//------------------------------//
// Prelude -その上げ潮について... That Rising Tide... 
// Story: ARIA Special Navigation: The Magic of Friendship in the City of Miracles 
// by Planetarian 
//------------------------------//




Prelude -その上げ潮について... That Rising Tide...




[color=006cac]I've always believed that being totally alone will weaken your emotions as you smile less and less.

That is true. Really true.

Embarrassing remarks are not allowed!

I am looking forward to making new friends, Akari-san! That's a part of the miracles that this city was built upon!

[color=006cac]Ai-chan! Let's go together! It's time to meet a new miracle!

I said that embarrassing remarks aren't allowed already!



\\------//


The unfathomable blue stretches as far as the eyes could see.

The lagoon was connected to this aquamarine backdrop through the onset of Acqua Alta.

The city was in a state of lull... gondole and motorboats are tied to the moorings for the day.

The rising sun over the horizon was filling the hearts of those that dwell in this city of treasured memories. 

The new world and the new day seemed to wash over the inhabitants of this beautiful planet, which was made possible by the loving hands, sweats and feelings of those in the past and present day.

Thaumaturgy is real. The gem of the Neo-Adriatic Sea is filled with miracles. 

This is as planet bathed in the sea of happiness. 

A lady with long, flowing pink hair and a white beret trimmed in aquamarine set a soft gaze upon the oceans before her. She was not bothered by the water that had enveloped the roads, nor was she bothered by the stillness of her surroundings.

She turned around and waved at a round, alabaster object which sat on the front porch of a building that rose from the sea. Her short white cape fluttered in the wind.

Maybe Ai-chan is still asleep, thought the lady to herself. Ai-chan, don't you think that wonders are just around the corner? Shouldn't we go and greet those wonders in earnest?

"Aria-shachou! I will make your breakfast very soon!"

The cat waved with two forelegs. He donned a white beret in the same style as the one which graced the lady. He was enthusiastic, and a little desperate apparently.

The lady moved about with a bit of a stumble, but she recovered in a somewhat clumsy manner. She then greeted President Aria with a beaming smile, for that a new day had begun.



\\----//


An alabaster unicorn with curly mane and tail was sitting by herself as she gazed at nowhere in particular.

The unicorn could float around the area, as the water was getting close to her barrel.

The unicorn filly with the mark of a broken star on her flanks was bewildered and utterly stomped.

She was in the midst of bipedal, cloth-clad beings, yet they did not bet an eye over her presence. One or two onlookers did wave at her as if they were bidding salutations to the filly, but that was all the reception she had received over this watery place.

The town was far larger than that of her native Ponyville. The filly felt that this place was more akin to that of Canterlot, but the architectures were dramatically different.

A spire-like building and the island that it was built upon could be seen from the filly's vantage point. The filly caught glance of one or two boats that were rowed by people. There was not much traffic at all for some reason, but the filly did not want to dwell on that matter.

She knew that she was at a waterfront. She didn't want to carelessly dip into the water, for she was not sure where the seawall ends. The cement railings did help with locating where the sea starts however. As a result of this decision, Sweetie had been sitting on her haunches for about half an hour, without leaving the spot where she spawned from.

Sweetie Belle allowed her mind to go back to the point where she woke up and was greeted by the sights and sounds of this world. She remembered the hard but warm surface of the stone steps, the soft oceanic breeze, the slight smell of decaying wood, the sound of wind chimes and seagulls and the gentle embrace of the sun at dawn.

This was not Celestia's sun. The angle and the ambiance were alien to Sweetie Belle.

Nevertheless, the warm embrace of sunlight had given the unicorn some measure of stamina.

"I better ask for help..." The little unicorn muttered. She was famished, and the smell of freshly baked bread in the air did not help her in any way.

It was hard to summon courage, but the unicorn knew that she could not remain on one same spot forever.

Sweetie's fur was getting soaked in the still water, but she went on, as she trotted... peddled about using her hooves. 

Laughter permeated through the air. Sounds of two girls giggling at each other to be precise.

There's somepony in that house to the side! Sweetie surmised. 

