Simply Signal SOS

by englishwitch

Rating: everyone
Tags: Random, Applejack, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure
Length: 8920

Sea-ponies are fairy tales for fillies that no grown pony would ever believe in right? Wrong. Applejack believes.

Nopony seriously believes in the sea-ponies. They're myth and legend, just stories and fairy tales to entertain foals.
Except Applejack. Applejack believes.

She believes she saw a sea-pony when she was a filly. She told everypony and they made fun of her. Over time even she began to wonder if it was just a foal's daydream.
Then one day Applebloom comes home wearing a strange necklace she found by the river, a small white scallop shell.

It convinces Applejack that sea-ponies are real and she sets out on a personal quest to find the sea-ponies.

Published 2012-12-28 14:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-30 20:25:18 UTC

Prologue

Simply Signal SOS
Fanfic by englishwitch
Disclaimer: The following is an entirely fan-created parody. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, it’s characters and all other affiliated merchandise are the intellectual property of Lauren Faust and Hasbro. Please support the official MLP: FiM show.
I make no profit, or money at all, for the production and distribution of this fanfiction.

Prologue.

The young filly Applejack chewed idly on her pencil as she stared out of the window. The sun was warm, the birds were singing and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was a perfect day for playing outside. But did she have that privilege? No. Did she even have the option of being outdoors and working the orchard with her family and the few hired helpers? Nope. All because of the homework she’d been putting off for far too long. Now she had an essay on cutie-marks to write, a stack of math problems and a piece of creative writing to get through, all by tomorrow.

The filly Applejack glanced at her blank flank and turned her attention back to the equally blank page before her. What did she know about Cutie-Marks? She didn’t have hers yet. A lot of the fillies and colts in her class had got theirs but not her, not yet.

“Darn it.” She spat out the pencil and stared out of the window again. “Ain’t right I gotta stay indoors when it’s so nice out.” She looked left and right, around the empty living room. Her parents and older brother were out in the orchard and Granny Smith was asleep on the parch, she could hear the old mare’s snores.
“Maybe ah’ll just take a quick walk.” Applejack reasoned to herself. “Get some fresh air and clear ma head. Then ah’ll get back to this work.”

Quiet as a mouse wearing fluffy slippers, Applejack poked her head out of the door, looking up at the rocking chair. As she thought, Granny Smith was asleep. Looking further out to the orchard she scanned the treeline carefully. She would be in big trouble if she was caught now. Luckily nopony was in sight. An honest little filly she was, but she was still a filly and she wanted, more than anything, to play outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.

With a leap of her powerful back legs Applejack was across the porch and onto the dirt road without a sound. She took off at a sprint, heading for the west orchard. Nopony was going to be anywhere near there today, so there was less chance of being caught.

The filly laughed heartily as she raced through the long grass, between the trees, leaping over roots and stones without even seeing them. Her earth pony instincts had never steered her wrong. The dappled sun poured through the leaves and branches, warming her body, making her heart race. The freedom and exhilaration of the outdoors made her feel truly alive. Being indoors, doing boring homework, might suit some ponies but not her. She was a true outdoor earth pony and she needed to be outside.

Applejack slowed from her run to a trot. A huge smile was plastered on her face she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the burn of adrenaline reached down to the tips of her hooves. The sweat on her flank was refreshing in the gentle breeze. She breathed rapidly and deeply, trying to catch her breath. “Hoo...” She panted. “Good run.”

To any ordinary pony one part of the orchard looked like any other and it would be easy to get lost if not for landmarks like the apple shaped weathervane which stood atop the barn, standing tall above all the trees.
Applejack on the other hoof, had been born and raised on the farm and every tree was like an individual signpost. She knew them all and she never got lost. More than sights though, she knew the sounds and smells of the different parts of the orchards. She could find her way around blindfolded if she had to. Right now she was walking under blossom-forth, an old tree with a scarred trunk left after being burnt in a grass fire. The tenacious tree had lived, thrived and grown, producing bigger and bigger crops of apples every year. There was a smell of moss in the air and the faint sound of rushing water. Applejack knew exactly where she was, near the river that ran by the edge of the west orchard, which wound its way down to the main river of Ponyville.
If she crossed this river she’d be in the north orchard where she could circle around and reach home again via the back way.

“I reckon ah should get back before I’m missed an’ get in trouble.” She said grudgingly to herself. As much as she hated the school work her whole family insisted she get a good education. It was her chore to do whether she liked it or not. If she didn’t do it now she wouldn’t get any dessert at dinner and Granny had made apple fritters. Applejack loved apple fritters more than anything. She would eat nothing else for the rest of her life if she could.

The water of the river looked cool and refreshing but it was rushing by quickly. The summer sun must have melted a lot of snow in the mountains to cause such a rush. Applejack thought she could handle it. She was a tough earth pony, no river current was going to be a problem for her. Not that she intended to swim, she would cross the bridge.

“Whoa.”
Applejack knew the bridge was here, she had known it was neglected but she’d never guessed it was quite this bad. For a few seconds, she felt afraid to cross.
The old rope bridge had probably been built when Granny Smith was a filly. The boards were warped, rotten or completely broken away, leaving huge gaps. The ropes were faded and frayed, some of the supporting ropes had already broken, and many of them showed signs of being chewed by rats.
In short, the bridge had been neglected for far too long. No pony had used it to cross from the west to the north orchard in Applejack’s memory. If they wanted to go from one area to the other they would gladly take the slightly longer but more scenic route.

