//------------------------------// // Episode 14: A Cruise is What We Need // Story: My Little Pony: The Mobian Era // by Mister E-Nonymous //------------------------------// Episode 14: A Cruise is What We Need In the Castle of Friendship, the Mane 6, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were sitting in the family room, sprawled out, hot and bored. All of them were exhausted. "What a major heat wave," Rainbow Dash said. "It's too hot to work under the brutal heat." "At least we got everything done," Twilight said. "But, this heat wave is too much, even for me." "It's worse for Nyx," Joshua said. "Black is the worst color to have on during a heat wave. Black increases heat." "So, what are we going to do?" Apple Bloom asked. "Basically, every pool and lake has everypony else in Ponyville occupying it. And it's way too hot for helping ponies find their Cutie Marks." "Or understanding them," Dinky said. "The one time my mom goes on vacation to Yakyakistan and my sister is taking a trip to Seaquestria. I just wish I could go somewhere cool." "Ah wish that too, sugarcube," Applejack said. "But there ain't much place to go for us to get out of this heat." But then the room started rumbling. "What in tarnation?" Then the Mane 6, Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran outside, seeing the Spirit of Freedom with the extra seats in a crate underneath. The back of the box opened up, and out came MC, waving his left hand to cool his face. "Wow," MC said. "This heat wave is worse here than in Green Hills." "What's going on, MC?" Twilight asked. "Did Doctor Robotnik escape prison?" "No, he's still in prison," MC said. "But this doesn't concern the doctor. This is about you guys and this heat. We're gonna go on a cruise." It then sequenced to Sonic freaking out at the docks of San Francisco. He was then complaining about not wanting to go when he was being pulled by MC and Applejack. "C'mon, guys! Don't make me go onto that thing!" Sonic complained. "You know how much I hate the water!" "You don't have to go into the water, Sonic," MC said. "We're just going on a cruise! There are a lot of other things to do on the ship!" "Please, no!" Sonic said. "Don't make me go! No! NOOOOO!!" He was being pulled up the walk ramp. "Ah thought he was supposed ta be the fastest thing alive, not the strongest!" Applejack said. "He'll surprise you, I'll give him that," MC said. They continued to drag Sonic up the ramp. Then later, the boat started moving, heading out to sea. The Mane 6, Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Freedom Fighters were going through a deck. They all had to be paired in rooms. Most of them two a room, some three, and Twilight, Spike, Nyx and Joshua got one room together. Twilight then asked, "So how did you arrange this?" "Alex Lynol sold the ship a lot of appliances to be used on this ship, by the passengers and the cooks on the ship," MC said. "Made him a fortune, and gave Alex access to rent out an entire deck. Unfortunately, due to him being stuck at work, making more deals, he was unable to join us. Him and Cozy Glow. Luckily, he allowed us to go on this much needed vacation after what we went through." "At least Doctor Robotnik was put in prison," Rarity said. "After what he did to those foals." "And what he almost did to Joshua," Tails said. "Apparently, that Sombra guy's curse prevented Joshua from becoming a robot." "Since it was Sombra that originally turned Joshua into a pony," said Rainbow Dash. "It must've protected him from... what was that thing supposed to do?" "Well, it was supposed to transform those who are in the machine," MC said. "It's basically why Bunnie has a robotic arm and robotic legs." "That's what it was supposed to do?!" Twilight asked. "Oh, boy. I'd hate to feel having a robotic body with no way to feel things. It must be so sad." "Bunnie's just lucky her entire body is roboticized," Sally said. "If the Roboticization goes through your entire body, you'll be a slave to Doctor Robotnik, and will have no control of your actions." "That's horrible," Twilight said. "But right now, we shouldn't worry about that," MC said. "Alright, everyone. Put your things into your rooms. Let's head on up to the buffet." The next morning, Sonic was on the second highest part of the boat, looking out at sea, hoping to see a clear sight of land. But sadly, all he could see is the ocean blue. Sonic then sighed. Rainbow Dash flew up to him and sat next to him. "Seriously, Sonic?" Rainbow Dash asked. "We're on a ship full of many possible things to do, and you're up here looking at the ocean?" "It's not that," Sonic said. "I've been trying to see if there's land close by for me to tread. As long as it's not a deserted island or something. I just don't like being around the water." "Hey, don't sweat about it," Rainbow Dash said. "Sure, you may be on a boat, but that doesn't mean we're gonna drown. There