A month. A painfully long month has passed since the girls set sail from Manehattan port on their expedition to hunt the "sea monster" as many of them still believed except Twilight. Whatever excitement they had at the beginning of the voyage quickly faded away when the days on the ship became long, boring, and tiresome as their search for the creature proved fruitless.

At first, it was great. If you didn't count Rarity getting seasick or Fluttershy being scared of sharks, the voyage went remarkably well. To pass the time, the girls did whatever they could since they didn't really have any "duties" to perform on the ship as the crew did.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie spent most of their time in the ship's kitchen cooking food and managing the supplies since they did it a lot back home, and the crew just loved the deserts the earth pony mares made.

Rarity and Fluttershy were mainly on deck helping the crew to keep it clean, despite Rarity's numerous complaints of getting herself sweaty under Celestia's sun. Besides cleaning, Fluttershy also used her time on deck to observe the marine life such as dolphins that surfaced to greet her from time to time. But whenever the shy pegasus saw sharks looking for a meal, she instantly flew inside one of the barrels to hide much to the crew's amusement.

Rainbow, on the other hand, couldn't help but admire the ship's guns and continually ask the crew how to operate them. Next to becoming a Wonderbolt, Rainbow loved ponies' new weapons such as cannons and muskets that recently entered the Equestrian military's service due to the introduction of gunpowder from the griffons. As annoying as her attitude was, the crew always was more than happy to explain how the cannons worked.

As for Twilight, she mostly remained in her cabin conducting research on the creature responsible for sinking Equestrian ships. While many believed that it was a sea monster hungering for pony flesh, Twilight highly doubted it.

From what she had been able to gather, every ship seemed to have been destroyed by an explosion. What little evidence she had indicated that something hit the ships' hulls and exploded which ignited the powder kegs on board, thus causing a massive explosion that left no survivors from any of the destroyed ships.

As far as Twilight knew, no living sea creature could cause something like this which made her suspect that maybe the culprit was some kind of new weapon from foreign countries and that these attacks were test runs. But she couldn't just go and accuse the griffons or other races for the attacks due to the lack of evidence, not to mention of it causing a diplomatic incident which Equestria couldn't afford.

She also had trouble figuring out which nation could build a weapon of that magnitude. The only one she could think of was the Griffon Kingdom due to their remarkable engineering. In fact, it was the griffons who invented the musket and other muzzleloaders which ponies later copied. But even griffons weren't technologically advanced enough to engineer something as devastating as this, so Twilight was back to square one.

The most difficult part was getting the creature's description which was fuzzy at best. The best description she got was from some traveling griffon fishers in Vanhoover who claimed to have seen a massive fish with a huge glowing eye and unusual tail swimming somewhere in the North Luna Ocean far from the mainland.

Still, based on all the current evidence, Twilight strongly believed that this wasn't a sea creature of any kind, but she still couldn't quite guess or figure out what they were dealing with. Every theory she came up with turned out to be a dead end and every clue turned up nothing which frustrated her more every day. But it was becoming clear that she had to think outside the box if she were to discover what this creature was.

But as the days went by, the girls' search for the creature proved to be futile. No matter where they looked, they just couldn't find it, almost as if it just disappeared into thin air the moment the Mane 6 went out searching for it. But now that they had passed the deadline, Twilight had no choice but to call off the search and order the ship to return home despite Rainbow's protests. It pained Twilight that she would have to go back home empty-handed, but at least she would see her dear Spike again who was expecting her to come home soon.

Speaking of the young princess, she was currently in her cabin going through her notes about the creature they had been unable to find. Though she had not shown it to her friends, Twilight was beyond frustrated with her failure.

"Just what the hay are you? How do you keep eluding me even when I've exhausted every possible way to identify you?" Twilight thought while looking at unclear drawings of the creature.

Her thoughts were put to a halt, however, when someone sounded the alarm and Applejack entered the cabin in a hurry.

