//------------------------------// // Ocean Majesty 2/2 // Story: Pony POV Series Origins: Queen Majesty // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// Majesty woke up feeling rested. She opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings, which turned out to be an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, lit by a few candles. When she sat up and stretched, she discovered that the warm pillow resting against her back was actually a certain baby dragon. Spike had been laying down curled up next to Majesty's sleeping form, and as soon as he noticed Majesty moving, his expression of worry immediately turned into one of joy. He jumped up and hugged his adoptive mother with his little arms, giggling and making happy squeals and growls. Majesty smiled too and hugged him back, "Oh, Spike, you were worried about me? I'm sorry about that." Majesty quickly got out of the bed, lifting a happy Spike with her magic and placing him gently on her back. The unicorn then walked towards the only door in the room and opened it. She saw now that she was in a house, very much like Wooden Spoke's and Indabor's, though even before spotting the differences she could tell it was someone else's from scent alone. Wind Whistler was sitting at the table, reading something. The light blue pegasus lifted her head and smiled when she saw Majesty standing there. "Wind Whistler? Is this your house?" asked Majesty. "Yes, it is, Majesty," replied Wind Whistler. "I'm glad to see you are unharmed." There wasn't much light coming through the windows. Was it evening? Morning? "How long was I asleep?" asked the white unicorn. "Just a few hours," replied her pegasus friend. "You passed out at the docks and slept through the afternoon. I brought a doctor, but he couldn't find anything wrong with you, and said that you just needed rest. I must admit, I was somewhat worried." "I'm sorry I worried you," replied Majesty. "I probably just used more magic power than my body could handle. I'm kind of embarrassed actually. I haven't had that happen since I was a filly. I suppose I need to train more." Wind Whistler's eyebrows lifted up in that way that Majesty recognized, one Majesty knew by now that it meant that the pegasus' curiosity had been piqued. "Fascinating. So you require sleep to recharge your powers?" "Not exactly. Normal sleep is usually enough, but I was... magically exhausted," explained Majesty. "It's like if you were to run too fast for too long. Your body simply gets too tired, and demands that you rest. Think of magic as a ‘muscle' that needs training just like any other." "Oh, so does it ache or some magical equivalent?" asked Wind Whistler. "Like the soreness one might feel the next day after an extensive period of effort?" "It did, when I was little, but not anymore. I feel quite rested actually, and I'm perfectly capable of performing magic right now." As if to prove her point, Majesty's horn glowed lightly, and suddenly the candles in the bedroom became much brighter, lighting the room so well that it looked like it was daytime inside of it. Wind Whistler reacted in her usual calm fashion. "Impressive." "I just... never had to perform a destructive spell of such force before," mused Majesty, as she looked at Spike. "It was strange. As I cast the spell, it was as if someone else was telling me what magic words to say, whispering in my ear... and then when the spell was ready it felt like I wasn't just tapping into my own powers, but also some other force, an outside entity made entirely out of destructive power." She looked back at Wind Whistler, "It felt weird, but also like I was... in tune with it all." Just then there was a knock on the door. "That must be Captain Moroth," said Wind Whistler. "You woke up just in time." "Captain Moroth?" asked Majesty. Wind Whistler got up and opened her front door. Outside stood a middle aged human male, wearing the leather and metal armor that was common for all the city guards on Vynciani, but his had rank badges on the shoulders and chest. He also had a sword attached to his belt and a crossbow strapped over his back. "Miss Wind Whistler, the town meeting is about to start. Did your friend wake up yet?" asked the human. "Yes, she did, Captain Moroth," replied Wind Whistler. She moved to one side so he could see for himself. "Captain Moroth, meet Majesty the unicorn. Majesty, this is Captain Moroth, chief of the city guards of Vynciani. He helped me carry you here when you passed out at the docks." "Oh, I see," said Majesty, giving him a polite nod. "Thank you." "You're welcome, Miss Majesty, just doing my duty as a member of the city guard of Vynciani," replied Captain Moroth. "I actually heard a lot about you from your friend Indabor." The unicorn was a little surprised at this. "You know Indabor?" The human nodded. "Yes, I was his and Wooden Spoke's instructor when they tried out for the city guard." Majesty remembered Wooden Spoke mentioning that they had tried to join the city guard but failed. Their business as transporters was what they ended up doing after that. "So, what can I help you with?" she asked. "Miss Wind Whistler said it was you who stopped the giant wave that almost destroyed the city port," stated the captain. "I suppose you must be quite a powerful spellcaster. Tell me, what did you think of that giant wave? Is there anything you can tell me about it? Anything unusual?" Majesty was surprised by this question. "Well, I actually had never seen the sea until very recently. I wouldn't know." "No, I mean, since you know magic, was there anything magical about that wave?" asked Captain Moroth. "Not that I noticed... but I don't really have THAT kind of magical knowledge," replied Majesty. "I couldn't tell you if the wave was a product of a natural event or magical meddling.  