The Rainbooms Meet Lamia

The Seaport

The girls were all a bit anxious. They were smuggling a mythical-but-not-mythical creature back to America with them. It was all something of a herculean task to pull off. That didn't stop the Rainbooms and Lamia from sneaking around the docks at night where their ship was docked. Lamia was nervous as Tartarus as she slithered behind the girls.

"Are you sure this is safe? What if we get caught? What if they try to kill me?" Lamia whispered to them. "I'm scared."

Sunset turned around to smile at Lamia. "Don't worry, Lamia. We plan to hide you in one of the artifact crates that the archaeologists loaded up. You'll have to remain in there until we arrive in America."

"What about the customs officers? Aren't they going to search the crates as soon as they arrive?" Twilight asked. Sunset looked like she prepared for that.

"That's why at the last minute, we're going to have Lamia hide in the bowels of the ship immediately after we make port. Then we'll come back to the dock later at night to retrieve her from the ship," Sunset replied.

"I suppose that'll work, but what about while we're on our way back and we're seen going down to the cargo bay to visit or feed Miss Lamia?" Rarity asked.

"We'll just have to be sneaky about it," Sunset replied. "We just need to make our moves and time that specifically for when we go down there for Lamia."

"At least you've thought this entire thing through. I guess we should just go for it," Rainbow said. "I mean we are at the docks after all."

Lamia clung to Fluttershy's sweater, her hands shaking like a leaf. She was still unsure about this entire thing, leaving behind the ruins of the only place in the world that accepted her as a monster. Lamia didn't know what to expect from this modern world, if they would accept a monster like her or kill her.

"I... I don't feel right leaving behind the one place that I could call home," Lamia said. "Will the rest of the world be as accepting as you lot are?"

The girls all faced Lamia and gave her smiles and a reassuring hand. Twilight spoke to Lamia in a calming voice.

"Lamia, I can't speak on behalf of the entire world, but I know that we and the rest of the Wonderbolts at Canterlot High would welcome you as our friend," Twilight said. "I can't think of why anyone would hate someone as kind as you."

As afraid as she was at the idea of revealing herself to the modern world, she trusted the Rainbooms to know what they were doing since they became her friends and were willing to do this much to help her. Lamia wiped a tear from her eye and hugged them all, wrapping her tail around them. She let them go and smiled.

"Okay. I trust you lot, so I'll follow your lead," Lamia said.

"Great. Let's do this thing!" Rainbow said.

Lamia gripped the eyeball jar she had and closely followed the Rainbooms as they led her onboard the ship. It should've been expected that Lamia was in awe of a modern ship with all its modern looks and comforts. Lamia stopped a few times to take it all in.

"I've seen ships before but this is nothing like the triremes of my day," Lamia said. "How does this ship move without sails or men to row it? And why is it made of metal? Doesn't metal sink?"

"I'd be happy to answer all those questions later. Right now, we need to make our way to the cargo hold," Twilight replied.

The group made their way down the ship until they reached the cargo hold, with crates of different sizes strapped down to the floor. Now that they were there, they would have to find a crate for Lamia to hide in until they reached America. They split up to look for a perfect crate to hide the girl in.

"There's a big chariot in this one!" Rarity called.

"A naked statue's in this one!" Pinkie called out. "I'm just gonna save a mental image of it for later."

"TMI, Pinkie. TMI," Rainbow said. "Anyway, there's a bunch of old bronze swords in this one."

"Hey, I found an empty crate over here!" Applejack said.

The group rushed over to the crate in question. The crate wasn't that big, but it was the only one that was empty. Lamia tilted her head to the side as she looked at it.

"Uh, I don't know about this one. I don't know if I can fit in their even if I coil my tail," Lamia said.

"Well, get in there and try it," Pinkie said.

Lamia crawled into the box and coiled her tail around herself. Her head was pressed tightly against her shoulder and she didn't look comfortable at all. Lamia unfurled her tail and stood up in the box.

"While I appreciate your plan, Miss Sunset, I do not wish to have an aching neck the entire time we are on this journey," Lamia said.

Sunset rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. "Okay, so it's not one of my better plans. I guess you can just stay in Twilight's room since she doesn't have anyone staying with her other than Spike."

"Me and Spike would happy to have you. You can simply hide of anyone other than us comes into the room," Twilight said.

"Very well. I would like to stay with Twilight," Lamia said.

Lamia followed the girls until they reached Twilight's room. The inside of the room was nothing special except for two beds, some bags, and a dresser for clothes. Lamia slithered into the room and settled onto on the beds. Lamia shuddered at how comfortable the bed was with her tail twitching and swaying all over the place.

"Oh, sweet Hestia! It's been centuries since I've laid on a bed, let alone one this comfortable," Lamia said, burying her face in the sheets. "And they smell so nice. They're so soft and warm."

The girls all "Aww'd" inside at the sight of Lamia rolling around on the bed like a cat. Twilight got onto the other bed next to Lamia and wished the others goodnight. They would have quite a journey back to America, and Lamia was starting to look forward to it despite her fear. She just hoped that her new friends would be by her side. Lamia would miss her home, sure, but at least she would be happy with her friends.