//------------------------------// // Arc 3: Barrier City // Story: The Seven Tribes // by Scootaloo-009 //------------------------------// The Seven Tribes by Scootaloo-009, a.k.a. Mechsrule1 My Little Pony and related names, images, and scenarios are property of Hasbro Inc. Edited by n and Dr. Bob Arc 3: The Sea Ponies Chapter 7 "Why do I have to do this?" Scootaloo asked. She was laying back on a small, but extra-cushioned couch. Her eyes were locked in a seemingly permanent scowl. "Because Princess Celestia and I both agree. You need to spend time with a therapist," Twilight replied. She was sitting in a chair next to the couch, with a notepad and quill in hoof. A pair of superfluous glasses were perched upon her nose. Both ponies lacked their familiar manes and tails. They were in one of the various guest rooms in Canterlot Castle, and would be there for some time. Scootaloo was quiet for a while. "What do I have to do to get out of here?" "Well, you're here until your parents come and get you," Twilight informed her. "So in the meantime, let's talk." "There's nothing to talk about," "Scootaloo, you killed two beings and saw a friend die. That is not nothing," Twilight said. "I didn't kill anybeing," Scootaloo said, grumbling. "I was there Scootaloo, we all were. We saw you do it." "I didn't kill them," Scootaloo repeated. "They didn't die." "Okay, you nearly killed two beings. That can be traumatizing for anypony, let alone a filly." "I feel fine," Scootaloo replied defiantly. "You might feel fine now, but I have to make sure." "Is this really necessary?" Scootaloo asked, tugging at a collar around her neck. While intended for unicorns, the device prevented anypony wearing it from using magic of any kind. Even cloud walking. It felt so strange being cut off from her magic. Like a part of her was missing, like a third wing or something, and even though she knew it was there, it was beyond her reach. It only needed a pulse of magic to open, but that left the victim’s fate in the hooves of other ponies. "It's not like I'm going to attack you or anything." "It's for your own safety." Twilight didn't want to admit she was afraid of the filly's magic. So she wouldn't. "Can I see my friends?" Scootaloo asked. "When your parents come, I'm sure they can take you to the Canterlot Hospital," Twilight replied. Scootaloo groaned. "Why don't you try telling me what happened." "You know what happened, you were there," Scootaloo reminded her unnecessarily. How could she forget. She had let all her friends down. Because she wasn't prepared enough, they had all almost died. It was only because of the filly she was now attempting to council, that they had made it at all. "Yes, but if I hear it in your words, maybe I can get a better idea of how you feel about what happened." "Fine," Scootaloo said, settling in to begin the tale. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "I can't believe we get to go to the beach!" Rarity said excitedly. Applejack, Apple Bloom, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Scootaloo, Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Twilight Sparkle were all gathered by the Ponyville Library. The group was standing around Pinkie Pie's balloon, busily filling it with bags and other travel equipment. They were headed to Equestria's only coastline, a 60 mile long strip of land on the southern border. Several towns lined the coast, and they were headed to the minor port of Gallopster. It was the middle of summer vacation for the fillies, so when Twilight announced she was being sent to visit the sea pony king, her friends decided it would be a great opportunity to get away for a few short days. It was currently mid day; they planned to leave then and arrive in the afternoon of the following day. "Ah've never seen the southern ocean bahfore!" Applejack said almost as excitedly. "This is a business trip," Twilight Sparkle reminded them. "That doesn't mean we can't enjoy a little sunbathing," Rarity said. "We're going to be underwater. There is no sunbathing down there," Twilight pointed out. Rarity looked crestfallen. "If we get there early enough, we may be able to spend some time on the beach, but we need to be in Barrier City by nightfall." "So we spend an awesome day on the beach then sit through boring talk. Sounds cool until that last part," Rainbow Dash said, smiling. "It will take hours to get there. We will be lucky if we arrive on time for our escort, let alone early," Twilight explained, double checking everything. "Balloon travel is slow enough, but with it weighed down by all this stuff, we'll go even slower." "What if Rainbow Dash and I take turns pulling it?" Fluttershy suggested. She didn't like the idea of traveling so far from home, but did want to meet the interesting undersea wildlife the sea pony kingdom held. "Maybe," Twilight agreed, "but with just two of you, I wouldn't get your hopes up." "I can help too!" Scootaloo said, trying to be helpful. "I can make a big wind to help push!" "We'll get there when we get there okay!" Twilight shouted. She looked at the others cringing. "Sorry, but I have a lot to think about right now, and wasting time just lying on sand isn't one of them." "If we're pressed for time we should just go," Pinkie Pie suggested, jumping into the basket. The rest soon followed suit. She released the anchor and the balloon began slowly rising, weighed down by its passengers and their luggage. They were just barely over the rooftops as they left town. "How about that wind, Squirt?" Rainbow Dash asked, nudging