As Sweetie closed in on the house, she wondered to herself about the sights and sounds of everything around her. Why was this alien place so tranquil and inviting?

Hi! I am a talking unicorn! Can you tell me something about where I am? Sweetie began to rehearse what she should say to greet the inhabitants of this two-level house that shot out of the seawall.

No. That sounds ridiculous. Should I just say 'Good Morning?' Would 'Buongiorno' be right? This place does not look Germane... 

The platform where this two story house sat upon was submerged by a foot of water. Sweetie saw the railings that surrounded the platform, but the gap between the posts gave her some nagging concerns.

If the water remained calm, then I should be all-right. Thought Sweetie to herself. I will just move by grabbing on the railing posts when I get to the platform...

The unicorn proceeded with caution as she treaded down the walkway that bridged the platform to the seawall. She was certain that the laughter and the smell of bread came from this house with flax-colored roof. A white gondola with blue trimmings, and an ebony gondola was next to a white pile that had blue accents.
The wooden deck was a little slippery, but Sweetie could live with it.

"ARIA Company..."

Sweetie read the sign aloud. What kind of business does this company do?

There was a rack to the side where two oars were found. These oars must be the oars that would be used for the boats that were docked next to the platform. 

Sweetie was lost in curiosity when the entrance to Aria Company swung open, as the bipedal girl with fern green hair and a white dress chimed happily.

"Hi! This is Aria company! We're not open until..."

Then the girl gazed at the unicorn as she stood frozen solid. Her genuine smile remained casted on her facade. 

"O! I am sorry about that..." Sweetie Belle and the girl locked their eyes on each other, each stammering and unable to form anything other than exclamations.

"Is there something wrong, Ai-chan?"

A lady with pink hair approached the door, as she tended to the girl that was at the door.

Ai-chan did not give her an answer.

The pink-haired lady moved toward where the girl with dark green hair was pointing at.

"Hohe!?"

The unicorn, 3 1/2 feet in height, had a dazed expression on her face, while the lady was starting to splutter about as she shifted left and right, unsure of what she ought to do.

Then the icebreaker came in the form of a low growl from the unicorn's stomach. 

The lady and the girl's mouths were agape as the unicorn's face became flushed from embarrassment.


\\----//


Sweetie was happy to have been invited into the house after her awkward exchange with Ai-chan and the taller human lady.

Sweetie noticed that the two of them had shifty eyes that couldn't help but to be trained upon her. Every inch of her features were being eyed on with awe and bewilderment by the two females that stood before her.

"Achoo!"

Sweetie sneezed and shivered a little. It seemed that she had forgotten about the fact that she was soaked from head to hooves when she ran into the occupants of the house.

"Oh! I am sorry! Let me get you a towel!" The older girl quickly dashed out of the reception area as the girl with green hair approached the unicorn.

"Ur... I need to... O yes! Let me lift you onto one of the chairs! Hang on!"

Before Sweetie could protest, Ai had seized the unicorn and fetched her from the soaked floor.

"Ahh.. ur... you just grabbed me!" Sweetie started to move her limbs and wiggle about.

"Please let me get you onto a chair! I won't let you freeze from sitting in all this water!'

"Ohh..." Sweetie went limp and as the girl firmed her hold onto Sweetie's barrel.

"Here, take a seat for now! Let me get you a cup of tea to warm you up!"

Ai placed Sweetie Belle on her haunches over one of the four chairs that surrounded the dining table. The girl than hurried herself into the adjacent kitchen as she haphazardly turned the stove on while looking for a tea set.

Just as Sweetie oriented herself to face the kitchen, the sound of descending footsteps could be heard within an earshot. Sweetie Belle turned her attention to the staircase as the lady ran to the ground floor with a large, beige towel in her arms.

"Let me get you to dry up!" The lady declared.

Sweetie was then covered by the towel while the lady moved her arms so that the towel can absorb the water on Sweetie's fur. The pony let out a slight whimper as the sensation of slight pressure made by contact points was felt against the pony's body.

