What Lies Beneath the Surface

There’s a point on a western bay, about a hundred miles or so southwest of Vanhoover, that serves as a major harbor for trading ships coming in from the Lands Beyond. The coastline is rather popular with frequent sunshine and calm seas, and the town of Sirena sprung up from families building summer homes or even moving to the place. The place used to serve as many as a hundred ships a day, sailors preferring the calmer seas and less rocky coast than that of Vanhoover, and on many days still is filled to the brim with ponies of all sorts and even a great many other species.

After a while, however, strange things began to happen. Ships that went off to the Lands Beyond never returned. Wreckage and debris and damaged goods began appearing on the shoreline. Mists that never inhabited the region before would mysteriously turn up overnight only to disappear by the following morning. Those who remained on the land or close to shore were safe, but those who went out to sea found themselves met with terrible fates, and were presumed dead.

The amount of trading ships lessened but kept going strong. It was still better than Vanhoover, though spotlights were now added to ships just to make sure everything was okay. The shipwrecks happened less often but still happened on a regular basis.

Of all the ponies that were on a lost ship, all were presumed dead. Which made it a surprise when a small dinghy suddenly arrived into the harbor with the words ‘S.S. Dreamweaver’ on the side. The ‘Dreamweaver’ had left port two weeks ago and was due any day, but a commotion went up when the dinghy came into harbor with four ponies in tow, in the middle of a rather choppy and foggy morning.

The lead was a smart-looking purple unicorn stallion with an aqua mane and eyes and a singing clown fish for a cutie mark. He was not recognized by the rest of the town, though the three other ponies were all recognized as crewmates. None were the captain or any of the major crew, so it was a further surprise when they came into port without their superiors.

What’s more, the unicorn was the only one rowing and didn’t look phased in the slightest.

The little boat sped into the harbor and towards the crowd of ponies clamoring on the pier. Word got out and paramedics were present, ready to take any damaged ponies to the hospital.

The unicorn brought up the dinghy to the harbor and helped get the three ponies out of the dinghy and on to steady ground. He smiled a charming smile at the ponies asking him questions, then blinked away and out of sight without saying a word.

One pony standing at the pier thought he saw a purple and aqua shape darting out to sea, but no one believed him.

Misty Skies stood on the pier looking out over the ocean. There was a light wind and the earth pony’s light blue mane ruffled slightly in the breeze. With his grey coat up against the clear day, he sat so still he could have been mistaken for a statue.

But Mist was merely in deep thought. He’d come out of the hospital two weeks ago after nearly drowning some miles off the coast of Sirena and was deemed fit to go back. He was a skilled navigator even in the most inclement of weather and many ship captains were eager to have him on board. And he wanted to go back out and feel the sea breeze in his mane.

Something prevented him.

It wasn’t PTSD. He was fairly sure about that. He’d taken a minor job going up the coast to Vanhoover and back as a deckhand and relished getting back on his feet so quickly. He’d placed himself as a ‘freemartin’ – available for small sailing jobs if anyone needed an extra hoof – but had no desire to head back out into the open ocean.

He remembered nothing prior to waking up in the hospital. He’d woken up with an automatic breather on his face and hearing an ECG machine beeping incessantly next to him. The doctor had come in, and once he realized his patient wouldn’t be falling unconscious any time soon, removed both. Police had come to question him, but apart from the details of his own work on the ‘Dreamweaver’, he remembered neither the circumstances that had caused his shipwreck or his own rescue.

At night he heard whispers. It wasn’t really hearing voices in his head and he didn’t think he was going insane. But sometimes, on the edge of sleep, he would hear something whispering in his ear, either a sort of humming noise or a song he couldn’t make out the lyrics to. But it would disappear come the morning.

There was the sound of hoofsteps on wood. Mist turned around and saw a large fire-red pegasus with an orange mane coming towards him. He smiled slightly at the sight of the other stallion.

“Hey, Gunport,” Mist said as the pegasus approached.

“Thought I’d find you out here,” Gunport replied. “Seems like you’ve spent the last few weeks out here in your free time.”