It was a fear that passed quickly. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. “C’mon Applejack. You gonna let some little pile of wood an’ rope get the better of you? No way missy. You ain’t afraid of nothin and nopony.”

She stepped off the solid ground and onto the first board of the bridge. It creaked slightly but held strong. Applejack laughed and tried to make her heart settle in her chest. It was fluttering around like a frightened bird. “Ain’t nothin to be scared of sugarcube.” She said to herself. “Jus a hop skip and jump an’ you’ll be across in no time.”

She jumped to the next board. It sagged under her weight but held. There was a foot wide gap in front of her where a board had broken away but she knew she could leap that easily.

With a spring in her step the filly AJ sailed the gap that was almost as big as she was. Effortlessly she landed on the solid wooden board. “An’ that’s how Apples get ‘er dun.” She laughed.

Suddenly the board snapped in two. Appleack found herself comically hanging in mid-air for a fraction of a second, which felt like a lot longer – long enough for her to look down realise she was going to fall, then gravity grabbed her in its cruel hand and dragged her down. She screamed, her legs waving manically, trying to grab onto a hold that obviously didn’t exist. All the while the rushing water rose up to meet her in its terrible cold grasp.

With a huge splash Applejack was thrown under the surface of the river. The sudden coldness took her breath away, tightening her chest. She kicked her hooves, trying to swim, but her strength failed her. The strong current dragged her down like a stone. Spinning, tumbling through the river she couldn’t tell up from down for a second. Her lungs burned, her heart raced. The frightened filly fought but was powerless against the unforgiving force of the water pressing down on her.

“Shoop-bee-doo!”

A shadow moved in the edge of her greying vision. Applejack pressed her hooves to her mouth, fighting to the last against the urge to release her burning lungs.

“Shoop-shoop-bee-doo!”

Something thick and strong like a vine grabbed her around the middle. Applejack glanced upwards and saw the silhouette of a pony head against the sunlight shining down into her eyes.

Air! Blessed air. Applejack filled her lungs. Emptied then filled them again and again. No drink, no sweet treat, nothing she had ever experienced before was as beautiful, as sweet or as satisfying, as a lungful of fresh air.

The strong vine around her middle lifted her clear of the water and placed her on the solid bank of the river, clear of the edge so she had no risk of falling back in. Applejack lay still, face down in the grass. Feeling the warm sun on her back and the cool water running off her body. She panted, trying to fill herself with air, catch the breath she had almost lost under the surface.

“Shoop-bee-doo! Shoop-shoop-bee-doo!”

Applejack finally found the strength to lift her head and look to the source of the sing-song voice.
Her jaw dropped almost to the floor.

The creature had the head of a pony, with a pink coat and long royal blue hair and bright purple eyes that shone like amethyst stones. Her coat was smooth and slick as seal skin, her body was long and serpent-like, with a round middle and a long tail she kept curled up underneath her in a spiral shape. Instead of legs she had two large fins on her sides, they were pink like the rest of her but the tips of the fins shone with the same blue as her hair. Around her neck was a pendant, a large white scallop shell tied onto a thick black cord.

She smiled and laughed lightly at Applejack, as though the filly’s surprise amused her.
“You are safe now little one.” She said in a voice as sweet as a bell.

Applejack said nothing, she continued to stare. Her mind raced in a desperate attempt to understand what she was looking at. All she could think of was one story Granny Smith had read to her at bedtime.

The creature continued to smile and laugh. “Now, you be careful around the water in future, okay?”

Applejack nodded. “I will.” She said in a quiet, shy, voice. “Ma’am, can I ask a question?”

The pony nodded. “Of course.”

“Is you a sea-pony?”

The pony threw her head back and let out a loud and joyful “Shoop-Bee-Doo!” She splashed, jumped and flipped around in the water for a few seconds before coming to rest and smiling at Applejack again. “Yes little one.” She said with a laugh in her sweet bell-like voice. “I am a sea-pony. I did not think land-ponies knew about us any more.”

“We do.” Applejack climbed to her hooves and stood as close to the waters edge as she dared. “Stories of sea-ponies is some of ma’ favourite.” She suddenly frowned and looked up and down the river. “What is you doin’ here ma’am? Not that ah’m complanin or nothin’.”

The sea-pony laughed a little more. “We sea-ponies don’t just live in the oceans little one. We live in rivers and lakes too. I’m going to my home, deep in the mountain lakes where this river is born.”

“Wow.” It was all Applejack could think to say.

The Sea-pony smiled even more. “What is your name little one?”

“Applejack ma’am.”

“Applejack, a sweet name.” The Sea-pony bowed her head. “I am Wave Dancer. It has been a pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure is mine ma’am.” Applejack responded.

“I must leave now.” Wave Dancer said with a bow of her head. “I have a long journey ahead. Will you be safe? No more playing on unsafe bridges and dangerous waters?”

“I will ma’am.” AJ nodded. “Be safe, I mean.”

Wave Dancer laughed lightly. “Good. A sea-pony will not always be there to help you.” She flipped into the air, curled and splashed into the river. Applejack looked left and right for her. Wave Dancer’s head reappeared ten feet up stream.

“Farewell Applejack.” She jumped in the air again. “Shoop-bee-doo! Shoop-shoop-bee-doo!” She dived below the surface and vanished from sight.