the filly. Scootaloo nodded. At once her wings were aglow with dark blue light. The basket shuddered as they began rising in the sudden air current. More quickly than if the basket had been empty, they rose to a safe travel height. "That looks good," Pinkie told her. Scootaloo gladly relaxed her magic, the light around her wings had almost flickered out when the earth pony spoke, and she was panting a bit. That well of magic inside her was nearly empty. "Don't worry, it comes back real quick," Apple Bloom assured her friend, remembering her experiences with magic overuse. "Here, let me show you an old alicorn technique Princess Celestia used on me," Twilight said, walking over to the exhausted pegasus. "Rarity, Sweetie Belle, you should learn this too." The pair walked over and watched as Twilight summed forth her magic. Her horn began glowing a familiar red. She then leaned over and touched her horn to Scootaloo's wings. The filly's wings began glowing purple. It was dim at first, but grew brighter and brighter; and redder. It felt pleasant, her wings feeling warmer from the energy. She could feel the magic filling that pool of energy inside her. "Ow ow!" Scootaloo cried. Her wings felt like somepony was pouring water inside them and the water was growing steadily hotter. The glow was no longer purple, but a slightly darker red than the one around Twilight's horn. "Sorry!" Twilight squeaked, pulling back immediately. The burning didn't go away. "I must have given you too much. You just need to burn off the extra magic." "Which way?" Scootaloo asked, her face screwed up in pain. "That way," Pinkie gestured. Scootaloo looked where she was pointing and called forth a breeze to push them on their way. As they moved the burning feeling slowly went away, and her magic returned to its normal hue. "What was that, Twilight?" Rarity asked. "It's called magic transference, and it's just what it sounds like," Twilight told them. "Princess Celestia used it on me a few times when I burnt out during her lessons." "It looks like it hurts," Sweetie Belle commented. "That was my fault," Twilight said, hanging her head in shame. "I should have been more careful." "So what went wrong?" Rarity asked. She wouldn't dare use something risky. "I gave her too much. I've only practiced on Princess Celestia. You can transfer as much of your magic to any other pony as you want, but a pony can only have so much magic in them before it starts being too much. Princess Celestia can handle all my magic and then some, but she is an alicorn after all. It only causes harm if you don't expend the magic quickly," Twilight explained. "You should know how to do it in case one of us runs out of magic and needs to borrow some." "That would be useful to know," Rarity admitted. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Yay, beach time!" Apple Bloom cheered. She and her friends charged off to play. The trip had taken much less time than expected, and they had arrived on the coast by mid morning the following day. They landed on one of the docks just off the beach, the location where they would be picked up later. While they waited, they set about unpacking for a few hours of relaxation. Or at least most of them did. The beach was fairly crowded with ponies of all kinds. The fillies noticed at once all the ones who had 'friendship flanks'. None of the beach goers seemed exceptionally fazed by the hot air balloon landing nearby. "I can't believe I didn't pack a bathing suit," Twilight grumbled. "You are more than welcome to borrow one of mine," Rarity offered, having brought several. "I couldn't possibly, Rarity. Besides we're different sizes." "Whah do yah even need one?" Applejack asked. Her beach attire consisted of her removing her mane and tail bands, and placing her hat aside. "Ah just don't get you and yer need tah wear clothes all the time." "Because it's the proper thing to do," Rarity replied. "Don't worry, Twilight, I packed one for you," Spike said, pulling the garment out. "Thank you, Spike. I don't know what I would do without you." "I'm almost too afraid to think about it," Spike muttered. "Welcome!" greeted a voice. They turned and saw a yellow and orange scaly creature walking out of a small cabin adjoined to the dock, just a few yards from where the balloon had landed. "I am Glare, messenger dragon to the King of the sea ponies." "Hi. I'm Ambassador Twilight Sparkle," Twilight said. "Woah..." was all Spike could manage. It was almost like looking in a mirror. Besides the color, Glare looked almost exactly like he did when he woke up in that pile of stuff he’d hoarded during his recent ‘greed’ episode. "Glad to see you're ahead of schedule. I'll send word for them to pick you up," Glare said. He pulled out a scroll and set fire to it with a puff of yellow flame. The paper turned into a mist that flew into the ocean. "Well, we should all stay close for when they arrive," Twilight instructed to her friends. "No need. They'll take a couple hours, and when they arrive, I'll just let you know through him, and he can pass it along," Glare said, pointing to Spike. "As long as you're all friends, it won't matter how far you go." "Okay then. We'll see you on the beach," Twilight amended her earlier statement. Then she turned to Glare. "What did you say you were?" "Messenger dragon to the King of the sea ponies?" Glare answered, unsure of what she meant. "I was in the Royal Corps for a decade, but I've kind of dropped that title." "You... you look like me!" Spike exclaimed finally. "I've seen a ton of dragons, but none of them looked so much like me!" "Hasn't this boy spent any time in the Corps?" Glare asked Twilight. The mare shook her head.     "We've been together since the day I hatched him. You've got to be the only dragon we've ever seen like him. I've certainly never heard of any Corps." "That's... unusual. So young dragon, what have you been taught?" Glare asked Spike. "I can send letters to Princess Celestia, and she can send them back. I know how to cook and clean, and some stuff Twilight taught me." "Hmmm. I would recommend he spend some time in the Corps. He could learn a lot and be more useful to you," Glare said to Twilight. "He's like a brother. I don't care how useful he is!" Twilight said angrily. "I suppose he'll have time to learn it later," Glare said. "What more could there possibly be?" Spike wondered. Glare burped suddenly, and a roll of parchment and a quill popped out of his mouth. Glare grabbed them and held them so he could start writing. "Would you like your list in alphabetical order, or in order of usefulness?" Glare asked insincerely. "That was cool!" Spike cheered. "How did you do that?" "If you join the Corps, you can learn how. That's the whole reason they exist; to teach us just what we can do," Glare answered. "The Royal Messenger Dragon Corps go back way to the rule of King Init, when we first came to be." "I've never heard of him," Twilight said, surprised she didn't know. "When did he rule Barrier City?" Glare laughed. "He never did. King Init was an alicorn, not a sea pony. He ruled over eighty thousand years ago," Glare explained. "I've never heard of him," Twilight declared.     "That is because ponies don't remember like we do. We share the beings we have served with each other, and because of that, we have a near complete list of rulers for every nation, ever, going back, as I said, eighty thousand years. It's not particularly useful, most are in books anyway." "So... how long would it take me to learn this stuff? I'd love to learn to just make stuff appear like that, but I can't leave Twilight alone. She can't even cook without me!" Spike said. "Years, but I suppose I could teach you a few things before your transport arrives." "I'll stay here. You go relax Twilight," Spike ordered. Reluctantly she left to join the others on the sand. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "What should we do first?" Sweetie Belle asked her friends. "Swimmin'!" Apple Bloom cried. "Sand castles!" Scootaloo shouted. "I vote sand castles too!" Sweetie Belle agreed. Having never visited a real beach before, they didn't quite know the mechanics. First they tried using dry sand, but were disappointed as it fell right down. Looking around, they saw what the other foals were doing and moved closer to the water. They lacked the proper tools for the job, but with a bit of magic and hard work they soon had a small sand tower surrounded by a moat. "Cutie Mark Crusader, castle builders!" they cheered, stepping back to admire their work. “What are you three doing here?” The trio turned and saw their least favorite earth pony pair. “Hah, Diamond Tiara,” Apple Bloom grunted. “Hello, Silver Spoon,” Sweetie Belle said, equally as happy. “What do you want?” Scootaloo asked. “I said, what are you three doing here?” Diamond Tiara asked. “What, are we not allowed on the beach?” Sweetie Belle asked sarcastically. “I was just wondering what you are doing here. I’ve never seen you here before,” Diamond Tiara replied. “Twilight’s visitin’ the sea ponies and we came along,” Apple Bloom explained. “What are you doing here?” Scootaloo asked. “We’re here every year,” Silver Spoon said, smirking. “My family’s second home is here so we get to come here every summer.” “My family’s second home is up north so we go skiing in the winter,” Diamond Tiara added. “Two homes? Whah would yah need two homes? Yah got that much stuff?” Apple Bloom asked, confused. “We have them because we can,” Silver Spoon said. “And that is the saddest sand castle I’ve ever seen,” Diamond Tiara said. "Whah do yah always gotta be so mean?" Apple Bloom cried, stomping her hoof down. She didn't realize what she had done. The sand beneath Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon rumbled. They looked down, curious, but were met with a column of sand erupting into the air right into their faces, knocking them backwards.     "Ew!” Silver Spoon said, spitting sand. Apple Bloom looked at her glowing hoof in shock, but willed the magic away quickly, and tried to look innocent as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon glared at them. “My daddy’s going to hear about this!” Diamond Tiara shouted. "Close your eyes," Sweetie Belle whispered to her friends. They did so. "Solar flare!" Sweetie Belle cried. There was a bright flash of light Apple Bloom and Scootaloo could both see through their closed eyes. The other two fillies were not prepared, and could only see spots. "Run!" Sweetie Belle called to her friends. They followed her as they fled farther down the beach. As their vision cleared, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon wondered off. "What did you do, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked, panting from the quick escape. "I dunno. Must be some new kind of spell," she replied, looking at the offending hoof. "Try it again," Scootaloo requested. Apple Bloom nodded and focused. She wasn't as good as the pegasus at summoning up magic on command, but soon her hoof was glowing green. She then turned her attention to a nearby random patch of sand and stomped. A rumbling second later, a plume of sand shot a couple feet into the air. "Cool!" Scootaloo said wowed. "Ah wonder if Ah can do it with stuff other than sand," Apple Bloom thought out loud, eyes on the fading green glow. "It uses a lot a magic," she commented. "Can we go swimming now?" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Say, how come you don't have wings?" Spike asked Glare as they took a brief break. "That's history 101 in the Corps. We lost our wings to a draconequus demon," Glare explained. "Discord?" Spike asked. Glare nodded. "Before him, we had served as couriers for the alicorn monarchy, or warriors in times of danger, though with wings and the size of other dragons, as well as most of the powers we have today, but we were too stupid to really use them. We were no better than wild dragons. All at once he stripped flight from us. It was a big blow, but it forced us to rely more on our pony companions, which was better in the long run. We adapted and became how we are today." "It's weird. A while ago, I kind of got into a big greed thing," Spike said quietly. "Ah, yes. The bane of us all." "I got really big. Just how big can we get?" "I've grown to my natural limit," Glare replied. "Unless I start a significant hoard, I will stay this size for the rest of my life." "Huh. All the dragons I met were huge." "Yes, but how can we serve other beings when we tower over them. This size is just right for us. The draconequus did us a service when he shrank our bodies." "Well that's good. I didn't want Twilight to have to make an extra wide door for me," Spike said relieved. "That wouldn't be a problem anyway. She'll be long dead before you're close to my size. We can live for a thousand years or more. I'm almost six hundred myself." "Better not tell Twilight that. She'll want you to tell her everything." "Yes, unicorns can be like that. Should I also not mention my great grandmother was Starswirl the Bearded's assistant?" "Definitely not." "I must say, you are quite brave," Glare said. "I am? I mean of course I am!" "Going underwater like that? You couldn't pay me enough to go down there. I may work for the King, but I'm staying right up here on dry land." “That must get pretty inconvenient, since you’re supposed to send messages back and forth for him,” Spike said. “Not really. I do get some mail from Barrier City, and it comes here daily to be sent out, but they’re really separate from Equestria. I rarely ever actually send messages for the King.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle jumped right into the cold water, but Scootaloo hung back. "What are you waiting for?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I wanted to show you a new trick I’ve been practicing," Scootaloo replied. They noticed her wings brimming with blue magic. Cautiously, the pegasus filly stepped out into the water. Or onto it. As much as they had seen, they were still amazed to see Scootaloo actually walking on the surface of the ocean like it was a solid, if uneven surface. "How are ya doin' that?" Apple Bloom asked, shocked. "I figured since pegasi can walk on clouds, and clouds are just water, why can't we walk on regular water too?" Scootaloo explained. “It's a lot harder though," she added, wobbling a bit as the waves passed. “I don’t think I could do it without my magic either.” "Well are you comin' in?" Apple Bloom asked. Scootaloo cut off the flow of magic, and fell through the water’s surface, splashing both of the other crusaders. "Oh yeah? Take this!" Apple Bloom yelled playfully. She called forth her magic, and punched the water. The resulting wave actually knocked Scootaloo back out of the water. She splashed back under a few feet away. "Woah, Apple Bloom, you got quite the leg there! "Scootaloo said after she had resurfaced. "Ah'm an Apple. Ah course we're strong!" Apple Bloom replied, flexing her tiny legs. "What's wrong, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked the quiet unicorn, ignoring Apple Bloom. "Oh, nothing. It's just you guys are doing all this cool magic stuff, and I haven't done anything new!" Sweetie Belle said. "You still know more spells than the two of us put together," Apple Bloom said, trying to cheer her friend up. "Oh yeah," Sweetie Belle said, smiling. Something caught their attention. A swirling green smoke had rushed towards them and it condensed into a piece of paper that Scootaloo caught before it hit the water and read. “Oh. Lunch is ready," she announced. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "So did you girls have fun on the beach?" Fluttershy asked when the trio returned for lunch. "Yeah!" They chorused together. "It worked!" Spike cheered. "Well, eat up, we're going to meet the sea ponies soon." Twilight said, passing out the sandwiches Spike had prepared. Everypony did as they were told. Rainbow Dash passed Scootaloo some hard black strips, and she promptly ate them up. "What are those?" Applejack asked. "Dried fruit," Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo said together, almost as if they had rehearsed it. "You two almost sound like sisters," Applejack said, smiling. Everypony had noticed how close the two had become recently, but they didn't know why. The two looked at each other and laughed. "Yeah, you two are always hanging out," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "Of course. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't do a little fan service now and then." "Rainbow...." Twilight grumbled. "So, Glare, how are we going to get there?" Rainbow Dash asked, changing the subject. "A vessel will be here shortly to take you to the palace," Glare replied. "But how are we going to breathe underwater?" Fluttershy asked. "None of us have gills." "We don't need them." Twilight said with a flourish, she went off to the basket and when she returned, she was carrying a set of bottles telekinetically. "Zecora and I came up with this potion together. It allows a pony or any land creature to actually breathe water for 72 hours, or until they next leave the water." Twilight explained. "When the carriage arrives, we'll have to drink it, then be back here in three days." "That zebra never ceases tah amaze," Applejack commented. "Ah bet she could make a potion for anythin'!" Apple Bloom agreed. "Well, this required a bit of magic to work," Twilight corrected.     "What about our things? They'll get ruined if they get wet," Rarity pouted. "You could cast a waterproofing spell," Twilight suggested. "But we'll probably only be there a day or two, so you won't need anything." “What, not even a change of clothes?” Rarity cried. “We’re gonna be under water,” Applejack pointed out. “No sense in wearin’ any clothes.” "I shall watch over your things here," Glare said. "Say, how did you do this? I thought you could only send letters to the Princess," Sweetie Belle asked, holding up the now soggy note. "Glare taught me a few things," Spike replied. "Turns out I can actually send messages to any of my friends or any other messenger dragon." "There's a lot more he has to learn, like summoning scrolls to write on, or tracing a letter." "Tracing, like finding out where it came from?" Twilight asked. "In a way, yes. It is a skill that only we can use. When properly trained, we can tell exactly what dragons have sent a given message, even if we do not know their name. Each has their own... signature, if you will," Glare explained. "Since none of you seem to know anything about us, I'll add that when we do not know the recipient, we send letters between us until it reaches one who does, or is at least close enough to deliver it manually. Tracing a letter prevents it from showing up to the same dragon twice." "Wow, that's pretty cool," Rainbow Dash commented. "I can't believe the Ponyville library didn't have anything on this," Twilight complained. "That's easy, darling, there have never been any dragons in Ponyville," Rarity pointed out. "Besides Spike that is," she added quickly. "There's one in Cloudsdale," Fluttershy said. "Ah, Cliff Side, if I'm not mistaken," Glare said. "Most major mail centers employ us. We can deliver letters much more quickly." "I wish we had known you sooner. We could have all been spared some grief during the dragon migration," Rarity said. "Wait, you actually tried to migrate?" Glare said, laughing at Spike. "And how were you planning on doing that without wings?" "I followed on foot," Spike replied, annoyed. "I wanted to learn about what it meant to be a dragon, and they were the only dragons I had seen." "How could you live in Canterlot and not see any dragons? There should be a dozen corps members there!" "I spent my time with Twilight and the other ponies," Spike said. "You know, Spike, if you want, you could join," Twilight said, "I'll take care of things." "No, I can learn that stuff anytime, but you won't always be here," Spike said. "I'd rather spend my time with you than be off there." "Um...what's that?" Fluttershy asked. She pointed toward the open sea beside the dock. Something was coming towards the surface. "Alright girls, get ready to meet the aquatic pony tribe," Twilight announced. The three fillies looked close, but couldn't see any figures. A spherical vessel made of what looked like opaque glass rose from the water. Once it was above the level of the boardwalk, a hatch in the side opened up about level with the dock. "Forgive me for not swimming outside, but I would like to welcome the Ambassador and her entourage,” a voice from inside the vessel called. "Bottoms up." Twilight said, passing out the bottles. She went first. She stepped up to the hatch, drank the potion in one swig, and jumped in. One by one the rest followed. As they went, Glare pulled Spike aside. "Is that the one you really like?" Glare asked, pointing to Rarity. "Yeah... She's the one that stopped me when I went all greedy," Spike replied. "You're going to tell me not to try, right?" "No, just remember this. She will die one day, and you will still have a long life to look forward to." "I know, but.. it's worth it, even if it's only for a little while." "That it is, youngling. That it is." When it was Scootaloo's turn she drank it too. It tasted terrible. And there was a stuffy feeling in her chest, like her lungs were being filled with downy feathers. She could see her friends inside already, swimming in an inside pool so she jumped in to join them. When she hit the water, the first thing she noticed was it felt really nice being below the surface. She could see clearly. She took a deep breath, and didn't start violently choking on the saltwater. The potion had done the trick, and she could actually breathe the water. The vessel was partially transparent from the inside, and through its surface she could see them moving down into the depths of the ocean. It seemed to be pulled by a pair of large fish. "Greetings, Ambassador Sparkle," the voice said. She could hear clearly underwater as well, if not better. She turned and saw the source. She was not exactly as Cheerilee had drawn them; ponies with fins where hooves should be and a long tail sure, but they also had two larger fins on their back, repurposed wings. It could have been the water, but she seemed to be a pale green. Her fin-hooves seemed fairly dexterous. She had a cutie mark like terrestrial ponies. It looked like a weird rock. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "It was brain coral," Twilight interrupted. "Huh?" "Seafoam's cutie mark was brain coral." "Hey, can I tell my story?" Scootaloo griped. "Sorry, go on." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "It is a pleasure to visit the sea pony home." Twilight returned, trying to bow but couldn't quite do it. The sea pony giggled. "We do have rare visits from surface dwellers, but I think you're the first to not demand airtight accommodations," the sea pony said. "I am known as Seafoam, and I will be your guide while you are in Barrier City." "Is it true sea ponies used to be pegasus ponies?" Scootaloo asked. "It's true. But we moved to the sea just over two thousand years ago," Seafoam answered. "I must say, I didn't expect the ambassador to have such a large group of assistants." "Assistants?" Rarity protested. "These are just my friends," Twilight explained. "They heard i was going to the ocean and wanted to come. I hope this won't be a problem." "Well, they are all welcome in the palace," Seafoam said, "It will take us awhile to arrive. Does anyfish have any questions?" At once they began asking various questions from fashion, to how the bathrooms worked, all of which Seafoam answered to the best of her ability. After what seemed like hours and probably was, she ended the questions. "We are almost there," she said, pointing with a fin. The girls pressed their faces to the side of the vessel to get a better look. Out of the murky water appeared a magnificent metropolis. Towers of colorful coral, gigantic sculptures hewn from the very rock, and glass cylinders connecting one rocky building to another. "Welcome to the sea pony capital of Barrier City." They ooo'd and awed at the sight as they passed by. Finally they stopped in front of the largest structure in the complex. While most of the buildings were made of coral, this one was made of solid bedrock. Stretching hundreds of feet into the ocean, it dwarfed the buildings around it in both size and beauty, with intricate gold inlays and enormous buttresses. A hatch on the bottom of the vessel opened up, and Seafoam swam out. The rest joined her. She led them up the ramp and inside. There were no stairs in Barrier City, save for the airtight areas, and those were few in number. Why bother when you don't have legs. Ramps were used mainly for looks. They entered the palace and swam on. Most of them could swim already, but the pegasi found that they could maneuver through the water just like they could through the air, albeit at a slower pace. Rainbow Dash tried seeing how fast she could go, but she wasn't very hydrodynamic and couldn't hope to match her speed in the air. The fillies had trouble keeping up, so their older siblings and Rainbow Dash carried them. Spike was very uneasy. Dragons were beings of fire, and while a bath or pond was no big deal, being underwater was unnerving on an instinctual level. Glare had been right. They came to a set of massive brass doors flanked on both sides by massive guards. These weren't just sea ponies, but numerous large sea creatures joined the ranks. Lobsters, sharks, octopuses, and starfish to name a few. Each carried at least one long metal rod with three spikes at one end. These were all foreign to the girls. The guards parted at Seafoam's arrival, and they continued inside. "Greetings, ambassador," called the large sea pony seated on a golden throne. It rivaled Celestia's in terms of size, and so did the pony seated on it. "Greetings, your highness," Twilight said, attempting another bow, but getting nowhere. "How do you like our little city under the waves?" the King asked. "I have not personally set eyes on Canterlot, but I have heard it nearly matches the beauty of my kingdom." "It is lovely, your highness." "I see you have brought many friends with you," the King said. "We'll have to make room at the banquet for them." "We don't want to impose, yer majesty," Applejack said, trying to bow as well. "I may wear the crown, but I always make sure everyfish is taken care of. Royalty may rule, but it has a duty to the beings it rules. The King serves the fish, not the other way around," the King said. "I'll have the servants tend to your rooms while we eat." "Thank you ever so much, your highness," Rarity said bowing. "Servants, set some extra places," the King said, waving a fin. A few sea ponies bowed and exited the room. "I know you are eager to get to business, but it can wait until tomorrow." "With all due respect, this is very important," Twilight said. "Perhaps you can tell me some now and some then," The King agreed. "Thank you. Princess Celestia sent me here to inform you that the terra ponies are not as extinct as once thought, and now are working against all of pony kind." The King was quiet for several minutes. "This is grave news you bring. The alicorn’s war with the terra ponies is what drove us to the sea in the first place," the King said, deep in thought. "But we have little to worry about down here. They cannot breathe or cast magics to do so." "But they may have agents here. Non-pony agents," Twilight went on. "They have worked with griffons and diamond dogs in the past, and it is safe to assume they would work with other beings." "They may," the King