My little pony:Adventure of Seresia

“Darling, can you help me pass that piece of rope over?”

Following Bright McIntosh's direction, Pear Butter picked up the rope beside her and threw it down in front of McIntosh, who was positioned below. They were currently hiding in a secluded cave at the edge of a cliff; this cave was not significant and remained backlight primarily throughout the day, making it difficult to notice unless one looked closely. A few steps inward, a makeshift wooden dam blocked the shimmering sea outside. The dried water marks on the surrounding walls were lower than the dam's height, roughly level with the water's surface. The dam kept out the seawater, and once the area inside was cleared, it revealed a large pit. The raft that McIntosh and his wife had spent a long time collecting and constructing now lay in this large pit.

Since always, after each storm, McIntosh would glean and collect scraps on the beach. Most of the time, he could only find some hull fragments or bits of rope and barrels. But today was his lucky day; McIntosh found a nearly intact sail. However, he had never seen a sail shaped like this before, as the canvas was not made from traditional fabric. It was woven in a cross pattern, feeling somewhat like tree bark, yet the surface was incredibly smooth and more resilient. Nevertheless, he could worry about those details later; having something was better than nothing. Earlier, McIntosh dragged it into the cave and now he's trying to load it onto the raft he built himself using the materials he collected. Although the sail is much larger than his own raft, with a slight adjustment using ropes, it can still be used.

“Bright Mac, are you really sure these things can help us get back to Equestria?”

“Honestly, I don't know either, but this is our only hope right now, Pear Butter. We have been stranded on this island for too long. Since the day we left Equestria by boat, faced a shipwreck, and finally drifted to this island, nearly three thousand sunsets have passed.” Bright McIntosh explained while biting one end of the rope with his mouth, passing the other end through the mast, and tying a knot to secure the salvaged sail. He then pulled it tight with his hooves to make sure it was fixed, and after testing it again to ensure its stability, he let out a sigh of relief.

Pear Butter felt a pang of guilt and longing for her hometown upon realizing how long she had been away without taking care of Applejack. This caused her nose to sting, and tears began to flow from the corners of her eyes as her voice trembled:

“Oh... Applejack, McIntosh, Apple Bloom. My poor little apple seedling, has it really been that long...?? I’m so sorry, my babies...”

“Alright, alright, don’t be too sad. Princess Celestia blessed us by finding this sail. With it, we can get back to Equestria.” Bright McIntosh’s ears drooped slightly as he realized he had misspoken. He sighed while looking at the mast and quickly comforted his wife.

“Uh-huh...”

“We’ll set off again late at night. If we’re lucky, we probably won’t encounter bad weather again... I’ve reinforced the raft a bit this time; I hope it holds up.” Perhaps to demonstrate the strength of the raft to Pear Butter, Bright McIntosh knocked a few times on the mast and floor, producing a deep and solid sound. However, this did not reassure his wife; instead, she asked worriedly:

“What if we fail again... what should we do?”

“ Then we’ll just try again, my love. Eventually, we’ll succeed.”

“Maybe we should seek the help of some townsfolk...” Upon hearing this, McIntosh halted the activity of his hooves in disbelief and turned to look at Pear Butter:

“No, Pear Butter, we've discussed this matter... you know what happened the last time we sought help.”

“But... I'm not trying to blame you, Bright Mac. But we have failed too many times... each time it’s just been you working hard while I... I can't offer much help... I was just thinking that maybe we should find a reliable helping hoof to get through this tough time together.”

Seeing Pear Butter's dejected expression, McIntosh could only stop his work and climb out of the pit. He then walked in front of Pear Butter and embraced her: “We can only rely on ourselves, dear. Besides you, I don't want any other hoof to interfere. Trust me, we will soon be back to see our babies again. And having you by my side is already the greatest help I could ask for~”

“Hmm~” Pear Butter's ears drooped, her face flushed, and the earlier gloom and sadness vanished.

“I have a feeling, Pear Butter, that we will definitely escape this time!!”

“Hmm,ok~ I believe you~”

After giving Pear Butter a kiss on the forehead, Bright McIntosh jumped back into the pit, continuing his work on reinforcing the wooden raft. Pear Butter stayed beside her husband through the long hours until the sun set in the west. Without the sunlight reflecting, the cave's lighting grew dim, but Bright McIntosh no longer needed to worry about that.

“I think it's ready now; let’s go, dear. First, let’s head back to rest and gather enough food. When the moon rises to its highest point, that will be the moment Princess Luna guides us home.” Climbing out of the pit, Bright McIntosh put back the palm leaves that had covered the entrance. After ensuring nothing was left behind, he secured his tools in the saddlebag on his back, preparing to leave with Pear Butter. But just a few steps out, his wife suddenly asked:

“Should we bring that lady with the rainbow mane? She ended up on this island because of the storm too; perhaps we can help each other.”

“I thought we had reached an agreement, dear; we said...”

“I thought we had come to an agreement, dear. We said we would...”

I know, Bright Mac, I just... I don't know how to describe it... it's like... there's a voice in my head that won't go away. It tells me we need that lady's help.” Pear Butter also didn't know how to explain her seemingly absurd idea to her husband Bright Mac, all she could do was hold onto his hoof, like a child longing for their parents to buy them ice cream:

“Please, Bright Mac, let's think of a way to find that mare and take her with us to escape.”

“Alright, alright, I promise you, but we can only take her, we can't take anyone else. And we don’t even know where that mare you mentioned is now, or how to contact her??”

Bright Mac was right, where should she go to find her?? Pear Butter thought for a moment, recalling that she had previously mentioned something about the town to Rainbow Dash, and suddenly had an idea:

“I can go to the town and check? I told Rainbow Dash before that there is a hospital in town, maybe I can meet her there again.”

“Are you sure?? I don’t want you getting involved with those thugs in town, how about I go with you?”

Pear Butter shook her head, her attitude very firm: “You should go back and rest, I can take care of myself. If I can't find that lady in the end... anyway, I will be back before sunset~ Don't worry.”