are a lot of things to do besides wait for the boat to come to a destination." "Like what?" Sonic asked. "Eat, sunbathe, working out at the gym, video arcade, anything you can decide to do that doesn't involve water," Rainbow Dash said. "You can do whatever you want to on this ship." "I'm not too sure about this," Sonic said. "After all, I'm surprised that you're not in the spa with your friends. After all, you go there every once in a while." Rainbow Dash gasped and asked, "Who told?" "Rarity," Sonic said, smirking. "Oh, jeez," Rainbow Dash said, covering her face with a hand. That made Sonic chuckle. Down at the pool deck, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Tails, Mutt, Cream and Cheese were all having a fun time in the pool. They had been tossing a ball to each other. When the ball headed towards Mutt, he pushed the ball too hard, the ball headed over Nyx's head, heading out of the pool. "I got it," Nyx said, heading to follow the ball. She chased it until the ball stopped at someone's feet. She grabbed it and said, "I'm sorry about that." She then looked up at the person's face, only to gasp in surprise. Meanwhile, in the ship's spa, Rarity and Applejack were enjoying the steam room. "Aww," Rarity said. "This is really relaxing." "Ya got that right, Rarity," Applejack said. "At least Ah wouldn't be distracted with farm chores that Ah took so long on. Now that Ah don't have ta take small steps in them, Ah can just relax." "No doubt about that," Rarity said. Then coming into the steam room was Bunnie. But she didn't have any robotic parts on her. Applejack and Rarity were surprised at Bunnie's appearance. "Bunnie?" Applejack asked. "What happened to yer metal body parts?" "Oh, you can thank Tails, Rotor and MC for that," Bunnie said. "MC has the ability to manipulate matter down to it's molecule, and even change them. So, Tails and Rotor scanned MC's molecular manipulation ability to a deroboticizer ray gun. Sadly, the ray lasts up to two weeks. But, might as well use it for a vacation." "Well, that's very nice," Rarity said. "I didn't know that Michael could do something like that. Manipulate and alternate matter. It's just like transfiguration magic." "Sounds like it," Applejack said. She then sighed. "How 'bout ya join us fer the rest of the spa day?" "Ah'd like that," Bunnie said, walking over towards the two ponies. She then sat with them, enjoying the steam. Meanwhile, Twilight was looking around the place. She thought about joining the others. Spike saw Twilight heading down a hallway and ran towards her. "Hey, Twilight," Spike said. "I thought you'd be joining the others for some entertainment." "There are a lot of things to do, Spike," Twilight said. "This boat has a lot more things than that zeppelin that Iron Will tricked my family into going. Thanks for staying behind to do that paperwork, Spike." "Hey, it's no problem," Spike said. "You needed the break, anyway." "I just hope that if there's a lot more things here than the zeppelin, there has to be..." Twilight said before walking into one room, excited to see what was in the room. "...a library!" The librarian in the library shushed Twilight, making her cover her mouth. She then walked into the library, trying to keep her excitement to a minimum, which was troubling for her. Spike walked over to the librarian and said, "Twilight really likes reading books. She couldn't get enough when we lived in a library. Literally." "I can understand that," said the librarian. "Most people want to get out of the books. But there are some people who still want to keep learning new things." Spike shook his head, and then followed Twilight as she was going down one section of the library. She was after the world history books. Which was going to blow up Twilight's mind. Nyx then came into the library, looking for Twilight. She then looked over at the librarian, walked over to her and asked, "Excuse me? Have you seen a purple alicorn pony come in here?" The librarian pointed a finger over towards one of the tables. Nyx looked over at the table, seeing Twilight reading some world history books. Nyx then walked over towards Twilight. "Twilight?" "Nyx, this world is really interesting," Twilight said, reading one book. "Did you know that there were some wars started over certain disputes? This is interesting!" The Librarian shushed her again, making Twilight blush. "Twilight," Nyx said. "You have no idea who I just bumped into at the pool." "Oh, I doubt that there's someone we know on this boat," Twilight said. "I need to keep reading about the history of the world." "Twilight," Nyx said. "Turn around." Twilight turned around to look at Nyx, but saw two figures standing behind Nyx. "Oh, hey, Celestia. Hey, Luna." She then turned around. But then she realized who she saw. "Celestia?! Luna?!" That made the librarian shush Twilight again. Twilight was still surprised to see the