//------------------------------//
// The Saltless Sea 
// Story: partisans of Eqwuestria 
// by Ferencelvtars 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 7: The Saltless Sea

Ferkó closed his eyes, preparing for the pain he anticipated from impaling himself on the rocks. Suddenly, something soft struck his face, a sensation akin to cotton candy mixed with a springy texture. Opening his eyes, he found himself standing, or rather floating on a cloud blanket. He had sunk into the cloud, and if he hadn't paddled, he might have fallen through.

Sombra, however, was relentless in pursuing Ferkó. Two pegasi approached him swiftly. Ferkó began swimming, but it was evident the pegasi were faster. Sombra cast a spell on his horn, hitting the Rainbow-maned blue pegasus, who crashed into the rock wall with a resounding thud. The other one, however, reached Ferkó and engaged in a surprisingly feeble struggle. Ferkó quickly realized the advantage and, using his horn, began dragging the pegasus by its mane.

Suddenly, something hit his back. Sombra and the unicorn guards from the prison were using magic to shoot at him. It seemed Sombra cared little about collateral damage to his own men. On impulse, Ferkó conjured a magical net, capturing most of the projectiles, though not all. It was enough to allow him to move out of the line of fire.

"We're not done yet. I'm not leaving forever!" Ferkó shouted towards the prison.

Sombra took one last shot, but Ferkó was already too far. The pink-maned pegasus, who had been neglected until now, started getting Ferkó's attention. He observed the dark magic flowing within her and realized that if he let her go, she would immediately attack or worse. Slowly, he surrounded her with his magic, pushing out the black magic. The pegasus soon fainted from the pain, but after two hours of persistent effort, Ferkó finally expelled the last drop of black magic. The lilac smoke vanished from the unicorn's eyes, and she slowly opened her beautiful sapphire blue eyes. Ferkó was exhausted; the process had drained much of his energy and gave him a throbbing headache.

"Thank you," whispered the pegasus, attempting to embrace Ferkó tightly but managing only a feeble gesture.

"Shhh, you need plenty of rest now," Ferkó said, starting to hum a lullaby. The pegasus's eyes closed quickly.

Ferkó descended to the bottom of the cloud sea and saw their location more precisely. A beautiful marble palace with a golden roof and large ornate windows lay beneath them. Despite the abundance of black crystals, Ferkó was sure what he saw was Canterlot, or at least what remained of it. He swam back to the pegasus and, lacking any water, bit into a cloud for a sip.

Suddenly, something vibrated near his wing, and he realized his phone had gotten entangled. Glancing at it, he saw a notification: the daily memory cleanup was almost complete. He started reading his current book, turning minutes into hours. Just as a strange movement caught his attention at his back, the pegasus woke up. It was the one with the rose-pink mane.

"Good morning," she whispered softly but clearly.

"Morning? It's about to get dark," Ferkó chuckled.

"I know, it just sounded odd to say I just woke up. I'm Ferkó. What's your name?" Ferkó asked.

"I'm Fluttershy. Nice to meet you," the pegasus replied calmly.

"Tell me, where are we?" Fluttershy asked nervously.

"Above Canterlot, and we need to get to the Crystal Castle in Ponyville. There's a friend in terrible danger," Ferkó explained.

"Oh, then let's go quickly," Fluttershy said, lifting into the air. "Wait, you can't fly," she added understandingly.

"No, but I can teleport. See you in Ponyville," Ferkó said, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Fluttershy arrived in Ponyville shortly, and Ferkó was waiting at the castle. The streets were nearly deserted, with a few ponies patrolling. All of them, however, were fixated on Fluttershy rushing towards Ferkó. The two ponies entered the castle and approached the mirror.

"Stay here if there's trouble. Cross if needed," Ferkó commanded, then stepped through the mirror.

To be continued...