//------------------------------//
// Chapter Seven - The One That Got Away 
// Story: My Little Pony: Shadows of the Setting Sun 
// by Starswirl the Beardless 
//------------------------------//

Sunset looked up at the tall building that stood before her. The town hall was obviously very old, its wooden walls bearing visible signs of age, probably not helped by its close proximity to the sea. In some spots, however, it looked as if the building had been newly refurbished. New wood had been used to replace some of the rotting boards that made up its structure, the tiles of the roof had been scrubbed clean of moss and other detritus, and the whole thing had been given a fresh coat of paint. Sunset was not particularly interested in the building itself, however; her mind was fixed on the pony she knew she would find inside it. 

The place hadn’t been hard to find. Clarion had given her directions to the general area, and from there, it had been easy to spot the large, two-story structure towering above the modest houses surrounding it. She had asked him if he had wanted to come with her to speak with Mayor Akoya, but he had declined. He had told her that he had wanted to spend just a little more time with the creature before they released him. He hadn’t said it out loud, but Sunset had also felt a slight trepidation from him, as if the prospect of going with her scared him. In any case, she had agreed to go and speak with her on his behalf. 

Steeling herself for the confrontation she was sure was waiting for her, Sunset strode forward and opened the front door, heading inside. Most of the building’s interior was taken up by a single large room with a high ceiling, stretching almost all the way to its far end. The room was filled with rows of wooden chairs, arranged facing a short, raised platform at the far end. On this platform stood a podium, presumably where the mayor would stand to address the assembled crowd. An open door stood behind the podium, way off to the side, through which could be heard the voices of a few ponies. A staircase built into the side of the building led up to a second level with a balcony and another doored room. 

Sunset slowly walked down the center aisle of the room, past the rows of chairs, and approached the open door. Peeking inside, she saw a relatively small room, dominated by a long wooden table with several chairs arranged around it. She saw many filing cabinets lined up against the walls, and some larger boxes tucked into the far corners. Windows in the back wall let in enough light for the room to be visible, but little enough that the room still looked a bit dim. Standing off to the side were two ponies, who Sunset recognized as members of the Chamber of Commerce, chatting with one another. Sitting at one of the chairs, arranging papers and stowing them in her saddlebags, was Nova. 

Nova noticed the movement at the door and looked over at Sunset. “Oh, Sunset!” she said, smiling at her. “There you are.”

Nova’s comment alerted the room’s other two occupants to Sunset’s presence. Recognizing who had arrived, the two turned and bowed in Sunset’s direction, greeting her. Sunset entered the room, greeting them in turn. The two rose and told her that they were just about to leave, but that they would be happy to inform Mayor Akoya that she had arrived. Sunset thanked them for their offer, but assured them that it was not necessary, as she wanted to speak with her secretary alone for a moment. The two spouted off a few more pleasantries, before courteously withdrawing from the room, leaving her and Nova alone. 

“So, how’d the meeting go?” asked Sunset.

“Oh...it was alright,” said Nova casually. “I had a bit of difficulty keeping up, I’ll admit, but luckily, they did most of the talking. They asked me for my opinion on certain things, but I don’t think they were expecting much from me. I think they mainly just wanted us there for moral support.” 

Sunset once again felt guilty, but having heard Clarion’s story, her guilt was reserved solely for Nova, not for Mayor Akoya or her friends, whom Sunset had snubbed. “Thanks again for filling in for me,” she said. “I really meant to stop by at some point, but I was...I was busy.”

“Think nothing of it,” said Nova cheerfully. “The important thing is that you were able to focus on your work.”

“Yeah...about that,” said Sunset. She looked back over at the door of the meeting room for a moment, before walking over and shutting it. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.” 

Sunset looked back at Nova, who had a mildly concerned expression on her face. “What is it, Sunset?” she said. “Did something happen out there?”

Sunset walked over and sat in one of the chairs near Nova. Hesitantly, she began telling Nova what had happened out at the bay after she and Mayor Akoya had left. She told her everything; she told her about the net, about Clarion, and about Mayor Akoya’s role in events. As she listened, Nova’s expression changed from one of worry, to one of confusion, then to amazement, then disbelief. Sunset concluded by telling Nova what she had promised Clarion: that she would go to Mayor Akoya and demand that she release the creature back to the sea. 

After Sunset had finished, Nova sat silently, looking off to the side, deep in thought. “I don’t know what to say,” she said at last. “It all seems so hard to believe, and yet...it all makes sense, more sense than what the mayor told us, at least. To capture a magical creature and put it on display just for profit is...well, it’s just not right! But, Sunset, are you sure you’re doing the right thing? I don’t want the creature to be caged up either, but don’t you think you’re being a bit...hasty about this? Shouldn’t we contact Princess Celestia and tell her what’s going on? She would probably be able to handle the situation better then we could.”

“Nova,” Sunset sighed, “we don’t need to run to the princess for help. We know what needs to be done, and we have the opportunity to do it. She didn’t even know what was going on here; she thought there was some wild sea monster on the loose, that’s why she told us not to do anything. Besides, how long would it take for her to do something about it? Weeks? Months? The princess is a busy mare, that’s why she sent us here in the first place. If we can solve the problem here and now, isn’t that for the best?”