Why do you ask?" Captain Moroth sighed deeply, clearly disappointed. "Well, Miss Majesty, for several weeks now, ships from Vynciani have been going missing. No survivors or any sort of remains have been found, the ships simply vanish. We thought it might have been pirates, but we found no pirate activity when patrol ships were sent out, some of which also disappeared without a trace. None of the cargo from the lost ships has shown up in the black market circles we've investigated, either." "So, the ships simply disappear, no sign of an attack or a storm or anything?" asked Majesty. "Clear skies or not, it seems to make no difference," replied the captain. "Those ships are gone, goods, crew, and all. We even considered sea monsters, but the fish are still around. Nothing's spooked them off." "That is horrible," said Wind Whistler. "Why haven't I heard about this before now?" Captain Moroth shook his head. "The city has been trying to keep this quiet. Merchants, sailors, fishermen, they've been informed and updated. If you aren't in that line of work, then no, you probably haven't heard. However, that giant wave today was just too big a thing to ignore. Citizens are getting upset." "Well, what you describe could be the result of magic," said Majesty, "but without a closer look I really couldn't tell you." "I see," replied Captain Moroth. "There is a meeting taking place right now at the city hall. The council of Vynciani and the city representatives are discussing what to do about all these strange events. Perhaps you could come, even if you are as blind as we are about it? You might know something that we don't." "I will if you believe I could be of help," replied Majesty. "I'll go as well," added Wind Whistler. "I am a citizen of Vynciani after all." ======================================== A few minutes later, Majesty arrived at Vynciani's City Hall with Captain Moroth and Wind Whistler, still carrying Spike on her back. The voices of several people talking over each other could be heard from inside the big building. Four guards stood in front of the building, three humans and an Earth Pony. The Earth Pony wore barding and a champron, in the same style as the armor of the human guards. The Earth Pony approached Captain Moroth when he saw them. "Took you long enough!" exclaimed the Earth Pony. "People are getting restless, they want the head of the city guard in there." "I'll be right in," replied Captain Moroth. "Majesty, allow me to introduce Sub-Captain Iron Hooves, leader of the pony armored division of the Vynciani city guard. Iron Hooves, this is Majesty, the unicorn I was telling you about." "Nice to meet you," said Majesty. Iron Hooves scrutinized Majesty. "You're the one that Wooden Spoke told me about, hmm? Well, if half of what he said is true, we're lucky to have had you around when that giant wave showed up." "Majesty couldn't say for certain that it was magic," said Captain Moroth, "but she has agreed to come to the meeting and help with what she can." "Let's hope it's enough," said Iron Hooves. "Come on, Governor Aldrasil is waiting for us." Without further ado, the Captain and Sub-Captain entered the meeting, followed by Majesty and Wind Whistler. The town hall was filled with people from all different parts of the city, all of the guild representatives as well as the civil representatives. Governor Aldrasil saw Captain Moroth and Sub-Captain Iron Hooves enter and invited them to step up to the main center stage of the city hall along with the other civil representatives. The murmurs and voices among the crowd of humans and ponies in the hall started to fade, finally quieting down when they saw them step up and take their places on the stage. "Now that the Captain and Sub-Captain are here," said the governor, "let's get this emergency meeting started. I trust everyone knows about the giant wave that almost destroyed the port today, which is the latest in a long list of strange events that have happened to our city in the past weeks. However, this is the first time an incident has happened so close to the city. We'll now begin to hear suggestions." One of the men among the commercial district people stood. "I wish to speak." "Eubering, head of the Traders' guild, has the floor," said the governor. "Every member of the Traders' guild has lost one or more of their ships," said Eubering forcefully. "The situation is so dire that we can no longer provide our members insurance, since sailing out has become risky enough that none of our members have come back. Whatever this city council decides to do, we need immediate results. Otherwise, the future of Vynciani as a merchant port