simply signal S.O.S!
"Sister! I'm home from school!" She trotted into the apartment, setting her books down on the counter in the kitchen. "Are you back yet? Are you ready to go?"
Having just finished her day at elementary school, Sea Swirl had said goodbye to her friends, and galloped home to get ready for tonight. Brushing her mane and putting her best saddle on, she sat down and waited for Lyra to come home.
Today was the day she had waited all year for... her birthday! The day she and her sister went out to the best restaurant, and ate and talked and laughed together. Then, they would come back, and share the lovely cake that her sister had worked so hard to make for her! It would be one of the few times Sea Swirl and Lyra Heartstrings would get to spend together.
One of the few days they could spend together without the incredibly annoying Bon Bon around!
"Huh, she's not back from work yet." The little filly thought to herself, smiling. "I guess I'd better just sit down and wait for her."
It had been five years since that stupid earth pony filly had come into their lives, and her older sister had spent more and more time with her friend. She barely talked to Sea Swirl anymore , basically leaving the little filly to her own devices. So it came as no surprise, that the little filly enjoyed the few times she still got to spend with her older sister.
So she sat down, and waited, and waited...
... and waited...
Soon the sun began to set, and Sea Swirl began to worry. Had something happened to her sister? Could she had to work late?
"Well, it's too late to go to the restaurant now." The little filly thought to herself. "I'll just get the cake out, and we can celebrate my birthday right here!"
So the little filly got the cake from the fridge, and lit the candles. Sea Swirl then sat down and the table, and waited, and waited, and waited some more.
It was several hours later, well past one in the morning, that a tried and happy Lyra finally came home. The unicorn filly was stuffed from a good meal, and laughing from a joke Bon Bon had told her.
"Sea Swirl? You awake?" Lyra called out. "I brought you home the leftovers from Bon Bon and I's-"
She then saw the cake with the burned down candles, and the little filly asleep in the chair, her face buried in her hooves.
And Lyra heartstrings suddenly remembered what she had forgotten all about today.
"Oh no..." The older filly thought aloud. “How could I have forgotten?"
....
"Avast there, Captain Barnacle!" The lookout called, looking through his magnifying glass. "Three Sea Ponies, off the starboard bow!"
It was sometime in the evening, and the Saucy Mare, ponykind's most notorious pirate vessel (though it went by the Strident mare when running legal jobs), was making it's way upstream. The earth ponies aboard had spotted several sea ponies in the river, motioning to the ship with their fins. It was the lookout, however, who finally had the sense to inform the ship's captain.
"First officer Salty! Have the helmsman ring us about!" the blue earth stallion on deck called out. "Let us see what these fine mares have to say!"
"Aye, captain!" Salty responded. "Helmsman, bring us about! Be sure not to hit those lovely sea maidens in the water, when you turn the vessel!"
"Shooby doo! Shoop Shooby doo!" The three mares sang in greeting.
"Heya, Cap'n Barnacle!" Seawinkle greeted the salty old sea dog. "How's things shakin' for the land ponies?"
"Well blow me down! Tis the sea pony duchess!" He removed his tri cornered hat and bowed to her. "Oh, not bad, lass. Not bad! Tell me, what brings ye and yer lovely mares to the surface this day?"
"A bit of a funky problem, I'm afraid." The duchess whinnied sadly. "We have a bunch of uncool jive, goin down with the merpoines!"
Seawinkle laid out the situation to the captain, as quickly and carefully as she could. The captain listened and nodded occasionally, until the duchess was finished.
"Hmm, a portrait of mare in a shipwreck, you say?" The captain with the treasure chest cutie mark looked down at her with his one good eye. "That tis like trying to finding a piece of hay in a needle stack, lass!"
"Oh, please help us! Isn't there anything the land ponies can tell us?" Sealight pleaded, finally speaking up. "All of seapony kind is in danger from this threat!"
"Well, I'll see what I ken do." Barnacle replied, scratching his chin with his hoof. "Perhaps the archive ponies at the palace know somethin'!"
"Thank ya, cap'n!" Wavedancer replied, as all three sea mares bowed to him. "You're the grooviest!"
"See ya later, ladies!" The scurvy sailor pony bowed to them. "Tis always a pleasure to speak ta ye!"
"Shooby doo! Shoop Shooby doo!" The three dove back into the river, and the captain signaled the ship to continue on it's way.
...
"You sure this is a good idea, Sea Star?" Splasher asked nervously, as they swam out of the rainbow river, and into the sea of wrecks.
"Sure I'm sure." The little duchess whinnied, trying to hide her nervousness. "This is the way to the Merpony citadel, we just have ta be careful jammin' our way there!"
The cold water of the ocean tides washed over the sea fillies, casing them to shiver. The three had been bold and confident when they had all set out from the seapony kingdom. But since leaving the safety and comfort of the inland waterways, the three were becoming more and more scared out in these dangerous and murky waters.
"Wow these old ships sure are spooky!" A spooked Splasher muttered. "I wonder how long they’ve been down here?"
"My mama said some of them have been down here a hundred years!" Sea Shimmer exclaimed. "Some even may be over a thousand years!"