Applejack watched the flowing waters of the river for some time but the sea-pony didn’t resurface.

Suddenly becoming aware of the time Applejack turned from the waters and raced across the orchard toward her family home. “Ma, Pa, Mac, Granny!” She shouted their names in turn as she raced back toward the homestead. She had to tell them, tell them all. They had to know. She was saved, by a sea-pony.

Author's Note

Sharp eyed fans might notice I borrowed heavily from the original My Little Pony movie regarding Applejack's meeting of, and rescue by, the sea-ponies.
It was deliberate, it was a good scene, a nice introduction and since a G4 pony is meeting a G1 creature and they're both linked via Applejack I thought "Why not?"

And yes, Applejack's parents are mentioned in this prologue. Though they won't feature in the rest of the story. I know some fans tend to believe they're dead since they're never seen. Logically though, if Applejack is at least ten years older than Applebloom, and Applbloom was born after AJ got her cutie mark - the evidence I'm going on there is that a foal Applebloom wasn't seen in the episode Cutie Mark Chronicles - then the Apple parents had to be alive at any point before AJ got her cutie mark.
I know AJ's parents didn't feature in that episode either but I only have so much to work with. Maybe they were away helping the family in Appleoosa.

Chapter 1

Simply Signal SOS
Fanfic by Englishwitch

Chapter 1

Twilight gently trotted up the dirt road toward Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash had gone all out today, the skies were clear the blue all the way to the horizon. The day was too good to waste, so even Twilight was compelled to leave the library to go for a walk. She was going to visit Applejack and see if the farm pony would like a lunch in the park.

Sweet Apple Acres was messier than usual. Piles of boxes and stacks of old junk were scatrterd around the yard in front of the barn, the huge double-doors of which were open wide. Just inside the barn was Granny Smith and Big McIntosh who were looking though a box together. Applejack was outside the barn, sitting next to a wooden chest with a book in her hooves. It was old, the cover was faded and the pages were dog-eared. It had been read so many times it was on the verge of falling apart.

Twilight approached. She wasn’t being quiet but Applejack didn’t seem to notice her presence. “Hi Applejack.”

“Hmmmm.” AJ hummed non-committally. Twilight stared, was she like that when she got into a book?

“AJ, your hat’s on fire.”

“Hmmm.” Applejack didn’t even blink.

Twilight wasn’t sure if she should be annoyed or amused. “Apple Bloom got her cutie mark.”

Applejack just turned the page of the book. “Uh huh.”

Twiligh frowned, how best to get Applejack out of her daze? “The mayor decided the official fruit of Ponyville should be pears.”

AJ’s shot up so fast her neck cracked. “WHAT? Why that, no good, grey haired ol-”

“APPLEJACK!” Twilight decided to interrupt her before her friend said something she’d regret. “I was joking. I had to get out out of your reading somehow and nothing else was working.”

Applejack still looked angry. “That ain’t somethin’ you should joke about Twi.” She shook her head.

Twilight decided to move the conversation on, hopefully AJ would forget her annoyance. “So what’s going on here?” she indicated the large and growing collection of boxes and other assorted items in the yard.

“We was just spring cleanin’ the hayloft.”

“It’s summer.” Twilight said.

AJ just shrugged. “Better late than never.”

Twilight had to agree with her there. She liked things neat and clean but sometimes her studies kept her distracted, meaning she wasn’t always prompt with her dusting. “What were you reading? It must be a good book.”

Applejack smiled and held up the book so Twilight could read the cover.

The Little Sea-pony

“It was my favourite story when I was a filly.” AJ explained. “I didn’t even know we still had it. But I was looking through the boxes while we were cleanin’ and just had to read it again.”

Twilight smiled, it was sweet. She had many books that were fillyhood favourites and she knew what Applejack menat. Sometimes Twi even got the urge to read them again and enjoy the memories. “The Little Sea-pony was one of my favourites when I was a filly too.

...***...

The tale of a sea-pony who fell in love with a young pegasus pony she saved from downing. He’d hurt his wings, crashing into the ocean and couldn’t swim or fly.

She longed to be with him so much she went to the immortal monster Lord Squirk who’s magical jewel, The Flashstone, had the power to do anything the user desired.
After pledging service to him in exchange for becoming a land pony Squirk used the Flashstone to transform her. Squirk, however, was known for his trickery. He didn’t make her into a pegasus but an earth pony.

Her love lived in The Cloud’s-Vale —an old name for Cloudsdale— and he never visited the ground except once a year to help bring water up to the sky so weather ponies could make rain. The sea-pony couldn’t return to the ocean and she couldn’t go to the sky. She had no choice but to live as an earth pony for a whole year before she saw her love again.

For a long year she lived and worked as an Earth pony. Her delicate hooves became hard, her soft coat became coarse, when summer came she grew too hot because of her long luscious hair so she cut it short. Her body changed as hard work, small meals and the passing seasons took their toll. She was tired all the time and hungry a lot but she endured every challenge, all for her love.

Then the day she’d been waiting for finally came; the Pegusi will come to the ground to draw up water to make more rain for the next year.
But on that day Squirk made contact and demanded the service of the sea-pony.
He ordered her to pour a magic potion into the water the Pegusi will use. The potion would make all rain clouds made from that water ten times more powerful. When the uncontrollable storms break, the land would be flooded and Squirk would become ruler of a new and expansive underwater empire.

