Seawave is nervous.
Despite the assurances from the Queen (how could she be the Queen of Equestria Seawave would never know) that she won’t harm her in any way, shape or form. Seawave was visibly shaking as she escorted the princess into her new home for the next two weeks.
“S-so we have our market here, n-not to shabby right?”
“A modest market for a modest town, how...fitting. Pray tell, what goods do you sell here?”
“Oh, w-we don’t get a lot of trade so it’s mostly seafood and local produce. Sorry if it’s not up to your standards.”
“Oh nonsense, all my life I’ve lived a life of luxury, it will be a good change of pace to have some more….modest means to live.”
“Oh...of course your highness.”
“Indeed, now. I heard that this particular stretch of the coastline is famous for it’s beaches, would you mind continuing the tour miss Seawave?”
“Of course your highness, right this way please.” Seawave responded, leading Harmony out of the crowd, finally reaching their main destination.
“Here’s our beach!! I’m soooo soo sorry that I’ve been a horrible tour guide your highness, I stutter a lot and lead you to all the sites only I thought was interesting.”
Harmony only gave the mare a curious look, and lightly chuckled. “Dear Seawave, you have nothing to be sorry about. I thoroughly enjoyed your trip throughout the city, seeing sights like the local market, up to that seafood shop where you showed incredible enthusiasm for a food type ponies usually don’t eat. I have to admit, I’m impressed.”
Harmony paused a bit, seeing the sights of the beautiful coast and continued. “I have seen many sights and sounds in my lifetimes, alas not one of them involved seeing the beautiful Horseshoe Bay, or the Grand Quay at that time anyway.”
Seawave was taken a aback at Harmony’s last statement, “Grand Quay? You mean the site of the legendary golden fleet? An airship force that has battled legendary creatures and is the pride and glory of the ancient Alicorns? I thought that was just a myth?!?”
“Oh it’s anything but a myth Seawave, during my time, this humble bay you see before you was the site of the infamous Grand Quay.”
“The Quay is built by the Alicorns?” Seawave further asked.
“Oh yes, most definitely Seawave. I even met the lead architect himself.”
Seawave only gave a look of disbelief, much to the light chuckle of the Alicorn.
“Oh don’t give me that look Seawave, why don’t we take a short walk around town. And I could tell you how the former Alicorn Queen got here in the first place hmm?”
“A-alicorn Queen?!?” Seawave further stammered, Celestia and Luna must of course have a mother, but she didn’t expect that Harmony herself could be the Alicorn Queen, unless if she’s thinking about the wrong Alicorn empire.
“So wait, you’re telling me that you are the Queen of that ancient Alicorn Empire? The empire that conquered Zebrica, Griffonia and Equestria itself?”
“But of course, I still remember those days rather vividly…...much to my regret.” Harmony replied.
“What’s there to regret about? I mean, the legends say that Alicorns are not the nicest rulers of the land. But they did bring unity among the once quarreling pony kingdoms right?”
“Partly true, if I’m not wrong, Equestria was founded when all three pony tribes came across the windigoes, defeated them using the power of harmony and settled down in Equestria correct?”
“Y-yes.”
“Well there is one asterisk in that play that I must correct, despite being united for quite some time. Old divisions like the preposterous idea that unicorns are superior, and that Earth Ponies being of no value still persist. We only exploited those divisions and conquered the Pony lands piece by piece, the legend that we bring unity among the pony tribes was just a myth Seawave.”
“Oh, that explains why that legend and the story of the unification doesn’t add up.”
“It doesn’t does it? Only in the end did all three pony tribes actually unite against us, and that is partly of what we did in the Alicornian Capital that brought the Ponies to unite.”
“Really? Did you and Luna do something in the Capital? Speaking of which, where is the capital of the Alicorn Empire? All the legends I read during my filly days didn’t mention anything about the Capital.”
“It is located in the place where you least expect a capital would be Seawave, could you guess?”
“Ummm, the Frozen North?”
“Not quite, the armies of the Crystal Empire were rather formidable back then, putting our capital next to their lands would be seen as an insult to the Crystal King.”