city will be at risk." "And how long would you consider ‘immediate results' to be?" asked the governor. "One week." replied Eubering, "More than that, and we would have no choice but to take all our business and ships to other cities. Even if we didn't, many of our members are too spooked to go out to sea, and we cannot blame them." Another human stood, hand raised. The governor nodded to him. "Aleiro of the Merchant's guild, you have the floor." "If the traders cannot ship merchandise in and out of the city, then we have nothing to buy and sell," explained Aleiro. "We would also be forced to leave." "This council understands the situation," said the governor, "but one week is too short a time to resolve this. What exactly would you expect us to do?" he asked. "This has been going on for weeks already," said Eubering. "What has the city done in that time? What are we paying our taxes for?" A man in a sailor's uniform standing behind the governor stood up. "We have sent as many ships as we could spare to patrol for pirates, and some of them haven't returned either." Captain Moroth also stood up again. "We have looked for any kind of clue or lead in any of the usual black market circles where someone might try to sell the merchandise that disappeared. Nobody that we found traded in it." "Yes, Admiral Miraquen, Captain Moroth, we are all very impressed by that," said Eubering dryly. "But we need more than good intentions. We need results, and neither one of you produced anything!" "I am sorry to say that neither I nor Captain Moroth can provide you with anything else but that," said Admiral Miraquen. "That is not entirely true, Admiral," said Captain Moroth. "It is possible that we are dealing with something magical here." Murmurs again began spreading among the people, and the governor shouted for order. When everyone was quiet, the governor said, "Captain Moroth, Vynciani is far away from most magical users in the world. No witches live near us, and the nearest wizard is over a week's journey. We have nothing that might interest any magic user, so why would anyone with magic care about making a few ships disappear?" A yellow Earth Pony among the crowd waved a hoof for attention. "That is not entirely accurate." The governor looked at her. "And who might you be?" One of the merchants stood up. "This is Magic Star, a traveler from out of town," he explained. "I met her earlier and she seemed to know a lot about magical artifacts. I invited her to come since I thought her knowledge might help us in this meeting." The governor nodded. "I see, thank you Mr. Bellumin. The Earth Pony Magic Star may speak." "Thank you," said Magic Star. "While it is true that Vynciani does not trade in magic or magical goods, it does have a diverse array of materials and ingredients that any skilled practitioner could use to craft powerful artifacts. For example, gold and silver are highly enchantable, and some types of wood are perfect conductors for magic and can be used to make wands." "I see," said Captain Moroth. "Do you think this might be the reason behind the strange disappearances of the ships?" Magic Star shook her head. "It could be, but I would need a list of what the ships were carrying to see if there's anything of interest." Eubering stood up again, taking out a scroll. "We have here the list of merchandise that was being transported in each and every one of our ships that vanished. She can look at it if she wants." Magic Star took the offered scroll and spent a tense couple of minutes reading it. "No, I don't think anything magical could be crafted with these things." "So, we are back to square one," said Eubering, snatching the scroll back and putting it away. "But magic must have been involved," said Captain Moroth. "The ships weren't sunk by foul weather or giant monsters, and that giant wave couldn't have been natural. It came out of nowhere." "You say this, Captain," said Eubering, "but do you have any tangible proof, anything at all besides wishful thinking, that magic was the cause of the disappearance of the ships and the giant wave? Which, I might add, we don't even know if those two events are related at all." "No," replied Captain Moroth, "but the ships didn't just vanish by themselves. The wave didn't just show up out of the blue. If it wasn't magic, then what was it?" Wind Whistler spoke up. "I must agree with the Captain of the City Guard. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. While it is true that we have no evidence of magic being involved, it is the only logical conclusion. The wave could not have been natural. You see, when a wave of that magnitude naturally forms, it is preceded by all the water rushing out to sea. A wave of that size should have reduced the bay to dry land before it came, but it didn't." "Very well," said Eubering. "Let's say then that magic was involved, what then? How does this help us? The closest wizards to Vynciani are all hermits that live over a week away be it by land or sea." "I have an idea," Majesty spoke up for the first time, "but it is dangerous." The governor looked at her in surprise. "A unicorn? I heard that there was one living in Vynciani. Who might you be?" Captain Moroth replied for her, "This is Majesty. I