The Mystery of the Missing Mares

Chapters

Prologue
The Manehatten Masquerade
A Pink Strand of Hair

Prologue

An MLP epic by Mr. Snowpony

Prologue

It was a warm and sunny midmorning, ponies of all sorts happily trotted along the cobblestone streets of the most magnificent city in the world. There was to be an extravagant gala later this evening and ponies from all over the world had come to attend it. After all, the richest and most famous ponies were all going to be there, especially the richest and most famous of them all; the one and only Princess Celestia. This was a party that was truly a must come for all.

-⊕-

“It’s so wonderful to finally have you here, Princess Celestia.”

“Please, Commander Chiton. The pleasure is all mine. I cannot wait until we arrive at the gala. I have no doubt it will be one to remember.”

“I’m glad you’re so enthused, Princess. I can’t say the same for myself though. I’ve been having these odd dreams as of late, and I haven’t been able to sleep very well. If there’s anything I remember well from the oracles’ teachings, it’s to be wary of any and all unkind visions. Not to mention, I might be a little bit cranky tonight, haha!”

Two of the most powerful ponies in the world walked side by side down the darkened streets that led toward the commander’s majestic palace at the centre of the island. The bite of the late afternoon wind had been chilling their bodies since they left the pier where the princess’ boat had landed not too long ago. To their front and to their back, four royal guards flanked them, two belonging to the commander, two to the princess.

The princess was dressed in her usual regalia and her majestic multicoloured mane billowed in the ethereal, non-existent wind as it always had. Her cutie mark, depicting the radiant sun she raised everyday, glowed as if it were the magnificent star itself. Her alabaster coat was as pristine as ever.

The commander at her side, clothed in a finely woven tunic and cloak, was an earth pony of a sandy color. He boasted a dark chocolate mane and a magnificently bushy beard. His cutie mark, though hidden from the princess by the robes he was wearing, was known to be that of a bronze spike, like the ones on the ends of his soldiers’ spears. He was muscular and had a confident gait, two traits gained from years of combat and training.

“I am truly sorry to hear that,” replied the princess, “May I inquire what these dreams have been about?”

The commander sighed and looked towards the distant light where he knew that his palace awaited him and the princess, “Well, there was a dream I had where I was aboard a boat out at sea. No land could be seen for miles around. My two sons, as well as my most trusted soldiers, were with me. I had no clue as to our destination, but we were all in uniform, so I supposed that there was to be a battle.”

The princess gasped, “A battle? That sounds serious. Please don’t tell me that you’re thinking that this vision means you are going to war with another city again.”

“Oh, no Princess! I don’t plan to start any wars any time soon. That’s not what my dream was about. No, the most distressing part was when a sudden ghastly storm came out of nowhere and poured down on me and my men. The waters were wild and the ship was uncontrollable. Though battle hardened, I had no doubt that my men were frightened out of their wits. I was afraid myself.”

“You? Afraid? I find that truly hard to believe, Commander Chiton.”

“Oh, believe me. You have not seen a storm of equal ferocity as to the one that was in this horrible nightmare. My men tried all they could but we all knew that the boat could not handle much abuse any further. And despite it only being a dream, it was then that the most horrifying thing I have ever witnessed happened right before my drenched, elderly eyes.”

The princess looked wearily at her companion, “What happened, commander?”

“The storm abruptly stopped and the waters stilled…”

The escorted ponies reached their destination and stopped just before entering the large golden doors that led into the palace’s massive interior.

The princess stared at the commander, a befuddled look painted on her face, “I’m sorry commander, I don’t follo-”

“It was then that the sea opened up like the gaping maw of a hideous beast and swallowed the entire ship whole. My sons, my men, even I… lost forever.”

The princess gazed at her friend sympathetically and mulled his words over in her head. Meanwhile, the commander’s two guards opened the doors with their unicorn magic, moving to the side afterward to allow the host and his guest both in.

As they entered the main hall, they were immediately greeted by more of the commander’s soldiers. They welcomed him and the princess back to the palace, bowing low as a sign of respect. He eased his men and excused them all, including the two guards that accompanied him on his trip to and from the docks. The princess did the same with her two guards, telling them that she would be fine by herself and to enjoy the party without her.

When they were left alone, the princess spoke again, “That does sound unnerving. What do you think it means?”

“I’d prefer not to think much about it. After all, it’s only a dream.”

The two ponies began walking again and reached a grand room filled to the brim with prestigious ponies. The numerous guests therein were busy amongst one another, chatting, laughing, and drinking the night away. So focused were they with each other’s company, they hadn’t noticed the two new ponies that had just entered the massive ballroom.

Comforted by the lack of attention, the princess continued her private conversation with the commander, “But didn’t you say so yourself? Your oracles believe that you must be cautious of dark and puzzling visions, and we both know that their warnings aren’t words to be taken lightly.”

“I know, princess… but like I said; if I continued thinking it over through the night, I’m afraid I’d be a dreary pony to be around with at this party, haha! We certainly don’t want that now, do we?”

The princess’ couldn’t help but give a smile to the commander, “No, of course not. The life of the party is most often its host. Let’s make this a lively and joyous night.”

To this, the commander smiled and bowed to the princess, “I wholeheartedly agree. I shall see you later in the dinner hall, Princess Celestia. I have other ponies to meet and servants to give instructions to.”

“Alright then, commander. I hope you have fun. Perhaps I’ll talk to some of the guests that have come to attend your splendid party. I spot a few familiar faces I’ve not seen for some time now and I must catch up with some dear, old friends.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. Take care, Princess Celestia.”

And with that, the commander headed off.

The princess began looking around to find anypony she might recognize and saw that some of them had already noticed her arrival and were walking up to her.

The older of the two had a midnight blue coat and seemed to have had his ivory white mane completely shaven off except for a single lock which was braided on the side of his head. He also wore a brilliant blue stone on a golden collar around his neck which seemed to glow all on its own. His cutie mark was a blue and gold flail.

The younger stallion had a dark, emerald coat. On his head was a blue and white striped cloth and what looked to be a wig made from the hair of another pony’s mane. Because of this, the princess couldn’t tell if he had any actual hair under the wig or not. His cutie mark was a blue and gold shepherd’s crook.

Both of the stallions were pegasi. They wore loincloths around their flanks and had golden anklets on each leg. They also had mascara on, making their sparkling eyes seem to pop out. With all these features taken into account, it didn’t take long for the princess to recognize the two stallions.

“Prince Menes! Prince Lazuli! How are you two? I haven’t seen you boys for a few years now.”

The older stallion greeted the princess back with a nod and said, “Please, Celestia. Just call me Lapis Lazuli. We are all royalty here, after all.”

The younger stallion looked amusedly at the older one then turned to the princess as he said, “Forgive my brother, Princess Celestia. When he asks to talk in a more personal fashion, it only means he wants your hoof in marriage.”

The princess tittered as she shook her head, “Same old Prince Lazuli. Your father is doing well, I hope?”

The older stallion replied with enthusiasm, “You could actually ask him yourself! The pharaoh is here tonight. He went straight to the dinner hall riding on his ebony litter, being carried by four of our country’s strongest pony-servants.”

The younger prince continued for his brother, “Yes, along with fifty more of our pony servants following suit, ready to aid him in whatever way they can.”

The princess couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, Pharaoh Uraeus does love to make an entrance. I remember the day he brought his entire zoo over when we came to visit the city of Damshire. King Shamrock was appalled that your father didn’t mention he was bringing something so extravagant and yelled at him right in front of all the other nobles. The king just simply had no place for all the animals while he had his party.”

Prince Menes put a hoof to his chin in thought and said, “I remember that day. The king had no choice but to have the animals stay in the garden where the party was being held. Everypony considered it the most fetid party they had ever been to and it almost ruined his entire reputation.”

Princess Celestia affirmed with the younger prince stating, “Yes, if I had not spoken on poor Shamrock’s behalf, he would have probably been thrown off his throne.”

Prince Lazuli laughed in response, “Hah! Thrown off his throne! That’s a clever one. However, it was quite tragic if you ask me. King Shamrock had almost declared war on father for embarrassing him in front of everypony.”

The younger prince said, “Fortunately, they both decided that it was unwise to battle each other since they were on opposite sides of the sea. I mean if they did wage war, they probably would have gotten too many other nations involved in their little bout.”

“I see nothing wrong with that! Just more fun for us! Aren't I right brother?” continued Prince Lazuli, to which both he and his brother laughed.

The princess was unamused and forced a smile, “Well, if you two princes wouldn’t mind. I think I’ll be heading off to the dinner hall now. I’m quite famished.”

Prince Menes smiled at the princess and told her, “Of course, Princess Celestia. We’ll let you be on your way. My brother and I have other matters to attend to anyway.”

As the two brothers moved on to other conversations, the princess faced away and rolled her eyes, “Ugh… those two… How can ponies enjoy war so much?! I can’t wait for an era of nothing but peace and harmony then we’ll see how much fun they have.”

As one of her ears twitched, the princess took a slow and steady breath to calm her nerves. Eventually, her shoulders drooped and stress fully left her body.

“Serenity, Celestia... serenity… You are at an extravagant party with royalty and warlords from all over the world. Most of these ponies have had many wars with each other in the past. In a palace full of ponies who can’t seem to settle an argument or a misunderstanding peacefully, you must stay civil. Otherwise, there is no more hope for a sane and pleasant world.”

Brightening up, Princess Celestia walked into the dinner hall with a grin on her face. Tonight was supposed to be a fun night. She should enjoy it and not worry over the unruly aspects of life. Those problems were for future Celestia to worry about.

“Oh, I’m getting upset over it way too much. Hay, that was probably the worst thing that was going to happen tonight!”

BOOM!

The walls began shaking and the floor shifted around before calming down again. The princess looked worriedly around the room, noting that not a creature was making a sound.

She broke the ice, “… What just happened?”

BOOM!!!