“Uhhhh, the Hayseed Swamps?”
“Not quite, the Hayseed Swamps is dangerous, yes. But it was far more dangerous back then.”
“Okay I give up, where is it?”
“The Everfree Forest.”
“........say again?”
“The Everfree Forest my dear, yes that is not a mistake. The ancient capital is located in the Everfree Forest.”
“B-but how?!? The Everfree Forest is the place where magic doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, the clouds move by themselves, the trees grow without help at all...just….ugh.”
“Huh, I could think of one race that doesn’t think the Everfree Forest is unnatural. Anyway, yes, Everfree City is the ancient capital of the Alicornian Empire. It is where I lived, where my beautiful daughters lived and yes, it is the place where the Emperor lived.”
“Anyway, enough about my past. Why don’t we just admire the view of your beautiful coastline, It’s a shame the ponies of Baltimare fails to see the paradise that's just next door.”
“Heh, you’re right about that one. During my days working at Baltimare, I always kept talking to these Big City ponies about how beautiful Sandy Shores is, all I got was a laugh and was just….sidelined I guess.”
“True, ponies in Big Cities are always…...a bit arrogant I must say. I once met this cute little mare in Manehatten. I think her name was ‘Coco Pommel?’ I think her name was Coco. Poor mare was coming into the city, just trying to look for work and this Suri Polomare just manipulated the poor dear to make her dresses without proper pay.”
“That’s horrible!” Exclaimed Seawave, “Why didn’t she protest at all?”
“She’s far too afraid dear Seawave. Of course, once I got wind of the issue, I assured her that everything will be okay, true to my word, I invited miss Polomare for a ‘private meeting’. She thought I was planning to have a commision, turns out that it was just a means for me to threaten her with exposure unless she gave in to my demands.”
“And what were your demand exactly?”
“Why simply asking her to fire Miss Pommel and let me hire her to be the new royal seamstress, she now works at a government commissioned shop at Canterlot. Creates some rather exquisite dresses the last time I had a dress tailored to myself.”
“Heh, not too much of a fancy mare. But I can tell that you’re a good mare Harmony.”
“Thank you Seawave, it’s rather nice for you to say that. Considering what I’ve done before….” Harmony trailed off, seeing the Horseshoe bay coastline. Her daughter’s sun beginning to set upon these shores.
At first, Seawave was just staring in awe over the sight, despite having lived in Sandy Shores her entire live, the sight of the Sun setting over the beach is just too beautiful to ignore.
She then realized that it’s almost sunset. “Oh dear me I almost forgot, we need to get back for dinner!” Seawave exclaimed, bursting into a dash for her house. Leaving Harmony behind.
“Never expected to be left behind in the middle of nowhere.” Harmony said to herself, “Well it isn’t that I didn’t know the layout of the town already, or better yet, I could locate her house by detecting Luna’s spell.”
Harmony then cast a spell, a spell that could locate Luna’s signature spell that would signal night. “Searching for mana expulsion of over 200 KH, searching for brain activity above 30 Neurals aaaaand aha!” Harmony exclaimed, locating significant magical activity in a certain house.
“Now at least I know where the house is.” Harmony said, walking back to Seawave’s house.
“Luna, are you finished?” Celestia asked. “I’m preparing some wonderful pasta for dinner!”
“Be patient dear sister! Lowering the sun is not a job thou can do in an instant.” Luna replied rather angrily.
Soon she heard a voice accompanying Celestia’s. “But Princess Luna, if you don’t lower the sun, the pasta would grow cold, and it’s not nice to keep the Griffons waiting right?”
She turned her head and sure enough, Flying Winds was pouting like a little dog. Showing off her cute little face and those adorable…...eyes.
“Ugh fine, let’s get this over with.” Luna said, increasing the magic power of her spell, lowering the sun just a little bit faster. And soon enough, nighttime falls upon the town of Sandy Shores and Equestria at large. Just in time for Seawave Froth to arrive back home.
“I’m back!! Sorry for being late everypony!” Seawave shouted, much to the shock of the three ponies inhabiting the living room.