Nova considered the matter carefully, her expression making it clear that she still had some doubts about Sunset’s chosen course of action. “Well...I suppose so,” she said hesitantly. “But even if you do go ahead with your plan, what then? The princess will still want to know what happened here. What are you going to tell her when you write to her about our assignment?”

Sunset opened her mouth to speak, but froze, realizing what Nova was getting at. If she ordered the release of the creature, what would she tell Princess Celestia? Telling the truth would mean admitting that she went behind the her back and disobeyed her orders yet again, an idea that Sunset was not particularly thrilled about. Even if she did leave out some of the details, like she had in her last report, the fact that she even saw the creature would give the princess cause to look into the matter more closely. And if that happened, then it wouldn’t be long before the truth of the matter was discovered, which would get Sunset in even more trouble than if she had just told the truth. Whatever story she told the princess, it would have to be something that would give her no reason to ever think about Pintada Bay again. 

“Nova...” Sunset began, choosing her words carefully. “I don’t think the princess...needs to know everything. She just needs to know that nopony’s in danger, and if I tell her there’s no creature here, well...that’ll technically be true.”

Nova’s eyes went wide. “Sunset, you...” she said. Nova quickly glanced about the room, confirming that they were alone, then leaned in close to Sunset and spoke to her in a whisper. “You’re going to lie to the princess? Just flat-out lie? Oh...I really don’t think you should do that. Taking matters into your own hooves is one thing, but this is something else altogether. I really think we should just tell her the truth. If it’s like you said, then she probably won’t be too mad at us. At least, not as mad as she would be if we lied to her.”

“I don’t want to take that risk,” said Sunset. She didn’t say it out loud, but her concern was just as much for Nova’s sake as it was for her own, if not more so. Sunset might have actually considered admitting to her actions if she could have been sure that Nova would be spared. “It’ll be safer if I do this, and it’ll be even safer if I do it alone. That way, you can say you didn’t know; you can say you had nothing to do with it.”

“You don’t have to do that,” said Nova resolutely. “If you’re absolutely certain about this, then I’ll stand with you. I don’t know what help I’ll be able to give, but you shouldn’t have to do any of this alone. We were sent out here together, weren’t we?” Nova tried to give Sunset a confident smile. 

Sunset was taken aback at Nova’s words. She chuckled softly to herself and gave Nova a loving smile. Not for the last time, Sunset was extremely grateful that Nova had been made her companion on her adventure. “Yeah, we were,” said Sunset, “but I’m still in charge. I know you’d stick with me no matter what, Nova, but I have to do what I think is best, best for all of us.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I want you to go back to the hotel and stay there. I’ll come get you when all this is over.”

Nova was visibly disappointed and concerned about Sunset’s decision to handle the issue all on her own. “Alright,” she said after a moment had passed. “The mayor is upstairs in her office. Just...be strong, Sunset.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” said Sunset, trying to cheer Nova up with a bit of bravado. A small smile snuck its way back onto Nova’s face. She slowly rose from her seat, Sunset doing similarly. Before she left, Nova leaned in and gave Sunset a quick hug, although Sunset didn’t know which of them it was meant to comfort. Taking one last parting look, Nova walked slowly to the door of the meeting room and opened it, walking through it and towards the front of the town hall. Sunset stood there for a minute, watching her go. Soon, Nova passed through the front door and gently closed it behind her, the sound of her hoofsteps vanishing and leaving only silence within the old walls. 

Sunset took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do. She slowly walked back towards the front, her hoofsteps echoing loudly throughout the empty chamber. She walked to the bottom of the staircase that led up to the second level, looking up at Mayor Akoya’s office above her. The old wooden steps creaked as she ascended the stairs to the small balcony that looked over the building’s entryway. She approached the door to the office, which featured a small plaque that read “MAYOR”. She raised her hoof and, hesitating only for a moment, knocked on the door firmly. When Sunset heard Mayor Akoya’s voice invite her in, she slowly opened the door and stepped inside the room. 

Mayor Akoya’s office was a loft room, the roof’s rafters visible up above, and stretched all the way to the far end of the building. A large window in the far wall let in the bright, midday sunlight, illuminating the room all the way to the door. Along the walls were arranged a variety of different furnishings and decorations. Sunset saw a bookcase lined with books of various size and color. There were several cabinets that displayed small curios and knick-knacks, some of which looked like they were made out of pearl. Framed artworks depicting maritime scenes hung on the walls alongside framed photographs. Mayor Akoya sat at a large wooden desk in front of the window, looking through papers sitting on the desk before her. 

Sunset closed the door behind her and walked over to where she sat. As she approached, Mayor Akoya took a quick glance at her, doing a double take after realizing who had just walked into her office. “Madam Ambassador!” she said, perking up and putting aside what she was working on. “I-I’m terribly sorry; I didn’t realize it was you.” She stood from her seat and walked around her desk, standing before it and giving Sunset a deep bow. “I had told the Secretary that I would be down shortly and that we would come and check up on you. She should have been downstairs with some of the Chamber members. Did you...happen to miss her?”

“No, mayor,” said Sunset flatly, “Nova and I spoke before I came up here. I gave her the afternoon off.”

