Glad that everyone had made amends again, Twilight had decided to join Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity on their relaxing cruise, which wasn't really a cruise since the boat was docked.
"Ah think ah've found something!" Exclaimed Applejack with her mouth full of net, hauling up a treasure chest.
Twilight, Rarity, and Spike congratuled Applejack on her find, whilst Pinkie Pie talked to a Bunyip.
"Come on, bunyip, sir! You got it!" she encouraged, as the Bunyip prepared to take a swing at the green Piñata which was attached to a mast.
"A treasure chest!" exclaimed an ecstatic Rarity, as she ran forward to extract whatever treasures might've been nested away within the chest.
"Be careful Rarity!" warned Twilight, as Rarity used her magic to open it up.
"Relax Darling." soothed Rarity, already it up, "What's the worst that could hap-"
As she said those very words, a red beacon of light shot out of the treasure chest and into the sky. It instantly created thunderclouds, drowing out the beautiful sky which had been there before. The light was blinding, like the ones Chrysalis created when she was transforming.
"Hey Rarity!" chirped an ecstatic Pinkie, unaware of the situation around them, "Cool light show!"
A high-pitched, evil-sounding warble bombinated around the five friends, sending chills down the spines of of them. Instantly, the red beam condensed into an orb, and there was a great flash of light as a pony emerged from the orb, cackling like mad. It had a gnarly horn and tattered wings. Its horn was not too different from Chrysalis, although it did not have holes in it.
The pony stopped cackling and looked down upon the five ponies which had summoned it.
"I thank you for releasing me from my prison." it boomed, sounded like a mixture of Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon. "I will spare you, on one condition."
"Who are ya?" asked Applejack, taking in the scene in front of her with horror.
"I am Mala Umbra. I am a collector of fine things, of treasures, and of pony ones 'specially. You see ponies often form a special bond with their treasures, and it is that bond which strengthens me so. I was ready to conquer Equestria, when those knaves known as Celestia and Luna banished me to my own treasure hoard!"
She poured herself a drink from a goblet and drank deeply, taking in the expressions on the friends which stood in front of her.
"So," she began, "what've I missed?"
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were flying to the port. With luck, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, and Spike, wouldn't have gone too far away, and they would still be able to contact them. Although since the boat was docked, they needn't have flown so fast.
"The food at the reunion was horrible!" complained Rainbow Dash, as they flew top speed over Ponyville, "At least the cider was good."
"I think it was nice getting to meet everyone, and seeing how fast they've come and grown as ponies." remarked Fluttershy.
"Sure the people were nice, but that's never an excuse for poorly made food! It tasted worse than the meal I had at the hospital!"
There was an awkward silence after that, as the food was indeed disgusting, and the memory of it repulsed the two mares. The rest of the journey was completed in silence, although they did stop at one point to get some more food, as gifts for the rest of their friends on the boat.
"Is it supposed to be stormy today?" asked Fluttershy as they flew towards the port, which was surrounded my thunderclouds.
"There must've been a mix-up at the weather factory." theorized Rainbow, then a horrible thought occured to her.
"Our friends!" She exclaimed, as she zoomed towards the port, looking around for a shipwreck, as Fluttershy followed suit.
"Well?" Said Mala Umbra patiently, "What's happened since I have been gone?"
There was a slightly awkward silence at Mala Umbra waited, and the ponies debated what to say.
"Equestria is a place for ponies to laugh together." Said Pinkie Pie joyfully.
Mala Umbra's mouth twitched.
"And..." She ventured, her laugh not being contagious in the slightest.
Everypony else remained silent. Her eyes narrowed.
"If you're going to treat me with such insolence... " she snarled, voice dripping with venom, "then I shan't spare you!"
Without warning, Mala Umbra shot a red beam of energy towards Applejack. Twilight leapt in front, and quickly formed a magenta beam, to counter Umbra's beam. For a while, the two ponies faced off, in perfect stalemate, before Twilight gained the upper-hand. Umbra snarled as her beam rebounded back on her horn, sending her of into the Equestrian sky. As the storm clouds drifted away, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy appeared.
"What did we miss?" She asked, touching down on the boat.
"Some pony named Mala Umbra came outta this chest, and claimed she was some kind of treasure-hunter. She tried to attack Applejack, but Twilight blasted her away with her horn!" Recapped Pinkie.
"I hope no one was hurt." said Fluttershy, also touching down on the boat.
"Well she's gone now, so there's no point worrying about her too much." said Rarity, levatating some silverware, and generously scooping on some ice cream onto it.
"Ooh thanks Rarity!" replied Pinkie as she dug into her sweet treat.
"Anyhow, ah think it's time to set sail." interjected Applejack,
"Sounds sweet!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
Within minutes, the Mane 6 were off on their adventure. Until Pinkie Pie needed to go to the bathroom, so they had to dock at an island, which strangely had an outhouse on it.
"Is anyone else getting some serious deja vu?" asked Rainbow.
"What do you mean?" replied Applejack, as she steered the ship toward the island
Applejack gently manueurved the boat to the shores of the island and dropped the anchor on it's beach.
"Ooh pickles!" groaned Pinkie Pie, as she rushed toward the outhouse, "Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry up in there!"
It must've occured to Pinkie that the door was a "pull" door and not a "push" door, because she quickly opened the door and dashed in.
Rarity and Twilight exchanged a bemused look.
Suddenly, a bombinating laugh echoed around the hallway. Then Mala Umbra appeared.
"Boo."
Author's Note
OK so I made some changes to the story and merged the first two chapters into one.
I hope y'all got the "Last Roundup" reference lol.