“I like staring out at the sea,” Mist said, turning back out to the ocean as the pegasus sat down beside him. “It’s calming.”

“I’m surprised,” the pegasus chuckled. “Most wouldn’t care for it after surviving a wreck like ours. Fifty ponies dead or gone, and only three remain.”

“Yeah,” Mist agreed. He gave a sideways glance over to Gunport. “You’re not too shaken either, it seems. I saw you heading out on the ‘Navigator’ yesterday.”

“Busted up a smuggling ship just outside of port. Got reports from the police the cannon blasts could be heard all around. I’ve got a coast patrol job with them now.”

Mist smiled. “Well, that’s good anyways. I’ve heard they make decent money. Probably better than what they gave you for the ‘Dreamweaver’ job anyways.”

“What about you? I heard you turned into a freemartin?”

“Yeah. Did a small shipping trip up to Vanhoover last week. Haven’t had anything in since then but I’m available.”

“I’m surprised. I thought you’d be on the next big ship out of here.”

Mist’s smile faded. “…do you… do you remember anything about our shipwreck?”

“I remember waking up between you and Hurricane wondering what the hell went wrong,” Gunport said. He was silent for a long time. “Hmm… nope, nothing else. But I heard someone who wasn’t on the ship brought us into port on one of the lifeboats.”

Mist faced out to sea. “Were we attacked, do you think?”

“I mean, it’s as likely an explanation as anything else.” Gunport shrugged. “But pirates are rare around here. Especially if we were closer to Equestria than the Lands Beyond.”

The sky slowly turned orange. The sun was setting and the sea sparkled calmly. The wind became colder but neither of the two ponies shivered; Misty Skies stayed still and Gunport wrapped his wings around himself almost like a blanket.

“I wish I could thank whoever saved us,” Mist said. “I feel inadequate not knowing. And heck, they may know what happened that day.”

“If they were a stowaway, they’d be in jail by now,” Gunport said. “But apparently it was a unicorn and he blinked away before anyone could get an answer out of him.”

“Well, that would explain part of the reason he could have saved us. Spotted us from a distance and teleported over to the ship. Doesn’t explain much else, though.”

“Hey, it’s a theory and probably closer than anypony else has gotten so far. They’re more surprised we came back alive when everypony else has gotten lost.”

Mist nodded.

“By the way,” Gunport continued, “Hurricane was looking for you. Said she wanted to give you something. It washed up on shore by her house not too long ago.”

“Where is she?”

“Salt and Sea Bar over by the harbor. You wanna go? I think she was heading over there. She’s over there almost all the time lately,” he added, mostly to himself.

“Might as well. I’ve got nothing else going on.”

The Salt and Sea Bar was a dingy little tavern made of wood that had to be replaced every few weeks due to rot. But it was the single-preferred spot of any sailor that passed through due to its selection of drinks and rather fantastic-looking hostesses. It had once been petitioned to restore the whole thing and make it brick, but the main proprietor refused, liking the rustic look.

The inside was filled with a bunch of circular tables filled up with ponies of all sizes and shapes, primarily stallions though with the occasional mare among the bunch. The waitresses were dressed up in black and white dresses that were rather form-fitting, and many of the stallions gawked at the waitresses as they passed.

A single dark blue pegasus mare with a mane like a lightning bolt sat at one of the tables towards a back corner. As soon as she saw Misty Skies and Gunport looking around inside the tavern for her, she waved a hoof at them. Gunport noticed and called over to Misty Skies and the two headed over to where the mare was seated and took their seats.

“’Bout time you two got here!” the mare said. “I sent Gunport out to get you, like, thirty minutes ago.”

“And you’ve already had a few drinks, Hurricane,” Mist said. He pointed to a glass of ale in the mare’s hoof. “Seriously, what number is that?”

“It’s only my second of the day. And I can hold my liquor as well as any of you stallions could. Had to if I didn’t want them to gawk at me on the ship.”

“Yeah, but as soon as you hit five, you’d drop like a rock,” Gunport sniggered.

