I awoke in yet another unfamiliar place, as a great lurch sent me sliding sideways and throwing my still bruised shoulder into a hard surface. I cried out and leapt to my hooves, only to almost fall over.
I was in a small rowboat on the open ocean, with Madame Fog sitting nearby and watching me warily. Above us, a canopy of stars stretched over a cloudless sky. We were travelling at a tremendous speed, and only upon leaning upon the bow of the vessel did I see the sharkponies pulling our craft with ropes wound around their bodies.
“What-- Where are we?” I said.
“Continuing our journey,” Madame Fog stated. “You did well, Porter.”
“Then the city…?” I drew in a sharp breath. “Sawtooth?”
My mistress pursed her lips. “The city has been damaged, with many killed. Even now, preparations continue for an evacuation to safer waters. I’m told there are many hunting grounds where the sharkponies had previously stayed temporarily. Nonetheless, in gratitude for your role in averting greater loss, their Princess granted us expedited passage the remainder of the way across the ocean.”
“But Sawtooth-- The sharkpony I was with. Is he okay?”
I heard a splash, and a small, grey-streaked sharkpony climbed aboard the rowboat. I recognized her as one of the ponies that had been in Sawtooth’s band. “Sawtooth left words for you, drypony. He says that he is sorry to not be here, but he must go with the many to the Upper Currents. Even still, he will not forget your name.”
My shoulders sagged, and I slumped to rest against the rough wood of the boat. Every part of my body seemed to ache. I stared up at the stars above, wondering if somewhere out there, Sawtooth was doing the same. Before exhaustion overtook me again, I thought I saw one lone shooting star streak across the sky.
[ENDING D]