nodded. "The Princess is just asking for your support in this matter." "She doesn't have it," the King said bluntly. Twilight looked crestfallen. Her mission was over, and it had barely begun. Suddenly he began chuckling. "But that is how diplomacy works, no? I think one thing, and you try to convince me I am wrong." "Your majesty, the banquet is ready," a servant said entering the room. "Excellent. Tomorrow we can do the debating, but for now, we eat," the King said, getting up and heading off to where the servant had entered. As he turned they could see his cutie mark was that of several ocean waves. The girls followed into a different, much larger room with an enormous table going from one end of the room to the other. Piled on top was all manner of foods, most of which, none of them could recognize. Already the table was full of what they could only assume were nobles, both pony and fish folk. The group sat down in the empty spots at the end. "Friends, tonight we have nine of our surface sisters and a messenger dragon joining us," the King said, sitting at the head of the table. "Let us welcome them into our home and show them the harmony of the sea ponies." The girls looked cautiously at the various foods before them. It was all so strange. I know what half of this is,[i/] Rainbow Dash thought, remembering all the seafood meals she had, had with the griffons. "Hello," Seafoam greeted, joining them. "Would you mind telling us what this is?" Fluttershy asked quietly. "Not at all." Seafoam smiled, "you surface ponies don't eat fish right?" "Nope," Rainbow Dash replied automatically, and a bit louder than she would have liked. "I've caught them, but for my animal friends," Fluttershy said quietly. "Than you'll want to stay away from just about everything," Seafoam explained, before grabbing some food for herself. She pointed with a fin at a bowl of multi colored leaves. "The seaweed is vegetarian, but there isn't much of it. It's not a popular dish." "Now Ah see the downside tah comin' here," Applejack sighed. "I didn't know sea ponies were carnivores," Pinkie said surprised. "Aren't they your friends?" Fluttershy asked. "Some are our friends, but not all fish folk are intelligent. If they talk they don't get eaten. Simple as that. There isn't much that grows underwater, so we adapted," Seafoam explained. Scootaloo looked closer, and saw her teeth were actually sharper than that of a surface pony. They weren’t quite predator like, but still sharp. "Well I refuse to lower my standards," Rarity said. She levitated some seaweed over to herself and began eating. At once she gagged. “Oh this is simply horrid!” "I agree," Sweetie Belle said, mimicking her sister after trying a bite. "Me two," Apple Bloom echoed. "Uh- me three," Scootaloo said. She wouldn't go hungry, Rainbow Dash had packed plenty of food for the trip. She could even see Rainbow Dash hastily stuffing some food into her bag for later when nopony was watching. When everypony was busy, she did the same. “I'm surprised at how many beings here are not ponies,” Fluttershy said quietly, nibbling some seaweed. “What, don't you have other beings on the surface that talk?” Seafoam asked. “We do. Griffons, centaurs, minotaurs, changelings, harpies, donkeys, goats, zebras...” Twilight listed. “Dragons,” Spike added. He had ignored the food, and begun eating one of the stone bowls. “But we don't live with them for the most part,” Twilight continued. “How strange,” Seafoam said, frowning. “It's always been us and the fish folk down here. We've always lived together.” “And they don't mind you eatin' their kin?” Applejack asked. “They view the non sentient fish as lesser beings, so they'll eat them too.” “We could certainly learn a lot about harmony with a little culture exchange,” Twilight commented. "They sound a lot like griffons," Rainbow Dash commented. "They won't eat anything that talks back either." "Really? Ah thought some did," Applejack said. "Actually, the last griffon civil war was over that, but the good side won and eating sentients was banned," Rainbow Dash explained. "Some still do, but its illegal, and they do their best to stamp it out. It's one of the few laws griffons have." "You really know a lot of griffon history," Twilight commented. "It's hard not to learn it when you spent as much time with them as I did." As they ate, a group of sea ponies wearing white robes swam out over a raised stage along one side of the room. About two dozen in all, both stallions and mares. On the front and back of each robe was a gold emblem shaped similarly to the head of a trident. Once they had found their places, they turned their heads up and began singing. There were words, but no being present could understand them. The song grew louder and louder as they sang. Watching them, the group could see lights appearing in the water above them. Small points of different colors. The lights swirled around leaving trails of color behind them. “Dazzling!” “Wow!” “Oooo!” “So cool!” The girls were in awe at the display. “Who are they?” Twilight whispered to Seafoam. “They are the sirens,” Seafoam whispered back. “An ancient order of sea ponies dating back to when we first entered the ocean.” “How are they doing that?” Twilight asked. “Magic,” Seafoam replied. Twilight looked at her confused. “The sirens use their voice to summon forth magic.” Twilight turned back to the singers. Then a noise started coming from behind her. Sweetie Belle had closed her eyes and was joining in. Quietly at first, trying to catch the flow of the melody. She