“Five was enough,” Hurricane insisted. “Most of them couldn’t handle more than four anyways.”

“Gunport drunk you under the table easily,” Mist said, laughing. “And I could hold my own.”

“Well that’s because you’re both big motherfuckers,” Hurricane replied. “Anyways, I should do this before I forget about it.”

Hurricane reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a strange little trinket. It was a pendant with a silver chain holding up an aquamarine set in a diamond shape. She pulled it out with her mouth and handed it over to Misty Skies with a single hoof.

“I believe this belonged to you,” Hurricane said.

Mist took it with his own hoof, grinning from ear to ear. “I thought I lost this!” he said. “I remember wearing it before the ship went down, but I don’t know how it came off me.”

“Try tightening the chain next time,” Hurricane said as Mist immediately put it back on.

Mist sighed and shook the pendant around on his chest. “Man, I felt oddly naked without it.”

Hurricane and Gunport’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure you aren’t drunk, Mist?”

“It’s an expression I heard during my short time in Canterlot. They all wear clothes up there.”

“Suppose that isn’t any of my business.” Hurricane finished her ale and slammed the empty glass down on the table with a sigh. “Now, do either of you want to join me for a drink while you’re here? We can celebrate my new job.”

“Didn't even know you were looking for one.”

“Well, I got one. I’m on storm watch here in Sirena. Decided to take something a little closer to home than risk it out there on the sea.” She stood up with a contented sigh. “Drinks are on me.” She smiled and trotted gaily over to the bar.

Gunport watched her go with a bit of amusement. “I don’t think she took it well.”

“Let’s just hope she holds the storm watch position,” Mist said. “Though I think getting back into some sort of routine ought to help her.”

“If she can take herself away from the bar,” Gunport said with a definite note of concern.

Hurricane proved herself at least somewhat serious about the position. By the end of the evening, she’d only had three drinks and sipped her third slowly while Mist and Gunport had two. She even bought them a plate of celery and ranch and a plate of chips and salsa to eat as they drank and stayed very much sober.

As she could hold her liquor to an extent, she seemed to be doing alright as she paid the check and they stood up to leave the bar. Misty Skies and Gunport insisted on following her home anyways just to make sure she got home okay without drinking again. They walked out and a fair way down the street back home when Gunport turned to talk to Mist again and stopped in his tracks.

“Mist, your pendant fell off again.”

“Aw, fuck,” Mist said, staring down at his empty chest. “I swear I had it on when I got up…”

“I told you you should tighten the chain,” Hurricane said. “But shit, I’m not going back to look and dive under tables like a weirdo.”

“We’ll come back tomorrow and see if anyone found anything,” Gunport said. “This place is pretty decent about that sort of thing. I bet we come back tomorrow morning and someone will have turned it to the bartender for lost and found.”

“Gun’s right,” Hurricane said, her tone softer. “No one’s gonna steal anything like that. They all know it’s special to you.”

But Mist didn’t like losing it again after having just gained it back. “I’m just gonna go check the table we were at. If there’s nothing there, I’ll hold off until tomorrow. Gun, you can walk Hurricane home without me.”

Gunport nodded. “I hope you find it,” he said. “Come on, Hurricane. How about some coffee back at your place?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hurricane said. “See you later, Mist!”

Misty Skies trotted back to the Salt and Sea Bar and reentered the crowded tavern. He squeezed his way through the crowds and found their table thankfully empty. He squatted down and began to search.

But no matter how long he searched, he couldn’t find the pendant. The chairs were unmoved from when they left and the floor was clean. Nothing could be found around their table, and when he stole glances under the surrounding tables he found nothing. He checked a few ponies to see if, on the off-chance it happened, someone had tried to pilfer it, but found nothing.

Mist sighed. “Man, it’ll be hopeless to look around at this point. I should just go.”

He began walking out again, deciding Gunport’s decision to come back tomorrow would be the best option.

“Excuse me.”