The palace started rumbling uncontrollably. The numerous ponies in the dinner hall started galloping in frenzy. Panicked ponies began fleeing the scene as their screams filled the night air.

Soldiers and guards from different cities and towns began storming out of the palace to see what all the trouble was. The princess got her wits back together and followed suit, ready to assist in whatever way she could.

As she exited, she saw faces frozen in shock, looking out towards the sea. As she turned her head, her jaw dropped, mirroring the other ponies’ expressions. Right before her eyes, Celestia began witnessing one of the most horrifying events in her life.

Half the island was flooded and more water was rising in.

The island was being eaten by the sea.

-⊕-

Twilight Sparkle set a bookmark on the page she ended at and closed the book. She glanced once more at the title as she reflected upon what she just read.

Spike walked into the room and noticed that his roommate was still awake, “Haven’t you finished that book yet, Twilight? It’s almost bedtime.”

“Almost! I just got to the good part.”

“The good part? Aren’t you reading a story about a sinking island or something? What was it called again?”

Twilight floated the book towards her faithful assistant and revealed to him the title, “It’s the myth of the lost city of Atlantis! It’s a great piece of fiction that I’m sure you’d enjoy reading too. It’s got Princess Celestia in it acting a bit like a sourpuss. I know I should be writing angry letters to the author for such an atrocious misinterpretation of the princess, but it’s actually rather amusing to read her acting in such a way.”

“I’m glad you enjoy it so much, Twi, but can’t you just get some rest and turn the lights out? I’m really tired right now.”

“Oh, alright, if you insist. But trust me when I say this is a story for the ages. You won’t want to miss a single word of it!”

“Whatever you say, Twilight…”

And with that, Twilight turned out the lights.

…

“BURP!”

Suddenly, a gust of luminescent green flame erupted from Spike’s mouth, a delicately wrapped scroll taking its place as soon as the magical fire disappeared, masking the bedroom once again in peaceful darkness.

Twilight immediately turned the lights back on and grabbed the letter with her unicorn magic. She quickly unravelled it and began reading the message that lay within.

“Huh? What’s this?”

-⊕-

Resting on her massive, plush mattress, Princess Celestia reread the invitation for the fifteenth time that bitter night.

“An exuberant gala is to be held on Manehatten Island thirteen days from now… It’s the first gala that’s been held on an island since that horrible catastrophe from a thousand years ago. It should be utterly ridiculous of me to assume that such a traumatizing event would come about again…

“… Right?”

The Manehatten Masquerade

The Mystery of the Missing Mares

An MLP epic by Mr. Snowpony

Chapter I: The Manehatten Masquerade

The chirping of blue jays and red swallows marked the beginning of a new day. Twilight Sparkle arose from the warmth of her cozy oak bed and stretched her legs out, yawning long and loud contentedly. Today was going to be a great day.

As she stood up and laid her hooves on the ground, she noticed that the basket at the foot of her bedstead was empty and left unmade. Grinning and shaking her head, she wrapped the blankets and sheets up in the delicate glow of her horn’s magic and fixed up the mess of the miniature bed.

“Oh, Spike… Everyday it’s always the same.”

With the cluttered cloths taken care of, she proceeded on with the rest of her morning routine.

-⊕-

Exiting her room, Twilight sniffed the air and noticed the distinct smell of oatmeal and eggs. Reaching the main floor, she saw her number one assistant at the helm of the oven, pot in one hand and mixing spoon in the other.

“Good morning, Spike! Breakfast sure smells extra delicious today!”

The infant dragon tossed his head around and smiled, “Morning, Twilight! I was just making some oatmeal and eggs. You’ve got a big day today and I wanted you to have a really good breakfast to start it off with.”

“Oh geez, Spike. You didn’t have to. It’s just another party.”

“Just another party?! Twilight, all the royals are going to be there! This party is probably gonna be bigger than the Grand Galloping Gala! How can you say it’s just gonna be another party?!”

“Alright! Alright! You don’t have to yell it. Besides, the only reason I get to go is because my brother is married to a princess, inadvertently turning our family into royalty. I mean, I love Cadance and all, but this is kind of a whole new level that I don’t think I’m really prepared for yet.”

Spike stared in amazement at Twilight before pouring the oatmeal down into a bowl for her, setting the eggs he had cooked previously by its side. Reaching below the counter, he grabbed a fresh bowl of sapphires for his own enjoyment.

Taking a bite out of one of the delectable crystals, Spike reassured the lavender pony saying, “Oh c’mon, Twilight! You’ve been to hundreds of high class parties and you’ve lived in a castle for most of your life. On top of all of that, you know both princesses personally. I think you’re more than prepared for this party already.”

With a spoon grasped in her telekinetic abilities, Twilight smiled sheepishly, replying to her draconian assistant, “Heh, I guess you’re right. Too bad I couldn’t bring any of the girls, though. I would have preferred it if they came with me to calm my nerves. I’m pretty sure they would have all loved to be at this party too, don’t you think?”

Just then, there was a small knock on the door. Twilight brightened up at the familiar sound and commented, “Oh, look! There’s one of them now! Come on in, Rarity!”

At the invitation, the door opened, revealing the glamorous fashionista herself. Draped on her back was an intricately decorated bag, embellished with the dressmaker’s logo and as pearly white as her coat. A smile equally as pearly was painted on her face as she walked into the main area of the library, calling out to her studious friend.

“Twilight! Where are you, darling? I’ve finished your dress!”

Entering the room herself, Twilight happily greeted her new visitor, “Rarity! It’s so nice to see you again. I’m surprised you finished the dress so quickly this time.”

“Oh tut-tut, darling! It was no problem at all. One week is more than enough time to make a simple but RAVISHINGLY ELEGANT costume.”

“Thank you so much, Rarity! I’m sure they’re going to love it at the Manehatten Masquerade!”

Rarity beamed at her friend for the compliment but she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that she was envious of Twilight, “Ooh, you’re attending a masquerade, Twilight! How I wish I could be there with you! It’s the perfect kind of event for me to showcase my talents, you know? Oh, why couldn’t we girls be there with you?”

“I’m really sorry, Rarity, but invitations were only sent to royalty. Not even the likes of Fancypants was invited to this party. The only reason I’m going is because my brother is begging me to and I’m pretty certain he’s not gonna survive without me.”

Rarity could only groan at the fact, “I know, I know. You said the same thing a week ago. But it’s really unfair! We deserve to go! We saved Equestria! Thrice even!!”

“I don’t think the changeling invasion counts, Rarity. That was Shining Armor and Cadance’s accomplishment.”

“Nevertheless! We are still nationally recognized heroes! Why aren’t we invited?!”

“I’m sorry, Rarity. But there’s really nothing I can do. It’s the mayor of Manehatten who’s hosting the party, not the princesses. I’m sure that if it were up to them, all of us would be there together.”

Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, Rarity pulled out an upholstered sofa with her magic and dramatically fell on top of it, “This is such an injustice! Why must life be so cruel to poor, innocent me?!”

Twilight just looked confoundedly at her prima donna companion who was busy wailing on her fainting couch and uttered the only thing that came to her mind, “Do you just have méridiennes hidden everywhere in town?”

Just then, Spike came out of the dining room bearing a tray of teacups and tea, “Don’t worry, Rarity, I can’t go either. That means that I’ll be free for the next two weeks to be your number one assistant! I’ll treat you like royalty all you want if it’ll make you happier.”

This seemed to elate Rarity a bit and she gave the sweetest smile she could to the young dragon aide, squeezing his cheeks together right after he set down the platter, “Oh, you’re such a sweetie, Spikey-wikey. Alright then, if I’m going to take care of you for the next two weeks, you must call me ‘Your Ladyship’ and bow whenever I walk past you.”

“No problem, Rari- er… I mean… Your Ladyship!” said Spike right before bowing low to his princess-for-a-fortnight.

Twilight giggled amusedly at the events unfolding before her and joked around with her dressmaking friend, “Now, don’t go around abusing your power while I’m gone, Rarity. Spike may be a wonderful assistant, but even I don’t think he can carry you around on his back. Besides, I’d be forced to wage war on you if you planned on keeping him when I return from my trip.”

Rarity laughed and played along with Twilight’s jesting, “Haha! Never, you vile sorceress! I’d rather fight to the death before I’d let you steal back my Spikey-wikey.”

Spike just blushed and coyly responded to their teasing, “Oh geez, girls… Don’t do that! You’re embarrassing me!”

Twilight dryly responded, “Can’t handle your women, eh Spike?”

Spike just went beet red at the statement and yelled, “That’s not funny, Twilight!” but the impact was lessened by his voice cracking on his housemate’s first name.

Both girls laughed heartedly and Twilight calmly patted the embarrassed dragon on his back, “Haha, we’re sorry, Spike. That was kind of mean. Just promise me you’ll be okay and that you’ll sleep at your proper bedtime. Oh, and do please fix your bed in the morning too. I’m fine with cleaning up your messes for you, but Rarity’s a much busier pony than I am. It wouldn't be fair for her to do your chores herself.”

Spike smiled sweetly at his life-long friend and said, “Yeah, yeah, sure. Just be safe now, okay Twilight? I don’t want anything to happen to you while you’re out there in Manehatten.”

Touched by his thoughtful words, Twilight grabbed the young dragon in a loving embrace and said, “Of course, my number one assistant. I promise I’ll be back safe and sound.”

Rarity, though moved by the affection before her, suddenly gasped in realization, “Oh, I haven’t even shown you your costume yet, darling. Here let me take it out…”

“Actually, I haven’t even started eating breakfast yet. Would you care to join me? Spike just cooked up some tasty-smelling oatmeal and some perfectly fried eggs. You could show me the dress afterward.”

“I would love to! Everything that Spike cooks is always… très magnifique.”

As they walked back into the dining room, Twilight made one final quip before beginning breakfast, “You know, Rarity. In the actual language, we wouldn’t use ‘très’ before ‘magnifique’ as the latter word already expresses an absolute. What you really mean to say is ‘vraiment magnifique’.”