“Oh there you are.” Celestia replied, looking out of the kitchen curiously. “I was wondering why the tour went for so long.” She said, sliding back her head to the kitchen.
“Your majesty, a-are you cooking?” Seawave asked, curious that the Diarch of the Sun is cooking.
There are many things Seawave expected from the Princesses, but the ability to cook was one Seawave didn’t expect.
“But of course Seawave. I’m preparing a very old recipee from the old counts of Fillydelphia, it’s a shame the Canterlot elite never get to taste the wonderful Fillydelphian Cheese Sandwich.” Celestia commented.
A bright flame then erupted from the kitchen, Seawave slightly winced at the thought of her house burning down.
“Oh, and before you ask anything Seawave.” A voice said, she turned her head to see Princess Luna coming in from the backyard. “Do not worry about your house burning down, Celestia is one of the most capable cooks I’ve ever seen and she likes rather flashy burns to cook things faster….much to my dismay of course.”
“Oh pish-posh Luna, anyway, dinner’s served everypony!” Celestia announced, coming out of the kitchen, bringing out some rather ravishing looking Fillydelphia Cheese Sandwiches.
“Oooooooh tasty!!! Gimme gimme gimme!” Flying said, rushing to the dinner table, grabbing plate after plate and setting up the table for eating.
“Now now Flying be patient, I’m not even finished with my cooking.” Celestia replied, bringing the hot plate of Cheese Sandwiches down to the table. “I still have mashed potatoes and a very special salad that you will enjoy. So don’t finish those cheese sandwiches just yet.”
“Awwww” Flying pouted, returning back to the living room in a depressed state.
After what Harmony thought was an eternity of wading through alleyways and streets, she finally reached the house where she would be staying the entire vacation.
Panting and clearly sweating, she opened the door and her heart melted.
Right in front of her, was the sight of her two daughters having such a wonderful time with a little filly and her mother. Her sour mood was brightened up immediately and she entered the room with a smile on her face.
All four ponies currently enjoying their meal suddenly looked at Harmony, and almost immediately, Seawave’s face turned red.
“U-uhm, I-i’m sorry for leaving you alone milady. P-please forgive me.” Seawave said meekly, hiding her face in embarrassment.
“You are concerned with the well being of your filly Seawave, think nothing of it. And you might not know it, but I’m famed for my lenience during my ruling days Seawave.”
Not willing to interrupt such a heartwarming moment. Harmony continued. “Now why don’t we have a nice dinner shall we?” She said, much to the delight of the group.
“You’ll like this mother, I’ve saved some caesar salad for you.” Luna said, handing Harmony a plate and started filling up the plate with sandwiches, mashed potatoes and those oh so wonderful human caesar salads, sans the meat of course.”
“Oh most wonderful, these salads taste exquisite Luna, I would have no idea humans could invent such….ravishing foods for the pony tongue.”
“It came to all of us as a shock isn’t it?” Luna commented, to which all of them laughed. Leaving only a befuddlled Seawave and a curious Flying.
“Mom, what’s a ‘hyumen?’” Flying asked.
“I…..have no idea too Flying, umm Princess Celestia?”
“Yes my dear?”
“What is a ‘hyumen?’ Is it some kind of species we never heard of before?” Seawave asked.
“Oh? You never heard of the humans have you? That is most concerning.” Celestia responded, putting her hoof right below her chin.
“Umm why? Did they do something recently?”
“Oh Seawave, your town needs to get on with the times.” Luna interjected.
She saw Luna standing up, lighthing her horn and
“LUNA WAIT!!” she could see Celestia cry before…….
Everything went dark?
Do not worry dear Seawave, this is just a projection of my mind. Thou art connected to mine mind and you are about to experience what it’s like meeting a species with no magical affinity whatsoever.
She was very well spooked by the disembodied voice. “W-wait what? Where’s my body? And what do you mean no magical affinity?”
“Exactly as I said it Seawave, humans have no magical affinity whatsoever. And do not worry for your body, for it is still safe in thine house…...BEHOLD!!!!”