"Twilight! Emergency!" Applejack said.

"What?! What's going on, AJ?" Twilight asked.

"We were on deck playing cards until Fluttershy saw something in the distance, something moving," Applejack told.

"What was it? What did she see?" Twilight asked.

"She didn't say. She was so scared that she couldn't get a word out. Rainbow flew up to get a better look and said she saw something large swimming nearby, something with a huge glowing eye and odd-looking tail," Applejack explained.

The moment the farmer pony gave her the description, Twilight's eyes widened in horror. They had found it, they had found the creature they'd been looking for. Without another word, Twilight teleported herself to the deck and ordered everyone to their stations.

"All crew to battle stations! This is not a drill!" Twilight ordered.

"What's going on, Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah! What made you so spooked all of a sudden?" Applejack added as she joined the others on deck.

"This is it! We found the creature we've been looking for," Twilight said.

When she said it, all of her friends became both shocked and horrified. As for Twilight, she couldn't help but feel the irony that when they stopped looking for the creature, they found it or it found them.

"Are you sure?" Applejack asked.

"The description you gave me matches the ones I've noted. Trust me, this is it," Twilight insisted.

"*Screams* Are you telling me we're about to go into battle with a sea monster?" Rarity panicked.

"I want to go home!" Fluttershy screamed.

"Girls! Calm down! We have come too far to stop now and we can't let that thing get away. Everyone back home is depending on us to stop this creature and that's exactly what we're gonna do!" Twilight yelled.

With that said, everyone went to their stations. The crew loaded the cannons and Twilight was observing the creature with her telescope. It was exactly where Rainbow and Fluttershy said it was, apparently swimming calmly as if it didn't know about them which made Twilight pleased because they had the element of surprise.

"How far are we from the target?" Twilight asked.

"We're almost in range, your highness," one of the sailors said.

"Good. As soon as we're in range, fire the cannons," Twilight ordered.

"Aye aye, princess," the sailor replied.

"Uh, Twi. Are we really gonna shoot first and ask questions later?" Applejack asked in concern.

"We don't have a choice, AJ. This thing has already destroyed dozens of our ships and killed hundreds of ponies. We must put a stop to it before more lives are lost," Twilight reasoned.

"Yeah! Besides, I'm just dying to wait to fire these babies," Rainbow said as she patted the cannons.

"It's the 'dying' part that worries me," Applejack said.

Their conversation was cut short when one of the sailors yelled.

"The creature is now on the firing line, princess! We are also in range!" The sailor reported.

"Open fire!" Twilight ordered.

The second she gave the order, every cannon and mortar fired at the creature. From what Twilight could see through her telescope, every shot they fired seemed to have hit their target but she couldn't tell if they caused any damage due to the creature being underwater.

"Did we get it?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure. We hit it but I can't tell if we destroyed it," Twilight answered.

"Well, hopefully, it now knows it never should have messed with us ponies!" Rainbow said defiantly.

"Hey! I think that thing is doing something," Rarity alerted.

Twilight took another look with her telescope and could see eight objects depart from the creature and head toward them. And judging from their speed, they would hit the Thunder in less than a minute. This instantly made Twilight recall how this thing had destroyed all those ships. Knowing what would happen, Twilight pulled her friends close with her magic and created a shield around them.

"Every pony brace for impact!" Twilight shouted.

Then, the objects hit the ship's hull and a massive explosion followed. The armor plating was useless against the objects and the powder kegs onboard increased the power of the explosion. The force from the explosion pushed Twilight and her friends overboard but were protected by the princess' shield around them though it shattered when they hit the water.

When they went under, the Mane 6 flapped their hooves as fast as they could. Luckily, they didn't have to swim long till they reached the surface. As they floated, Twilight and her friends watched in horror as what little was left of the Thunder sank beneath the sea, leaving only burning pieces of wood behind. From the exhaustion of overusing her magic, Twilight felt her consciousness slip away.

"No," Twilight moaned before everything went dark.