Rarity just smiled and responded, “Sometimes, you’re too smart for your own good, Twilight Sparkle.”

-⊕-

“It’s almost the end of the week! Twilight should be home next week by now!”

Spike looked excitedly outside the window of the bakery, wishing that time would speed up so that he could be with his best friend again.

“I wonder how the masquerade is going. I want to know if she found me any potential bon vivant customers!”

“Oh, she’s probably bored out of her noggin. Nothing exciting must happen at those snobby galas without the Wonderbolts there to rock all those prissy ponies’ socks off.”

“Oh, c’mon now, RD. Not every party’s gotta have them there Wonderbolts flutterin’ about at hundreds o’ miles an hour. Why, Ah reckon she must be havin’ a swell time hanging out with her family. It’s not often she gets to be with them, y’know?”

“Well, I think she’s having a big ol’ SNOOOOOOZEFEST up there! I mean, C’MON! I wasn’t there to plan it and make it all super duper exuberfuntabularrific! Once you’ve had a Pinkie Pie Party, you never go back! Hah! A Pinkie Pie Party! They all start with a ‘P’!”

“I don’t know, Pinkie… I don’t think that high society ponies, especially royalty, like your parties so much… that is… I mean… not to be rude or anything… I think your parties are… nice.”

Five mares sat around a table while watching the young dragon stare out into Ponyville, each of them tossed off some light-hearted banter to one another while they sipped on some refreshing grass-flavored smoothies.

Rainbow Dash, the daredevil aerial ace of the group, began a new conversation, “This thing happens tonight, right? I mean, Twilight just went there earlier to go around the city with her family to do some shopping or whatever, right?”

Pinkie Pie, the bubbly party host of the group, responded, “Yeah! I think she was gonna do some shopping for us too! *GASP* Maybe she’s going to buy us some cupcakes or *LOUDER GASP* maybe she’s going to bring us some regular cakes or *LOUDEST GASP* maybe she’s going to get us some cupcake cakes! Twilight’s gonna get us some pastries that haven’t been invented yet! She’s the greatest friend EVER!”

Applejack, the level-headed cowgirl of the group, spoke up for her friends, “Whoa, now hold on to yer ponies there, Pinkie Pie! Let’s not assume anythin’ here ‘bout her thinkin’ o’ gettin’ some stuff for us yet. The first thing Twi’s gonna do when she gets there is to have fun with her family. Best to assume nothin’ ‘til we see her returnin’ on the Pony Express next Saturday.”

Rarity, the stunning seamstress of the group, was quick to add on, “Precisely. Dear Twilight will think about getting us all presents when she garners some free time after the celebration. Let’s just let her enjoy her vacation for now. Celestia knows that pony needs it.”

Fluttershy, the gentle animal caretaker of the group, commented as well, “I hope nothing terrible happens while she’s there in the city. I heard it could be a scary place at night.”

Pinkie Pie began shouting erratically at Fluttershy for that, “No! NO! Don’t jinx it! Now something terrible is going to happen and we’re gonna be sent out to have to save Twilight from some evil monster with four eyes, six necks, and three rows of ugly, gnashing teeth per head. It’s gonna have some crazy tentacle-legs, like a DOZEN of them or something, and… a-and… and a FLUFFY CAT’S TAIL with six dog heads around its waist barking and growling and going ‘Sassafrassarassum Rick Rastardly!’ and biting and teething and-“

“PINKIE!”

The pink mare was suddenly silenced by everypony in the store shouting at her. It was only then that she realized she was atop the store’s counter making ‘jaw movements’ with her hooves like as if she were imitating a horrifying beast of some sort.

She hid her hooves behind her back and smiled awkwardly, jumping off the counter whilst staring at a disgruntled Cup Cake, “Hehehe… Sorry, Mrs. Cake. I’ll be quiet now…”

Walking back to the table with a crimson tint splayed on her face, she sat back down with her friends who were looking at her with varying emotions. They eventually agreed that they had overstayed their welcome and should head off back to their respective homes.

As they said their goodbyes, Spike ran to Rarity’s side, ready to go back home with her.

“Do you really think that something bad is going to happen to Twilight, Rarity?”

“Nonsense, Spike! That was just Pinkie being Pinkie. I’m pretty sure that Twilight is going to be okay.”

Spike looked at the alabaster white mare sceptically but finally agreed that he was just being paranoid, “If you say so…”

-⊕-

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!”

“TWILIGHT!!”

-⊕-

Spike sat up from his bed screaming. He just had a terrible nightmare where Twilight was being attacked by the monster that Pinkie described earlier that afternoon. Sweat ran down his quivering body while his breathing was rapid and uneven.

Rarity ran into the room, still clothed in her crimson night gown, and quickly turned the lights back on. She saw the panicked dragon and quickly rushed to his side, hugging him and shushing him back to calmness.

After a minute or so, the young assistant came back to some form of normalcy and hugged his dear friend tightly, tears still watering down his already sodden face. When Rarity looked at the bed, she noticed that it was about as drenched as he was.

“Oh, my poor Spikey-wikey. Did you have a nightmare?”

To this, Spike only nodded while his face was still buried in Rarity’s wavy bed mane.

“Come. Let’s get you cleaned up. If you want, you can sleep with me tonight and tell me all about it.”

This lifted the young dragon’s spirit significantly as he stopped crying altogether and smiled at his beloved crush.

As they began walking out, Rarity noticed that Spike was looking rather ill.

Putting her hoof to his forehead, she asked him, “Oh, Spike… Are you getting a fever?”

Suddenly, an emerald flame expelled from his mouth. A scroll apparating from the fires right before their very eyes.

When the magical blaze ceased, Spike picked up the roll from off the ground and noticed something unusual about this particular message.

“This scroll doesn’t have Princess Celestia’s emblem on it…”

“Well, open it! What does it say?”

Spike cleared his throat and unravelled the scroll only to find that the message was short and chaotically written.

“There’s only a few words on this note… ‘Gala disaster. T-Twilight in t-t-trouble. M-m-m-meet me in p-p-p-palace.’ Oh no! Twilight’s in trouble! I knew it! I KNEW IT! PINKIE WAS RIGHT!!”

Spike began sobbing loudly and uncontrollably, falling to the ground on his knees with his hands mashed up against his flooding eyes. Rarity once again leapt to his side and cradled him in a tender embrace.

“Spike! Spike! Please calm down. This is an urgent matter and we must get the other girls and head off to Canterlot at once. Princess Celestia obviously sent that message and she’s probably there by now waiting for us.”

As much as she comforted the dragon, it was to no avail. The youthful dragon continued to weep out in panic and frustration.

“Spike, if I cannot make you run with me, then I’m going to have to carry you!”

And in one fell swoop, Spike was on Rarity’s back as they galloped out of her boutique.

-⊕-

Rarity was quick to collect the other mares (However, Rainbow posed some difficulty as she slept like a rock. But even so, she was quickly attained all thanks to Applejack’s trusty lasso and her years of rodeo experience) and was just as quick to explain the direness of the situation.

Without any further questions, the mares were flying on Pinkie’s hot air balloon, speeding off to Canterlot as fast as was ponily possible.

“Curse those train stations for closing so early tonight! Don’t they know that we have an emergency on our hooves?!”

With Rarity out of her wits and comforting the little dragon who was still wrapped in her shaking hooves, Applejack tried to stay focused to keep a sense of sanity amongst her terrified group of friends, “Calm down, Rarity. What’s important is we get to Canterlot Castle and figure out just what happened to Twilight and what all this dang ruckus is about.”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was giving off her own madness mantra on the other side of the basket, “Oh, I jinxed it! I jinxed it! I jinxed it! Why did I have to be such a worrywart?”

Pinkie tried to reason with Fluttershy to calm her nerves, “It wasn’t your fault, Fluttershy! I was just kidding about that jinx thing. Like Twilight said, jinxes aren’t real.”

“But Twilight is in trouble and it’s all my fault.”

Rainbow Dash, now wide awake, tried to reassure her self-deprecating comrade, “Don’t worry about it, Flutters! Whosever fault this is, they’re getting a massive pounding from me for putting a hoof on Twilight!”

An unladylike groan escaped Rarity’s mouth, “UGH! Can’t this thing go any faster?!”

“Don’t worry your tail off, Rare. Ah’m sure we’ll get there lickety split with this crazy balloon contraption of Pinkie’s. Ah mean, it was surprisin’ly able to keep up with me and RD the previous year, durin’ the Runnin’ of the Leaves marathon. Ah’m positive it can manage the few hours travel.”

Pinkie enthusiastically cheered, “Yup! This baby can go 87 miles per hour tops! We’ll be at that castle before you can say ‘Irish Wristwatch’ ten times fast!”

Fluttershy looked confusedly at her younger pink friend, “Why 87?”

“DUH! I don’t want to create a time paradox!”

Fluttershy was left speechless.

-⊕-

In no time, and with minimum bickering, they finally arrived at the castle gate.

As their balloon landed, they immediately recognized the white coat and blue mane of none other than Prince Shining Armor.

“Oh, I’m so glad you girls are here! Quick, follow me to the Entrance Hall. The princesses are waiting for us there.”

As the group rushed down the garden towards the castle’s humongous doors, it was Rainbow Dash who was first to bring up what was racing on everypony’s mind at the moment, “Shining Armor? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be at the masquerade ball in Manehatten.”

“Erm… that’s kind of the problem. Both princesses teleported all six of us back here, including my family, and even though they’re both really powerful, that sort of distance really takes a lot out of a pony. I don’t think they’d be able to make another jump back to Manehatten so you’ll probably have to get there on your own. As for when we got back here, we were… horrified… We realized that Twilight didn’t come back with us. She somehow rejected the princesses’ teleportation spell and stayed behind.”

Applejack gasped at the news, “What? Why?!”