Mist was stopped by the voice behind them. He turned around to see a purple unicorn stallion with aqua mane and eyes holding the aquamarine necklace in his grip. The unicorn had his own pendant, a silver heart on a sterling chain that looked like a locket. The unicorn held the aquamarine pendant out to him, smiling but inquisitive.

“Is this yours?” he asked.

Mist didn’t know what he was more surprised by, the fact that the stallion’s voice had an almost song-like quality to it or the fact that he’d found the necklace. He wasn’t able to think of much else until the stallion pushed it a little closer towards him, at which point he reached out and grabbed it.

“Y-Yeah,” Mist said. “Thanks. But, how…?”

“I heard you talking about it,” the unicorn said. “I was over there.” As he turned to point at a dark corner, Mist noticed his cutie mark of a singing clown fish.

“Huh…” Mist wasn’t quite sure what to do. “Well, thank you again. I’m… I’m gonna head off.”

“Wait. Do you… do you want to have a drink with me?”

Mist looked at the stallion in confusion. “Uh…”

The unicorn seemed to realize the strangeness of his question. “I’m sorry. You’re the one that survived the wreck of the ‘Dreamweaver’, right?”

“Yeah. Well, me and two of my crewmates and companions.”

“I’m the one that rescued you.”

Mist’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “Uh… yeah, I’ll have a drink. Just one, though, but yeah.”

The unicorn smiled. “Come on; my old table’s still open.”

Mist walked back into the tavern and went to where the unicorn had pointed while the unicorn himself went to the bar. He ordered two drinks, tossed a couple of bits, and returned with two ales, setting one on the table for Mist while keeping the other in his own aura. Mist sipped his ale; it seemed to smell more like a salty sea breeze than before.

“So… what’s your name?” Mist asked.

“My name’s not important,” the unicorn stallion said. “I’m not here for very long.”

“Well, I’d like to thank you properly for you rescuing me. I don’t even know what happened other than things seemed to be fine and then I’m in the hospital and ponies are telling me this strange unicorn saved my life.”

The unicorn chuckled. “Alright. My name’s Siren Song. I’m… I’m a marine biologist, to put it simply.”

“Nice.” Mist nodded. “My name’s Misty Skies, but most ponies call me Mist. I was the ship’s navigator. You also helped rescue my friends Gunpoint, who worked the cannons in case of pirates or smugglers, and Hurricane, who served as storm watch and deck hand. They survived, too, by the way.”

Siren Song nodded. “I heard the wreck happen off the coast, just over the horizon,” he said. “I can swim pretty good, so I swam out there, flipped over a lifeboat with magic, and helped you. I admit, the whole scene looked pretty bad. You three looked closest to being alive. I’m glad you three made it.”

There was something oddly tender about the stallion’s voice that took Mist off-guard. He shrugged his shoulders. “Well, no big deal, mate. You just happened to be out there and with the right skillset. I’m sure anyone else in that position would have. In any case, I suppose I owe you something.”

Siren Song shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything other than you don’t lose that pendant again.”

Mist nodded and blew a raspberry out of being unable to say anything. “So… what are you down here for?”

“Surveying a local reef,” Siren Song replied. “You know, checking coral samples, looking at local fish colonies, testing for chemicals in the water. Been doing it for a few years now.” He gained a rather interesting look that Mist couldn’t place. “Matter of fact, it’s the one right over where you shipwrecked.”

“Really?” Something seemed off to Mist. “That’s… pretty far out to swim.”

“I usually get there by boat. I didn’t have time during the wreck. But by the time I got out there, the water was much calmer. Odd storm seemed like a freak of nature.”

“That seems to have happened a lot around here lately.” Mist’s eyes narrowed. “You’re a marine biologist. You know what might have caused it?”

“Unfortunately, this is my first time in the area. I haven’t had time to really look at the weather and climate. My best guess is the currents bring up a lot of warm water and it interacts with the colder temperatures here and produces weird storms like that.”

The explanation satisfied him. “Well, I suppose it’s just something we’ll have to get used to, then. But hey, if you ever find out why, you should come back and let us know. That’s valuable information for ponies like me, or any of the ship captains around here.”