invited her to the meeting. She is the one that stopped the giant wave." Again murmurs were heard among the people, and again the governor asked for them to be quiet. "If that is true, then the city owes you a great debt. What is your idea, Ms. Majesty?" "I would need a ship to take me out to sea, and be a target for whatever is causing the ships to vanish. I'm pretty strong when it comes to magic, I am sure that I would be able to stop it, whatever it might be." "You want someone to risk their ship, and their lives, on the possibility that you might be able to stop this unknown threat?" said the governor. Majesty hesitated. "I know it sounds risky, but..." "It isn't just risky, is almost certain suicide." said Eubering, before Majesty could finish. "If anyone can do it, she can," said a voice from far back. Everyone turned to see Indabor and Wooden Spoke standing up. "You would think so too if you had seen her in action," said Indabor. "Yeah," added Wooden Spoke. "I saw her make a magic shield strong enough to withstand a tornado. And she can teleport so easily that she teleported me along with her... twice. It felt kind of weird." "And if that wasn't enough," said Indabor, "on her back she is carrying an actual dragon, which she says she adopted with the blessings of the Queen of all Dragons herself. From what I know, I'm inclined to believe her." Yet again, half of the crowd started talking at once, and again the governor made everyone quiet down. "We appreciate your offer, Ms. Majesty," said the governor. "However, we would need someone to be willing to risk their ship and lives for your plan to take place." "I'll do it," came an old sounding voice from one side. An old man with a white beard and skin roughed up from years of sailing at sea had stood up, dressed in sailor robes, very old, plain and worn. "Yartand the fisherman has the floor," said the governor. "My son and my grandson's ships disappeared two weeks ago while they were out fishing, along with all the hands on board," said the old man. "I don't know what it is out there, but I want to stop it. My wife died years ago, and the only important people left in my life are now gone too. I have nothing to lose. I'm willing to take this unicorn out at sea on my ship... but I will need a crew. Four more people would be enough." Majesty's eyes widened slightly, and then a look of sympathy formed on her face. "I see," said the governor. He turned to the Admiral behind him. "Could you spare some of your men?" The Admiral shook his head sadly. "We have lost enough men and ships as it is. I really can't spare anymore for just a hunch and a plan like this." "Very well," said the governor. "In that case, do we have any volunteers?" "I'll go." said Indabor. "Yes, me too," said Wooden Spoke. "It's not like there's lot of deliveries to be made lately, with ships vanishing and giant waves showing up unannounced." "I shall go as well," said Wind Whistler. "Majesty and I have learned a lot from each other this last few days, and I trust her judgement." "I will go too," came Magic Star's voice. "If there is something out there with magic strong enough to do this, I want to see it myself." She also wanted to see this unicorn in action, if she was half as powerful as they believed she was. "Aye, this crew shall be enough for my ship," said Yartand. "How soon can you depart?" asked the governor. "As soon as the sun comes up," replied Yartand, "provided I have enough supplies." "How long would it take you to make a list of the supplies you will need?" asked the governor. "A list? Less than an hour." said Yartand. "Make it," said the governor, "and the city will pay for the supplies from the treasury. We can have everything ready before sunrise." "Aye," said Yartand. "Very well then," said the governor. "Does anyone object from taking this course of action?" Nobody spoke up. "It is settled then," said the governor. "The ship will depart tomorrow at first sunlight. If nobody else has any more issues, this emergency meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for your participation and good luck tomorrow for our brave volunteers." ============================================ Early the following morning, Majesty, with Spike on her back, Indabor and Wooden Spoke walked to the docks where Yartand's fishing boat awaited them. The boat looked old, but very sturdy. It was about 20 meters long, with a single triangular sail, and fishing nets tied along its side. It had a set of oars at the sides for when the wind wasn't strong enough, and a rudder controlled by a lever at the back. Some workers were loading crates of food and water, enough for an entire day at sea for a crew of two humans and four ponies. They also loaded new ropes and other such supplies. Yartand was overseeing everything. Magic Star was there as well as Wind Whistler. The two ponies had arrived earlier, but not as early as Yartand. "Good morning Wind Whistler," greeted Majesty happily. "Majesty, good morning," said Wind Whistler with a smile. "Nice seeing you again, Majesty," said Magic Star to the unicorn. "Likewise, I just wished it would be under better circumstances," replied Majesty. "I don't suppose you had time to practice on controlling the