“Oh, alright then,” said Mayor Akoya, somewhat confused. “Well, would you like to come have lunch with me? We could go to The Briny Beach again; they have a lunch buffet that I’ve heard is all the rage. Or perhaps you’d like to try someplace a little quieter? There’s a little cafe down the road that has lovely—“

“Mayor!” said Sunset sternly. “I need to have a word with you.”

Mayor Akoya froze, clearly caught off guard by Sunset’s sudden interjection. “Very well,” she said cautiously. “Would you...like to sit down?” She gestured to one of the chairs sitting in front of her desk. Sunset went over and sat down, while Mayor Akoya went back and sat in her seat behind the desk. “So...what can I help you with, Madam Ambassador?”

“We need to talk about the creature,” said Sunset. 

“The creature?” asked Mayor Akoya, relaxing slightly. “Is that all? Why, of course! Oh, did you have a successful morning with Clarion? Was he helpful? I know he can be a bit tough to deal with sometimes, but he’s a smart colt. Hey! Why don’t we have him put on a special show tonight in your honor? I’m sure he could put something together, even if it is on such short—”

“Mayor Akoya,” interrupted Sunset, not in the mood to listen to her pleasantries, “I want you to free the creature.”

Mayor Akoya stopped once again, her mouth hanging open mid-sentence. “I’m sorry,” she said, blinking rapidly in shock, “did you say you want me to free the creature? I’m afraid I don’t understand, Madam Ambassador.”

“I know, Mayor,” said Sunset, Mayor Akoya’s feigned ignorance only making her more upset. “I know why the creature is here. I know how he got to the bay, and I know why he’s never left, so you can drop the act, already.”

As realization dawned on her, Mayor Akoya’s eyelids dropped and her lips pursed; she hung her head silently. “I see that your time with Clarion was quite the learning experience,” she said after a pause. “It seems he didn’t fully understand what ‘need-to-know basis’ means.”

“Leave Clarion out of this,” said Sunset. “This is between you and me.”

“I’m sorry to disagree with you,” said Mayor Akoya calmly, “but this goes way beyond just you and me.” Slowly, she rose from her chair and walked over to the bookshelf on the wall, Sunset watching her. “What do you know of our town’s history, Madam Ambassador?” She began scanning the shelves, clearly looking for something. 

Sunset was confused by her question, but decided to play along for the time being. “Well...I know what you told me,” said Sunset. “I know the town was founded a few decades ago by pearl divers. I know you guys did pretty well for yourselves because of pearls being in style.”

“I gave you the tourist version: all true, but not the whole truth,” said Mayor Akoya. She reached out and pulled a large book from the shelf in front of her. She brought the book back to her desk and set it down facing Sunset. The cover of the book had the words “Pintada Bay Volume 1” written on it. “Take a look at this.” She opened the book and revealed its contents to Sunset. 

The book was a photo album, Sunset realized, moving closer to get a better look. She saw images of what was presumably the founding of the town. She saw simple wooden homes being built and the beginnings of the town’s pearling activities. Happy-looking divers could be seen posing next to large piles of oysters, while in other photos, ponies worked to extract their pearls. Sunset saw the town come to life before her eyes as she flipped through the pages. “There were only a couple dozen families at first,” narrated Mayor Akoya. “Plucky, hard-working ponies from all over northeast Equestria. They came to the bay to seek their fortunes, and for a while, they found them.”

Sunset stopped and looked at a photo of a large group of ponies posing in front of a much newer-looking town hall. In the center of the crowd sat a very familiar-looking mare about the same age as Akoya, holding a small, pink-haired foal. “Who is this?” asked Sunset, pointing at the mare in the picture. 

“That would be my mother, Nacre,” said Akoya, smiling slightly, “the very first mayor of Pintada Bay. She was the one who brought everypony together here. She was the heart and soul of this town. For years, she worked to turn that rinky-dink village into one of the most successful boomtowns in recent history. She brought us in, she put us to work, and she made sure that every filly and colt in town had three square meals a day.”

As Sunset continued flipping through the book, she saw the town gradually expanding. More homes were built and shops and other businesses began popping up. The ponies began using bigger and better boats for their work. Mayor Nacre could be seen overseeing the development of the town’s infrastructure and meeting with well-dressed businessponies in her office, the same office Sunset was standing in. As the years passed by before her eyes, she saw the pink-haired foal, the young Akoya, grow older under her parents’ watchful eyes. The last photo in the book was of Akoya, looking to be around Sunset’s age, standing with her mother on the shore of the bay. 

“Your mother seems like a wonderful mare,” said Sunset, “but why are you telling me all this?”

“Well, the thing about boomtowns is...sometimes they go bust,” said Mayor Akoya, reaching out and closing the photo album with a loud thud. “I don’t expect you’d know this, but pearls used to be the hot thing in Equestrian fashion. All the most famous designers were using pearls in their outfits; all the biggest celebrities were wearing pearls to their parties. Mares from Los Pegasus to Canterlot to Manehattan were clamoring to get even the smallest bit of pearl jewelry they could find. Back in those days, even a lazy pearler could make enough to support himself and his family.