Siren Song smiled again. “I will. Um… if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing now that the ‘Dreamweaver’ sank?”

“I’m a ‘freemartin’. I take whatever jobs come up around the harbor. Someone needs an extra hoof, I’m called over to help. I’ve done some loading and unloading jobs and went with a shipment up to Vanhoover a few days ago, just as a sampling.”

“At least it’s varied. You won’t get too bored with it.”

“Yeah, but...” Mist sighed. “I kind of miss my old job. I liked being the navigator. My special ability was to make my way wherever I wanted no matter the weather. But...” He trailed off, unable to say it. It was like if he didn’t say it, it wouldn’t be true.

Despite this, Siren Song seemed to uncannily read his mind.

“...do you blame yourself for not steering them out of the storm?”

Mist, despite being well aware that was the case, was shocked at actually hearing it said out loud. Even more so by this relative stranger. Mist felt his eyes begin to water and was nearly afraid of crying out in the middle of the crowded tavern.

“It’s okay,” Siren Song said comfortingly. “No one else blames you. As you said, the storm seemed like a freak of nature. You didn’t know it would happen right on top of you, so you did what you could. It’s not your fault.”

This also surprised Mist. But it was more of a calming relief, like being dunked into cool water on a hot day, that filled him this time. He was reminded of something, but couldn’t put a hoof on what it was. He smiled at the unicorn across the table from him, smiling kindly at him.

“...thank you.”

Both of them finished their drinks around the same time. With the drinks already paid for, Misty Skies and Siren Song walked out of the tavern and began to head down the street in the direction of Mist’s home.

“So... how long are you in town for?” Mist asked.

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow for Vanhoover,” Siren Song said. “I’m going to turn in my data to the local institute and see where else I go.”

“Hm.” Mist looked around awkwardly. It was night outside now, and clouds blocked out the sky overhead.

“Why’d you ask?”

“...you seem nice. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out again sometime.”

Siren Song smiled happily and closed his eyes. “I’d like that. And you took more interest in me for me than any other has so far. I’d like to hang out again, too.”

Mist smiled back.

But he was soon taken aback by a large gust of wind and a sudden stinging rain. Both he and Siren Song looked out to sea as they heard thunder rumbling in the distance. They watched for a while, manes already soaking wet as they stared, only shocked out of it by another rumble of thunder and a flash in the distance.

“Another storm,” Mist said.

Siren Song gasped. “I have to go,” he said. “Get inside. It looks like it’ll be a rough one tonight.”

Mist turned to look where Siren Song was, but there was a flash and the stallion disappeared. He looked around to find him, but found no trace of the unicorn.

Mist tightened his grip on the aquamarine pendant and galloped home to bed.

The air was clear and sunny and there were no inclement weather reports coming in over the comms radio. The compass told Misty Skies they were heading north-by-northeast, heading the exact direction they needed to go. They had followed the currents for the last twenty days, and were now on their way home from the Lands Beyond.

The door to the navigation room opened and Mist turned around. Coming in was a weathered orange pony with a white mane in a blue vest. Mist left his business and turned around, bowing to the pony as he stepped into the room.

“Captain,” Mist said as he bowed.

“How are we with the navigation systems?” the Captain asked.

“Spot on, sir,” Mist replied. “No inclement weather to be sighted for a hundred miles, and we’re expected to get home by morning.”

“Excellent. The currents have served us well. How is the radar? Have you detected any ships in the region?”

“None within fifty miles, sir. There’s a frigate coming off the coast towards Las Pegasus, but they’re heading down and away. Suspect it’s a routine excursion from Vanhoover.”

“I expect we have nothing to worry about, then,” the Captain said proudly. “I’ll get her ready for the final haul tonight. I’ll stay up all night and bring her in tomorrow.” The captain put a hoof on Mist’s shoulder. “Go ahead and take the rest of the evening off. I’ll call you if I need anything, but if we’ve got clear skies I expect no problems.”