former high princesses of Equestria. Princesses Celestia and Luna. Twilight sat in her seat surprised to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on the cruise ship. Spike came out from one section carrying more history books. "Hey, Twilight," Spike said. "I got you more history books." "Later, Spike," Twilight said. "We... have some unexpected guests." Spike looked around the books to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing behind Twilight. He then said, "Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Wow. This is a huge surprise." "Indeed," said Princess Celestia. "A huge surprise. Things must've been easy for you to run Equestria, wasn't it?" "Yeah," Twilight said, nervously. "About that." "We know about the destruction of Canterlot Castle," said Princess Luna. "Although, I think it is wise for you to rule Equestria from the Castle that was given to you by the Tree of Harmony." "Well, it was a decision that I had a little guidance with," Twilight said. "Thanks to one of the Freedom Fighters." "Oh, yes," Princess Celestia said. "The Freedom Fighters. I read the papers about that group. They seem to be an interesting group. I also read about that race that Rainbow Dash had with Sonic the Hedgehog." "Sonic actually won, but ran back for a few pictures, and made it look like a three way tie," Twilight said. "That was amazing. I can't believe that's possible." "I would like to meet these Freedom Fighters over dinner," Princess Celestia said. "It would be such an honor to meet all of them." "Sure," said Twilight. "We can all have dinner at the buffet." "That would be nice," Princess Celestia said. "We shall see you all tonight." Then the two former high princesses walked away. Twilight leaned towards Nyx and asked, "Did they see Joshua?" "Yeah," said Nyx. "Even they couldn't find a way to turn Joshua back to normal. Even they can't find a work around magic that evolves itself." "I guess that makes sense," Twilight said. "But, right now, we should inform the others about dinner tonight." Later in the lobby, the Mane 6, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Freedom Fighters were all talking with each other about what's happening the upcoming night. "So, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are here on this ship, and want to catch up on what's happenin'?" Applejack asked. "This is a very big deal," Rarity said. "The former high princesses of Equestria wanting to see us? This is a very big deal. I can't wait to catch up at..." Rarity then stopped to think of something. "Where are we going to be eating, tonight?" "The buffet," Twilight said. "Oh, and with many foods from so many countries," MC said. "Can't wait to review the food on my blog." "You have a blog about food?" Pinkie asked. "I went around the world, eating at very popular places to see how good the food is," MC said. "I taste the best food of every country in the world." He then started talking in the accents of which countries that he has been to. "Paris, France. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Madrid, Spain. Mexico City in Mexico." He then talked in his normal accent. "I even had the best burgers in Las Vegas, Nevada." He then pulled out his phone and showed his blog. "I have enhanced senses, which include taste as well, and I post certain words on my blog, that if they failed at something, they can always try again with what they want to cook what they really want to cook for their restaurant." "Goodness," Rarity said. "That's a very good blog. And you don't try to make anyone change their restaurant or the way to cook their food?" "Nope," MC said. "Everyone has a different taste. To those who think they should have one sense of taste, they are just messed up, and post a very negative comment on their blog to show them what they're messing with." "Wow," Pinkie said. "Where were you when Rarity and I had to deal with Zesty Gourmand?" "Oh, yes," Rarity said. "You've would have been a big help with her on our friendship mission back then." "It would be an honor to meet the former high princesses of Equestria," said Sally. "I can't wait to meet them." "Personally, hearing what Nyx's origins were, I want to know how Luna became the original Nightmare Moon straight from the horse's mouth," MC said. He then chuckled and said, "Sorry. Bad choice of words." "Oh, we're not offended by that," said Twilight. "Although, ponies are pretty close to horses. So, I guess you'll get your answers from Luna herself. Although, I could tell you now if you'd like." "Nope," MC said. "I wanna hear it straight from Luna's mouth." "You can count me out," Sonic said. "I'm just gonna be at the ship's bow, hoping to see land soon." "You also gonna do the 'I'm King of the World' line when you're at it?" Mutt asked, jokingly. That made the rest of the Freedom Fighters, except for Sonic, laugh. "Very funny, Muttski," Sonic said, before speeding