“Fashion is a finicky thing, though. Around a decade ago, somepony somewhere decided that pearls were old hat. Almost overnight, everypony stopped caring about them, and by extension, us; they all moved on to whatever the next trend was. You probably weren’t old enough to have noticed at the time; I was only a little older than you when it happened. As you can imagine, the town didn’t do so well after that. We had to work twice as hard to make even half of what we had made before. 

“My mother did everything she could to keep the town going. I can still remember her spending late nights up here, tearing her mane out trying to come up with any idea that could save us. She was a smart mare, but even she couldn’t keep us afloat forever. As the years went by, ponies started leaving, packing up and moving someplace else, somewhere they could find work to support their families. She never gave up though; she never lost the fire in her, but she did lose the energy. You age twice as fast doing a job like this, especially when you have to deal with what she was dealing with.

“I’d been working as her aide at the time, and I saw how hard it was on her. For a long time, I begged her to stop it; I told her to retire and let somepony else handle things. It took a few years, but I finally broke her; she agreed to step down, and the town chose a new mayor for the first time since its founding. Imagine my surprise when they chose me to take her place. I hadn’t even put my name forward, but the townsponies wanted me anyway. I guess they figured that, if I was even half the mare my mother was, the town would be in good hooves.

“I couldn’t just turn them down after that. I took the job, and I did what I could to live up to my mother’s legacy. Over the years, I’ve tried every plan I could think of to get us back on track; nothing’s worked. I’m not a miracle worker, and I’m not my mother. For a while, I had been considering giving up and letting somepony else take a shot at it. I was up here one day, thinking about just that, when Clarion came bursting in with the most incredible story on his lips.

“I’m sure he told you the rest. The creature saved the town; the tourist trade has been bringing in more bits than pearls have in a long time. I won’t deny what I did, Madam Ambassador, but I don’t regret doing it either. Thanks to me, Pintada Bay has a promising future ahead of it. I had just hoped that I would have a little more time to show you that before you found out the truth.”

As Sunset listened to Mayor Akoya’s story, the final pieces of the puzzle fell into place in her mind. But even though she could see the whole picture laid out in front of her, it only made her more conflicted. She had walked into the office with single-minded determination, but a torrent of emotions had since started swirling within her. She still felt sadness and pity for the creature and anger towards Mayor Akoya, but she felt something else as well. She felt profound sympathy for the townsponies, knowing that their complicity in the whole thing was not motivated by blind greed, as she had previously thought. 

Sunset looked away, wondering how best to proceed with her now-compromised moral confidence. “What was your plan?” asked Sunset flatly. “Were you just gonna keep him out there forever?”

“I don’t know,” Mayor Akoya sighed, slumping back into her chair. “I just don’t know. It all happened so quickly, and I was just so desperate, so I jumped on the opportunity without really thinking about the long-term. I told myself that it was just a stop-gap measure, that I would only do it for a little while until I thought of something else, but I never did.”

“Didn’t you even think about what you were doing to the creature?” said Sunset. “Do you even care?”

Mayor Akoya straightened up and looked Sunset in the eye. “I know how this all looks,” she said, “but I’m not a monster; I do care. I’ll admit, when Clarion first showed it to me, I didn’t give an oyster’s shell about the creature. Can you really blame me for not wanting to bring a huge sea monster into town? I let them talk me into it just to get it away from town as soon as possible. 

“My primary concern has always been for the town, but that doesn’t mean I never cared about the creature. I was the one who let him stay here while he got better. You don’t know how hard it was convincing the town to go along with it; I had to use up every speck of trust they still had in me. And even after we...well, you know...I still tried to help it. I let Clarion stay with it as much as possible to keep it entertained. I made sure it got fed well and that it wasn’t overworked with everything we had it doing. I had the doctor keep an eye on it, just to make sure nothing else happened to it. I’ve done whatever I could to make it happy.”

“Everything except letting it go,” said Sunset. 

“Yes,” Mayor Akoya sighed. “Everything except that.”

“Do you really think doing all that makes it okay to keep it here?” said Sunset. “To use it as a tourist attraction?”

“Maybe? Oh, I don’t know,” said Mayor Akoya, hanging her head. “Everything you’re saying, I’ve already said to myself at one point or another. When I had that net put up, that was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, and I still don’t know if I did the right thing. Even my mother didn’t have much advice to offer me.”

“What did she tell you?” said Sunset.

Mayor Akoya took a deep breath. “She told me to do what I thought was right,” she said, “no matter what. She said that’s how she made it through all those years, dealing with what she had to deal with. My mother’s the best pony I’ve ever known, but even she didn’t have a clear answer to this; she trusted me to make a decision. I wish I could be a better leader. I wish I could be like Princess Celestia; she’d know what to do.”

“Well, I may not be the princess,” said Sunset, “but I know her pretty well.”

Mayora Akoya looked back at Sunset, a slight smile returning to her face. “Indeed,” she said. “Perhaps it’s you that I should be listening to, Madam Ambassador. I would never seek to go against the will of the princess, so I will not oppose whatever her representative asks of me. Our town’s future is now in your hooves. I only ask that, whatever you decide, you do what’s best for us.”