caught it, and began to perfectly echo the choir. Rarity watched with amazement as lights winked into existence above her sister. The sea ponies who had previously been paying exclusive attention to the sea pony singers, began glancing at the unicorn who was joining in. Even a few of the sirens glanced over, but were careful to keep the song going. The song went on for a while, but Sweetie Belle sang the entire time. When it was over she, stopped and looked around. “Why is everypony staring at me?” she asked. “Sweetie Belle, that was lovely!” Rarity praised. “I have never heard of a land dweller being able to sing a siren's song,” Seafoam said. Across the room, the sirens were talking amongst each other very excitedly. One left the group and swam over to Sweetie Belle. “Sorry if I ruined your song. I just wanted to try it,” Sweetie Belle apologized. “Young foal,” the siren spoke, “you have nothing to be sorry for. That is what our song is meant to do. Those with the gift of the siren's song are rare as you can see. Finding a new fish with the gift is always a welcome surprise.” “Not every pony can sing? But it seemed so easy,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Some may try to imitate us, but only a siren can truly sing as we can. A siren will find learning a song very easy, as you just demonstrated,” the siren explained. “In all our days, we have never seen an air breather with the gift. Would you please sing with us in the next song?” “Okay!” Sweetie Belle replied. “Then please follow. We shall begin our song soon,” the siren said. Sweetie Belle got down from the seat and followed him to the stage. “So what exactly are the sirens?” Rarity asked Seafoam. “I guess you could say they are the sea pony equivalent of unicorns. They are capable of great magic. They have been known to heal the injured and stop storms with their voices,” Seafoam explained. “Just how rare are they?” Rarity asked. “All the sirens in the sea pony kingdom are on that stage now,” Seafoam answered. “Is it hard to become one?” Rarity asked, watching her sister trying to get onto the stage. “One does not become a siren. You must be born with the gift. Having a siren in the family is a sign of good fortune,” Seafoam continued. “Parents are always trying to get their foals to sing like a siren, but the sirens always know who is a true siren.” The girls quieted down as the next song began. A few songs later, the meal was over, and the servants began clearing away the food. The girls were still hungry, but they would not stoop to relenting on their values “Rarity! Rarity!” Sweetie Belle called as she raced back. One of the sirens was following. “They want me to join them!” “I'm afraid that won't be possible,” Rarity told the filly, shaking her head. “You heard Twilight, we get three days underwater and that's it.” “Somefish may find a solution to that problem some day,” the siren said calmly. “In the meantime, with your permission, we would like to teach the foal some of our songs. If you must leave soon, we will give you one of our song books before you go.” “It will have to wait until tomorrow, but I don't see why not,” Rarity replied. “Thank you!” Sweetie Belle said happily. A servant approached. “I am very sorry, we only have five spare rooms available for you all.” “Not a problem. There are ten of us, so we’ll just double up,” Twilight said. “Roomie!” Pinkie Pie cried, hugging Fluttershy. “What?” Fluttershy asked. “Well of course it’s going to be us together! Everypony else is already paired up” Pinkie said plainly. “Sure, it’ll make them think of Flutterpie, but they’re just silly.” “Who’s them?” Applejack asked. “And what’s Flutterpie?” Twilight asked. “Oh girls, you can be so silly sometimes,” Pinkie said. “If you are ready, I will show you to your rooms,” the servant said. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Scoots, are you still hungry?" Rainbow Dash asked, pulling off her bag, and pulling a piece of fish out. "Way ahead of you," Scootaloo replied, pulling out some of the food she had snagged. Rainbow Dash shot her a snide smile. She took out some white fish and bit down with her magic teeth. “Mmmm. How come we never have this at home?” “And how are we supposed to get seafood in Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash replied. They ate happily together, while the rest rubbed their empty tummies. "I feel sorta bad for them," Scootaloo said after they had finished. "We're going to be all full and they're going to starve." "Maybe they'll learn what it's like to be us for a change, huh?" Rainbow Dash joked. “If only for a day or two.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The twisted face leaned in closer. "You need a little madness in you," said the alluring voice. The draconequus's eyes began dissolving into swirls, mesmerizing the pony before him. "Get away from her!" Celestia roared, knocking him away from the dark blue alicorn with a blast of magic. Luna shook her head as though dazed. "Luna?" "I am okay sister," Luna replied. But were you really? No. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~         If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:         My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.         Forever a Changeling, my new story starring Rainbow Dash as a changeling.         Samurai Applejack, a drastically different kind of story. It’s rated mature for violence and some suggestive lines.         Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s my most popular. It’s just one chapter long.