And everything went white. Seawave was a bit horrified at first but then she saw the projection of Princess Luna approaching her.
“I assume you do know of the races that inhabit this world yes?” Luna said, eyes filled with intent, like she wanted to…..teach her.
“Uuhh….y-yeah I guess?”
“Do name some of them.”
“Oh, there are Griffons and Saddle Arabians and Kirins, we have Zebras too.”
“Correct, but have you heard about the humans Seawave?”
“As I said before, not really? is this some kind of new race we found?”
“Welll...In a way..” Princess Luna replied, looking rather embarrassed about the whole thing.
“W-why are you embarrassed Princess?”
“Oh nothing, just some memories about how our encounter with the humans were under….less than desirable circumstances.”
The whiteness of the room suddenly gave way to a very harsh desert environment.
“When we encountered the humans Ms Seawave, we were at war.”
The harsh desert wind blew through Seawave’s coat, she has heard of tales from Appleloosa and Dodge City before, but never a desert this harsh.
The already harsh environment was suddenly made worse by what Seawave saw in front of her.
Carrying the banner of the Royal Sisters, she saw the Equestrian Royal Guard in all it’s glory, the shining golden armour gleaming in the desert heat, and up to the sky she also saw those infamous flying teams, the Wonderbolts.
“You have heard about the wedding of Princess Cadence and the apparent attack from the Changeling Swarm correct?”
“Y-yes? I saw that in the second latest edition of the local papers. After that all I heard is Equestria going to war and then…...well, nothing.”
“I need to arrange for your town’s presence on the map then. But essentially, we went to war against the Changeling Empire. The Queen has broken a peace treaty created some 200 years ago. Ending Changeling incursion into our lands.”
The detached voice then continues. “We then sent our best and brightest. The cream of the crop of the Royal Guard as you can see from there. A whole slew of mages, warriors and Wonderbolts led by Shining Armor and Spitfire themselves.”
She then pointed Seawave to the other side. “And right there is our dreaded enemy.”
She was utterly shocked at what she saw facing the Equestrian Army, a black mass of Changeling Warriors, led by a general of sizable strength and size.
“That right there, is General Carapace’s army.”
As both sides move closer to battle, Luna continued. “We…..Celestia, have done some serious damage to the military in the years after my banishment.”
What happened next shocked Seawave, the proud Equestrian Army engaged the Changelings, spears raised and spells casted. And within hours was routed, with scattered resistance pushing back the Changelings from utterly annihilating the Equestrian Army.
She could hear the screams of agony of both sides as Guardsponies are cut down and the Royal Guard fighting back. Killing off Changelings.
She saw the ponies retreating back to the canyon, and was shocked to see that the canyon was somehow occupied by changelings
“They….already expected our arrival here, they knew where we were going to fight all along. We barely survived the onslaught.”
The scene suddenly changed as Seawave was brought back to the town of Appleloosa, the scene was complete chaos as bandaged Royal Guardsponies are being ferried into trains and the townsfolk doing their best to evacuate the town as well.
“Canterlot and Ponyville suddenly became a haven of buffalos and country ponies that day. The influx of refugees from the buffallo tribes and settlers from Appleloosa came as a shock to the posh lives of the ponies of Canterlot.”
The scene suddenly changed into the great city of Canterlot. Where the Princessess themselves are managing a crisis, ordering remaining guardsponies to provide temporary housing for the refugees coming from Appleloosa. She lightly chuckled as the rustic looking townsponies completely changed the posh and elegant posture of Canterlot into a more country style city. With ponies talking more in countryisms and understandably making themselves unpleasant for the posh Canterlot ponies.
She lightly chuckled at the scene.
“Don’t laugh seawave, these are refugees taken from their homes. It would be unwise to put salt into an already open wound.”
She was surprised by Luna’s sudden assertion, but backed down nonetheless.
“O-okay then, since I haven’t heard any announcements about your defeat, how did you win the war then? I certainly haven’t seen any changelings around town.”