As confident as Sunset had been earlier about her decision, the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders weighed her down and kept her from immediately making a choice. Mayor Akoya thought that Sunset’s will was the will of the princess, and before she had entered that office, so had Sunset. She knew deep down that Princess Celestia would never want to see something like the creature stuck in a cage. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine Princess Celestia willingly destroying the livelihoods of an entire town either. 

“If I told you to free the creature,” said Sunset slowly, “what would happen to the town?”

“I’d imagine things would go back to the way they were before,” said Mayor Akoya sadly. “All the tourists would leave, taking their bits with them. All of the local businesses that have prospered over the past few months would have to downsize, if not outright close. The ponies that can will go back to pearling, for what it’s worth. I think everyone will try to stick around for as long as they can, out of love for this community. But, sooner or later, we’ll all have to face the music. Optimistically, I’d say we’ll have about five to ten years before Pintada Bay becomes a ghost town.”

Sunset was reminded of the empty houses she had seen on her way into town the day before. She pictured every house in town looking like them, with a decaying town hall towering above them like a vulture looming over a dead animal. Then she thought of the creature. She saw the great serpent swimming around and around in his glorified fishbowl, day after day, forever. She pictured Clarion, his only friend, staying by his side as the years went by. She wondered what would happen when Clarion had grown into an old stallion, his face full of wrinkles. What would happen the day Clarion’s trumpet fell silent, never to be heard again?

Sunset thought of her mentor, Princess Celestia. Despite her claims of knowing her mind, Sunset was genuinely puzzled over what she would do if she were in Sunset’s place. But perhaps she was overthinking things, Sunset thought. Maybe the problem wasn’t one of business and industry; maybe it was a simple matter of a poor, lonely creature in need of compassion. When she looked at the situation in that light, it didn’t take her long to realize what she ought to do. 

“Mayor,” said Sunset softly, “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow this to continue. I can’t leave here knowing that I’ve condemned an innocent creature to a fate it doesn’t deserve. He doesn’t belong here, and I think you know that too. I want you to take down the net and let the creature go.”

Mayor Akoya hung her head and let out a shaky breath. There was a strange expression on her face that looked like a mixture of sadness, fear, and strangely, relief. “If that is what the royal ambassador desires,” she said flatly. “I will begin the preparations immediately; I’d imagine we will be done before the end of the day.”

“Very well,” said Sunset.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Mayor Akoya suddenly chuckled to herself. “What am I going to tell everypony?” she asked to no one in particular. “Whatever I do, they won’t be happy. I think there’s a recall election in my future.”

“Tell them the truth,” said Sunset in a comforting tone. “Tell them I forced you to do it. If they want to get mad as someone, let them get mad at me.”

Mayor Akoya looked up at Sunset, a shaky smile on her face. “You’re too kind, Madam Ambassador,” she said. “Although, I wouldn’t expect anything else from the princess’s representative.”

“Mayor, you can drop the formalities,” said Sunset, smiling back at her. “Call me Sunset.”

Mayor Akoya’s smile grew, despite the signs of tears in her eyes. “You do me great honor...Sunset,” she said, feeling out the name slowly. “I will do so, but only if you agree to call me Akoya.”

“Deal,” said Sunset.

Akoya breathed a contented sigh and blinked away her tears. “Now,” she said, “there is much that needs to be done. Please, go enjoy your day. I’ll have everything taken care of soon.” 

Akoya moved around her desk once again and began to drop into a bow. Before she could do so, Sunset quickly moved in and pulled her into a hug. Akoya was shocked at the gesture, but quickly recovered and embraced Sunset in turn. Sunset eventually pulled back and smiled at her. “See you later, Akoya,” she said. Akoya nodded wordlessly at her as Sunset began walking towards the door. As she left the room, Sunset took one last look back at Akoya, who was standing at her window, looking down at the town and the ponies she had promised to serve. 





The warm sand felt heavenly on Sunset’s hooves as she stood on the beach, looking out at the sea. A light breeze blew from the East, carrying the smell of salt to her nostrils. She listened to the sound of the waves as they repeatedly built up and then rolled towards her, petering out just a few yards from where she stood. Under different circumstances, she would have loved to stretch out on a blanket and bask in the late-afternoon sun, or perhaps take a dip in the cool water. That day, however, she had much more important things to attend to. 

“Sunset,” said Nova from behind, “I think they’re ready.” Sunset turned and looked at Nova, who was staring over at the cliff face nearby, where a team of workers were busy taking down the net that stretched across the mouth of the bay. 

After she had left town hall, Sunset had gone back to their hotel room, where Nova had diligently waited for her. Once there, she had not been able to keep herself from telling Nova what had transpired between her and Akoya. To her credit, Nova had listened with sympathy and without judgment as Sunset had vented her guilt. When Sunset had mentioned how lost and indecisive she had been, Nova had not brought up her previous feelings about asking Princess Celestia for help; she had simply told Sunset that she had done what she thought was best, and that that was all that mattered. 

With everything she had been dealing with, Sunset had not been feeling particularly hungry at the time. Nova, however, had dragged her out and had made her get a bite to eat, knowing that a full stomach would make her feel better. In hindsight, Sunset was grateful that she had done so, as she had indeed forgotten her bittersweet feelings for a while afterwards. After eating, the two had walked back out to meet Clarion, who was still sitting with the creature where he had been before. 