power of your horseshoes better?" asked Magic Star. Majesty shook her head, "It's not like I had much time to do so." Magic Star smiled, it had been less than a day since she told Majesty how to better use her horseshoes after all. The yellow Earth Pony hadn't even finished gathering all the materials she would need to finish her magic wand yet either. "Okay, you're all here," said Yartand as he walked over to the group. "Now, I know that whatever is out there is dangerous," said the old fisherman, "but I am going to make sure that it's the only danger we face. None of you have any sailing experience, so I expect each and every one of you to follow my instructions without question or delay, and you will listen to everything I say. Are we clear on that?" Everyone nodded. "Good to know. Now, for the next order of business." Yartand took out a small pouch, and from inside the pouch he produced a small glass flask holding a strange yellow liquid. "I asked the city to buy these for you. They are potions to prevent seasickness, brewed by the best potion maker in Vynciani, and they should last a whole day. For the ponies, we have an enhanced version that will prevent sea drunkenness as well." Majesty was confused by this, "Sea drunkenness? What is that?" Wind Whistler was the one to reply, "Salt water, like the ocean, can have an effect on ponies if we drink it, or are exposed to it for long periods of time. It makes us drunk," explained the pegasus. "That, and ponies generally being poor swimmers, is why one doesn't find that many ponies working as sailors." "Oh, I see," said Majesty. "I actually never saw the ocean myself until I was trying to get Spike to an island of dragons." The ponies, and human, drank their potions. "Aren't you going to have a potion yourself, old timer?" asked Indabor. "Me?" Yartand laughed heartily, gesturing at his fishing boat. "I've been sailing on good ol' Dhoni here longer than any of you have been alive. I'm used to the movement of the sea." "Now, if everyone is ready, let's not waste any more time," said Yartand to everyone present. "All aboard! I'll be steering. Indabor, Wooden Spoke, you two look strong enough, so you'll be manning the oars, or ponying the oars as the case may be. You'll have to row until we get far enough from shore." He turned, appraising the rest of them. "Magic Star, get a hold of that rope there, and pull it when I give you a signal to open the sail. Wind Whistler, you can fly so you'll be on lookout duty. Keep your eyes open for any strange movements on the sea." Indabor, Wooden Spoke, Magic Star and Wind Whistler moved to their assigned tasks. Yartand looked at Majesty. "Your baby dragon," said the old sailor, looking at Spike, asleep on Majesty's back. "He won't burn down the boat, will he?" Majesty shook her head. "No, he hasn't burned down anything by accident. He doesn't just accidentally spit fire, he really has to concentrate to do it properly," explained the unicorn. She knew that what they were going to do was dangerous, and she was tempted to leave Spike behind, but all the people she trusted in Vynciani were going on this boat with her, and besides, she was sure that Spike would be a lot safer with her than anywhere else. She had always kept him safe, and she always would. "Very well, Majesty, you will lift the anchor. It's attached to that rope over there." The old sailor got his hands on the lever that operated the rudder, while Majesty gently set Spike down on the floor of the boat, making sure to not wake him up. Majesty's horn began to glow and so did the rope of the anchor. It started to pull itself out of the water, as Majesty lifted the anchor and set it down on the ship. "Okay now, you two, start rowing!" said Yartand to Indabor and Wooden Spoke, who immediately started to row the boat away from the shore as Yartand steered the rudder. =================================================== It was several hours later. The wind was gentle but strong enough for the opened triangular sail to move the boat at a decent speed. The sun was up and the sea was calm. Since the idea was to appear to be a normal fishing boat, Yartand showed everyone how to toss the fishing nets. An hour ago, Spike woke up and Majesty gave him some of the food they had loaded on the boat for the day for breakfast. Yartand gave Majesty one red potion for sea sickness too, but told her that he didn't know if it would work on dragons or not. Majesty thanked him and gave Spike the potion to drink. "So, Majesty," asked Wooden Spoke, "what exactly do you expect we'll find out here?" "Honestly, I don't know," Majesty told the Earth pony. "It could be anything, so I'll be ready for anything." "Okay, it's been long enough," said Yartand to nobody in particular. "Time to pull up the fishing nets. Indabor, Wooden Spoke, you two can take care of that." "Right away," said Indabor. He and Wooden Spoke got a hold of one of the nets and started to pull, but to no avail, they couldn't raise it at all. "It seems like it's stuck on something," said Wooden Spoke. "Or, we caught a big fish," added Indabor. Suddenly, a giant tentacle rose from the water next to the boat. "A REALLY big fish!" said Indabor. Next rose another tentacle, and another, and