The sea-pony didn’t want to do it but she was scared to refuse. Squirk would turn her back into a sea pony and lock her up forever as punishment for disobedience.

When she arrives at the lake, before she can put the potion in the water, she sees her love. Overjoyed she ran to meet him, only to discover he didn’t recognise her. After a long year working hard as an earth pony she is no longer recognisable as the beautiful, gentle, soft coated sea-pony he’d been saved by. Her heart is broken as she sees that in the time between their meeting and reunion, he has fallen in love with another, a pegasus mare.

In her anger the sea-pony destroyed the potion of Squirk, who’s treachery had brought her nothing but pain. In her despair she knows Squirk would punish her terribly for not doing as he ordered. To make sure that he wouldn’t force her to do something else much worse she sacrificed herself by leaping into the sea. No longer able to live under the water, she drowns.

But the Great Galaxia, mother of Celestia, saw the sacrifice the sea-pony had made, knew all she had done in the name of the love she had lost. Her blessing shone down upon the sea-pony and she was risen from the oceans, forever freed from Squirk’s power and was reborn as a pegasus with great wings that shone with all the colours of the rainbow.

Soaring into the sky and taking her place in her new home in the clouds the once sea-pony lived a long life among the pegasi. Eventually she met another stallion whom she fell in love with and they lived happily ever after.

...***...

Twilight smiled, “Do you know the old nursery rhyme?”

Applejack laughted lightly. “Sure do sugarcube.”

Together, they started to sing the old song,

“Call on the Sea Ponies when you're in distress
Helpful as can be ponies - simply signal SOS
If you find you're past the drift, and haven't got an oar
Count upon the Sea Ponies - they'll see you to shore”

Twilight was about to sing the second verse as Applejack jumped to her hooves and raced for the orchard. Twilight stared for a second, wondering what had startled her friend. Then she caught sight of them as they stepped out of the trees. The Cutie Mark Crusaders; Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. All three of the fillies were dripping wet, soaked to the bone. Scootaloo’s usual fring was lying flat against her face, Apple Bloom’s pink bow was heavy with water, lying flat against her dripping hair and Sweetie Belle’s legs were covered in mud from her hooves to her haunches.

“Apple Bloom, what happened?” AJ grabbed her sister tightly around the shoulders. Twilight had seen Applejack scared many times, this was the first time she had ever seen her completely terrified.
Apple Bloom shrugged off her sisters grip. “It’s nothin’.” she tried to assure the older mare.

“Nothin’, you look like you been tryin’ to fight with, Stephen Magnet, again.”

Apple Bloom shook her head vividly. Stephen Magnet was a river serpent —like a sea-serpent only he lived in a river, obviously— who lived in the Everfree forest. One time when the Crusaders had tried to earn Monster Hunter Cutie Marks they’d come across him and began a pitched battle, which lasted all of thirty seconds. Twenty five of those thirty seconds had been a combination of Stephen laughing at the cute little fillies and him trying to explain why he didn’t want to fight them. The final five seconds had consisted of Stephen thrashing his powerful tail to send a huge wave of water at the crusaders, knocking them off their hooves.
“We ain’t been near the Everfree forest.” Apple Bloom explained. “We was down by the river, tryin’ to get our fishin’ cutie marks.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded along. “Then this huge catfish as big as big as Apple Bloom grabbed her line.” Scootaloo explained. “It was pulling her in, I grabbed, Apple Bloom to help and Sweetie Belle grabbed me.” She glanced at her two friends, taking note of how wet and filthy they were. “The fish was really strong, it pulled us in.”

Sweetie brushed some of her mane out of her eyes with a muddy hoof, leaving brown streaks on her forehead. “Me and Scootaloo swam to shore, but Applebloom didn’t want to let go of the fish. It pulled her all the way to the bottom of the pond.” She seemed unaware of the expression of pure horror that was on Applejack’s face.

Apple Bloom kicked at the ground with a hoof. “Well I didn’t wanna lose the fishing rod. But when I touched the bottom I let go and swam to the top again.” She, unlike Sweetie, could see how worked up Apple Jack was becoming. “I’m fine, Applejack, really.”

AJ grabbed her sister and pulled her into a tight hug. “I told y’all a hundred times to be careful around the water.” She said gently into the filly’s ear. “What if you’d got hurt, or worse?

Apple Bloom gave some half hearted attempts to get out of her sister’s hold. “I’m okay Applejack. Y’all know I’m a strong swimmer. Y’all made sure of that.”

AJ nodded but she didn’t show any sign of trying to let Apple Bloom go. “I know sugarcube. I know you’re a good swimmer. But I just worry so much when I learn you went near the water ‘cause of this very thing. You fell in and if you’d got hurt-”

Twilight interrupted Applejack by placing a hoof on her friends shoulder. “It’s okay Applejack.” she said gently. “Apple Bloom’s fine. She didn’t get hurt. Now, why don’t you let her go and dry herself before she catches a cold?”

Applejack managed a weak smile and her hold on her little sister loosened enough for Apple Bloom to squirm out of the hug. As the filly stepped away from Applejack, Twilight’s attention was caught by something shining in the light.
“What’s that?” She pointed at the shining object. Apple Bloom stopped and looked down at the necklace around her neck. It was a small white scallop shell with several coloured stone, tied to a thong. The shell only looked white at first, as Twilight examined it and the light caught its angles it shimmered with all the colours of the rainbow in a prismatic display of light dispersal. “Strange,” Twilight said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Where did you get this Apple Bloom?”