After a good few minutes of tussle, the girl released the towel from Sweetie Belle. Sweetie's mane and fur were disheveled, but the unicorn was no longer damp. Her butt did feel cold however, as the moisture from her bottom remained on the seat.

The lady took notice of the dripping water from the seat.

"Here. Let me get you onto another chair." 

Sweetie nodded when the lady twisted the towel to dry off the towel. With the towel then slung on one arm, the pink haired lady lifted Sweetie to the adjacent chair, and proceeded to rinse off the chair that Sweetie first sat on.

Both of these human girls extrude a sense of optimism and joy, and Sweetie noted that they were both soft-spoken. She was relieved that they could understand her without any trouble, as it'd be a nightmare if she couldn't communicate with them.

"Ai-chan! Is the tea ready?" The lady inquired while putting away the damp towel.

"It's ready Akari-san. I will get them on a tray. Is President Aria still upstairs?"

So the older one is called Akari-san. Younger one is Ai-chan. Sweetie made a mental note of the girls' names.

"Yep. I will call him down and put this towel away. Don't worry about us and let our guest have the tea first!"

"Okay!" 

Sweetie Belle saw Akari-san taking the towel upstairs as Ai-chan came back into the living area with a tray and a couple of tea cups.

Ai-chan placed the tea set on the table and proceeded to pour steaming hot tea from the tea kettle.

"Any sugar and milk?" The girl inquired.

"Urr... one lump would be great. Some milk would be nice too." Sweetie Belle answered.

The girl poured some milk into the tea, placed a lump of sugar, and stirred the tea with a silver spoon. She then held the teacup with her paws as she moved to Sweetie Belle's muzzle.

"Here. Be careful, it's hot." Ai-chan cautioned with concern spelled out of her gaze.

Sweetie was stunned for a second or two, but she quickly returned to reality.

"Oh! Don't worry. I can drink this myself."

"But how can you drink without hands...." Sweetie Belle applied telekinesis on the handle of the teacup, and the saucer that the teacup was served on.

"!!" The girl was flabbergasted. 

Sweetie proceeded to absorb the rich aroma of the tea. This was an Assam tea.

Following the sniff, the filly began to drink the hot tea, while Ai-chan stood motionless at the spectacle before her.

"Aria-shachou, Ai-chan, I will go and make break... Hohe!"

Akari-san was unable to process the sight of a unicorn drinking out a levitated tea cup.

"Puipu... PUI!!!"

The white, round being that can only be President Aria was taken aback by the scene as well. It was making its way down a flight of stairs when Akari-san had mentioned about making breakfast.

Sweetie Belle felt that her body was warming up as she took one final sip at her tea.

"Thank you... urr..."

Sweetie Belle found Ai-chan pointing one of her dull claws at her. The girl was shaking while her mouth was moving without forming any speech whatsoever.

"Excuse me?" The filly asked with concern of the human before her.


\\---//


"That was unbelievable!"

Ai-chan declared loudly as Akari-san and President Aria took their places around the dining table.

Sweetie was blushing profusely at the captivated, beaming audience.

"Ur... I... that was..."

"Amazing! Truly magical! You were right about running into a miracle today!" The green-haired girl declared ecstatically. 

Akari-san could not contain her excitement at all. She stood and embraced Sweetie as she nuzzled the little unicorn.

"That was so wonderful! You are a unicorn that can talk and do magic..."

"Ummpf..." Sweetie Belle squeezed the sound out of the warm embrace.

"Oh! I am sorry! That was so rude of me!" Akari-san left Sweetie free as she took a step back. "I haven't even introduced myself. Please don't be angry!"

Sweetie looked at the frowning audience. The strange being that was called "President Aria" was looking at her with an apologetic expression as well.

"O... no. It's all right. I need to introduce myself too. I am really sorry about everything." Sweetie addressed to the three beings that were around her.

Akari-san returned to her seat as she looked at Ai-chan lovingly.

Ai-chan shifted her eyes from left to right, and decided that she should go first. 

"Hi! My name is Ai. I work as an Undine at Aria Company..." She paused for a fraction of a second. "I mean, yes! This is the Aria company. I am a junior Single, so I am not that experienced. Please bear with me!"

