The ocean was much bigger than they had anticipated.
Sure, everyone knows that the ocean is vast, but it's another thing entirely when you actually try to run across it. After a few hours, even the fliers were starting to get winded. Around a time Pinkie deemed as 'lunch-ish' they stopped for a rest.
"How much farther?" Spike asked. He'd started to flag in the second quarter and had been riding since.
"There's no way of knowing," Twilight replied, "Could be miles. Or, nautical miles, I guess?"
"Ah just wish we had something to eat," Applejack added.
"Say no more! I got you covered." Everyone looked up as Rainbow Dash descended from scouting height. "There's all the food you can eat about two minutes ahead."
"Food? Out here?"
"Come see for yourself," the pegasus replied and darted off.
Having no reason to not believe her, the rest followed.
As predicted, within two minutes the travelers found themselves in a patch of ocean practically dyed pink with small creatures.
"A shrimp bloom," Twilight identified, "I've read about these. The shrimp rise from the depths in huge numbers to mate and spawn in the sunlight. We're very lucky to stumble upon it."
"Can... can we actually eat these... things?" Rarity asked in thinly veiled disgust.
"Oh yes. In fact, they're considered a luxury amongst pegasi."
Rarity hummed in conflicted contemplation as her natural squeamishness fought with her high-class aspirations.
Rainbow Dash, however, didn't even bother to try and hide her line of drool. "If only we had some marinara or some butter sauce, this would be perfect."
"Can't help you there. Best I can do is flash boil them so we at least don't have to eat them raw." Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "Are you going to be okay?
Fluttershy nodded. "I don't like it, but some animals have to be lower on the food chain so others can survive. It's just nature. And your way would be the most painless for them."
Permission received, Twilight lit her horn and a globe of water rose from the sea, several dozen shrimp within. With a flash, the water vanished in a puff of steam, leaving the crustaceans within thoroughly cooked. They spent an hour dining and recovering their strength. Despite some initial reluctance, everyone enjoyed the shrimp and even Rarity gave it an evaluation of "surprisingly springy, but not without a cleansing salty freshness".
When they were done, at Rainbow Dash's suggestion, Twilight encapsulated a large portion of the remaining bloom and stored it away with her magic. Shrimp and seawater alike both vanished into a pocket of spacetime, leaving a crater in the stilled water. Provisions for later, just in case the whale-road was longer than expected and there was no more food forthcoming.
Luckily for them, land was closer than they'd realized. After making camp beneath the crest of a large wave and spending the night, the seven made landfall by mid-afternoon the next day. They arrived at the shores of a gravel beach with pine forests just beyond.
"Land!" Pinkie Pie cheered as soon as they set hoof on it. "Come here you sweet 'ole earthy thing! I'm never taking you for granted again!"
"Land's great and all," Applejack said, "But does anypony have any idea where we are?"
"Judging by the climate and local flora, I'd guess either Swine country or the Sheeplands," Twilight supplied.
"Swine." Fluttershy said definitively.
Twilight sent her a questioning look. "What makes you so sure?"
"There's one over there."
True to her word, at the point where beach turned to forest stood a large biped. He was thickly built, with stout arms and legs. His porcine face prominently featured a pair of tusks and the rest was buried beneath a thick forest of whiskers. His clothes were simple, yet good quality, and he carried with him an axe and a small sled of logs.
"Hiya!" Pinkie Pie greeted as she suddenly appeared before him, hoof offered. "I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?"
The pigman blinked in confusion for a moment before his reflexes kicked in and he shook the proffered hoof. "Wilbur. You are... ponies, yes? What are you doing here?"
"That's... kind of a long story," Twilight admitted. "We've walked a long way. Is there a town or something nearby where we can rest?"
He shrugged and shifted his axe from one massive shoulder to the other. "You're in luck. The capitol's only about an hour or so's walk inland. I could show you the way, seeing as I'm going there myself."
"Oh, could you? We'd be most thankful," Rarity sighed in relief.
Wilbur smiled, a striking band of yellow against his brown beard. "It's no trouble. And maybe in return you could tell me how a group of ponies ended up so far down south."
He motioned towards the forest and the group started after him.
"Oh, wait a second." Pinkie turned back to the water, scrunched up her muzzle in concentration, and gave a small yet definitive leap. Immediately the frozen waves began to move again and for a split second, they all swore they could hear a Bittish titter.
"OK! Now we can go."
"That all sounds terrible," Wilbur commented after they'd finished their tale. "I can't even imagine having my whole country stolen overnight like that."
"Eh, the whole takeover part kinda starts to lose its sting after the first two or three times," Rainbow Dash said, "But yeah, it still sucks."
"The last time he invaded, Princess Celestia sent us to the Hippogriffs for help. But knowing the Storm King, he's probably found some way to either distract them or cut off contact between us." Twilight said. "If we're going to defeat him again, then we're going to need new allies. Some creature he wouldn't expect."
"If allies are what you need, our country can probably help," Wilbur offered.
Twilight shook her head. "We'd be better off trying to gather a ragtag group of misfits again. I'm not even sure Equestria has official diplomatic relations with this country. Convincing your rulers to help a foreign power would not be easy."
The swine hummed thoughtfully. "It might not be as hard as you think. The king is always hiring out the army to one cause or another. So long as you can pay, that is. It's where most of our country's wealth comes from."
"Is that so?" Twilight's ears perked up at the sound of an opportunity that would not involve another wild journey across danger and adventure-filled foreign lands. "You think he takes Princess Promissory Notes?
Meanwhile, in the back of the line, Rainbow Dash had slowed down and fallen into step alongside Rarity.
"So, what do you think of him?"
"Wilbur?" Rarity asked, "He seems alright. Trustworthy as far as I can tell. Quite the gentlecreature, in fact."
Rainbow smirked, "I bet he's really caught your eye, huh?"
Rarity sputtered and almost stopped in her tracks. "I- I- What?! Wh- where in Celestia's name is this coming from?"
The smile never left Dash's face as she studied a hoof innocently. "Oh? I thought he'd be your type. Since he's the opposite of Blueblood after all."
"Opposite of...?" Rarity paused, then sighed in exasperation. "Rainbow Dash, stop with the riddles. Just... go ahead and say whatever little quip you've thought up that you're obviously so proud of."
Undaunted, her grin grew even larger. "Well the way I see it, since you hate Blueblood, you'd probably love Wilbur since Blueblood is a boring guy and Wilbur is a guiding boar!"