“Why the humans of course, while we do not know how they arrived into this world. What we do know is that humans and their nation of France intervened on our behalf, sending an advancing changeling army reeling back to their homeland.”
The busy streets of Canterlot was suddenly replaced with a scene Seawave was completely unfamiliar with.
She was at night, and she saw Luna as well. but what laid in front of her was completely alien. She saw a road, a VERY wide and open road at night. With lights on the ground lighting the way like some sort of pathway or something, she also saw strange white paths criss-crossing said road.
“W-what is this Princess?” a confused Seawave asked the Princess.
“What you’re seeing here Seawave, is the runway of Saint Dizier-Robinson airbase.”
“W-what?” Seawave further asked confusingly. What’s a runway? Saint Dizier? I never heard of a saint with such a strange name before.
Luna, sensing Seawave’s confusion just silenced the poor mare, “Oh hush Seawave, look in front of you and you’ll see.”
Despite her confusion, she obliged to the request of the Princess and looked straight forward.
What she saw was truly…….unique.
She saw a ‘thing’ that was right at the end of road. Despite it’s range, she could hear the screams of the thing all the way from over here.
It is certainly something to look at.
Then the thing started moving, with the shrieking turning into a more guttural roar, the thing began moving a bit too fast for Seawave’s comfort and she tugged Princess Luna at the forehoof.
“Umm princess, I think we should move out the thing’s way perhaps? It looks like it’s going to crash on us if we don’t move.”
“Oh nonsense Seawave, just look in front of you and you’ll see why the humans really did help up in a massive way.”
“Y’know Princess? This is getting a bit stupid here, it’s like you’re revering the humans as godlike beings that needs praise, certainly the humans could’ve helped Equestria but it couldn’t have been that mu-”
FWOOOOOSH!
Seawave’s tirade was suddenly interrupted when she sees the thing…..flying above her.
She didn’t expect it at all, she saw that the thing might get closer and closer and assumed Luna would just rescue her if things didn’t pan out. She didn’t expect that such a large and heavy thing could fly, it doesn’t have the air of a balloon nor the moving wings of a pegasi.
“W-wha?”
“You didn’t expect that do you Seawave?”
“B-but how? That thing’s ‘wings’ doesn’t move, the thing is made out of metal so it’s going to be heavy, and it has no balloons floating the thing up.”
“Well that is one of the ‘things’ that helped us defeat the Changelings Seawave, that is a Dassault Rafale fighter jet. Or a plane if you want to simplify terms.” Luna said.
“So what does this thing do that a pegasus can’t? Because it seems to me that it’s just a more complicated flying contraption.”
“While it is certainly a contraption, useless it is not. The plane you just saw flying is capable of engaging the enemy from beyond the horizon.”
“But that’s impossible! How could you attack something you cannot see?”
“Because they don’t need eyes to see Seawave, they use something far better.”
“Which is?”
“I’m afraid that’s classified.”
“Hmpf, so be it.” Seawave responded, seeing as another Rafale took off, rattling the ground beneath her.
“I believe that is enough for today Seawave, I would be ecstatic if you have more questions. But for now I’ll break the spell.”
And just in an instant, Seawave’s image of the Airbase was suddenly and abruptly interrupted with the dinner table.
She shook her head to see the face of a less than amused Celestia and the beaming face of her ecstatic daughter.
“Luna, next time please inform me if you want to bring the poor mare into the dreamscape artificially. I was spending all my time informing Flying here about what happened and why both you and Seawave fell asleep.”
“Oh sister, you are but no fun.” Luna pouted, not amused at the scolding she’s receiving.
Before things could heat up any longer, Harmony interjected. “Now now children, it would be a bit out of form for the two diarchs of Equestria to bicker in front of their loyal subjects. I think it’s time we get some shuteye no?”
“Ugh, yes mother.” Both sisters responded. Begrudgingly ending their dispute for now.
Harmony continued, “Now then dear Seawave, I trust that you might have some form of bedroom reserved for guests yes?”
Seawave suddenly froze at Harmony’s inquiry.
“Ummmmmmmm…..”