Shining Armor yelled out in frustration, “That’s exactly the point! I don’t know! I think she thought that she could have still helped those ponies back there but there was no way to save the entire city.”

Rarity was quick to ask the second more imposing question to the newly wed prince, “Just what is happening in Manehatten Island?”

With a gust of powerful magic, Shining Armor blew the castle doors open.

With a sigh, he told the girls, “The island city of Manehatten is sinking.”

The girls were stunned; frozen from receiving such horrifying news.

Spike, however, finally snapped out of his post traumatic coma and whispered so silently, even a mouse wouldn’t have heard him, “The island is sinking? Wait a minute… “

“My little ponies! You’ve finally arrived!”

Everypony looked up to see the two benevolent princess sisters standing just beneath the massive staircase. Twilight’s family and Princess Cadance were just off to the side.

At first glance, one thing was certain to the band of mares, these ponies had just gone through a lot over the past couple of hours. The more they thought about it, Shining Armor didn’t look too good himself. The two royal sisters and Twilight’s family all looked defeated and ready to collapse at any moment.

Rarity was the first to reciprocate the princess’ welcome, “Good evening, Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. We just heard what happened. Oh, it just sounds so horrible!”

“Truly, it was catastrophic. But time is of the essence. We must be swift or we may lose the island forever!”

The five mares all began gasping and talking at the same time, trying to fire off questions of all sorts towards the two princesses who seemed like they couldn’t handle this sort of squabbling at their current condition.

However, a younger masculine voice rose above the rest and captured the elder sister’s attention, “Just like you lost Atlantis all those years ago?”

Everypony looked down at Spike whose eyes were red and hazy from all the tears he had shed that night. He was clutching his arm and was staring at the ground, guilty for mentioning something he thought he probably shouldn’t have.

Princess Celestia looked sadly at the ground for a moment before replying to the dragon who deserved to be answered more so than anypony else in the room, “… Yes. Just like Atlantis all those years ago.”

The two princesses continued to trot down the hall. The five mares and their dragon companion briskly followed suit, each one of them fearing what the princesses had to tell them.

-⊕-

As they entered the royal Throne Room, Princess Celestia immediately spoke to the five nervous mares.

“As I’m sure you are aware of by now, Manehatten City is sinking into the ocean.”

The five mares began murmuring amongst one another.

“Please, girls. Let me explain before you jump to your own conclusions.

“This is not the first time this has happened. Long ago, there was a grand, island city known as Atlantis, where a good friend of mine, Commander Chiton, resided and presided over the land. There was a gala held one midsummer night that was very similar to the one we just had tonight and just as it did this evening, Atlantis was swallowed into the sea… and there was nothing I could do about it.”

The five mares felt horrible for the princess. With how they were feeling about the event right now, they couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to witness such a calamity a second time.

“I searched for that island for hundreds of years but I never found it. Eventually, everyone I recruited to help me after five hundred years of searching had already either died or had given up on me at that point and most of them didn’t really care much for lost ponies they deemed were long deceased. The event turned into a legend and the legend into a myth. I was devastated but nopony else would listen, believing that the incident never really happened. Because of this, I was forced to give up the search.”

Applejack couldn’t hold back her anger at that point, “That’s terrible! Those jackanapes back then seem like some mighty horrible ponies to just abandon lookin’ for their own families like that!”

“Do not blame them, Applejack. Their era was filled with many troubles as it was, and they didn’t need to be burdened by the past anymore than they were already being burdened by famine, plagues, and impending war.”

Spike continued the conversation, “But, what about the island, Princess? What happened to Atlantis? What’s going to happen to Manehatten?”

“It just vanished when it entered the sea. I could not detect it nor its inhabitants at all as soon as the palace dipped below the waters. I fear that there is a powerful force blocking my abilities in the water and it is for this reason that I called you here, my little ponies. I want you to sail out into the ocean and help me find everypony that was lost.”

Rainbow Dash was haste and confident as she reassured the princess, “No problem, Princess! You can count on us to save everypony out there!”

Pinkie Pie continued for Rainbow, as she drew her party cannon out of non-existence, “Yeah! There’s no way we’re going to let some splashy-washy water ruin your costume party! I say we go FULL ARSENAL!”

Rarity was just as keen to aid her princess for this next adventure, “Twilight is in trouble and there’s no way I’m abandoning her to drown out there in the cold, murky waters! Count me in as well!”

Fluttershy, surprisingly, eagerly joined in on the excitement as well, “It might be a little scary, but Twilight and everypony else out there need our help. I’m going too.”

Applejack however, “Well that’s dandy and all, girls, but Ah think Ah’m gonna step this one out.”

…

“WHAT?!!”

Rainbow was the first to vocalize her disappointment, “Applejack, why?! What happened to your speech about ‘jackanapes’?! Don't you have family in Manehatten?! Why would you give that speech then just do the same thing those stupid ponies in the past did anyway?! And what about Twilight?! She's somepony you consider to be part of your HONORARY FAMILY and yet this disaster doesn't seem to bother you enough to want to go help her out!”

“Ah know they're in danger, RD, but Ah’m not goin’, alright! The... th-th-the farm needs me more than ever right now. I-i-it’s been strugglin’ for the last coupla months and mah family can’t afford me adventurin’ out to the island areas, even to help out mah extended family. You just go on ahead without me.”

“You’re a terrible liar, AJ! The farm’s doing fine and we all know it. In fact, you’re way ahead of schedule this year thanks to Twilight convincing you that you needed help on the farm! The same Twilight that, by the way, we were all just talking about for the past half hour who’s out there, cold, scared, and drowning! How can you be so insensitive?!”

“Don’t ya DARE criticize me for ignorin’ the fact o' the matter, Rainbow Dash! Ah KNOW that mah Aunt and mah Uncle Orange are out there and AH KNOW that Twilight is with them and that they need our help. But I’m not gettin’ on some rottin’ boat just to have all o' us get lost at sea too! I ain’t goin’ and that’s FINAL!!”

PUNCH!

Applejack soared through the air for what seemed like forever before finally slamming hard on the freezing marble floor. Rubbing her cheek and dazed from the blow, she laid still on the ground, waiting for her ears to stop ringing.

“You DESERVED that, you heartless scum! If you’re not coming with us, then FINE! Be that way! But when we get Twilight back and save Manehatten and your family, don’t expect us to explain to any of them why one of their best friends or their own stinking niece didn’t come to help us save them out there. You’re going to have to explain everything to each of them yourself.”

Tears ran down Applejack’s bruised cheek. Rainbow Dash’s admonishment had hurt her much more than her hoof did when it landed on her face. She curled up into a ball as her cyan companion hovered back to the rest of the girls who were taken aback by the sudden brutality they just witnessed. The princesses were just as surprised.

“C’mon, girls. Let’s get out of here and save that city. It’s not like that pony really cares for it anyway.”

As Rainbow went up front to lead the flock, the girls slowly followed her one by one, giving one last final gaze each to their fallen friend who lay pathetically on the floor before departing the castle to rescue the lost city and Twilight.

When Spike ran up to Rarity, she turned to halt the young dragon, “No, Spike. You cannot come with us. It’s going to be too dangerous for you out there.”

“But I want to go too! I want to save Twilight as much as you do!”

“No, Spike! If you get hurt along our journey, I don’t want to have to explain to Twilight why I couldn’t keep my promise to her; my promise to keep you safe and secure.”

“That’s not fair! You’re going off with them too. Where am I going to stay if you’re going to leave me behind?”

“Ah’ll take care o’ ya, Spike.”

The two ponies looked to their side to see Applejack standing there waiting for a response.

Spike snarled back at Applejack’s invitation, “No way! You don’t care for Twilight at all! You don't even care for your own family! Why should I stay with you?”

Rarity answered first, “Don’t believe a word that that ruffian of a pegasus said, Spike! Even though I’m as confused as she was from Applejack’s insistence on staying behind, she still didn’t have the right to berate her like that! I’m sure Applejack has her reasons, and whatever they may be, I will respect them. You should too.”

“Thank ya, Rarity. Ya best be off now. There ain’t no time to lose.”

Spike could only growl at being treated like a baby but he knew that there’s was nothing he could do to change their minds. He folded his arms and waited for Applejack to drag him back to her farm.

“Ah’m mighty sorry for upsetting ya like that, Spike… but Ah woulda been just another pain in the rear to the girls if Ah came with ‘em to save Twi. Let’s head on back to the farm.”

“I’m not gong ‘til you tell me why.”

Applejack bit her lip and looked at everything but Spike, “… Ah can’t.”

“And why not?”

“’Coz ya’d think Ah’m pathetic.”

Spike sneered in anger at that statement, “I ALREADY think you’re pathetic! WHY DON'T YOU CARE ABOUT TWILIGHT?!”

“Spike, enough!”

The dragon calmed down, mostly out of fear, as he stared up at the Lunar Princess as she stared harder back at him.

“This pony is a troubled pony and thou shalt not raise thine voice at her for doing what she is not able to do! Leave her at peace and go home. Thine work here is done.”

The cowering dragon nodded his head and backed up behind Applejack in an attempt to hide from the intimidating princess. His body was quivering in terror from being scolded much more fiercely than Twilight had ever done to him before.

Luna stopped glaring at the dragon but kept a stern facade, “Come, sister. There is much to do tonight.”

“W-wait! Princess! Wait!”

Luna looked behind herself to see that Applejack was calling out to her. Snapping back round, she urged the pony to be brief with whatever she had to say.

“Speak.”

“What did ya mean when ya said that Ah was a troubled pony? What do ya know about mah past?”

Princess Luna’s stern face eased into sorrow - into pity. She responded in a much kinder tone to the farm pony as she answered her questions for her, “It is not thine past we see, but thine dreams. Thine nightmares. We are the Princess of the Night, and we hold dominance over the subconscious realm of all living creatures. We have viewed thine nightmares and we have not seen as much pain in one pony as we did with thee. Thou hast been hurting thine entire life and we are truly sorry for your pain. We know… I… I know just how you feel, dear Applejack, as does my sister. We understand why you choose not to go and we feel that until you conquer these buried emotions, it is for the best.