off. "King of the World?" Twilight asked. "Basically, when someone stands on the bow of a ship with their arms spread apart, it's called the 'King of the World' bit," Sally said. "It's been done for years. Even done over 100 years ago on a ship called the Titanic." "That boat sank in the Atlantic ocean in 1912," MC said. "They thought it was unsinkable, but it had a little scraping with the bottom of an iceberg." "The bottom of an iceberg is always the widest part of it," said Tails. "There's a lot more under the water than there is over." Bunnie, Antoine and Rotor nodded. "Hopefully, we won't have a problem with an iceberg over dinner," said Rainbow Dash. "Well, we got a bunch of time left until dinner tonight," MC said. "Everyone meet at the Buffet by 5:30." The others nodded and headed their separate ways. Later at night time, Sonic was looking out at sea, his arms crossed. Then he heard footsteps coming in from behind him. He turned and saw Spike coming up to him. "I thought you'd be with the others," Sonic said. "I got full after the first plate," Spike said. "So, anything else you plan on doing, tonight?" "Meh, nothing much," said Sonic. "With not much room on this boat, I can't exactly speed up." He then pulled up a bag from a restaurant on the boat, and pulled out a chili dog. He then took a bite out of it. "I just prefer to keep my feet on the earth than over water." "How come you don't want to go anywhere near the water?" Spike asked. "I can't swim," Sonic said. "Sure, if I move at a certain speed, I can tread the water, but I can't go into the water unless it's really shallow." "And by shallow, you mean..." Spike said before Sonic interrupted him. "Basically, something I can actually sit in water without my head going under," Sonic said. "I just hope that I don't go into the deep blue ocean." "When was the last time you went on a cruise?" Spike asked. "I was actually tricked onto the boat," Sonic said. "They said it was for an important mission. But when I tried jumping off the boat and getting to shore, I missed. 15 times. Luckily, MC got me back onto the boat." "So, what was the reason they had you on that boat?" Spike asked. "It was a surprise birthday party for me," Sonic replied. "It was actually pretty good. Even though they completely tricked me." He then sighed. Spike then looked out to sea. He then went wide eyed, put his hand over his eyebrows, and asked, "Sonic. Is that what I think it is?" Sonic then looked out at sea, seeing what Spike is seeing. He then went wide eyed. "History just loves to repeat itself, doesn't it?" Then the two of them left the bow, heading somewhere. Meanwhile, the rest of the group were having a chat with Celestia and Luna about the adventures they had since Equestria ended up in this world. "So, Cozy Glow is under the watch of the one who provided this vacation?" Princess Luna asked. "Are you sure that's wise of this creature to watch over a psychotic filly?" "What was psychotic was that she had a father who didn't care about having anything but a unicorn colt for a child," MC said. "Cozy Glow's father didn't even care once to even try to find her. Let alone try to protest about her capture." "That... is a good point," Princess Celestia said. "So, where is Cozy Glow now?" "San Francisco," Twilight said. "She has been reforming quite well. Although, it is a matter of time before she has a chance to go rogue." "She tried to kill us!" Rainbow Dash said. "Why isn't she trying to do something already?" "Maybe she has changed," Fluttershy said. "But, who could tell?" "If anyone can try to change a psychotic young one, it's Alex Lynol," MC said. "He's smarter and stronger than he looks." "Lynol?" Maria asked, looking at MC. MC looked over at Maria and asked, "Is there something wrong, Maria?" "Alex Lynol," Maria said. "Does he have any relation with Doctor Terrance Lynol?" "Yeah," Sally said. "Doctor Terrance Lynol, may he rest in peace, was Alex Lynol's grandfather. Why do you ask?" "Terrance Lynol... was one of the scientists of the ARK," Maria said. That made the Freedom Fighters and Twilight gasp. MC thought about it. He then shook his head as he mumbled, "No. Couldn't be." Just then, Sonic came rushing in with Spike on his back. "Hey, guys," Sonic said. "We got a problem coming up." "What's going on, Sonic?" Twilight asked. Spike got off of Sonic's back and said, "Iceberg! We're heading right towards one!" "WHAT?!" the others shouted. Then they all headed out of there, heading for the ship's bow, and looked out in front of the ship. There, they saw an iceberg. "Okay," Sally said. "That was not on the route." The Mane 6, the Freedom Fighters, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Spike, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were looking out in front of the ship, seeing the iceberg coming closer and closer to the boat. "That berg is enormous!" Twilight said. "How are