As Ai-chan bowed in the direction of Sweetie, the unicorn remained still for two seconds as she was trying to absorb the information.

"Hahi!"

Sweetie Belle turned toward the pink haired lady.

"My name is Mizunashi Akari. Just call me Akari! Mizunashi is my surname. Ur... I am the Prima of the Aria Company, but I too am still inexperienced. Umm... Aria-shachou here has been with company since the beginning! The three of us here are the staffs that work in the company!"

"What is your name?" Akari inquired after having bowed to the unicorn.

"Oh!" Sweetie was in a lull from the lyrical tone of the two girls that spoke to her. She snapped back into reality.

"I... my name is Sweetie Belle! I am a unicorn! I am not from here... "

"Hehe."

Sweetie Belle found that Ai let out a snicker.

"Hmm?" 

"I don't think that unicorns are very common! Akari-san, have you ever run into one on Manhome or on Aqua?"

Akari was completely amused and quickly answered her junior.

"No. Never. Sweetie-chan is the first one ever!"

Ai rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and returned her gaze to the unicorn.

"I honestly thought that you were a cat in a costume for a second. But that wouldn't make any sense with how your eyes and body move around... never mind the fact that you talked to me!"

Sweetie Belle was very puzzled by everything that had been said to her. One question took precedence against every other however.

"So... there's nopony whatsoever around here?"

"Ummm..." Ai and Akari cocked their heads. 

Akari replied. "I don't think so. I have seen ponies on Manhome, but they are really animals. They don't think like you or Martian cats do, and they can't talk..."

Ai said mischievously. "And they don't do magic."

Sweetie's expressions turned to a frown. "So this is an alien world... completely alien world..."

The two girls went into a bit of a panic. "Ur... don't be sad! We'll help you figure out what to do! We know that we're just Undines, but..."

Sweetie Belle interrupted Akari.

"What... is... Undine? What do you mean about Prima and Single? How does... no, what does the Aria Company do?"

Akari paused, and slapped her right paw on her forehead.

"Undines are gondoliers that work in touring business. Prima and Single are different levels of Undine in seniority! There's also Pair too, but I can explain this to you after breakfast!"

Akari clapped her hands together.

"Please let us cook up a breakfast, and then we'll explain everything to you!" Akari pleaded.

Sweetie Belle chose to accept this as the best answer she could have for the time being
.
Ai stood up and spoke. "Everyone should get something to eat first. It's morning. The baked breads have been sitting there for some time... let's have something to eat first. Sweetie-chan, do you eat eggs?"

Sweetie Belle nodded.

"Good! How do you like your eggs?"

"Urr... over easy please." Sweetie said without giving much thought over the subject.

Her attention suddenly returned. "Oh! What am I doing! I shouldn't be... please let me help! I am intruding on you all. I can make this really good pancake... or I can set the table..."

A paw rested on the unicorn's left shoulder. 

"Sweetie-chan, You are our guest. Please relax and we will get the breakfast out. We were already preparing the breakfast when you came to our company, so it won't take long at all!"

Akari said gently to the alabaster unicorn.

"Ai-chan, can you take Sweetie-chan to the attic? The dressing table should have a brush and a comb. Let's straighten her hair first..."

Sweetie Belle felt a need to be pedant.

"I have fur and mane you know..." Sweetie corrected with an apologetic air.

Akari's words were stuck on her tongue.

"Ehh... oh! Sorry about that!" Akari said while gesturing a pardon. "I will handle the breakfast. Ai-chan, let's tidy up Sweetie-chan okay?"

Ai pirouetted toward Akari, and hugged her senior lovingly.

"I will do just that. I will leave the breakfast to you then Akari-san!"

Ai broke her embrace, and turned to the unicorn.

Sweetie Belle was a little aghast when Ai lifting her off of her chair (with some effort.) 

"Wha... what are you..."

Ai grinned. "Can't have you get your hooves wet now, can we? I got some rain boots that you could use..."

Ai started to study Sweetie's foreleg as she continued her climb upstairs.

