replying. “No, I just studied my spells before bed.” She smiles sweetly in a way Mordecai had not seen in a while. “I can’t wait to show you how well I’m doing!”

Author's Note

Wow, I can't believe I finally finished this part of the story. It's been years since this was first thought up, about the time Season 4 was first going to air. Back then, Big Mac was a character I enjoyed who didn't have any of his own episodes or story arcs, so that was my inspiration for adding him into the story, although that was a couple of years after my first draft.

To keep with my original idea, this story will be set during Season 4.

Also as a side note, this chapter originally had Granny Smith coming to rescue Macintosh, but for reasons that will be later revealed, I changed the pony to Buttercup.