Lost Harmony

by Miner

Chapter 7

Twilight leans against her cage as the yacks load her onto their ship. She saw them taking Spike onto another ship. They are most likely to make sure that if one escapes, they will still have one of them captive. She was taken below deck, put next to some large boxes, and left there. Twilight notices that a mouse has wandered into her cage. She looks at it with disinterest.

"Hello, little mouse," Twilight said to her little friend. "I guess we are both stuck here, huh?"

The mouse shakes its head, disagreeing with her before leaving her alone. As it goes, Twilight lets out a sigh.

---

Meanwhile, with Spike.

He glares at Smolder while she looks into his cage, shaking her head. "You are a sad little dragon, you know."

"What are you talking about?!" Spike said through his muzzle.

"You let that Pony treat you like a pet," she said with disgust,

This got Spike angry, "I am no pony's pet!"

"Oh really?" Smolder smiles at him, "Does that mare feed you every day?"

"Well, of course."

"Does she clean you and treat you like an innocent little creature?

"Well, yes but-"

"And I bet that where you live with that mare, there is a little basket where you sleep in front or next to her bed, isn't there?"

"No... yes."

She huffs at him, "And you call yourself a dragon. Just wait until the Dragon ruler is done with you."

This got Spike confused at what she said, "What are you talking about? I thought we were going to go to Canterlot."

"Oh, they are going there." She said, pointing to Twilight's direction, "But you and I are going back to the Dragon Island where baby dragons like you belong until you molt and get your wings."

"But my home is with Twilight!" he protested,

"Take it up with the Dragon Ruler. Because the way I see it. I am just saving a baby dragon from being treated as an enslaved person to a pony."

Spike gets up from his cage, grabbing onto bars, staring angrily at her, "Twilight has never treated me like a slave!"

She smacks the side of the cage, sending Spike falling to the floor, "It doesn't matter how she treated you!" She stares at the young drake with furry in her eyes, "Ponies and Dragons don't get along. You are a dragon. It is about time that you should start acting like one. Otherwise, you will never be welcome back home," Smolder leaves Spike alone in the cage, unaware that a tiny mouse watches them and leaves before Smolder sees it.

---

The Yacks have contacted the Hippogriff (or seaponies if they are in the water) nearby the island. Two seaponies arrive next to the shore, where two Yacks meet them.

"Hello, Yacks," Coral said. "What can we do you for?"

"Yacks need seaponies to look into sunken ship near the island for anything good. We will pay seaponies well for anything you find."

"You will have to be more specific, sir," Melody said. "There are many ships that have sunken near this island."

"Look for a fancy ship. That is new under the water. Yacks thinks something good is on it."

Coral taps his chins in thought, "I remember seeing a new ship nearby."

"Then seaponies go look for Yacks."

"We can look, but I don't think we will find much. The Sirens were there first, and they seemed to be looking for something. But we did find something shiny from another ship, though."

"Seaponies found something shiny?" This excites the yack. "What is it?"

"I am not sure, but where ever it is." Melody said, "But I know it is worth many bits."

"Can Yack see it?"

"I would have to go get it. I hid it somewhere until I could find somepony that would buy it."

"Bring shiny thing to Yack. Yack what to see it. And If Yack likes it. Yack will pay for it."

Melody smiles at this turn of events, "I will be back ." she leaves them as a small mouse leaves the scene.

---

Twilight was about to fall asleep when she noticed that her mouse friend had returned. She smiles at it and raises her head, "Oh, hello there. Sorry but I don't have any cheese for you. I kind of stuck in here."

The mouse moves close to Twilight. "Would you like to get out?" the mouse asked,

"That would be nice bu-" Twilight realized something very wrong here. Twilight look at the mouse. "Did you just talk?"

"Don't scream Twilight. And if you do. I will bite you."

Twilight looks around to see if anypony would notice this conversation before she lends in close to her little friend, "How is this possible?!"

"Well, I am not a mouse, for starters. I am what is known as a changeling."

"What is a changeling?"

"I am a species of insect-like ponies that can change our appearance into anything."

"How come I have never heard of you?"

"We don't like Ponies knowing that we are around."

"That makes sense, but how do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things. But we have to move quickly if we will get out of here."

"Okay, but why are you helping me?"

"Are you going to keep asking questions, or will you accept my help?"

"Fine, but what is your name?"

"Maybe I will tell later. But right now, I got to find out where the yack with the key is."

---

The seamare had returned to the yacks and presented them with her shiny blue gem shard.