"No... those won't fit. Hmm..."

Sweetie returned a smile at Ai.

"It's ok. I am used to having my hooves wet from crusading and other activities. The water is very shallow inside the house anyways..."

Ai nodded in agreement, and bent down so that Sweetie can stand on her own.

"Let's brush your mane a bit. I really want to brush it..."

Sweetie saw the look of desire in Ai's eyes, which made her swallow a gulp.


\\----//


Ai and Akari were gentle with the brushing, and Sweetie found her dried fur well groomed.

Akari went up to the attic after having laid out the dishes, thus she had managed to spent some time with the pony. The three of them had decided to eat their food before the breakfast get cold, so they left the attic bedroom for the dining area.

Ai spoke. "I didn't realize that the Cutie Marks are made up of furs that have different coloring! I thought that they were tattoos!"

"Hehe. We ponies are not born with any cutie mark. They come up magically when we find our special talent. You can't just tattoo a pattern for this."

"That's incredible! It's nice that your magic tells you what your calling is in life! Finding your calling is a very hard thing to do! It really takes a long time." Akari remarked to Sweetie.

"Don't I know it! My friends and I have been crusading for our cutie mark for what felt like an eternity!"

"Hahi!" Akari gently mused. "The moment where everyone can see your calling is truly magical. That moment of blossoming makes you feel so complete about yourself... that you have done something worthwhile for all to see!"

Ai said blissfully. "Congratulation on finding your calling in life, Sweetie-chan! Your friends must have been so proud of you!"
Her expression sunk a little afterwards. "I hope that I can find that calling which makes me truly special as an Undine too. Akari-san worked very, very hard to find that answer before..."

Sweetie, in the arms of Akari, replied to Ai and Akari.

"My fellow crusaders don't even know about it..." Sweetie gave a longing glance at Ai and continued. "Thank you, Ai and Akari, for congratulating me like this."

Sweetie saw Ai becoming animated once more.

"No. Happy things should be shared and cherished! We should thank you for sharing that happiness with us!" Ai exclaimed.
”Hahi!" Akari chimed in. "Let's celebrate Sweetie-chan getting her cutie mark and welcome her to Neo-Venezia!" 

"You know... I got my cutie mark a while back..." Sweetie sheepishly added.	

"But your friends never did get a chance to celebrate it for you, did they?" Akari raised.
Sweetie was once again in embarrassment. Akari was chuckling as she placed Sweetie down to her seat the dining table as everybody else assumed their place.


\\---//


"Well then, itadakimasu!" Akari gestured, and President Aria helped himself to his bowl in earnest.

Sweetie Belle noticed that the terms being used by Akari are foreign, but she for some reason could comprehend them without giving any though over them. She had to think twice to realize that her brain had registered itadakimasu as bon appétit without her knowing the term.

Sweetie realized then that her brain made that link between President and shachou as well.

This examination led to Sweetie pondering of a little question.

"Urr... what does san and chan mean?"

Sweetie spoke aloud while spreading butter on a piece of toast.

"Oh! Those are honorifics!" Akari explained while wiping her mouth with a napkin.  "Ai-chan and I are Japanese. San is kind of like saying Mr. or Mrs. when you talk to a person. We say this to people generally. Chan is for well... younger... we use this as kids... girls... well..."

"You are blushing red, Akari-san." Ai didn't bet an eye as she took a gulp of milk.

"I think I get it. So it's kind of cute for somepony to use chan..." Sweetie drifted her eyes to Ai.

Ai noticed Sweetie's gaze, and she had a comeback lined up. "Sweetie-chan, did you just say somepony?"

Sweetie was somewhat lost at Ai spelling out the obvious. "Yes..."

Ai was glowing. "You are the only pony here!" 

Sweetie realized that Ai just pulled one on her. She facehoofed.

The surreality of the whole scene had finally caught up to the two Undines; Ai and Akari couldn't help themselves by that point, as they broke into fits of laughter.

Aria Pokoteng, the Martian cat, was too busy eating to join in on the fun. His entire face was buried into the bowl as the pony kept her face buried by her forelegs and the two Undines struggled to get their giggling under control. 