Clarion had been overjoyed when Sunset had told him the news. While seeing his reaction and looking at the creature again had made her feel somewhat better about her decision, her doubts continued to linger in her mind. Shortly after they had arrived, they had seen a boat sail out from town, carrying the workers to the mouth of the bay. Clarion had offered to let them stay with him and the creature while they waited for them to complete their work. It had taken a bit of effort to get Nova and the creature to become acquainted, due to Nova’s aversion to magical creatures and the creature’s aversion to ponies in general. 

The three ponies and the one sea creature had spent the afternoon sitting by the shore, enjoying the last bit of time they would all have together. Clarion had shared stories of his life growing up by the sea, while Sunset and Nova had done the same for Canterlot. As thanks for her help, Clarion had told Sunset everything he knew about the creature; Sunset had jotted down more notes, despite knowing that nopony else would ever see them. Sunset and Nova had even been treated to more music, courtesy of the trumpeter and his music partner. 

As the hours had dragged on, the workers had made steady progress, until it became obvious that they were nearing the end of their task. In the end, Nova had been the one to bring it up, neither Sunset nor Clarion having the heart to bring their time together to a close. Begrudgingly, the three of them had risen from their spots and had begun their walk to the beach, Clarion dismissing the creature back to the bay. Clarion had led them on a narrow hoofpath over the short cliff at the side of the bay. When they had reached the bottom on the other side, Sunset had taken a moment to enjoy the sight of the sea, before Nova had brought her back to reality. 

Sunset shifted her gaze over to Clarion, who was removing his trumpet from its case and preparing it. Looking past him, she saw the workers detaching the net from the last of the anchors built into the cliff. When it was free, they dragged it over to the large boat they had brought along, where they began pulling it up and out of the water. They slowly moved the boat towards the other side, pulling in the net as they went. Sunset walked over to Clarion and put a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s time,” she said.

Clarion nodded his head silently, rising to his hooves. He walked up to the edge of the water and faced back towards the bay and the town beyond. Hesitantly, he raised his trumpet to his lips, took a deep breath, and sounded off loudly. It did not take long for the call to be answered. Soon enough, they saw the water churning as the creature swam to meet them. 

When it reached the mouth of the bay, it slowed to a halt, rising up out of the water. It turned its head toward the cliff face, leaning in closely and inspecting the spots where the net had been anchored. It then turned the opposite direction, looking over at the workers in their boat, who continued hauling in the net, despite the creature’s presence. Seemingly realizing what was happening, the creature tentatively swam forward, past the cliff, and out into the sea. When it had passed completely into the open water, it lowered itself back beneath the surface and picked up speed, swimming off at an impressive pace. 

For a minute, when it looked as if the creature had vanished completely, Sunset felt a twinge of sadness, thinking that that would be the last she would ever see of it. Imagine her surprise when, way out in the distance, the water erupted, and the creature shot up out of it like a rocket.  As it surfaced, it opened its mouth and let out a terrific bellow, which even Sunset could recognize as the sound of triumphant joy. It launched itself high into the air, its entire body clearing the surface, moving parallel to the beach. As it hung in midair, the rays of the sun fell upon its scales, its long body and large dorsal fin shining brightly with beautiful, multicolored light. The moment only lasted a matter of seconds before the creature dove again, but to Sunset, it felt like it dragged on for several minutes. 

The sight filled Sunset with such a feeling of rapture that, without even thinking about it, she opened her mouth and let out a cheer of her own. She reached deep into her lungs and shouted out loudly for the whole world to hear. All the emotions she had felt since arriving, all the anger, all the confusion, all the doubt, all of it was expelled from her body in an intense, cathartic cry. Beside her, she heard Clarion follow suit, letting out a raucous cheer of his own, accompanied by a loud, jubilant blast from his trumpet. Even the reserved Nova joined in the moment, albeit in a much more restrained, ladylike manner. 

The three continued long after the creature’s tail had disappeared beneath the waves. Sunset eventually stopped, plopping down onto the sand, out of breath and exhausted, but with a smile on her face. The others fell quiet shortly after her, taking a moment to catch their breath. They looked out at the water, listening to the relative quiet of the waves washing up on the beach as they came down from their high. They were brought back to attention by the sight of the creature approaching the beach. 

It slunk slowly up into the shallow water, giving little visual indication of its approach. When it had gotten close, it lifted its head up out of the water, stretching itself up high and looking down on them. Without taking his eyes from it, Clarion walked forward, stepping into the water. The creature leaned forward as he approached, moving its head down to meet him. They stopped just in front of each other, looking into each other’s eyes. 

Clarion slowly reached out a hoof and touched its beak. In response, the creature moved in, gently nuzzling its head against Clarion’s body. Abandoning his composure, Clarion threw himself onto it, embracing it tightly. Sunset could just barely head the sound of soft weeping over the crashing of the waves. The two friends shared their moment together, the creature emitting a soft rumbling from its throat. It was the creature who eventually broke the embrace, pulling back and leaving Clarion looking up at it once again. 