another... a total of eight giant tentacles rose from the waters, surrounding the fishing boat. "That's no fish, it's a giant octopus!" yelled Wooden Spoke. "Well, we certainly discovered what's been causing the ships to mysteriously disappear," said Wind Whistler, worried. "This isn't possible," said Yartand. "Giant octopus aren't native to this part of the ocean. How did one get here?" "Stay back!" yelled Majesty as her horn glowed, and a magic beam shot out towards one of the tentacles approaching the boat. The tentacle flinched back as if in pain, but another tried to grab the boat, which Majesty also shot with a magic beam. Just then, a tentacle behind Majesty hit the boat, tilting it to the side. Everyone was able to hold to something to stay safely on the boat, except for little Spike. The baby dragon cried out in fear as he fell in the cold water of the sea. "Spike!" Majesty turned around and jumped. While still in the air she cast a spell on herself, giving herself magic gills and magic fins. She also cast a shield bubble on the boat, keeping everyone still on it safe from the giant octopus. Majesty saw the giant octopus, who was bigger than the fishing boat itself, and also saw Spike sinking down into the deep waters. She quickly cast the same spell of magic gills and fins on Spike, saving him from drowning. She then used her horn to "float" him so he was now close to her, and turned around to face the octopus. Thanks to the magic fins she could swim as if she was running inside the water, a good thing since Majesty didn't actually know how to swim. She quickly started casting magical beams of energy at the octopus, while dodging all the tentacles around her, until finally a well placed shot right on the octopus' massive beak caused it to shriek in pain. It released the fishing nets and began to swim away. Majesty swam back up with Spike floating next to her, now inside the safety of Majesty's magic bubble shield spell. "Is everyone okay?" Majesty asked. "We're okay!" shouted Magic Star. "Did you scare that thing off?" "Yes, but we need to follow it, to make sure nobody falls victim to it again," said the unicorn. She was about to climb back onto the boat along with Spike when Wind Whistler saw something that made the pegasus both confused and worried. "Hmm, Majesty, I believe there is something else which requires our immediate attention," stated Wind Whistler, still flying over the boat. The pegasus pointed at something behind Majesty with her hoof. "Huh? What do you mean?" Majesty turned around and was surprised speechless. Some strange looking creatures, which could be described as half-fish half-pony were swimming towards the boat. These ‘Sea Ponies' looked angry. They began to swim in a circle surrounding the boat, and before anyone could react, they all began to sing. "Are those... water ponies... singing?" said Indabor. "It seems like it... and they sound like music from the heavens," said Wooden Spoke. Suddenly everyone started to feel tired, and Majesty realized that they were casting some sort of sleeping spell with their song! She was about to raise a magic shield when she realized that it would make no difference since that wouldn't block out sound. She had to create some sort of soundproof barrier, but before she could do anything, she fell asleep, and so did everyone else on the boat. Majesty and Spike began to sink since they were the only ones out of the boat, but they still had the magic gills, so they would not drown. Having seen this, two of the seaponies swam down and grabbed Majesty and Spike, then swam back to the surface. As everyone was now asleep, a chariot floating on the water, which looked like a giant clam shell being pulled by two dolphins, approached the sea ponies and the boat. On the chariot there was what looked like a human, but he clearly wasn't. He stood tall, imposing and regal, with long golden hair and a crown made of yellow coral. He was wearing a blue cape, as blue as the ocean, as well as green armor that looked like the scales of a fish. Also, his yellow boots and gloves had fins sprouting out of them. He held a trident in his right hand. "King Neptune," said a blue sea pony mare with magenta mane, approaching the man on the floating chariot. "They defeated the octopus, but our magic song was able to put everyone to sleep nonetheless." The man on the chariot, King Neptune, was stunned at this. "They defeated my octopus? How did that happen?" he asked. The sea pony holding onto Majesty, a golden mare with a purple mane, swam towards King Neptune. "This unicorn was with them. She seems to be quite proficient in magic," explained the sea pony, "She also had a baby dragon with her." "I see," said King Neptune. "Good work Dazzle Belle." Then he realized something. "Wait, you said that white unicorn had a baby dragon with her? A purple dragon?" Another sea pony, this one a white stallion with green mane, brought Spike closer to King Neptune. "Yes, my King, as you can see." "Indeed..." said King Neptune. "Take the boat and the rest of the crew and do with them as we did with the others, but I want that unicorn and her dragon to be taken to a private chamber in the palace. I wish to speak with this unicorn personally."