\\----//


Sweetie, Akari and Ai found themselves in the flooded kitchen.

Sweetie Belle refused to let Akari and Ai do all the work. Ai and Akari had relented, leading to a triumphant Sweetie assisting with moving the plates and the utensils into the kitchen.

"You can do all sorts of different magic, right?" Ai inquired.

"I know a few spells. Not many." Sweetie attempted to hide her pride, but the two Undines saw right through the unicorn.

Ai decided to not humor Sweetie immediately as she turned to Akari.

"Akari-san, you are taking this very well." 

Akari paused for a moment.

"Aren't you the same, Ai-chan?"

Ai was stunned very briefly, before giving way to a genuine smile.

"You're right! I really am not surprised about Sweetie-chan for some reason." Ai started to wonder down the memory lane as she gave her reactions some thought.

"With all the magic and miracles that we have witnessed while on Aqua... maybe..."

Akari's eyes were twinkling.

"We came to embrace the power of miracles, whether they be big and small, obvious or subtle, fleeting or ever-lasting..."

Sweetie Belle couldn't help but to leap into some self-examination as she observed how the two humans saw her. 

Twilight would've been absolutely fascinated by a human being in Equestria. Applejack may be wary, Rainbow Dash will overreact, Pinkie Pie will host a huge feast, while Rarity might play pin-up doll with the human... the rest of Ponyville might get all paranoid. They did last time with Zecora...

Sweetie Belle looked at the warm dynamism between Akari and Ai, as the pang of regret shot up in her conscience.

Those two are enjoying each others' company so earnestly. They have been growing together, and will keep doing so. Come to think of it, was I ever like that with Rarity? With Twilight? I don't think I had such an ongoing tutelage...

Sweetie Belle couldn't really put away her melancholy at the drop of a hap. The two years' worth of looping came to her mind as she started to think of her mentors and how detached they had been to her individual growth.

I've been growing up all by myself...

Sweetie continued with the filing of cleansed dishes to the drying rack wordlessly, as the two Undines chatter among themselves... the mare didn't feel that she had any right to intrude on the two of them, and that she didn't want to burden the two with her anguish.


\\----//


"Sweetie-chan..." Akari took a breath before continuing. "Welcome to Aria Company, Neo-Venezia and Aqua!"

Ai looked at her friend and mentor with glee. 

"We have plenty of time in the next few days from the high tide, with Aria Company not having any booking appointment! So we have all this time to ourselves!"

Ai passed the conversation to her mentor.

"Sweetie-chan. Ai-chan and I will do our best to answer your questions about Aqua and Neo-Venezia!"

Ai declared to Akari, President Aria and Sweetie Belle. "Akari-san is the most knowledgeable about the magic of Neo-Venezia! She is a natural about finding those things, and in sharing them with friends from all walks of life!"

Sweetie was amazed at this proclamation, but she decided to not dwell on this.

"Ur... ok! First question."

Sweetie turned to the very floor. All four of them (cat included) are on the second floor of the company building so that they can sit on the floor.

"Tell me what Aria company does!" 

Ai was brimming with pride. "Aria company is a tourism and occasional transport company that takes customers onto gondola rides across Neo-Venezia!

"So are Undines tour guides?"

Ai was prepared for this question.

"Undines are ambassadors to Neo-Venezia. We are gondolier tour guides that represent Neo-Venezia to visitors and citizens alike! There are some three-hundred Primas that serve in Neo-Venezia today, with many more Singles and Pairs."
"So apprentices would be Singles and Pairs...?"

"That's right. Pair are the trainees. Single are the more experienced apprentices. They got the names by how that novice gondoliers wear gloves to reduce blisters on their hands."

Akari added.

"By the time that an Undine becomes a Prima, they would no longer need gloves to protect their hands from using the oar, since they would not need to use excessive force or overly exert pressure to steer the gondola. All Undines start as a Pair and work their way up to become a fully licensed Prima Undine."

Ai looked at Akari. "Akari-san, don't forget about Alice-san!"