we going to get the boat to go around it in time?" "It wouldn't clear the collision in time," Rotor said. "We're gonna have to get everyone off this ship." "There's no time for that," MC said. "There are a lot more people on this ship than there were on the Titanic, and not everyone made it off that boat. We're gonna have to take off a huge chunk of that berg before collision." "We have at least 10 minutes before collision," Tails said. "How are we going to do that?" MC then headed for the top of the ship. He then called out, "Sonic, it's time we make a jump for it!" Sonic then rushed up to MC and looked at the iceberg. He then asked, "What are we doing?" "We're gonna shred that berg to pieces," MC said. He then got into position to start to run down. Sonic thought about it, and smirked. "Cutting through the ice," Sonic said. "I get it. We're just gonna have to cut the iceberg and smooth out the rest of the debris." He then got into position to run. Then the two of them rushed down and through the deck, jumped off the edge of the boat, and headed for the iceberg. They were a little short of the iceberg, but MC grabbed Sonic's arm with his right hand, and he used the claws on his left hand to grab onto the iceberg. "Whoo! I think I made some snow cones with that grab!" MC said. He then started climbing to the top of the iceberg. Sonic and MC looked down at the iceberg when they reached the top. "Let's get shredding." Then Sonic started doing a spin dash to cut through the ice. MC then used his claws to cut through the ice as well. The others on the boat were surprised to see the two Freedom Fighters cutting through the iceberg. "Those guys sure are thorough," Twilight said. "I'm gonna go over to help them." "Allow us to help you," Princess Luna said. Then the three adult alicorns flew over towards the iceberg, and started using their magic to push it away from the boat. But something was preventing it. "Something's wrong!" Twilight said. "Why isn't it moving a bit?!" "Move the debris!" MC shouted before slicing off a big chunk of ice. The chunk was caught in Princess Celestia's magic. Sonic then looked over at the distance between the iceberg and the boat. "Hey, MC, is it me or is the iceberg closer to the boat than it should be?" Sonic asked. MC looked over, but then he thought of something. He then said, "Let me check something!" He then jumped into the water. He swam under the iceberg and saw something connected to the iceberg. It was a motor. MC then swam over towards the motor, and used his claws to slice the motor. The iceberg then started being pushed away from the boat. Now, there was a clear path through the water for the boat. MC then came to the surface of the water, then he was grabbed in Twilight's magic. He was pulled out of the water. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were carrying Sonic back to the boat. Then Twilight and MC landed on the boat. "That was intense," Twilight said. "At least we avoided repeating one of this world's histories." "But this one was a lot different," MC said. "I looked under the iceberg and saw a motor. This was no coincidence. Someone actually wanted this boat to sink." "But... who would do that?" Fluttershy asked. "Did ya see anythin' on the motor?" Applejack asked. "I didn't see," MC said. "I had to think of the passengers on the boat. Right now, I'm gonna need a nice hot bath." "Of course," said Princess Luna. "The waters of the ocean at night are very cold. You should take a nice hot bath." A few days later, the cruise arrived in Hawaii. The Mane 6, Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna got off the boat. "Whoa!" Apple Bloom said. "This place is..." "Beautiful!" Rarity interrupted. "I've never seen such a beautiful place." "Care for a beautiful walk around zis glorious island, my love?" Antoine asked, looking at Bunnie. "Sure, sugah," said Bunnie. "Let's do it." Then the two of them headed off. MC then looked back out at sea. Twilight walked up to him and asked, "Is something bothering you?" "I'm just thinking about that iceberg incident," MC said. "I'm certain that there's something out there. Who could've put that motor on that iceberg?" "I'm not sure," said Twilight. "But right now, let's enjoy this vacation. You seem tense. Perhaps you should get a massage." "I'm not sure that it'll help," MC said. "I've tried all of the masseuses in the world, and not one of them succeeded of getting out all the tense I had in my bones for years." "Wow," Twilight said. "Sounds like you need someone who is a lot stronger as a masseuse. I'm sure that there's someone who can get rid of your tension." Twilight then grabbed MC's hand and said, "C'mon. Let's go." Then they all headed for the resort. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the ocean, the motor attached to the iceberg was just sitting at the ocean floor. But there was a symbol on it. This might not be over.