Mist nodded and headed out and down below decks to the cabins. The room was barely wide enough for a bed and a dresser, but he was eager to sleep and prepare himself for reentry to port tomorrow. He went and put his things away before taking a shower in the common bath and headed down to the kitchens.

The ponies for the night shift were already eating and preparing for the night’s work of keeping the ship steady in the dark seas. Mist was the only navigator on-board; the others were deck hands, guards, engine room attendants, cleaners, loadmasters, and cannon-wielders. Hurricane and Gunport were in the day shift, and would be getting off soon; already Mist could see ponies leaving the dining room for their posts.

Misty Skies went to the cook and got his ration of grilled mushroom burger with gravy, mashed potatoes, and broiled vegetables. He ate quietly but with a group of rather friendly ponies who, while tired, were cheered by Mist’s reports. One by one, they departed, and eventually they were replaced by Gunport and Hurricane, fresh off day shift.

“Home in just under twenty-four hours,” Gunport said. “Man, I can’t wait to take an ale at the Salt and Sea and take a break for a week.”

“Clear skies all the way home,” Mist said. “We’ll be there soon after we wake up. Expected arrival around eight or so. We’ll be home before you know it.”

“Fantastic,” Hurricane said. “My wings will definitely need a rest after this. It’ll be nice to lie on the sand or relax on the beach instead of being cramped in a room or constantly flying around.”

“I’ll join you on the beach,” Gunport said. “You don’t know cramped until you’ve been in the cannon rooms. Half the space is taken up by the damn things. How about you, Mist?”

“I think I’ll stick to hanging around by the port. I’ve been wanting to check out that new shop by the harbor ever since we left. I’ll stop by and get myself some art glass for the home just because.”

“Your dad used to collect art glass, didn’t he?” Hurricane asked. “I remember you showing me the one with the cloud and lightning bolt blown into it. That was fucking awesome.”

“Yeah. There’s one I found that had some sort of pony swimming in water I thought looked really nice.”

“Oh, I know the one he’s talking about,” Gunport said. He playfully nudged Hurricane with a hoof. “It looks just like you! And it really is pretty.”

Hurricane laughed and gently pushed Gunport away. “Later, loverboy. I know I promised you that one date at Haute Cuisine’s place, but you’re getting nothing until then.”

“Wow!” Mist grinned almost like a cheshire cat. “I kind of suspected you two were a thing, but nice to finally know for sure.”

“Well, she promised me before we left, but I think I nearly got her on a date something a month before that.” Gunport gave a similar grin to Hurricane.

Hurricane rolled her eyes but was still smiling. “You guys are suck dorks.”

Mist and Gunport both laughed. And though she tried not to, Hurricane soon joined them.

Nothing much happened the rest of the evening. They played cards in the dining room and were joined by a few deckhands and an engine room attendant for poker and bridge. At almost ten o’clock, they all started feeling tired and started getting ready for bed.

Mist was just about to open the door to his room when the entire ship suddenly rocked and rumbled. Every pony in the hallway suddenly tumbled from one side to the other, and those in their beds were knocked out onto the floor. Just as suddenly, the ship rocked to the other side and Mist felt the waves rolling beneath them. It didn’t take long for everyone to start screaming and a commotion broke out in the hallway as everyone tried to figure out what was going on.

The ship’s speakers suddenly crackled to life. “All hands on deck!” came the voice of the Captain. “Repeat: all hands on deck! Everypony to their positions!”

The group in the hallway scrambled for the door. Misty Skies lost Gunport and Hurricane in the mess, but there was no time to sweat losing them. He quickly made his way up to the Captain’s cabin, where he and the skipper – a brown pony with sea-green eyes and a black mane, where talking amongst themselves, looking out at the stormy skies and pelting rain.

“What’s going on!?” Mist exclaimed. “I… nothing like this came up in the weather forecasts! And our own pegasi confirmed nothing was scheduled!”

“No one blames you, Mist,” the Captain said. “This is no work of pegasi. This is an unexpected force of nature.”

