My little pony:Adventure of Seresia

“Hi, little ponies, don't be afraid; we mean no harm. We just received reports of suspicious ponies in the area.” Despite the leading otter's explanation, Jin Yun remained on guard. She kept a close watch on them, her defensive posture ready. Although she was confident in handling the much larger otter in front of her, the more diminutive henchmen that appeared nearby posed a different challenge. Unlike that narcissist who could create duplicates, Jin Yun knew she couldn't take them all on simultaneously. However, perhaps she could intimidate the leader into making the henchmen back off.

As she contemplated her strategy, Twilight, who did not recognize these creatures, stepped closer to the Fluttershy, maintaining a friendly smile to attract attention. She quietly asked, “Fluttershy, what are these creatures?”

As Twilight approached, Fluttershy shifted behind her before daring to glance at the enormous creature before them. “Oh... they should be otters, Twilight. This is the first time I’ve seen them outside of the 'Encyclopedia of Animals.'”

“Otters??” Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.

“Well... I remember the book mentioned that these creatures can be a bit temperamental. Now that they’ve surrounded us, could it be because we accidentally intruded into their territory?” Upon hearing Fluttershy’s words, Twilight felt uneasy. She was unfamiliar with this new environment and unsure if Fluttershy was correct. However, the otters didn’t seem to show any malice. After a moment of thought, she decided to take the initiative to make peace. She stepped forward, raised her head, and made eye contact with the leader of the otters.

“Hello, respected leader. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends. We didn’t mean to intrude on your territory; we just came here because we heard that the parents of a friend of mine live here.”

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle and her friends.” The otter leader almost spat the words out one by one, showing no emotion as he stared intently at Twilight, making her feel uncomfortable. She hadn’t expected these creatures to look like this but was quite experienced. Having studied management and handled various matters at Canterlot, she dealt with noble poker faces daily. Any slight mistake would result in a reprimand, which trained Twilight well. Throughout this subtle re-education process, she learned to read people's expressions and gauge situations based on their facial cues. As for the otter's current expression, she felt somewhat assured. So, she smiled and said:

“Um... well... if nothing else, we will leave now and not disturb you further. Girls, we should go.” After speaking, Twilight turned around, ready to lead her friends away. But as soon as she took a step, the otter leader stopped her.

"No, we aren’t done with Twilight Sparkle and her little pony friends yet. Twilight Sparkle and her little pony friends need to come with us."

"What?? But... we didn't do anything!!" Twilight was shocked to hear this; she was unaware that this was the territory of the otters. She tried to reason with the leader, pleading for forgiveness, but her response was met with silence. The otters surrounded her and her companions like cold stone statues. At the same time, the leader stared at her with a deep gaze, making Twilight feel very uncomfortable and frightened, fearing they might have ulterior motives.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Jin Yun's horn glowing with magic, gathering beneath her black cloak. She was preparing to draw her sword. Twilight realized this was probably why the otters were reluctant to let her go. If Jin Yun drew her sword and got into a scuffle with the otters, things could take a turn for the worse. Twilight quickly approached Jin Yun, placing her hoof over the shimmering light beneath the cloak. Jin Yun paused and looked back at Twilight, frowning while expressing her confusion and disbelief. Twilight shook her head at Jin Yun, signaling her not to act rashly, then looked up at the leader, seriously expressing her intent:

"I don't know what you want, but we have our matters to attend to. I sincerely apologize if we inadvertently intruded and caused you any trouble. I hope to earn your forgiveness."

"Princess Twilight, if these creatures insist on blocking our way, they only ask for trouble. Let me deal with them!"

“No, Jin Yun, don't act impulsively. Let me talk to them properly.” Holding back the restless Jin Yun, Twilight turned to the tall otter, again trying to reason with him. However, he showed no sign of concession and insisted they follow him. As negotiations proved unproductive, Twilight felt a headache; she didn’t want any conflict with the local creatures. After weighing the pros and cons, Twilight ultimately softened her attitude and decided to follow the otters to see what they truly wanted.

“We'll come back later, okay, Applejack? I promise. When we return, we will find your parents.” Applejack felt slightly disappointed; once hopeful, her heart now felt as if it had been doused with cold water. She wanted to teach these rude strangers a lesson but ultimately held back. It wasn't that Applejack was weak; instead, she had her reservations. Yuna was injured, and Twilight no longer possessed her former strength; these were weaknesses she couldn’t ignore. In the end, all AppleJake could do was nod slightly and follow Twilight’s lead back toward the direction they had initially come from.

The otters maintained a small encirclement about a meter from them. Although the gaps between the otters were vast, it was still not possible to break through in a short amount of time. Even if everyone discussed escaping in different directions, they would still be likely to get caught in this unfamiliar territory; compared to that, it might be safer to comply.

Eventually, they returned to the small town. Still, as they walked along the main road, the townspeople around them looked even more frightened than when they first saw them. They clearly avoided the group, which caused everyone to start feeling anxious.

“What’s wrong with them? Are they afraid of us?” Spike asked in confusion, noting how the Crystal Ponies looked like they had seen the King Sombra. Could it be that these islanders had never seen a dragon before?

“They are probably avoiding those otters. Look at their expressions; they were curious when they first saw us. Now, they are avoiding us like children seeing a monster. We’d best be cautious; this could be a Hongmen banquet.”

“Hongmen banquet?” Although Twilight didn’t know exactly what that meant, Jin Yun’s somber tone and serious expression led her to guess a bit. However, she did not wish for any conflict; perhaps they had issues regarding interests with the islanders. Maybe these otters didn’t know how to express their feelings, making them seem fierce. In any case, Twilight believed she could mend the rift between the two groups.

The group did not stop in the small town but moved deeper into the island. Before entering the dense coconut grove, Twilight saw a large mountain in the distance. Although not very clear, she noticed several buildings halfway up the hill. Perhaps that was where they were headed. Not far behind them, in a corner of a house, a figure watched the group until they disappeared into the jungle.