“Ah found it.” Apple Bloom said. “When the fish dragged me to the bottom of the river it was lying there in the mud. I thought it was a shiny shell and grabbed it before I swam back up. Then we found out it was a fancy necklace. Ain’t it pretty Applejack?”

Applejack said nothing. She hadn’t even heard Apple Bloom’s question. Her eyes were wide and fixed on the shining sea-shell necklace. She visibly started to tremble, grabbing the attention of Twilight, Apple Bloom and the other two Crusaders.

“AJ?” Apple Bloom sounded frightened. “What’s wrong?”

Applejack snapped out of her daze, blinked several times and stared at Apple Bloom and Twilight. “I....uh...I gotta go.” She turned and galloped off back towards the house.

Twilight and the group of fillies watched her run into the Apple household, slamming the door behind her. “What the hay?”

Author's Note

The story of The Little Sea-pony, has no baring on the rest of this fan fiction. I just decided to pop it in there, mostly as filler I guess.
When I decided to write Sea-ponies in a fanfic I looked up The Little Mermaid to see if there was any material I could incorporate into the story. Surprisingly little whether you go from the Disney version, or the gruesome Hans Christian Anderson version. But the idea wouldn't leave me alone so I took the HCA story and ponified it. For a time I thought it could make a good side story but it never really grew past the abridged version you read in the chapter. So, in the end, I just stuck what I had in there.

Chapter 2

Simply Signal SOS
Fanfic by Englishwitch

Chapter 2

Applejack lay on her bed. Her attention was being diverted between staring out of the window and staring at a bundle of papers and a blue ribbon in front of her.

Somepony knocked at the door. Over the last hour several ponies had knocked at the door. She had ignored them all in the hope they would get the message and leave her alone.
“Applejack,” Twilight’s muffled voice came through the other side. “Can we talk?”

AJ sighed to herself. If she didn’t let someone in they would just keep bothering her. “Come on in Twi.”

The door eased open and Twilight slipped inside, closing the door behind her. She looked at her friend carefully, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you okay? Why’d you run away like that?”

Applejack avoided her gaze. She fixed her expression on the pages in front of her. “I’m sorry for runnin’ off. I bet it confused Apple Bloom. I just....” She fell silent again. Twilight took a few steps closer to sit on the floor at the foot of the bed.

“You acted weird when you saw the necklace, was it something to do with that?”

Applejack looked uneasy. “Well...kinda....” She sighed heavily. “Can you keep a secret Twi?”

Twilight could only smile sheepishly. “I can try.” She remembered how well she had managed to keep secrets between Rarity and Fluttershy the time Fluttershy had become a fashion model. That was a unique situation though, both had information the other should have known. She was certain she could keep a secret no pony needed to know.

Applejack shook her head gently, a smile rising on her lips. “That’ll hafta do I guess.” She prodded at the paper in front of her. “This here’s a little somethin’ from my filly days, back when I was younger than Apple Bloom. It’s a piece of creative writin’ my teacher wanted. I remember how I was strugglin’ so hard to come up with a good idea when all I really wanted to do was go play in the orchard.

“Y’all prob’ly noticed how upset I got when I saw Apple Bloom had fallen in the river. That’s ‘cause when I was a filly, ‘bout the same time I was supposed to be doin’ this for homework, I was gettin’ fresh air wallkin’ through the orchard and I ended up fallin’ in the river. I weren’t a strong swimmer then and the river was mighty strong. It was real scary. It’s why I insisted on Apple Bloom havin’ swimmin’ lessons.

“I was okay, I made it back ta’ shore and ran straight home. But while I was in the river, I maybe banged my head or somthin’ ‘cause I thought, really thought, that a sea-pony saved me.”

Twilight’s eyebrows raised. “A sea-pony?”

Applejack nodded. “Eeyup. Swimin’ in the river she grabbed me and got me back on solid ground. That’s what I told my parents what happened. Later on I wrote it down and showed the story to my teacher. I ended up winnin’ this,” she held up the blue ribbon with a large number 1 painted on it in gold, “he said mine was the best story he’d ever read. He had no idea I had such a good imagination. I told him I didn’t make it up, it really happened. I really believed it did. The other colts and fillies in class picked on me over it, I was too old to be believin’ in sea-ponies and such.” she sighed. “Y’all know how stubborn I can get. No matter what them other ponies said or did I still believed that my story was real. After a while talk about it faded away, the ponies in school moved on ta’ others, but I was still a laughin’ stock. A blank flank – last one in my class without a cutie mark, and belivin’ in childish stuff like sea-ponies. I s’pose it’s part of the reason I moved in with my Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten. I wanted to make somepony of myself so all the fillies and colts at home would stop laughin’. Y’all know what happened there.

“As time went on I started to believe all them bullies were right,. It had to be a dream, somthin’ I made up. I stopped belivin’ in sea-ponies and started convincin’ myself it had been a dream brought on by some fright or trauma or whatever. But when I saw that necklace Apple Bloom had found...” She stopped and scanned the pages in front of her, searching for one specific line. When she found it she slid the sheet to Twilight and pointed to the section. Twilight read; it was a part of the story where Apple Jack was describing the sea pony who’d saved her character. The last part of the description read:
Around her neck was a pendant, a large white scallop shell tied onto a thick black cord.