“Run home, Applejack, and may the both of thee have a pleasant return.”

And with that, both Celestial Sisters walked back to the Entrance Hall to bring Twilight’s family to their respective rooms for the night.

Applejack and Spike both walked back to their balloon and returned to Ponyville.

-⊕-

Applejack finished puffing up the pillows for Spike’s temporary guest bed.

“Ah guess that’ll have to do. Get a good night’s rest, Spike. Ah’ll be up…” Applejack looked up at the apple-shaped clock, “… later today to cook ya up a hearty breakfast. How’s that sound?”

Spike just grumbled a response and plopped on top of the cozy mattress. He was too spent to do anything else by this point and just wanted to get some rest. It was also way past his bedtime.

Applejack sighed and walked up to Spike, stroking his head scales to calm him to sleep, “Ah’m sure the girls will bring her back in no time, Spike. Just ya wait! The ocean couldn’t hold Twilight even if she were a heavy sack o’ apples anyhow!”

Spike just made some guttural sounds in reply as he was slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

Applejack got off the bed and clicked the lights to his room off. She looked back at the blanketed dragon and stood in place for a while, contemplating something in her head longer than she probably should have.

“Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to leave and let me sleep?”

Applejack snapped back to reality and watched the young dragon as he laid up from the softness of his momentary bed, waiting for Applejack to make her move.

Then she made it, “The reason Ah can’t go with them is because mah papa died out at sea while we were on a vacation together. Ah nearly drowned when Ah was only two years old and to this day, Ah still can’t get in a boat without screamin’ mah head off in fear.”

Spike just stared at Applejack, barely noticing the tears pouring their way down her face. He slowly put together what Applejack was telling him before he saw her begin to exit the room.

“G’night, Spike. Sleep tight.”

Then Applejack closed the door.

A Pink Strand of Hair

The Mystery of the Missing Mares

An MLP epic by Mr. Snowpony

Chapter II: A Pink Strand of Hair

Spike was lost in thought. Applejack’s confession still echoed in his ears as clearly as they were said the night before. He was still rather mad that Applejack didn’t go with the other girls to find and rescue Twilight, but at least now he understood why she didn’t.

However, that still didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t come along because Rarity thought he couldn’t take care of himself. He could SO take care of himself. He wasn’t a baby anymore. But alas, here he was, leaning on his elbow at the picnic table as he watched two of his filly friends roughhousing on the barn house’s freshly cut grass.

“You take that back!”

“Ah will, once ya take back what ya said about mah sister!”

“Never! Rainbow Dash is the better athlete!”

“No she ain’t! She used her wings durin’ that Iron Pony competition she and mah sister had! She had to cheat to win it, so mah sister is definitely better than her!”

“Since when was using your own body parts cheating?! It’s not her fault that Applejack isn’t an awesome pegasus like she is!”

“Hey, that’s racist!”

“No it’s not!”

“Yes it is!”

“No it’s not! It’s FACT!”

A blur of orange and yellow rolled by the picnic table as what could only be described as the greatest filly fight in history raged on before its audience of two.

“Their argument is getting a lot more violent. Don’t you think we should do something about it?”

The young, white-coated filly looked across the table at her draconian seatmate, waiting for a response as she continued coloring her sketch of the four Elements of Harmony rescuing Twilight from a water beast. Spike, however, didn’t seem to hear her.

“Spike, are you okay?”

“Huh? What? Oh… sorry, Sweetie Belle. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Still worrying about Twilight?”

“Of course I am! She was on an island that was sinking into the water. Since that isn’t really normal, I think I have the right to be a little bit concerned for her safety.”

Reeling away from the livid dragon, Sweetie Belle stopped coloring her picture and frowned at her friend, “Sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just saying you shouldn’t worry so much. I’m sure that Rarity and the others will find her. They’re the greatest heroes that Equestria’s ever had!”

Spike heaved a defeated sigh, “I don’t know Sweetie Belle… If Princess Celestia couldn’t find Atlantis, I don’t think the girls are going to fare any better looking for Manehatten.”

“Oh, c’mon Spike! Stop being such a downer. They’re all going to be okay, I promise!”

Being in a pessimistic mood was killing him. Spike decided to just end the conversation now before it started hurting him any further, “I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, but this isn’t really working. I think you should go stop Apple Bloom and Scootaloo from ripping each other to pieces instead. Thanks for trying to cheer me up, though. I really appreciate it.”

Sweetie Belle’s ears fell but perked up almost instantly, “Ah, that’s okay, Spike. I’m sure that when my sister comes home with Twilight by her side, you’re gonna feel really silly about worrying so much. I’ll catch you later, alright?”

Spike gave his friend a sad smile, “Okay, Sweetie Belle. I’ll see you around.”

As the filly rushed off to her friends to stop the hoof fight from escalating into a death match, a familiar mare rounded the last corner of the regularly trekked dirt road before entering the farm’s premises with an empty bag slumped on top of her body.

“Hey, Spike! Ah’m back!”

Applejack removed the empty birdseed sack from her back and sat right next to the young dragon, “Fluttershy’s critters sure are jittery today. They emptied a whole new bag in minutes! Must be that time o’ the year again…”

“Did you remember to feed Peewee too?”

“Eeyup! Ah fed yours and all the girls’ little pets right before Ah got to Shy’s cottage. Ah also made sure to clean each o’ their houses while Ah was there. Don’t want the girls comin’ back to a dusty bed after a long, tirin’ trip now, do we?

“The only house Ah couldn’t do anythin’ about was Rainbow’s, but that’s only ‘coz she lives on that darned cloud. Probably doesn’t matter, anyways. Ah don’t think that speed nut ever cleaned her house in the first place. It’s a good thing Tank’s on that heli-hooly thingamajigger too, otherwise he wouldn’ta gotten any o’ his turtle chow.”

“Tortoise.”

Applejack was playfully annoyed, “Ah meant that! But anyhow, everythin’ is finally taken care of. It was kinda reckless o’ them to just leave their homes unattended like this, but Ah guess savin’ Equestria is a bit more important than makin’ sure yer house ain’t as messy as a wallowin’ pig in the mud. Ah guess me stayin’ behind was some sorta blessin’ in disguise, huh Spike?”

Spike switched to leaning on his other arm and looked away from Applejack, “Yeah, whatever…”

Applejack gazed at the dragon despondently. She wanted to cheer him up but couldn’t think of a way to do it, “Maybe we could write them a letter? Ask them how they’re doin’ on the search.”

“That’s not gonna work! We don’t even know where they are. Not only that, they don’t even have a way to contact us themselves to keep us updated with what’s going on.”

Applejack was saddened that her idea was shot down so easily but she knew that Spike had a point. There was no way for the girls to message Ponyville or for Ponyville to message the girls in a way that was convenient to both parties. In other words, they were going by blind hope that nothing terrible had happened to the traveling party up to now.

Applejack sighed and got up from the picnic table. She picked up the discarded sack and threw it over her back again, “Ah’m just gonna throw this birdseed bag away and then Ah’ll meet ya inside for dinner. It’s best if ya scurry along inside and help Big Mac set the plates up.”

Spike slowly got off the table and started walking back into the barn house, his head hung down in depression. It hurt Applejack to see the little dragon in this state but there was really nothing she could do.

“Oh, Spike… Why can’t Ah help you?”

Defeated, she walked off towards the barn to dispose of the empty sack, “Girls! Quit horsin’ around and get inside! It’s dinner time!”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who were in the middle of punching each other, and Sweetie Belle, who was in between them, trying to break them up, looked over their shoulders and saw Applejack waiting for them near the picnic table, “Yes, Applejack!”

The girls stopped arguing and rushed into the barn house laughing, just as if the fight never even happened.

Applejack smiled at the fillies’ silliness, “Heh… if only it were that easy to forgive the ponies ya find yerself bickerin’ with.”

She looked up at the dusk sky and pondered to herself, “Ah wonder if Rainbow’s still angry with me?”

-⊕-

The following afternoon was just as beautiful as yesterday’s. All the animals were playing together. All the birds were singing in harmony. Even the cantankerous Angel Bunny was hopping around with the other rabbits.

Applejack crossed the miniature bridge and walked towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Even without their caretaker’s presence, the animals in the area were as lively as ever.

Dropping the basket from her mouth, she yelled out, “Alright, ya little critters! Ah gotcha all some more o’ that grub to stuff yer faces into! Feel free to dig in!”

Some of the animals were quick to hop towards the basket and grab their fair share of food. The rest waited for the crowd to thin before going for their turn.

It always amazed Applejack just how well her timid friend was able to teach these animals to be courteous to one another. Every animal got the same amount of food and the rest were patient and waited until there was room for them to squeeze into.

As astonishing as it was however, that still didn’t change the fact that Applejack couldn’t move an inch now, “Whoa nelly! Y’all gotta stop swarmin’ me like that, hehe! Alright, come on, come on, git! Ah gotta feed the birds too.”

The little, furry creatures were happy to comply and moved out of the way so that Applejack could trudge on to the bird houses and the chicken coop.

She removed the new sack of birdseed from her back and rolled her aching shoulders to soothe her tightened muscles, “Dang, that sack is heavy! Gotta remember to bring the wheelbarrow tomorrow. It’d make carryin’ all this food a whole lot easier.”

She entered the chicken coop first then proceeded to the numerous bird houses surrounding the garden, ladder in tow. Like before, she poured a generous amount of birdseed into the little makeshift homes before proceeding off to the next one to do the same.

Eventually, Applejack reached the last birdhouse which hung right above Fluttershy’s door, “Done! That was much faster than yesterday, too! Ah guess figurin’ out the layout from yesterday’s feedin’ helped out a bit.”