Later

After what felt like forever, Twilight slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying on something solid. As she was waking up, her friends ran to her side and helped her on her hooves.

"Twilight! Are you okay?" Applejack asked.

"I think so. Just a little dizzy," Twilight replied.

"Thank Celestia you're alright, darling. For a moment we feared the worst," Rarity said.

"It's so good you're okay, Twilight," Fluttershy agreed.

"Yeah! You're like an indestructible super pony!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Come on, girls! This is Twilight, she can survive anything," Rainbow added.

Feeling her cheeks turn red, Twilight was glad her friends were okay. But her relief soon turned into curiosity when she took a look around her and noticed that they were standing on something solid but there was nothing but ocean around them.

"Girls, what's going on? How come are we standing on the ocean?" Twilight asked.

"We don't know, Twi. While you were out, we found this spot and swam to it to avoid drowning. But we can't exactly tell what it is though it definitely isn't an island or whale," Applejack answered.

"We've taken a look at it ourselves but all we can tell is that it's solid like a rock," Rarity said.

"Yep, but it sure doesn't feel like a rock," Pinkie added.

Once she regained her senses, Twilight took a look at what they were standing on herself and could tell it was solid but she discovered something else as well.

"Hmm, that's odd," Twilight said.

"What is it, darling?" Rarity asked.

"It feels like this thing is made of metal," Twilight said.

This caused her friends to blink their eyes but whatever they were about to say was interrupted when what they were standing on started to shake violently.

"*Screams* What in the name of Celestia is going on?!" Rarity panicked.

"Every pony calm down! Whatever this thing is, I think it's surfacing!" Twilight yelled.

And not a moment too soon, the thing emerged from the depths and the six mares couldn't believe their eyes. What they were seeing was not a sea monster or marine animal of any kind. It was a vessel made of metal.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack yelled.

"What the heck is this thing?!" Rainbow asked angrily.

The moment Twilight saw the thing they were standing on, it hit her like lightning.

"OF COURSE!"

"Please don't yell, Twilight! You're making my ears bleed!" Rarity whined.

"Sorry, Rarity. But can't you girls see what this is?" Twilight said pointing at the vessel under them.

"Then tell us what it is already," Rainbow said.

"This is a ship! Not just any ship. It's a ship that moves underwater, a submarine!" Twilight said excitedly.

"An underwater ship? But that's impossible! There's no such thing," Rainbow denied.

"The evidence is standing right under us, Rainbow. I can't believe I didn't realize it before. I have read from history books that griffons had made some experimental submarines such as the "Turtle" and "Hunley" in their previous conflicts with Equestria but those didn't work properly. But this... this is a real working submarine. This is a great scientific discovery!" Twilight exclaimed in rejoice.

"Alright, time out! Before your head explodes, Twilight. Do I have to remind you that this thing's been sinking our ships lately? Not to mention it blew our ship to pieces!" Rainbow yelled angrily.

"That's enough you two!" Applejack interjected. "What's important right now is to figure out what to do now."

Once the girls calmed down, they started to take a closer look at the ship. They seemed to be standing on some kind of platform judging from the railing around them. What caught their attention next were two sphere-like turrets with a gun on each side but they couldn't see anyone inside them except one seat in each one and what Twilight assumed were the controls used to operate them. The only other things they saw were two metal wire things and what they assumed was a rudder, which was huge by the way, but nothing else. But no matter where they looked, they couldn't find a door of any kind.

"You girls see any doors?" Applejack asked.

"Nothing here," Rainbow replied.

"I can't see it anywhere. The door must be cleverly disguised into the hull," Twilight concluded.

"When how are we supposed to get inside? I don't really want to sit here waiting till this thing submerges," Rarity asked.

"I don't know, girls. Let's just-"

What Twilight tried to say was cut short when they heard something coming from behind them. They quickly turned and saw a hatch opened with the ship's occupants coming out from it, whose appearance caused the girls' eyes to widen. The creatures were what Twilight recognized as humans (males) but clearly not the ones she had seen in Canterlot High. And based on their appearance, they were soldiers.