Twilight glanced up at Applejack. “Well, it certainly sounds a little like-”

“It don’t just sound like it Twi, it looked just the necklace Apple Bloom found. The second I saw it I knew I’d seen it before, around the neck of the sea-pony who saved me. I remember now Twilight, it really happened.”

Twilight looked sceptical. “But AJ, that’s impossible. Sea-ponies are just myth and fairy tail. There’s never been any evidence, ever, to suggest they really exist.” she shrugged her haunches, “There is a theory among some scholars that the myth of sea-ponies might have risen from the tale of the island of Alatus; another myth nopony can prove exists,” Applejack recognised, too late, that Twilight had entered full lecture mode. “Supposedly the ponies of the island of Alatus were great sailors and fisher-ponies. Some say they learned to swim before they learned to walk. The greens of the sea were their staple diet; they would dive and swim to the sea bed and harvest kelp and other growing plants. They farmed the sea just like you farm the land.

“The legend of Alatus says the island eventually sank into the sea, probably due to tectonic activity. The ponies of the island were well prepared however and they sailed away from their doomed home, coming to live on and in the ocean. They became nomads, drifting the currents of the sea in their fleet of boats, never setting hoof on land ever again.” Twilight paused just long enough to lick her lips. All the talking had made her throat quite dry, usually somepony interrupted her speeches long before now. “If —and that’s a big IF— the ponies of Alatus were real and they were seen by ponies who live on the land, well, imagine what the ancient pony tribes might have thought;
they saw ponies who lived in the ocean, never setting hoof on land, who could dive, swim and stay under the water for a long time, who could gain food from the ocean and knew its secrets. It’s logical to assume the myths of the sea-ponies evolved from such sights.”

Applejack slowly nodded her head. Twilight’s logic was pretty solid. At any other time AJ would have agreed with her completely but she couldn’t this time. Twilight talked sense, talked about real things, facts that were undeniable and could be proven. Whereas she was talking about fairy tales, things of faith, imagination and, more often than not, were proven to be fake.
“You’re probably right Twilight. It was probably just a dream. The necklace Apple Bloom found was probably a coincidence. Some pony made it out of a fancy seashell they found at the beach and lost it a long time ago.” She smiled sheepishly. “Y’all must think me real foolish.”

Twilight laughed lightly and shook her head. “No AJ, I don’t. You’re the most down to earth pony I know. I’ll admit it was a surprise to hear you believed in sea-ponies; I thought they’d be too fairy-tale for you. But I don’t think any less of you for it, if anything I think it’s nice. Even if there isn’t any empirical evidence to support its existence it’s nice, even normal, to believe in more than we see and know around us.” She smiled. “It’s keeps us asking, keeps us wondering. It drives ponies on, to make discoveries, to learn and grow.” her gaze finally turned back to her cowpony friend. Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Well....all I’m saying is that a little fantasy is good for anypony.”

Author's Note

I chose the name Alatus for the island from the name: Hippocampus Alatus, which is a species of seahorse – chosen because it sounds much like Atlantis.

This chapter is short but it's a step to the big adventure ahead. I'm already working on the next chapter and it won't be long before it's up.

Coming Next: The Journey Begins!

Chapter 3

Simply Signal SOS
Fanfic by Englishwitch

Chapter 3

It was late. Applejack knew she should be asleep, she would have to awake at dawn to begin working on the farm, but her thoughts wouldn’t settle so neither could she.

Twilight had probably been right, the whole story of sea-ponies was just that; a story. Yet she couldn’t stop obsessing about it. Now the memories had returned to her she was certain that it was more than just the story she’d written down.

She sat by her desk and looked over that story again, scanning it carefully and looking over the details. On the desk was a map of Ponyville and the surrounding lands.
“This is dumb,” she muttered to nopony, but she was still looking between her old filly story and the map.

The sea-pony who had saved her life, Wave Dancer, had been swimming upstream along the river than ran through by the farm. What a doozy of a river it was, she had no idea how far it stretched until she’d tried to follow it on the map. It skirted around the edge of the Everfree forest, where it was fed by the same river Stephen Magnet the river serpent lived. On the other side of Everfree it split in two again, one path was fed by the lakes around rambling rock ridge, the second branch led all the way up into north Equestria where it was fed from three different lakes along the way; the Foal mountains, Neighagra Falls and finally the great lake that sat at the foot of the crystal mountains, close to the Crystal Empire.

So many different places where Wave Dance could have gone. If Wave Dancer had really existed in the first place. AJ shook her head at that thought, Wave Dancer and the sea-ponies had to exist, she felt it too strongly in her heart.
“Okay,” she said to herself, “think about it now. Twilight s’all about details an’ plannin’.Ah jus’ gotta think ‘bout this.”

Sea-ponies were a myth, but she had seen one. That must mean, logically, that sea-ponies lived in a spot where not many ponies went. Logically it was more likely to mean they didn’t exist but Applejack wasn’t ready to entertain that thought.
She looked over the map again, much more carefully this time. The lakes around Rambling Rock Ridge were quiet but there was a road that ran by it out of Dodge Junction. That was a thriving settlement. AJ had spent some time there herself so she could testify to how it was busy and thriving. It was likely that any sea-ponies living in the lakes north of the town would have been spotted.

She put the lake on a mental Maybe list and would decide later whether she’d check it or not.