As she began descending to the ground, a grey feathered bird landed on the topmost spoke of her ladder, “Well, hey there, lil’ pigeon! Did Ah forget to feed ya today? Ah don’t think Ah’ve seen ya ‘round these parts before.”

She descended the ladder and walked towards the birdseed bag to get another spoonful for her new guest. However, the avian flew down on top of the sack and stared at Applejack, waiting for her to do something.

“Uh… Anythin’ the matter?”

The frustrated bird finally flew in front of her face and showed her its talons. It was then that she noticed that there was a tiny scroll tied around the bird’s leg by a rosy pink strand of hair.

Applejack gasped, “Ya must be a messenger bird from Fluttershy!”

Letting the bird land on her hoof, she was quick to untie the knot with her teeth and rolled out the surprisingly long scrap of paper on the grass, “It is from Fluttershy!”

The first thing she noticed aside from the elegant mouthwriting was a slew of tiny numbers written on the top right corner of the scroll, “Huh? She marked a date up here… It was written four days ago! Well, better than nothin’, I guess.”

She quickly rolled the piece of paper up and squeezed it under her hat. She looked at the carrier pigeon that was roosting on the birdseed bag and urged it to come with her. The bird nodded and together they ran back to Sweet Apple Acres.

-⊕-

Applejack quickly trotted into the barn house’s guest room and found Spike curled up on his bed asleep.

“Spike! Spike! Wake up! Ah got something you’re gonna like!”

Spike groaned as he stood up from his bed, an annoyed look splayed on his face, “What is it? I was kinda sleeping.”

“It’s a message from Fluttershy! This tiny carrier pigeon over here flew to her house and gave it to me. It was written four days ago.”

It was then that Spike noticed the bird on Applejack’s back. He perked up and enthusiastically asked his friend, “A message from Fluttershy? What does it say?”

“Ah dunno. Ah haven’t read it yet. Ah thought it would be better if ya read it for us. Ya deserve to know what’s happenin’ first.”

Spike needed no further invitation. He yanked the scroll from Applejack’s hoof and unrolled it, reading its contents out loud, “It looks like a detailed manuscript of their search. It says…”

-⊕-

Dear whosoever-finds-this-letter,

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and I rode a train out to Manehatten right after we heard about the horrible incident. We were instructed by Princess Celestia to find the city and to hopefully bring it back. However, we were only taken up to Hollow Shades, a forested town that was still about ninety or so kilometres away from the ocean. We were told that both princesses had been quick to inform most transportation units about the situation and that the train conductor couldn’t really go any farther than that point. We got off the train and started asking around for a ride until we were kindly brought by carriage down the remainder of the train tracks by a nice gentlepony named Rickety Wheel.

Once we arrived, we noticed that the train tracks had broken off at the shoreline of Manehatten Beach. The island, as we feared, was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow thought that since the train tracks should have stretched all the way into the city that perhaps, as they were ripped off and dragged down into the water, they could have carved into the sand and left a trail we could follow. She was right.

We rented a boat from a kind seaweed farmer named Scuba Doo (A/N: I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist) and we followed the trail as best as we could. We ended up farther than we thought we would and reached an island in the Griffon Kingdom where the tracks suddenly ended. We decided to stop here for a little bit to restock our boat. As we landed, it was quite obvious from the look of the locals that we were on a fisherhen island.

The island is named Birdmuda. The locals have been really nice to us which was not at all what I expected from griffons. However, I guess it was unfair to think of them like that because I only really met one before and she wasn’t very nice. They still looked really scary though.

After discussing it, we decided to go around and ask the locals what they knew about what happened to Manehatten, if anything. We learned that there was a well-known legend on this island about pony-like sea creatures that kidnapped sailors and other ocean travellers and brought them into an underwater city. They said that maybe those seaponies took our city but Rainbow and Rarity didn’t seem to believe it at all.

Then, for some reason, Pinkie Pie decided to give a party to everygriffon for being so helpful to us and because she had never had a ‘mostly-griffon’ party before. Not long after, she was knocked unconscious by one of the local griffons she snuck up on in the middle of one of her songs. He said he was sorry and that he just got surprised. We decided to stay until Pinkie Pie wakes up.

We’re sending this document off to Ponyville so that everypony will know how we’re doing on our journey and as well as to report our findings to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

The local griffons were kind enough to offer one of their carrier pigeons as condolence for accidentally hurting Pinkie. Her name is Swifty. Take good care of her when she gets there.

Hope to hear back!
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie

P.S. Rarity says hi to her mom, dad, and Sweetie Belle. And also Spike.

-⊕-

“That’s where the letter ends.”

“They’re in Griffon territory? How the hay does an island disappear underwater and end up all the way out there?”

“I don’t know, but I think we should show this letter to the princesses.”

Applejack started cantering out of Spike’s room, causing the bird on her back to flutter off in surprise, “’Course we do, Spike! That’s what she asked us to do. Come on, let’s get movin’.”

Spike whistled at the pigeon and presented his own arm for it to land on. The pigeon was quick to comply and flew towards him. Spike then ran after Applejack, “Moving? Can’t I just send it to her via dragon fire?”

“Didn’t ya read the letter, Spike? Fluttershy wants us to let everypony in Ponyville know ‘bout their findin’s. The first pony we’re goin’ to is Mayor Mare.”

Applejack descended the wooden stairs of the barn house with Spike. In the living room, she saw her brother doing the farm’s taxes. Papers were strewn all over the coffee table as the red farm stallion furiously crunched the numbers in his head.

“Hey, Big Mac! Spike and I are just gonna head out to the mayor’s office then out to Canterlot to deliver a message to the princesses. Take care o’ the farm while I’m out and be sure to tell Granny Smith and Applebloom where we’re goin’. We ain’t gonna be long.”

Big Macintosh didn’t even look at his sister as he simply replied, “Eeyup.”

Spike was quick to give his own instructions too, “Oh! And can you take care of Swifty while we’re gone too? Thanks!”

The crimson-coated stallion barely had time to take his reading glasses off before he saw his sister and Spike run outside the door. The carrier pigeon that was left in his care flew right on top of the piles of papers he was doing the taxes on, rendering any attempt at work useless.

He spat the pencil in his mouth out before speaking to the tiny flier, “Um… hi?”

Swifty then picked up the top-most sheet with her talons and started flying off elsewhere in the room.

“Hey! Get back here, ya varmint! I ain’t done with that!”

-⊕-

Meanwhile, at City Hall…

“We’d like to make an appointment with the mayor.”

Applejack and Spike stood in front of the massive ebony-colored front desk situated in the Main Lobby. Behind it, an uninterested looking earth pony lowered her trashy romance novel and looked emptily at the mayor’s two new visitors.

Like a robot going off of some pre-programmed script, she stated to the two of them in a painfully slow manner, “If you’d like to make an appointment with the mayor of Ponyville, you will have to file an official request 30 to 45 days in advance of the actual date. We shall contact you no earlier than 10 business days after you’ve made this appointment to let you know if your request has been accepted or denied. If you do not hear from us after the 45 day waiting period, we shall appoint your application to our high priority list and your request cannot be denied thereafter. The application forms are off to the side and quills and ink are supplied beside them to the right. Please return when you have filled the form completely and accurately to the best of your ability. Thank you and have a good day.”

Applejack and Spike were so irritated by this pony that they were just about to strangle her when the mayor walked into the lobby and saw them.

“Oh, Applejack! Spike! How are the two of you doing today?”

Spike answered for them both, “We were about to book an appointment but it seems that we’re gonna have to wait a long time before we get to see you.”

“Oh, nonsense! I’m free this afternoon. Let them in, Bell. It’s alright.”

The front desk pony just rolled her eyes and went back to reading her novel. The two visitors glared at her one last time before quickly following Mayor Mare into her office and sitting down on the red plush seats she had situated in front of her large, mahogany desk.

Mayor Mare spoke first, “So, how may I help you two today?”

“It’s best if we cut to the chase, Miss Mayor. I’m assuming ya already know ‘bout what happened to Manehatten…”

The mayor became sullen at the topic, “Yes, indeed. Such a devastating tragedy. I heard that your friends are going out there to try and locate the island to rescue the missing ponies.”

“That’s right, ma’am. In fact, about half an hour ago, Spike and I got a letter from Fluttershy. She sent it to us by carrier pigeon.”

Spike handed the scroll over to Applejack who in turn handed it over to the mayor, “Here it is.”

The mayor was quick to breeze through the letter. When she finished, her eyes widened and she had to confirm what she had read with Applejack, “Their trail ended up in the Griffon Kingdom?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The mayor started panicking at this, “Oh, dear… Oh, dear…”

Applejack was confused at the sudden concern, “Is somethin’ wrong, mayor?”

The mayor gave the scroll back then stood up from her seat. She then began sifting through papers inside one of her filing cabinets to the bewilderment of her two guests.

From memory, she began explaining the situation the girls had on their hooves, “I’m afraid that this Manehatten business has turned slightly political, my friends. Technically, we ponies are not allowed to investigate on foreign soil, as dictated by Statute XVI of the Equestri-Draconi-Avian Treaty.”

“The Equestri-whatsit-whatnow?”

“The EDA Treaty, Applejack. Didn’t you learn this in 6th Grade History?”

Applejack just stared at her blankly.

The mayor sighed in disappointment, “Nevermind. Long story short, this international law states that in order for the girls to legally do what they’re doing in the Griffon Kingdom right now, they’d have to apply for an International Investigation Appeal from the closest legislative building in the area. It is only when they are approved and when they receive extraterritorial jurisdiction are they allowed to continue their search.”

“So, whatcher sayin’ is that the girls need some sorta legal documents to continue searchin’ for our missin’ city, otherwise there’s a chance that they’ll go to prison?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Applejack smashed her hooves to the ground, “That’s a load o’ pony manure!”

“It’s law and we have to abide by it, otherwise blame will be lain on Equestria’s hooves for allowing criminal behavior in griffon territory and that’s political drama that I don’t think either princess needs right now.”