The humans were wearing army green trench coat uniforms with a red A-like symbol on each shoulder and had their faces hidden behind gas masks and neck-covered helmets. The princess became concerned when she saw most of them carrying what appeared to be weapons (SMLE No. 1 Mk III* rifles) similar to griffons' muskets but clearly more advanced in operation and design. The humans stood quietly in front of them until the one in the middle spoke.

"The Equestrian warship has been destroyed along with her crew. There's nothing left of her but burning pieces of wood floating on the ocean. And as far as we know, you six are the only survivors," the human said.

Most of the Mane 6 became horrified when they were told that only they survived, except Rainbow who felt great anger at the humans for killing their crew.

"Now, whoever you are, our captain wants you to understand something and understand it well. You are lost at sea and dead to the world. If you choose to enter the Ulysses, you choose to enter a different world, a new world. And you can give up all hope of returning to yours," the human continued.

This time the Mane 6 could feel their hearts pumping fast as they listened to the human in front of them telling them his terms, except Rainbow whose blood was boiling from all the anger she felt.

"If you do not agree to these terms, the Ulysses shall return to its world and leave you to yours," the human finished.

Twilight and her friends had conflicting feelings about their current situation. They knew that if they refused, they would be left to drown. But if they accepted the humans' offer to enter their ship, they would likely never see their friends and loved ones again.

Twilight's feelings of uncertainty, however, were quickly replaced by curiosity. She was very eager to see the human ship from the inside and find out how it worked. She also wanted to meet their captain to see if she could negotiate on her friends' behalf for better arrangements. As for her friends, all of them had different thoughts about their predicament.

Applejack wasn't sure if she and her friends could trust these humans, but she was feeling inclined to accept their offer if it meant seeing another day. Rarity felt the same as her farmer friend did while Fluttershy and Pinkie preferred to let Twilight choose their fate. Rainbow, on the other hand, wanted to tell the humans to go to Tartarus and where to shove up their offer. After long and careful thinking, Twilight gave the human her answer.

"Sir, we agree to your terms," Twilight said.

"WHAT! Twilight, you can't be serious?" Rainbow disagreed.

"We don't have a choice, Rainbow! It's a choice between life and death, yes, but I prefer life instead of death!" Twilight argued.

"Well, if you wanna be held prisoner in this rusty tin can, fine! But you can count me and the others out!" Rainbow said.

"Shut that big darn mouth of yours, Rainbow! And don't ever think you're speaking on our behalf!" Applejack yelled.

"What?! You can't possibly be thinking of accepting their offer, are you?" Rainbow asked in disbelief.

"If it allows us to live to see another day, then darn straight we go for it. And Applebloom still needs me, I can't die here and leave her when she's still so young," Applejack said.

"And don't forget that it was a miracle we survived. I'm certainly not going to let it go to waste," Twilight added.

Since she didn't get support from the princess and farmer, Rainbow turned to the others who hadn't yet spoken their mind.

"What about you, guys? Please tell me you're not considering this," Rainbow asked.

"Sorry, Dash. But I agree with Twilight and Applejack. Besides, I can't bear the thought of leaving poor Sweetie Belle alone in the world by dying while she is still just a filly," Rarity answered.

"Um, I think Twilight is right and it certainly can't be that bad," Fluttershy said quietly.

"Yep, not to mention I don't want to end up in a watery grave. I still have so many cakes to bake," Pinkie added.

Rainbow couldn't believe what she was hearing. All of her friends wanted to go with the humans into the underwater ship responsible for sinking the Thunder and killing her crew. The same ship that has been blowing up pony ships and causing famine and political unrest in Equestria as a result. The idea that they were just going to surrender themselves was unthinkable. Still, though she didn't like it, even Rainbow knew it was pointless to argue with her friends who had already made their decision so she might as well just go along with it.