The yack stared at the gem with wide eyes and ensured the dragon wasn't nearby to eat it. "What does seapony what for gem?"

"How many bits do you have?" she asked,

"Seapony will not get all yacks bits."

"Fair enough."

Once a deal was made, the seaponies left with a bag full of bits, and the yacks got the gem shard.

"Why did yack pay so much for a little piece of gem?" Another one said,

"Gem reminds yack of a good time. So yack gets gem."

As they said, this Smolder thought she heard something but only saw a mouse leaving the scene and is to head to one of the ships. "How odd."

---

Twilight waits patiently for the return of her friend. "We don't have much time." The mouse said before green flames covered it, and it turned into a yack and let out Twilight out of her cage.

"So, what is the plan?"

"I will cause a distraction while you and Spike escape." He said, undoing Twilight's restraints, "Once you two are clear of the campsite. Head on over to your campsite in the cave, and I will meet you there."

"And what if the Zebras or Yacks find us?"

"You run."

"That is not much of a plan."

"Hey, give me a break. I am doing the best I can with the limited resources I have. You are going to need this." He gives her a key. "This will get rid of the muzzle on your friend."

"Thank you."

The changeling leaves Twilight below deck as she listens for any kind of distraction. "ZEBRAS STOLED YACKS FOOD!"

Twilight can hear Yack shouting and breaking things. Before long, the yacks left the boat to chase some zebras that so happened to be nearby. Twilight took this opportunity to go free Spike. Once she found him, she quickly opened the cage and took his muzzle off, but he wouldn't move for some reason.

"Come on, Spike, we got to go."

"And what? Go back to canterlot and be treated like a pet?" He said, looking down,

"Spike?"

"That's what is waiting for me when we go back, isn't it?"

"Spike, what has come over you? We have to get going, and we have to go now." Twilight moves closer to him, but she stops with she sees him move away from her. "Spike, please talk to me. What is wrong?"

"Twilight, what am I to you?"

"Spike. You are my best friend and number one assistant. I don't know why you would ever think I would treat you like a pet. If anything, I treat you more like the little brother that I never had." Twilight's eyes tear up, thinking of losing her only friend left. "Please, Spike, if we don't go now, we will never be able to go home ever. I already lost Sunset, and I don't want to lose you too."

Spike hugs Twilight, who returns the hug. "I am sorry, Twilight. I don't know what came over me."

"It is okay, Spike." She said, smiling at him, "Now come on. We got to get going."

"Yeah. And when we get home. We got to talk about my bed. I would like a proper one."

"Sure."

As they run away, a huge airship closes in on the island. It has smoke coming from the back as the propellers move it in the air with a bright light blue symbol of two antlers on the side of the haul. Inside the ship, huge biped creatures with grey fur and white manes like lions dress in black armor with the same symbol on the ship's haul, on their shoulders pads. They have a black mask with three spikes coming off both sides, covering their face, revealing the bright blue glow of their eyes coming through the mask. One of them is looking at a control panel with a sonar leading them to the island.

"We are approaching the island, sir." one of the soldiers said,

"Good." A mare said from the shadows of the command room, "Have our troops ready. Tear that island apart if you have to, but get me the shard."

Two of the soldier turned to face the mare and saluted, "We will not let you down, sir."

"I know you won't." She said, moving close to one of them, "Because you are not coming back without that shard. Got it."

"Oh, course commander."

---

Twilight and Spike were heading to the cave when a yack came out of nowhere and stopped them. Twilight was about to blast the yack with magic when it backed up and lifted its hooves in surrender. "Relax, it's me." The yack said before changing into a mouse.

"Oh, there you are. But I thought that we would meet up at the cave?"

"Change of plans. We got to get off this island now if we want to survive."

"What is going on?"

"One of the storm king airships is here."

Twilight and Spike look at each in confusion before looking at their friend, "Who is the storm king?"

"A tyrant of the seas. He takes whatever he wants, and nopony can stop him. The only thing we can do right now is run."

"How come I never heard of him?" Twilight asked, "You would think that someone like him would be known by everypony?"

"Well, he normally doesn't come this far away from his waters. Something must have gotten his interest here. In any case, we can use this to our advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"The islanders will be too busy fending off the airship. That their docks will be unguarded, and their ships will be ready for the taking."

"But that is stealing!" Twilight screeches,

"You got any other ideas for getting off this island and another one?"

"We could swim." Spike spoke up, only to receive stares from the other two, "What?"

"Spike, you are asking to die." Twilight said, "Did you forget who owns the sea nearby?"