"Well, Alice-chan was an exception. Athena-senpai gave a Prima exam to her! She's a very special genius!"

Sweetie was bemused about the banter between Ai and Akari.

"So... there must be many companies that are in the gondolier business..."

Akari nodded. "The two largest are Himeya and Orange Planet. Himeya is the oldest, and our grandmother came from that company to start Aria company."

Ai added. "Akari-san has pretty incredible friends! We are both friends to the heiress of Himeya. Alice-senpai happens to be the star of Orange Planet!"

Why doesn't that surprise me... Sweetie Belle allowed her mind to wonder back to the incredible friends that Twilight has.
"Grandmother? Is Aria Company a family business?"

Ai corrected Sweetie Belle. "Nope. Every Undine calls the founder of Aria Company as grandmother. She is the greatest Undine of all time!"

Sweetie thought of the wrinkly but intelligent matriarch of the Apple clan for a second, but she allowed for that thought to perish.


\\----//


"Why is Aria Company closed for the day?" The questioning headed to the then and now.

Ai decided to answer. "It's not very safe to conduct tours during Acqua Alta, or alto mare."

Akari lit up a smile at Ai. "Ai-chan, that was great! I didn't think about Aqcua Alta as alto mare!"

Sweetie noticed the term and started to dig into her memory, and a sudden epiphany hit her.

"Wait. Altomare! Oh! Why didn't I think of that! I am in an alternate Altomare. Altomare got its name as the name means high sea.The city is flooded because of the high sea! Of course! That's why the city's so quiet."

Sweetie knew of Altomare from her time spent with Blueblood. She had not visit the city of canals, but she read her share of glowing accounts on the city that was built upon piles and islands. 

Ai couldn't help but to correct Sweetie Belle about the name of the city however, so she interjected Sweetie's talk.

"Excuse me, Sweetie-chan, but this is Neo-Venezia."

"No, that's not I meant. It can be an alternate reality..." Sweetie quickly shot back.

Ai would have none of it. "Sweetie-chan, let me finish. The old Venezia that existed on Manhome no longer exists. It drowned to the bottom of the Adriatic sea..."

Sweetie's heart sank with that declaration. "Manhome..."

Ai looked at the gloomy Sweetie. "Manhome was called Earth. Does that mean anything to you..."

Sweetie was sinking into depression. Earth? Is she telling that Altomare has been claimed by the sea a few centuries ago in this dimension? And I am not on Earth...

Akari spoke in a somber tone to further explain the matter.

"Neo-Venezia was made out of the painful sense of loss from those that loved the old Venezia. They couldn't turn against nature, but still they prayed for a miracle... yet the miracle didn't come to the Venetian on Manhome."

Sweetie Belle realized how emotional Akari was as she lamented on the loss of Altomare... or rather, Venezia.

"Neo-Venezia was hand-made on Aqua to realize the love  that the people have over their city. I saw the people and their feelings... their work and sacrifices... to make this miracle happen..."

Akari croaked. The memory of a dear and courageous operetta flashed before her mind.

It was... so many thing, so many feelings, so many wishes... The lady bit on her lip as she went on her memory lane.
Ai remarked with a ghost of a smile.

"It has been 150 years since Aqua came into being. Neo-Venezia was built during the terraforming of Mars."

Sweetie was very dejected. "So this is not the same planet..."

Akari had a question for Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie-chan, you said alternate... did you mean that..."

Sweetie was trying her best to hold her emotions in check.

"I... my world... the world that I came from was called Earth. Ponies have not gone to other planets... Twilight told me other planets, but... but..." 

Sweetie was choking back her tears.

"I... this..."

Sweetie Belle felt utterly helpless. She was an alien in a foreign world. The very city that she found herself in was a replica to the now-lost Altomare of this reality. Aqua was about as far away from Ponyville as Sweetie had ever gone, in every sense of the word; the zombie pony world at least had ponies.

Akari and Ai witnessed the unicorn curled up into a ball as Sweetie wailed aloud. The two of them were at a loss as to what they should do at the moment.


End Prelude