"*Groans* Fine. But only because you're my friends," Rainbow muttered.

With the rainbow-maned member of their group finally agreeing to their decision, Twilight turned back to the human in front of her.

"We are ready to join you, sir," Twilight said.

"Follow me," the human replied.

He led the ponies to the hatch and signaled them to enter, which they held no objections to. As soon as they were all inside and the hatch was closed, the ship soon disappeared beneath the waves as if it never existed.

Once they were inside the submarine, the Mane 6 took a good look at their surroundings. Just like the hull, the sub's interior was also made of metal. The deck they were in was lit by several light bulbs on the ceiling that were powered by energy unknown to ponykind. They could also breathe fresh air inside the ship like on the surface. These few facts were enough to spark Twilight's curiosity, she just had to know how this submarine worked and was anxious to meet the one responsible for creating this scientific marvel.

Despite their situation, Twilight's friends, except Rainbow, couldn't help but also be in awe. Though they were a bit intimidating, Applejack wanted to get to know the ship's crew a little better while Rarity wondered if there was a spa or at least a shower in the submarine. Fluttershy hoped to see marine life underwater and Pinkie wanted to see what kind of kitchen the humans had onboard. Rainbow, on the other hand, couldn't think of anything else other than how to escape from the ship they were on and while she didn't admit it out loud, she also didn't like tight spaces.

When they were done admiring, Twilight turned to the human who brought them on board, the one who at this point identified himself as Lieutenant. This meant that he was the Second-In-Command onboard this underwater ship. But that was all he was willing to tell them at this point, refraining from telling them his name nor revealing his face. Twilight could only assume that was because he was under orders.

"Where do we go now, sir?" Twilight asked.

"We'll now take you to your quarters where you will stay put till the captain is ready to see you," the Lieutenant answered.

"And how long we would have to wait?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know, ma'am. A few hours tops," the Lieutenant replied.

Finally breaking her nerve, Rainbow flew straight to the hatch they entered the sub from and was forcefully trying to open it.

"That's it! I can't take this anymore! Let me out of here, let me out!" Rainbow shouted.

"Don't open that hatch! You'll flood the whole deck!" The Lieutenant warned.

"Listen to him, Rainbow! You are going to get us all killed!" Twilight said in horror.

"No way! I'm getting out of this tin can and no one's gonna stop me!" Rainbow disagreed.

The soldiers then grabbed her rear legs and pulled her down but the pegasus started punching them in their gas-masked faces. Though her friends told her to stop, Rainbow kept fighting back the humans trying to pin her down. She only stopped when she felt something hit the back of her head hard, causing her to get dizzy and fall to the metallic floor. It turned out to be the Lieutenant who grabbed a rifle (SMLE No. 1 Mk III*) from one of the soldiers and hit Rainbow in the head with the rifle's stock. When Rainbow came to, she turned to the Lieutenant with an angry look on her face while rubbing the back of her head.

"Ow! That was a dirty trick," Rainbow moaned in pain.

"If you endanger this ship and her crew, we'll use whatever means to subdue you," the Lieutenant said.

"Why you little-"

Rainbow's sentence was cut short when the Lieutenant cocked his rifle and aimed it right at her head, making the pegasus sweat in fear.

"This is your last warning, ma'am. Calm down and don't cause any more trouble or I'll blow your head off," the Lieutenant threatened.

The last part made Rainbow's face turn pale while her friends gasped in horror. Though Twilight didn't like Rainbow's recklessness and hasty actions, she couldn't stand anyone threatening her friends' lives. So she stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating any further.

"Sir, please! You made your point. There is no need to resort to such extremes. I apologize on my friend's behalf for her actions and promise she won't cause you any more trouble," Twilight pleaded.

Luckily, the Lieutenant nodded and pulled his rifle away from Rainbow's head who sighed in relief. After he gave the rifle back to the soldier he loaned it from, the Lieutenant turned back to the six mares.