"Ohhh, that is so cool!" Sea Star replied. "Ya think there are any ghosts down here, haunting the wrecks?"
"G-ghosts?" One of the little fillies eyes went wide with terror. “I-I don't wanna go on an adventure anymore!" A downright scared Splasher whinnied. "Let's turn around, and swim home!"
"Stop bein' such a fraidy pony!" Sea Star snorted, as they swam past a sunken galleon. "For the last time, we're not just gonna give-!"
The little duchess was interrupted by a loud growling behind her. As the three sea fillies turned around, they found themselves face-to-face with a large, bloodthirsty combination of fins and fangs.
"Oh no! It's the Sahaguin again!" Sea Star shrieked. "Swim for it, girls! Or we're all sea food!"
The three screaming fillies tore away from the sea of wrecks, the bloodthirsty eating machine in hot pursuit. The three veered off to the left and the right, but they were unable to lose the merpony's pet mutated shark. Using their hydrokenesis to propel themselves forward, they were barely able to keep ahead of the monster's snapping jaws.
"Let's split up, gals! He can't follow all of us!" A panicked Sea Star called out. The other two nodded, and they all split off in separate directions. the confused Sahaguin hesitated for a moment, before plunging after the panicked Duchess.
"Get outta here, girls!" Sea Star called out, as the huge monster closed in on her.. "I'll keep him jivin' you two split!"
"No way! A sea pony nevah leaves a sistah behind!" Splasher called out. "Especially not our duchess!"
The other two used their hydrokenisis to lift a rotted out treasure chest off the sea floor, levitating it right up in the shark's path.
"Sea Star!" They called out in unison. "Veer off, now!"
The little sea filly turned at the last minute, sending the monster plowing into the old chest, and smashing it to pieces. The sahaguin cried out in pain, swimming off, and leaving a crimson trail behind it. As the beast fled, the girls saw several real sharks following the red trail through the water, intent on snagging a meal.
"Yay, we did it!" Sea Shimmer called out. "That was so hip!"
"That's for the innocent dolphin you killed, ya big meanie!" Sea Star called after him. "You never kill another gentle sea creature again!"
"Come on, girls!" Splasher called out to the others. "Let's get on to that mepony castle!"
The other two nodded, and they swam on through the sea of wrecks. It wasn't very long, however, before another obstacle greeted the young sea ponies.
"You three, stop there!" A voice suddenly called out, as a bunch of merponies with spears surrounded the fillies.
"Well well well, a bunch of little sea fillies!" An armored officer chortled, holding a spear in their faces. "You three are a loooong way from home!"
"Uh oh..." Sea Star wailed. "I think we're in trouble..."
"Move it, seapony scum!" One of the soldiers barked, as he and two other guards shoving a sharp spear points into the little fillies backs. "You're going before he throne of queen Wavebreaker! She will decide your fate now!"
As the merpony guards led the three away, Sea Shimmer barely had time to call out;
"Is it too late to go home now?"
....
"You danced really well tonight, Bon Bon!" Lyra chuckled, nuzzling her friend. "I can't believe you almost ran into those two couples near the punch table!"
"Aww, I just had a little too much cider tonight!" Bon Bon chuckled. "I never would've been that clumsy on a normal night!"
The two were coming back from one of Pinkie Pie's parties, laughing and talking together, when Lyra opened the door to the apartment they now shared. Once they got in the door, however, they were met by a angry looking Sea Swirl. She was packing up the last of her things in a small sack, and barely gave the other two fillies a notice.
"Sis? What are you doing?" A stunned Lyra asked, looking on in disbelief.
"Aunt Octavia and uncle Nadermane have invited me to come live with them in Canterlot with them." She replied simply, levitating her pack onto her back. "I've decided to take them up on it."
"Come on kid, this isn't the time for joking!" Bon Bon snorted. "Lyra and I just had a really good night tonight, don't go ruining it!"
"This is no joke." Sea Swirl regarded her coldly. "You two obviously want to be here alone, and I don't want to get in your way."
"Sea Swirl Heartstrings!" The older sister snapped angrily. "How dare you talk back to Bon Bon like-"
"Don't talk like you're mom, Lyra! You're not fit to trot in her hoofprints!" Sea Swirl snapped back. "You forgot all about participating in the sister hooves social, for the fifth year in a row with me! And you let that trollop move in here with us! You've both made it painfully obvious you don't want me around here!"
"Oh, Sea Swirl...." Lyra started apologetically, realization finally dawning on her. "I never meant to..."
"Hold on Lyra, I'll handle this!" Bon Bon got up in Sea Swirl's face, snorting steam. "Now listen here, you ungrateful little filly! Your sister has made a lot of sacrifices for your spoiled little flank, and if you think-"
BOOM! A telekenetic blast threw the earth filly back several feet, slamming her into the wall.
"Bon Bon!" A panicked Lyra cried out, rushing to her side. "Are you all right?"
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU FOR TAKING MY SISTER AWAY!" Sea Swirl galloped out the door, tears streaming down her face. "Someday I'll come back, and hurt you for taking my only family away!"
"Sea Swirl, I'm so sorry..." A worried Lyra thought to herself, as she comforted a disoriented Bon Bon. "Great Celestia, what have I done?"