“It’s like it came out of nowhere,” the skipper agreed. “We were sailing smoothly, but just before we turned inwards towards Sirena, the first wave caught us and clouds suddenly formed overhead.”

“Even so, there must have been something to indicate a storm in this area,” Mist insisted. “Where are we?”

“A reef no more than a hundred miles west of Sirena,” the Captain said. “We just entered into Equestrian waters, and had slowed her down to twenty-five miles per hour for the re-entry.”

Mist suddenly felt the breath knocked out of him. “…this is where the ships have been wrecked. We should have entered in further up and come south, or came back into Equestrian waters sooner.”

“Going south is a no-go,” the skipper said. “We wouldn’t have had the fuel to work against the current. And since time is of the essence, coming in sooner wasn’t an option.”

“We would have avoided this,” Mist said. “But I understand.”

“Again, you aren’t to blame, Mist,” the Captain said. “We just have to push forwards and get in now. Skipper, tell the engine room to push ahead as fast as they can. We’ll limp back if we have to.”

The skipper saluted and ran out of the room as the boat crested a growing wave; Mist and the Captain held on to what they could and braced themselves for impact. Water sprayed up the sides as the Captain took the wheel and steered around another wave crest. It wasn’t long before Mist felt the engines kick into high gear and the boat shot off, breaking another wave and passing another before it could grow, the stinging rain pounding on the window of the captain’s cabin. The Captain picked up his own comms radio and spoke into it.

“Sirena Harbor, this is Captain _____ of the ‘S.S. Dreamweaver’, do you copy, over?”

There was a moment of silence. “Captain _____, this is Sirena Harbor, hear you loud and clear, over.”

“We’ve encountered a freak storm off the coastline. Any idea what happened, over?”

“No, Captain. Thunder and clouds formed only fifteen minutes ago. Where are you, over?”

“Hundred miles west over the reef. Planning to come in slightly fast and get out of the worst of it; need permission to come in at high speeds, over.”

“Permission granted, Captain. Slow down when fifteen miles out. Storm is calmer by the harbor, over.”

“Thank you, Sirena Harbor. Over and out.” The Captain set down the comms radio and pressed the button for the loudspeaker. “Pegasi on deck! Do not take flight! I repeat, do not take flight! All others land on deck!”

Mist felt a wave of relief when he saw Hurricane fly by the captain’s window and touch down steadily on the deck along with three other pegasi. That left only Gunport’s position unknown, and he was likely below deck with the cannons. They wouldn’t be used, but they had to make sure nothing got damaged down below.

“Not much farther now,” the Captain said. “We’ll be out of the reef and out of the worst of it soon at this pace. Mist, check your compass and make sure we’re still headed west.”

Mist picked up a nearby compass and inspected it. “West-by-northwest, sir. We’ll come in a few degrees off port, but I think we’ll clear the reef quicker.”

“I’ll take it. If we can get the majority off this reef and we’re forced to turn south, we can at least call for a tugboat to come take us in.”

“Recommend corrections if the skipper is right about fuel supplies, Captain,” Mist replied.

“We have some surplus. Skipper’s right for a long haul, but we have enough for an emergency like this.”

It was at that point Mist suddenly saw two shapes alongside the ship in the water. One was bright red and the other was an almost lime green. The backs almost looked like dolphin fins, but the fronts were clouded and indistinct under the water.

“Sir, we have two unknown figures to port and starboard,” Mist said.

The captain squinted. “What the hell are those?” he asked no one in particular.

“The back look like dolphins, but the colors aren’t,” Mist said.

The skipper emerged from a door on the other side of the ship. He raced across the deck towards the captain’s cabin.

The orange figure shot out of the water and landed right on the skipper.

Mist saw it all happen in slow motion. The thing that leapt out of the water had the back half of a fish but the front half of a pony with hooves. But when the pony-part opened its mouth, it was filled with sharp teeth like that of a shark. It opened its mouth wide and clamped down on the skipper’s shoulder, causing him to collapse on the deck with a spray of blood.