"Oh right," Spike said, rubbing the back of his head, embarrassed,

"Alright," The changeling said before changing into a zebra warrior, "let's get moving before they notice us."

"Uh, quick question," Twilight said before they moved,

The changeling turns to face her, "Yes."

"Do you know how to sail a ship?"

"Yes, I know how to..." He stops and gives Twilight a flat stare, "You never sailed before, have you?"

"I never need to. I thought I would never need to leave Canterlot's island ever."

"But what about those survival guild books?" Spike asked, "Won't one of them tell you how to sail?"

"Spike, reading a book about how to sail and doing it are two completely different things. I need somepony to teach me first to do it correctly. Otherwise, I would be making so many mistakes."

"Well said." The changeling said, "Looks like you two are in for a crash course then. Now. Let's get going."

Twilight and the gang slowly made their way to the island's docks. In the distance, they can see yacks fighting what she suppose are the Storm King soldiers. Both sides are evenly matched in size and strength. It looks like a stalemate, but the yacks are losing. Twilight knew that those yacks were moments ago ready to sell her for bits, but somewhere deep inside of her, she wanted to help them. But she needs to get off this island, and she has to go now.

As they board one of the ships in the dock. The airship descends to the shore, and a gangplank is lowered and a unicorn mare with black armor with the glowing symbol on her flank guard. Her boy was a dark purple with a dark pink mane and tail standing on end like hair flowing in a stream. But what stood out the most was a scar on her right eye and the broken horn on her head. Her eyes are half-closed as she looks at the defeated yacks as the soldiers push them down to stay in line.

"Well, did you find it?" She asks one of the soldiers,

"Yes, commander Tempest. It is right here." the soldier said, presenting the blue shard to her.

Tempest picks up the shard and smiles to herself, "The Storm King will be pleased with this."

"Oh, course Tempest. But what do we do with the yacks?"

"We do not need them. Leave them be; we got what we came for. But take the dragon. It is not every day that you find a young one so far away from their island."

Smolder struggled, but she was no match for them. The soldiers tied her up as they muzzled her before loading her onto the airship.

---

"That was too close." The changeling said as they sailed away from the island. He fastens a rope to the deck; while his companions look around.

"Well, at least we made it," Spike said, lending against the side of the boat,

"Yes, we did. However, we have a bigger problem."

"What is it?" Twilight asked,

"This ship doesn't have enough resources to make it back to Canterlot. Nor is it capable of such a journey. It will never through the storm season."

"So, what do we do?"

"We will have to go to another island and hope they have a ship we can use with enough supplies."

"What if they don't?" Spike adds,

"Spike, that is no way of thinking when trying to survive out at sea." Twilight sighs, "But I can't deny that you have a point. However, all we can do right now is to have hope." She said as the changeling took their small ship's wheel and guided the boat.

As they sail into the sea. The airship flies away from the island in the opposite direction.

---

Meanwhile, with Sunset,

"Do I have to sneak into the Crystal Empire in a barrel?" Sunset asked as Lyra helped her into a barrel.

"It is the only way in for you. We ponies are not welcome there by the king or his citizens. However, I got permission to be there only for a few days. So once we get there. You don't do anything until I call you out of your barrel by name, Okay?"

"Got it."

"I mean it. It may take me a day or two to find a safe way to get you. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good," Lyra puts the lid on top of the barrel, "If you had to go to the restroom, too bad."

"Wait. What?"

"See you when we get there," Lyra said before nailing the barrel shut and rolling it to the dock. She stops next to the loading dock and shouts to the captain on the deck, "Hay," She looks at her, "You forgot one."

"We did?" she asked,

"Yes, my barrel."

"Oh, my apologies, mam. We will fix that problem right away." The captain waves for a sailer to get the barrel next to Lyra.

"You better. That barrel is worth more than what you guys make in a year."

"Oh, course, mam. We will take care of it." He said, rolling the barrel up the gangway with Lyra right behind him.

Sunset is getting dizzy as they roll her around in her barrel until they stop and put her right side.

---

Entry 125,

It has been two days since Lyra put me in this barrel, and I think it was a bad idea. But then again, it was the only way I could get into the empire. I still wonder what could have caused the king to hate us. And I still haven't thought of any way to convince the king to let me use his ship. And the more I think of it, the more I feel like I am on a desperate mission. But I have to try. If I don't, I will never make it back to Canterlot.

I can only hope that somewhere out there, Twilight and Spike are alright.

....

...

..

"I got to use the restroom."