That made Applejack smirk; check the lake, like she was seriously thinking of leaving the farm for a wild goose chase, or perhaps wild pony chase was more apt a term. She couldn’t afford to leave the farm for more than a few days, she wouldn’t have the free time to go running off across Equestria to go swimming in lakes looking for sea-ponies. This whole checking the map thing was just a bit of fun.

With a light-hearted sigh she looked at the second area, the Foal Mountains. Pinkie came from that area originally, her families rock farm had been between the mountains and the town of Hollow Shades. The mountains had many lakes, springs and rivers and a lot of them were remote. Not to mention many mines and cave systems, some with underground lakes and rivers of their own. Many probably had never been visited by ponies and would be really difficult to find let alone get access to. It would be a long an exhausting search and there was a great risk of it being fruitless, but in terms of what she was looking for; deep lakes and remote places, then it was the best chance.

Neighagra falls was next on the list but Applejack rules that out. It was remote, but it was a popular tourist spot, especially with couples looking to get married. There was a chapel in full view of the falls. Getting married in sight of the Neighagra falls was supposed to be a memorable and romantic gesture. AJ didn’t hold with such things herself, a quick journey to the local town hall would be enough for her if she ever chose to get married. Wed in the morning, a party in the afternoon and then back into your own bed in your own home by the end of the day. No muss, no fuss as Granny Smith liked to say.
Still, she could see somepony like Rarity wanting that location on her wedding day.

For that reason she ruled out the falls, it was far too populated for any sea-ponies to live there and not be noticed.

Which just left the lake at the foot of the crystal mountains. That area had been remote and unvisited for the longest time. When the crystal empire had vanished there had been no reason to visit the frozen north. Even though the empire had returned the areas around it was still relatively unexplored. It was the largest lake in Equestria and, from the look of the map, a true source of the very river than ran by Ponyville. The snow melting off the Crystal Mountains ran into the lake, the lake ran into the river which ran down Equestria, past the Neighagra falls, past the foal mountains, past Ponyville, past Whitetail Woods and finally joined the ocean just beyond Las Pegasus.

A route that ran pretty much straight from the ocean to the crystal mountains, to AJ it sounded like the most likely place a sea-pony would go.

Apple Jack rubbed her eyes, in the dying light of the lamp they were beginning to hurt. It was late, or early depending how you looked at it. This foolishness had to stoop and she had to get some sleep. She made to turn the lamp off, but hesitated as one last question rose in her mind, one last thing that needed to be answered before she’d be able to find rest. How long would such a journey take, if she decided to go on it?
“This is gettin’ beyond a joke,” she muttered to herself. Looking over the map and speculating where sea-ponies could be was just a little fun. Was she really thinking of going on such a journey? Maybe she was.

She shook her head, “Jus’ work this out and go to bed AJ. Yer got a lotta trees to buck in the mornin,” she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, “in about five hours,” she corrected herself.

To make her brain shut up she looked at the map on last time. Focussing on the main areas; the Foal Mountains and the Crystal Mountains. She could travel to both areas in about a day, taking the train to the nearest town or city then walking the rest of the way, but the real problem was exploring those places. The Foal Mountains had spots that were hard to climb and hadn’t been mapped all that well, it would take a lot of searching before she could confidently say she’d explored all the most likely spots in those hills. Then the lake at the foot of the crystal mountains was vast. From the scale printed on the map it looked like the lake was easily the same size as the capital city of the crystal empire. Searching an area the size of a city for one small group of ponies was a daunting task. She could look for days in many different spots and see nothing.

Travel time, plus the time needed to make thorough searches of the areas, equalled, at the very least, a month’s journey. Too long, far too long, to leave the farm.

The fun was over, the pipe dream would remain just that. Even if she had seriously begun to think about leaving she knew she was needed on the farm. Big Mac could pick up the slack for a couple of days but not a whole month. It would be unfair on all of them to just up and leave for something that might not be true. Twilight had told her sea-ponies didn’t exist and she was probably right, she was right about most things.

Yet still, in her heart.

Applejack sighed and shook her head. She was thinking in circles and none too clearly. She was tired and it was time for bed.

Turning off her lamp she made her way through the dark into her comfy bed.

She didn’t fall to sleep for some time. Thoughts of sea-ponies swam through her head.

...***...

Applejack yawned deeply and tried to shake away the fuzziness that had settled into her brain. Thoughts of sea-ponies had kept her up for a long time and by the time she’d drifted off to sleep it seemed like the rooster was crowing just a minute later.

She leaned against the apple cart and yawned again. A nap around lunch time, that would be just the thing.

“Hi Applejack.” a chirpy voice called out to her. Far too chirpy for how she was feeling.

Applejack tried to put on a brave smile, “Hey Twilight.” if anything it just made her look more tired.

Twilight looked at her, clearly concerned, “are you okay?”

AJ nodded, “Sure am sugar cube, jus’ didn’t sleep right is all.” she stifled another yawn, “you want sumthin’ or just come ta chat?”

Twilight brightened up as the subject on her mind returned, “to talk actually. Yesterday, after we finished talking about the ponies of Alatus, remember,” AJ nodded, “I went back to the library and, well, my curiosity got the better of me and I started doing a little research. Partly to learn more about the myths of the Alatus ponies, but mostly to see if I could find out where the necklace Apple Bloom found came from. It’s a fascinating subject really.