As Applejack and Spike mulled the mayor’s words in their heads, Mayor Mare finally pulled out the papers that she needed from her filing cabinet and shut it close with a kick, “So here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll try and arrange a meeting with representatives from the Griffon Embassy in Filly Delphia. Once I’ve done that, I’ll send our Legislative Speaker, William Wright, over there to discuss the issue and to hopefully get the legalities taken care of so that the girls will have nothing to worry about.”

Applejack began waving her hooves erratically, “This is preposterous! Ah don’t even think anypony out there even knows that law! Hay, Fluttershy even called the local griffons a whole buncha nice folk! Ah don’t think it’s even necessary!”

“The correct terminology is actually ‘anygriffon’ when speaking of citizens of the Griffon Kingdom, Applejack. Also, I fear it is necessary. Though a simple fishing town, it will still have a municipal government of its own and at the moment, this government has every legal right to cease and desist the girls’ ongoing investigation and to deport them back to Equestrian soil.”

Applejack started rubbing her hooves on her temples, “Urgh… All this political talk is givin’ me a headache…”

“Don’t worry about it, Applejack. I’ll get this taken care of as best as I can. For now, I think you should head off to Canterlot and inform the princesses of the situation. I, on the other hoof, will file the proper paperwork and discuss the specifics with William.”

At that point, despite not understanding much of the conversation, Applejack knew that there was nothing more to say, “Alright, Miss Mayor. We’ll be headin’ off now. Thanks for givin’ us yer time.”

“No problem, Applejack. Hopefully, we can sort this thing out.”

Applejack and Spike turned to exit the mayor’s office but Applejack was quick to snap back around for her final question, “Oh, Miss Mayor, one more thing…”

“What is it, dear?”

“Are ya gonna tell all o’ Ponyville how the girls are doin’ on their investigation?”

“Oh, of course I will, Applejack! I’ll make an announcement tomorrow afternoon if that’s fine with you.”

Applejack could only shrug, “I guess that’ll be okay. I’ll see ya around now, Miss Mayor.”

“It was a pleasure to have you, Applejack. Thank you for the news.”

-⊕-

As Spike and Applejack exited the building, the country pony turned to her draconian friend, “Ya were awfully quiet in there, Spike. Ah hardly heard a peep from ya. Ya doin’ okay?”

Spike blushed and rubbed his nape as he replied to the farm pony, “I’m going to be honest here and say that I have absolutely no clue what you two were talking about in there.”

Applejack giggled as they continued trotting towards the outskirts of town, “You ain’t the only one, pardner. Don’tcha worry though. Whatever it was we were discussin’ in there, I know for sure that the mayor can handle it.”

Spike could only stare straight ahead as he replied, “Well, alright… So, what do we do now?”

-⊕-

Applejack and Spike stopped in front of a house that was located somewhere on the north-east side of town. Nothing was special about this house. It looked very much like any of the other houses that lay row on row on this average cobblestone street. However, there was something they needed to do before going off to Canterlot that they couldn’t ignore. The ponies inside this house deserved to be told about what’s been happening outside their country these past few days, as it was personally requested by a very close friend of theirs.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

The door opened and revealed a moustachioed, white unicorn. His cutie mark consisted of three flying footballs and he looked ecstatic to see his guests, “Well, hi there, neighbours!”

Before they could reply, the older stallion turned his head back into his house and shouted, “Hey, Pearl!! We’ve got visitors on our hooves!”

Applejack smiled at his enthusiasm, “Howdy, Mister Magnum. Mind if we come in?”

“Oh, NO! Nonononono! Come right in! Please!”

Stepping aside, the older stallion let his two new guests in. Though Spike didn’t know who they were visiting personally, inside, he immediately saw somepony that he did.

“Hi, Spike!”

“Hey, Sweetie Belle!”

“What are the two of you doing here?”

Applejack stepped in, “Why, we’ve got some news from yer sister.”

“Really?! What is it?! What is it?!”

Applejack nodded to Spike who presented the scroll to the excited filly, “Why don’tcha take a look for yerself?”

Sweetie Belle snatched the roll of paper from the purple dragon as she unravelled its contents to everypony in the room.

The filly started reading out loud, “AHEM! To whoso… uh… whosa… whosasever… um, Applejack… what does this word mean?”

Giggling, Applejack rolled her eyes at the younger pony, “Why don’t Ah just give ya the long and short of it?”

“Okay! Reading takes too much work, anyway.”

Just then, a mare with a tall, purple mane walked into the room, “Well howdy, Applejack! What a lovely surprise.”

“Oh, hi there, Missis Pearl. Spike and Ah just came over to tell y’all about what’s been happenin’ with yer daughter. We just received a message by carrier pigeon earlier this afternoon from the girls.”

Pearl was elated to hear this, “You did?! Ooh, do tell!”

“Ah was just about to, ma’am.”

Applejack turned back to the other members of Rarity’s family who were patiently waiting for the cowmare to begin her story, “So, as Ah was sayin’, Rarity and the rest of the girls got to where Manehatten shoulda been and followed a whole buncha clues that led them all the way to the Griffon Kingdom…”

Sweetie Belle was shocked, “The Griffon Kingdom?! Are they okay? Are the griffons all being mean and stupid to them like that one that came here about a year ago?”

Spike answered for Applejack, “Actually, the girls are doing great! Better than great, really! Griffons are apparently incredibly nice. I guess you really can’t judge an entire species from the actions of just one hen.”

The young filly was pleased to hear those words, “Oh, okay then! So, what are they doing there?”

Applejack continued her story, “Well, they were askin’ around the area if the griffons knew anythin’ ‘bout that missin’ island. Unfortunately, Pinkie had to be Pinkie and scared one of them local griffons who bopped her in the head. He was really surprised.”

“Oh my gosh! Is she okay?”

“Eh, nothin’ a little bed rest can’t fix. Though, Ah guess there really isn’t any point to that when she’s already out like a light.”

Sweetie Belle fell on her rump, “She’s unconscious?!”

“Heh, she was whacked pretty hard. Don’t get those griffons wrong though, they’re mighty sorry for hittin’ her on the head. In fact, they’re takin’ care o’ her right now until she wakes up again. ‘Til that happens though, the investigation’s been halted for the time bein’.”

Pearl interjected, “So, you’re saying that they’ve stopped looking for the island?”

“Only ‘til that crazy pony gets back up again. However, this note was written about four days ago… It’s highly likely that Pinkie’s already up and about and skippin’ like only Pinkie knows how. Hay, yer daughter and the rest o’ the gang are probably on the move and lookin’ for more clues by now.”

Magnum finally found a point in the conversation he could hop back into, “Oh, speakin’ of clues, what exactly have your little friends found out so far about the island?”

“Well, Fluttershy did write that there’s this ol’ mare’s tale… or ol’ hen’s tale, Ah guess… that’s been goin’ around on that island about some strange kinda pony-like creatures in the ocean kidnappin’ loiterin’ boats. Ah personally think it’s nothin’ but rubbish but it’s the only lead they’ve got so far.”

Magnum’s wife spoke up, “Pony-like creatures in the ocean? Oh! You must mean those mysterious SEAPONIES. Why, we’ve got a picture of one of them right here in our photo album.”

The young dragon and the cowpony had to do a double take at this sudden revelation, “WHAT?!”

Pearl trotted over into the den, lost in her memories as she tried to remember exactly which photo album her picture was in.

Magnum spoke up, “How ‘bout I fetch you two some refreshments while Pearl sifts through the catalogue? This might take a while. Cider sound good?”

“Yes, plea-,” Spike was cut off by Applejack.

“Which kind of cider?”

“Oh, just the normal kind. Pearl and I don’t drink the hard stuff.”

“Okay, then. Ah guess ya can drink some too, Spike.”

Spike was irritated by this, “It’s not fair! I never get to have any cider!”

“Oh, ya can… once ya get older.”

Spike just grumbled and crossed his arms, “Why does everypony have to treat me like such a baby?”

“Well, maybe a refreshing drink will cheer you up.”

Magnum walked back into the room with mugs of cider in tow, levitated in his magic aura. Spike, exasperated from the juvenile treatment, took his mug and gulped the liquid down in one quick swill.

Applejack was amused, “Why’d ya guzzle yer drink down so hastily?”

“I’m trying to pretend it’s real cider.”

Applejack guffawed loudly at her companion’s foalishness.

“Ooh! Ooh! I found it!”

Pearl walked out of the den with an album floating by her side, “It was from our trip to Horseshoe Bay in Baltimare all those years ago. Don’t you remember, dear?”

The stallion of the house lit up at the reminder, “Oh yeah! I recall it now. We were out on a lovely boat when you saw some weird shapes in the water. We were eating cookies before I took the picture if I’m recollecting it right.”

Pearl showed the picture to Spike and Applejack. It was fairly old as it was yellowing and cracking around the sides. What was on it wasn’t the concrete evidence the two visitors had hoped for but something definitely was in the water and it didn’t look anything like any fish they had ever seen before. They could both clearly see eyes staring out from below the ocean waves, looking very much like regular pony eyes.

“Can ah ask when ya took this picture, sir?”

“Of course you can! Hmm, let’s see… Oh my, it was such a long time ago; sixteen, maybe seventeen years ago. Why, Rarity was only four years old back then! You know, that kind of makes me feel old.”

“W-wait… seventeen years ago?!”

“Yeah? What’s it to you?”

“Seventeen years ago, mah papa drowned in the same waters. When exactly was yer vacation?”

Magnum and Pearl looked at each other, “June… ish?”

“Three months after… Ah guess the tragedy wasn’t much news by then, was it?”

Pearl came up to Applejack and laid a kind hoof on her slumped shoulders, “We’re so sorry, Applejack. We didn’t mean to bring back those horrible memories for you.”

Applejack suddenly snapped back into foucs, turning almost rigid as she made a sudden observation, “Are the two o’ ya absolutely positive that this picture is o’ one o’ ‘em seapony creatures that those griffon critters were talkin’ to Rarity about?”