When it had lifted its head back up into the air, the creature then turned to look over at the beach, right at Sunset. It gazed at her with its large, unblinking eyes; those eyes which had looked so cold and menacing to her just a short time ago now felt full of life. She could have sworn that she saw it slowly bow its head to her as they watched each other, although, in hindsight, she could not be sure whether she had simply imagined the gesture. Whatever happened, the creature slowly turned its head away from her and back towards the sea. As they watched, it withdrew, sinking back beneath the surface and swimming away.

Sunset stood where she was, staring out at the horizon, until it was clear that they would not be seeing the creature again. She turned her gaze to Clarion, who was also staring eastward, as if hoping to get one final glimpse of his friend. She slowly walked over to him, wading into the water and standing beside him. His cheeks were wet, both from the salty water of the sea, and from his own salty tears. “C’mon,” Sunset said softly, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “let’s head back.” Clarion hung his head and closed his eyes, sniffling. He nodded silently, and together, they walked back to the beach. 





The cool, morning breeze made Sunset shiver slightly as she stood on the hill where the Opportunity had landed. From her vantage point, she could see the roads of town, once bustling with ponies, now quiet and still. Where there had once been the sounds of talk, laughter, and hundreds of hooves hitting the ground, she now heard only the wind, and the noise of a few straggling tourists. Most of them had left the evening before, when they had learned that the show they had come to see had been permanently canceled. Those that hadn’t were making their way back to their local communities that morning, or to the nearby train station that would take them wherever it was they were going. 

The sight of the relatively lifeless town brought back the feelings of doubt and guilt that Sunset had felt the day before. Part of her felt that she was largely responsible for putting them back on the dismal track they had been on before the creature had shown up. While she did not regret her decision, she could not stop imagining what might lay in store for them after she departed for her next assignment. She recalled the prediction she had heard Akoya make the day before, as well as her own imagined image of Pintada Bay as a ghost town. She let loose a long, heavy sigh. 

Standing next to her, Nova took notice of Sunset’s troubled state. “Are you feeling alright, Sunset?” she asked. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Sunset replied in an unconvincing tone. Nova recognized that she was troubled, but decided not to press her, thinking that Sunset just needed some time to let her emotions settle. She had already tried to reassure Sunset about her decision, but her words seemed to have done little to comfort her. 

In any case, neither of them had time to dwell on the issue for long, as they soon noticed a pair of familiar ponies ascending the hill from the direction of town. Clarion had a melancholy look on his face as he approached; Akoya looked exhausted, but had an obviously forced business-like smile on her lips. The two walked side-by-side, approaching Sunset and Nova and coming to a stop before them. 

“Good morning, you two,” said Nova politely. 

Akoya bowed her head to them. “Good morning, Madam Ambassador, Madam Secretary,” said Akoya, a distinct lack of energy in her voice. 

“Akoya,” said Sunset, in a mock-chastising tone. 

“Oh! My apologies...Sunset,” said Akoya. “Force of habit.” She sighed before continuing. “I’m afraid I can’t stay long. There’s a lot of ponies who are wanting to have a chat with me this morning.” 

Sunset could imagine exactly what those ponies were wanting to talk to her about. “Akoya, I...” she began, but did not know what she could say to comfort her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry it had to be this way. You did so much for us, but I only ended up making your life worse. I didn’t mean to hurt you, or hurt the town. I just...did what I thought was right.”

Akoya looked at Sunset, her weary expression melting away slightly, and gave her a more genuine smile. “I know,” she said. “You’re a good pony. You did what you thought was best for the town, just like I did. I might not look it, but I’m glad you came here. I’m profoundly grateful that I had the chance to meet you, Sunset Shimmer.”

“You don’t need to worry about us, Sunset,” said Clarion, trying to put on a brave face. “We’re tough ponies. We’ll find a way to get through this...on our own.” He looked away as he finished, his gloomy expression returning. 

“He didn’t come back, did he?” asked Sunset, despite being able to see the answer on his face. She and Nova had stayed overnight just to make sure that the creature didn’t come back the next day, which would have complicated matters if they had already left. 

“No,” Clarion sighed. “No, he didn’t. I was out there for over an hour calling him. He’s either long gone or...he doesn’t care.” 

“Clarion,” said Sunset, walking forward and placing a hoof on his shoulder, “he cared about you; I know he did. You’re the one who stuck by him all that time. You’re the one that took care of him when he needed it. And you’re the one who got him out when he needed that. I don’t think he’ll forget you anytime soon.”

“Thanks,” said Clarion, his sour face turning bittersweet. “But it was you that got him out, not me.”

“Details,” said Sunset dismissively, stepping back. 

“You know, it’s funny,” said Clarion. “All that time together, and I never even learned his name. His real name, that is.”

“I don’t think he had one,” said Sunset. “I think he really was the first of his kind ponies have ever seen. At least, the first we’ve ever had proof of. If things had been different...we’d probably have had to give him a name ourselves.”

“Right,” said Clarion sheepishly, remembering that Sunset had given up her chance at academic fame to help him. “I know you said you weren’t gonna tell anyone about him, but if you did, what would you call him?”

Sunset grinned, having given the question some thought already. “I was thinking of calling him...the clarion serpent,” she said.

Clarion blushed, chuckling slightly. “You sure about that?” he said. “I don’t think that would have caught on.”