“According to archaeological records written by Mineral Deposit around three hundred years ago, there was a small colony of ponies who lived in a region where Las Pegasus is now. Similar finds have been made in the region from time to time; jewellery, pottery, even clothing, all either made with seashell decorations or made with an ocean theme. The culture was dependant on the ocean, they were fisher ponies who might have been descended from the ponies of Alatus, if they existed at all. There were certainly may similarities; they both farmed the ocean floor for greens and-” she stopped, “AJ? Applejack?”

Applejack’s eyes were closed, her breathing was slow, she had fallen asleep on her hooves. Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little insulted. She tapped the farm pony on the haunch, perhaps a little harder than she should have. Applejack jerked awake with a gasp.

“Wha?” she looked left and right, disorientated for a second.

Twilight huffed lightly, “Applejack, I’m trying to tell you that I think Apple Bloom necklace is a valuable artefact. It was probably washed downstream from the site of this ancient colon. I’m trying to tell you that the necklace Apple Bloom found couldn’t have come from sea-ponies.”

AJ couldn’t help but giggle, ‘she’s almost as obsessed with sea-ponies as I am,’ “Just one problem with yur thinkin’ sugar cube, where Apple Bloom found the seashell is a heck of a long way UP-stream of Las Pegasus, not down. That necklace couldn’ta come from there.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped and she fell into stunned silence, one eye started to twitch. “But...bu...that makes no sense.”

Applejack nodded, “I know.” a sudden flash of inspiration came into her tired brain. “Ah think the necklace did come from upstream, maybe from some kinda place like you was talkin’ ‘bout. Some village of fisher ponies.” she chose not to mention that she thought the necklace came from sea-ponies, Twilight was so against the idea of them even existing she would probably laugh at her.

Twilight shook her head gently, “I don’t know, there’s no evidence to ever suggest-”

Applejack interrupted her, “maybe they jus’ ain’t been discovered yet. There’s lotsa places in Equestria, hay, in the whole world, that ain’t been discovered yet by ponies. Maybe Apple Bloom findin’ the necklace it like a sign or somethin’, that we should go up stream and try an’ find out where it came from. You an’ me together could go lookin’ for an ancient lost colony of ponies.”

Twilight looked doubtful. The prospect of an adventure and finding an ancient lost colony certainly appealed to her, but she felt it would be a wasted trip, after all, there was no evidence that there was ever a colony of fisher ponies living inland, let alone so far inland they lived at the source of a river.

AJ could see the doubt on her friends face and decided to risk more information, “I was thinkin’ along the same lines, ‘cept I got the river’s direction right, I was lookin’ at a map last night and I tried to figure out where the shell mighta come from. I guess ah managed to narrow it down to two places,” she gave a quick description of her thinking and how she’d guessed certain lakes couldn’t have been the right spot because they were close to civilisation and nopony had ever seen any evidence of any culture in those places,“So ah was jus’ left spots in the Foal Mountains and a great big lake at the foot o’ the Crystal mountains.”

Twilight nodded, “that makes a lot of sense. I’ve got to say Applejack you’ve given this a lot of thought, I’m impressed. I wouldn’t have thought you’d put this much effort into thinking about an archaeological expedition.”

Applejack shrugged, “ah don’t care much ‘bout diggin’ up old fossils, that’s your kinda thing. But I like a mystery an’ I guess I kinda wanna know where the necklace came from.”

Twilight grinned, “I can respect that. Do you really want to do this, or is it just talk?”

AJ grinned, she’d hooked in Twilight’s help and there hadn’t been one mention of sea-ponies. With Twilight’s help she could get her search done a lot quicker. She probably wouldn’t even have to be away from the farm for more than a week. Big Mac could handle a week. “I’m game if you are sugar cube.”

Twilight practically beamed, “great,” she almost bounced on the spot, “my first scientific expedition. Oh, I’ll need a whole new notebook and quills, I’ll have to document everything. If this works out my findings might even be published,” her eyes lit up with excitement, “I could get a name for myself in the scientific community, I might even get my book in the Canterlot library-”

Applejack stopped her by placing a hoof over Twilight’s mouth, “hold up sugar cube, first thing’s first we gotta decide what we need to take for the trip, then get it together, then maybe we can go.”

Twilight nodded excitedly, “oh, of course. I’d better write a list,” her horn glowed and a quill and parchment appeared from thin air, “we’ll need food, camping equipment,several reference books, I’ll have a word with Cherry Berry and see if we can borrow her balloon for a while, it’ll be so much easier to get into the remote areas than going by train or by hoof, OH and we’ll need-”

“Twi,” Applejack interrupted, “I can handle the campin’ equipment and the food. Can you handle the balloon and all the other sciency gizmo’s you think you’ll need. And anything else I ain’t thought of.”

“Of course,” Twilight beamed happily, she trotted off, still writing out her list.

Applejack felt more awake than ever. She was really going to search for the sea-ponies, and with Twilight’s help. Twilight would know what to look for and already had the great idea of using Cherry Berry’s balloon to speed up the journey.

AJ had to repeat the reality in her mind, she was going to look for sea-ponies. Her mind was made up right then, all doubt was finally cast aside. It hadn’t been a dream and it didn’t matter how many myths or fairy tales Twilight talked about, sea-ponies were real, one had saved Applejack when she was a filly and she was going to find them.

Author's Note

I thank the mlp.wiki.com for having the map of Equestria available for me to study and find the rivers of the ponies land. It really does seem the rivers of Equestria have their source in the Crystal Mountains.