Magnum glanced at his shrugging wife, “Um… yes? Maybe?”

Applejack took a step forward and began circling the room in thought, “If everythin’ Ah’ve heard today is true, there’s a chance that mah papa’s sinkin’ was no accident… and if Fluttershy didn’t get the wrong idea ‘bout those griffons’ stories, then there’s a chance that…”

Applejack finally stopped pacing, “There’s a chance that mah papa’s been taken by seaponies into the ocean.”

Four collective gasps rung out within the unicorns’ home. This thought was eye-opening and all clues led to this idea being true.

Sweetie Belle spoke out, “That’s horrible, Applejack!”

Applejack turned back towards the others in the room but instead of wearing a downcast look, she held a wide grin on her face, “No it ain’t! This is incredible!”

The others were confused. There was a slight pause before Spike broke the silence, “What do you mean, Applejack?”

The farm pony was almost giddy, “There’s a chance that mah papa’s still alive!”

-⊕-

Spike and Applejack were on a train headed off to Canterlot. They had one last order of business regarding Fluttershy’s letter and they were intent to see it through.

“So, remind me again why we’re heading off to Canterlot instead of just using dragon magic to send this scroll to the princesses.”

Applejack had not stopped smiling since they left Rarity’s foalhood home. She turned to her draconian companion as she happily replied to him, “This seapony junk is really, REALLY unbelievable but Ah’m hopin’ it’s true so that Ah’ll know that there’s a chance to save mah papa. We’re goin’ to the princesses so that Ah’ll be right there when they answer mah questions. Ah want the honest to goodness truth and Ah want to see it in their faces.”

Spike understood what she was getting at but he had to warn Applejack nevertheless, “AJ, I’m happy that you’re feeling hopeful right now but I don’t want you to get too carried away with this idea that your dad’s still alive. What if we get there and the princesses tell us that there’s no such thing as seaponies, that there’s no way your dad could have survived the accident? What are you gonna do then?”

Applejack still held her smile, but she stared at the dragon blankly for a second, “They ain’t gonna say that. Princess Celestia’s been around for ages. Ah’m pretty sure she’s seen at least one seapony in her life.”

Spike gazed at his friend sorrowfully, “If that’s true, then there would be books about seaponies in the library… and there aren’t.”

Applejack’s grin wavered a bit but this train of thought didn’t deter her hope, “Ah’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for that. We’ll just have to ask the princesses what they know and we’ll see what we’ll get.”

Spike did not respond to this and just sat back in defeat. Looking out the window, he saw that they still had a long way to go before reaching Canterlot.

-⊕-

It was dusk by the time they arrived, the evening sun caressing the tips of the mountaintops decorating the horizon. They had reached the castle not too long ago and were now being led to the Throne Room by two royal guards, one belonging to each princess.

Spike, who had observed this, turned to Applejack, “So what Twilight said was true! At sunrise and at sundown, both of the princesses’ are on duty and so both of their royal guards patrol the castle. You see, in the morning, it’s usually just Princess Celestia’s Solar Soldiers who take guard, while at night, it’s usually just Princess Luna’s Nocturnal Knights; unless, of course, if there’s an event like the Grand Galloping Gala. In that case, the Solar Soldiers will watch all the areas that the guests are allowed in while the Nocturnal Knights take care of the rest of the castle.”

Applejack grinned at her companion, “Why, that’s awfully good book smarts, Spike. Maybe one day you’ll be a great egghead like Twilight.”

Spike, caught off guard by that remark, replied to his friend dryly, “Oh haha, Applejack. Keep that snark up and maybe one day you’ll become the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Applejack was amused, “Hah! That’s a pretty good comeback, Spike.”

Spike stroked his imaginary mustache in victory, “Check and mate!”

Eventually, the two of them reached the Throne Room. Being formally presented by their escorts, the two royal guests entered the doors and immediately saw both princesses sitting on their respective thrones at the other end.

“Welcome, Applejack! Welcome, Spike! How are the two of you today?”

“We’re doin’ mighty fine, Princess Celestia.”

“May I inquire as to the reason for your visit tonight?”

Applejack nodded, “Earlier today, we got a note from Fluttershy addressin’ the situation o’ their mission.”

Both princesses brightened up as Princess Luna exclaimed, “Excelsior! What do our searchers have to report?”

This was the infant dragon’s cue as he presented the scroll to the princesses, “You could read for yourselves!”

He held it between two fingers and blew an emerald flame, turning the roll of paper into a mystical vapour that flew towards the Solar Princess. Princess Celestia giggled at the dragon’s laziness, noting that he could have just walked up and handed it over himself.

She opened up the tiny scroll and with some alicorn ingenuity, scaled it up to a size suitable for her and her sister to read together. Quickly studying it, their expressions were indecipherable. Both Applejack and Spike were suddenly nervous.

Princess Luna spoke first, “There seems to be a quandary on our hooves. The girls have travelled into foreign waters for their search of the island. We believe this to be illegal now, is it not, sister?”

Applejack answered before Princess Celestia could reply, “It is, but we got our mayor takin’ care of it already. Ah’m not really sure on the details but she told us not to worry so Ah’m gonna trust her and say she knows what she’s doin’ here.”

This relieved both princesses. The elder was happy to say, “Thank heavens! If your mayor is confident enough that Ponyville’s legislative representative can handle this diplomatic problem, then I believe that this particular crisis has been averted.

“However, there is still one part about this letter that’s confusing me; as well as my sister, I would presume.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, “What is it, princess?”

“The seaponies, Applejack. Over the centuries, I’ve heard countless rumors regarding their existence. However, I’ve never seen one personally myself.”

Before she could continue, Spike raised his hand and asked her, “So, do you believe the rumors or not?”

She contemplated the little dragon’s words, “I did… for a while. I’ve had countless researchers search the waters for these mysterious beings but after centuries of looking, not even a single scale was found. I’ve come to believe that all those rumors were nothing but… well… rumors.”

Applejack was distressed by this and began arguing for the princess to reconsider her opinion, “But ya can’t just ignore all o’ those sightin’s! Even now, griffon-folk are still spreadin’ stories ‘bout them sea critters kidnappin’ their own kind. Ya just can’t tell me that ya still don’t believe they’re actually down there!”

The Solar Princess got off her throne and walked up to Applejack. The cowpony shrunk back and began cowering away from her, fearing what she was up to.

It was then that Applejack was suddenly locked into an embrace. The princess had walked up to comfort the pony whom she could see was obviously in distress.

“Shh… it’s alright, Applejack. I know. I know that you’re thinking about your father. You’re hoping that these stories are real so that you can save him yourself, to make up for all those years he’s been lost at sea.”

That was it. Applejack couldn’t hold her tears back any longer. She hugged the alabaster alicorn back tightly and began to scream at her, “Ah need to know! Ah need to save him!”

The princess didn’t want to insult the Element of Honesty by pitying her but her heart was breaking from watching her cry out onto her coat. The princess had to do something for this poor mare.

“Applejack, do not weep. Be brave like you always are.”

Applejack stopped shivering for a while, “But he’s been a prisoner for so long… Ah need to bring him back.”

Applejack’s crying had stopped but she was still sniffling uncontrollably. The princess thought hard for her next words of comfort.

Finally, it hit her, “I think I might know a way you can receive your desired closure.”

The orange mare looked up to her sovereign and asked quietly, “There is?”

“Yes, my little pony, but for this, you shall have to travel far out to Baltimare and meet up with an old acquaintance of mine. He is Equestria’s best marine biologist and he headed my seapony search team. If you find him, I’m sure he can answer your questions much better than either my sister or I can.”

Applejack shifted out of the embrace and backed up in fear, “B-b-b-baltimare?”

“I know it will be hard to return to the city you lost your father in, but my friend is rather old now and he can’t journey outside of Baltimare anymore. You must go to him.”

Applejack began pacing to and fro, debating in her mind whether to follow up with the princess’ suggestion or not. Thinking hard, she realized there really wasn’t a choice to be made here.

She turned to the monarch next to her and said, “There’s no doubt in mah mind, princess. If all mah questions can only be answered by this stallion in Baltimare, then Ah’m goin’ out there.”

The princess smiled at the young mare and nodded. She began walking back to her throne and started stating the specifics of the cowpony’s new adventure, “Then it is settled. I will send a message to my friend of your upcoming arrival. If you’re going to leave early tomorrow morning, then I shall tell him to expect you in the middle of the afternoon. When you reach the city, you will find his house at the end of Mane Street near Horseshoe Bay. It’s large, white, and rectangular so it’ll be hard to miss.”

Applejack was genuinely happy again, “Thanks for all the help, Princess Celestia. Ah don’t know what Ah coulda done without ya.”

Princess Celestia humbly acknowledged the earth pony’s gratitude before continuing, “As for the other girls, I’ll worry about returning a message out to them. I’ll also try to establish a way for all of us to contact one another by the time you return from Baltimare. For now, all you have to worry about is finding all the answers to your questions.”

“Will do, princess! Ah’ll make sure to have somethin’ to report when Ah come back. Ah’ll prove that seaponies do exist and that this feller o’ yours has enough clues to lead us in the right direction.”

“I certainly hope so, Applejack.”

Meanwhile, Spike had walked up behind the two ponies who seemed to have stolen the conversation all for themselves. He coughed to catch their notice, “I’m glad that you know somepony that can help us out, princess, but you haven’t even told us what his name is yet.”

Princess Celestia was expecting this to come up in the conversation eventually but she was still hesitant to reveal to them her companion’s actual name, “I’m sorry, it’s true. I’m just protecting him from further embarrassment as he was teased for having such a name when he was younger. I’m ashamed to admit that I myself find it rather amusing.”

Applejack looked up to the sovereign quizzically and asked her, “So, what the hay is this pony’s name?”

Princess Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle when she finally said, “His name is Doctor Fish Sticks.”