“Well, that’s what I’m gonna call him,” said Sunset. She had tried to maintain her composure up till that point, but the sentimentality of their parting finally caught up to her. She quickly stepped forward and pulled Clarion into a hug. “I’m gonna miss you, Clarion,” she said, the tears she had been holding back finally beginning to flow forth. 

Clarion was caught off guard by the gesture, but quickly recovered, hugging Sunset back. “I’m gonna miss you too, Sunset,” he said. When Sunset finally broke the embrace and pulled back, she saw that his eyes were moist as well. 

She then turned to face Akoya, who was on the verge of tears herself. “Akoya,” she said softly, stepping towards her. The two mares reached out and embraced one another, Akoya burying her face in Sunset’s mane. “Goodbye, Akoya,” Sunset whispered. 

Akoya was openly weeping, venting her stress through her tears. “Goodbye, Sunset,” she said in between sobs. “Please, don’t be a stranger. You’ll always be welcome here.” Sunset let Akoya cry on her shoulder for a little while, before she summoned the will to pull back. Sunset stepped back to her original position, looking at both Akoya and Clarion.

“Thank you for being so kind to us,” said Nova. “Both of you.” Nova stepped forward and gave them both a hug as well. “Goodbye.” She stepped back beside Sunset, turning her head to address her. “Ready?”

Sunset nodded wordlessly. Nova gave Akoya and Clarion one last smile, before turning and walking up the gangplank. Sunset began to follow her, but stopped a few steps up. She turned, giving them a smile as well. “Goodbye,” she breathed, too quiet to be heard by anyone but her. She took one last look at them, before she tore herself away and followed Nova back onto the ship. 





Sunset sat at her desk, her brow furrowed, listening to the rhythmic pumping of the Opportunity’s flippers. She stared down at the surface of the desk, where a piece of paper sat with a half-finished message scrawled on it. A quill pen hovered above the page, glowing with a blue-green aura. Sunset’s lips wiggled and her nostrils flared as she concentrated intensely on finishing what she had started. On the floor of her room, several crumpled-up pieces of paper lay, each the result of a previous attempt by Sunset to draft her report to Princess Celestia. 

Frustrated by her lack of progress, Sunset grunted, slamming the quill down on the desk. She took hold of the paper and crumpled it up into a ball, throwing it as hard as she could away from her. Right as she did so, the door to the room opened, and Nova walked in, levitating a tea cup and saucer in front of her. The paper ball flew through the air, straight towards the door, and impacted harmlessly on Nova’s forehead, bouncing off of it and falling into the cup before her. In an instant, Sunset’s frustration vanished from her mind, replaced by concern and embarrassment. “Oh, shoot!” she said, leaping from her seat and rushing over to the door. “Are you alright, Nova?”

While the unforeseen projectile had not harmed her, Nova had indeed been shocked by the impact, freezing in place for a moment. She quickly recovered, blinking rapidly as her brain processed what had happened. “Uh, yeah,” she said hesitantly. “I’m alright.” She looked down at the tea cup, where the ball was beginning to sink into the brown liquid. 

“Oh,” said Sunset, embarrassed at what she had done. She levitated the ball out of the cup and dropped the wet paper into the nearby trash bin. “I’m really sorry, Nova,” said Sunset. “I should’ve been paying more attention.” 

“It’s alright, Sunset,” said Nova, regaining her normal composure. “I’m okay, really. I just might need a few more minutes to make you another tea.”

“No, you don’t have to do that,” said Sunset. “Five second rule.” She took the cup and saucer from Nova and carried it over to her desk, setting it down. 

Nova looked around and noticed the other pieces of paper scattered around the floor. “Is there...anything I can do to help?” she asked hesitantly. 

“No, it’s fine,” Sunset sighed. “I can handle it.”

“It’s...still not too late,” said Nova. “You can still tell her the truth.”

“I said I can handle it!” said Sunset, louder than she had intended. 

“Alright, Sunset,” said Nova softly, taking the hint. “I’ll just be over here if you need me.” She walked over to her side of the room, behind the divider. 

Sunset silently cursed herself, realizing that she had snapped at Nova yet again. Part of her wanted to walk over and apologize to her, but another part knew she needed to calm down first, or else risk doing it again. She sighed, walking back around her desk and sitting down. She figured that once she got her report over with, she could de-stress enough to give Nova a heartfelt apology. She looked over at her journal, sitting in the corner of her desk. After a moment’s thought, she pulled it over to her and opened it, deciding to bite the bullet and go with the idea she had been tossing around in her head for a while. She took up her quill and wrote these words on the pages before her:

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have conducted a thorough investigation of the town of Pintada Bay and the surrounding area. After much consideration, I have arrived at the conclusion that the reports you have heard are completely and utterly false. The “sea monster” is, in fact, nothing more than a hoax, created and popularized by the locals in an effort to attract tourists to their community. Any continuing talk on the subject should be considered unfounded rumor. Any supposed eyewitness accounts should be considered the product of imagination and herd mentality. Any physical materials should be considered works of artistic fiction. It is my firm belief that there is not, nor has there ever been, any abnormal sea creature living in the vicinity of Pintada Bay. 

Your Devoted Student,

Sunset Shimmer