"Before we take you to your quarters, we must first take certain precautions to ensure you pose no threat to us," the Lieutenant said.

Then he snapped his fingers and another soldier came to the scene, carrying two platinum-colored rings that he gave to the Lieutenant. The next thing he did was gently put the rings on Twilight and Rarity's horns who didn't resist since both of them already suspected what the rings were for.

"As you may have already guessed, these rings disable your magic and prevent you from casting spells or using telekinesis as long as they're on your horns. They're also made so only the person who put them on can remove them," the Lieutenant explained.

"How long do we have to wear these, sir?" Twilight asked.

"Indeed. As much as I love jewelry, I still wish to use my telekinesis to perform my tasks," Rarity added.

"We'll take them off once you have proven that you can be trusted. Please understand that this is only to ensure the safety of the crew and security on this ship. Now, please follow me," the Lieutenant said.

Knowing that they couldn't argue with that, the girls merely nodded as they followed the Lieutenant with the soldiers behind them. But they quickly stopped when the Lieutenant opened a metal box on the wall, revealing a telephone. After rolling a handle a couple of times, he then put the phone on his ear.

"Sir, this is the Lieutenant. Yes, sir, we got all of them. We're bringing them to their quarters now, sir. Yes, sir, I understand," the Lieutenant said.

"Hmm, fascinating. Must be part of the ship's internal communication system and works similarly to the crystal balls we use for long-range communication. And to think they do this without magic makes it even more intriguing," Twilight said.

"Who do you think he was talking to?" Applejack asked.

"To their captain, I think. Hmm, I wonder when we are going to meet him," Twilight replied.

Once he finished his call with the captain, the Lieutenant signaled the mares to follow him and the group moved on. It wasn't long until they reached the cabin where the Mane 6 was supposed to wait till the captain was ready to meet them. After the Lieutenant opened the door and politely told the girls to enter, they went inside the cabin which wasn't so bad. There were six bunks, a heater, air conditioning, and a bathroom, practically everything they needed for the moment.

"Here's your cabin, ladies. We'll arrange you a better one later but right now, this is the best we can do," the Lieutenant said.

"We understand, sir, and thank you. I don't mean to rush but could you tell your captain that we'd like to meet him as soon as possible," Twilight requested.

"I'll do what I can, ma'am. One more thing," the Lieutenant said.

Again he snapped his fingers and the crew brought the girls dry clothes and some carrots along with towels.

"You can take a shower in the bathroom and then put on these dry clothes. There are also some carrots for you to eat until we get more 'suitable' food for you. Until then, enjoy yourselves, ladies," the Lieutenant said.

With that, the humans then left the cabin and locked the door behind them, leaving Twilight and her friends in their thoughts. Though they didn't like being locked up like prisoners in the Canterlot dungeon, they knew they had no choice but to do as their captors said. After all, they could have killed them or left them to drown but instead, they gave them a chance to choose whether or not to join them. The girls at least owed that much. Since they could do nothing but wait, the girls decided to pass the time by first taking a shower, especially Rarity who felt her bath was long overdue.

"Well, I'm certainly in need of a shower. If you don't mind, I will go first," Rarity requested.

"We don't mind at all, Rarity. And take your time, just don't shower too long," Twilight approved.

"Why, thank you, darling. And don't worry, it won't take more than 20 minutes," Rarity said.

As they were getting themselves acquainted, Twilight and her friends could have never known that the moment they set their hooves on this miraculous underwater ship, they had embarked on a journey that would change their lives in ways they could have never imagined.

Author's Note

The second chapter was almost finished when this fic and its first chapter came out, that's why it got out so fast. I'm currently working on two more chapters for this story but they're going to take much longer to write. The reason for this is mostly because I'm also working on other stories I haven't published yet and also because my studies take most of my time. I don't know when the next chapter will come but I'll write as much and as often as I can. See ya ;)