Rain poured, lightning flashed and thunder crashed as the waves towered as high as buildings. Amongst the clamor, there was a deep crack that could be mistaken for thunder. But if one listened closely, they would know that it wasn't thunder. It was the sound of a ship breaking apart and sinking. Amidst the wreckage of the once great ship a yellow pegasus with a soaking pink mane lept to the surface with a gasp and flailed around for a moment before she found a still floating plank of wood. Instantly she latched onto the wood and hung on for dear life. For a time she bobbed about with the rough waves when a wave towered over her menacingly. The blood drained from her face and she released the plank so she could sink little ways underwater before the wave hit.
The pegasus mare's body was tossed around a bit under the water when the wave hit. When she felt slow, she uncurled herself and cracked her eyes open a bit. Despite the sting of seawater in her eyes, they still flew open at the sight before her. A few feet away from her was a white unicorn with a purple mane in an elegant dress. The unicorn mare was struggling and thrashing about in the water but wasn't swimming to the surface a few feet above her. The pegasus realized that the unicorn's dress was dragging her deeper underwater. With aid from her wings, she swam up to the unicorn and began helping her try to pull off the garment.
But even with their combined efforts, the dress wouldn't release its prisoner and they were both running out of the air. Just when it was beginning to look hopeless, however, a second pair of hooves grabbed the dress and in a swift movement tore it in half, releasing the unicorn from its confines. The orange and blonde earthpony mare on the other end of those hooves then grabbed the other two and in a couple powerful kicks, propelled them to the surface where she dumped them onto a larger chunk of the ship before pulling herself on.
For a time all the three mares did was sit there coughing and vomiting water. "Goodness!" The unicorn gasped. "That was much too close for comfort. Thank you both for saving me."
"Don't mention it." The pegasus said softly.
"T'wernt nothin'." The earthpony said with a southern twang.
They might've said more to each other, but there were more pressing matters. All through the night, they pressed together in the center of their makeshift raft to weather out the storm around them.
=============
Fluttershy wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but when she woke up her coat felt crusty and her feathers a little itchy. For a moment she was confused as to why this could be. Then her memories of last night came to her and she instantly began to climb to her hooves... only the stumble and fall back down when pain surged up her hind leg. There was the sound of hooves on wood and the concerned sapphire eyes of the unicorn from last night entered her field of vision.
"Oh darling, try not to stand." She said with a refined accent. "Just lay down and relax."
"W-what happened?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm afraid you've sprained your hoof very badly. You'll need to stay off of it for a while." As the unicorn spoke, Fluttershy took stock of herself and her surroundings.
Aside from herself and the unicorn mare, the only other occupants of the raft were several barrels, a couple trunks and a long piece of the sail from the ship. True to the unicorn's words, Fluttershy saw that her left hind hoof was a little swollen and expertly wrapped in cloth. Before she could begin to wonder where the earthpony mare was, she suddenly surfaced out of the water and with the unicorn's help began pushing a barrel up out of the water before pulling herself up.
"That's the last of what I could salvage." She said as she began wringing the water out of her blonde mane.
A light blue aura surrounded the newest barrel. "That is quite alright darling." The unicorn said as the placed the barrel with the rest. "You've found more than we thought we would. Hopefully, it will tide us over until we can find land or another ship."
"Um... I'm Fluttershy." She introduced herself, drawing the attention of both the unicorn and earthpony.
"Ah! Dear me. How incredibly rude of me to not introduce myself." The unicorn gasped in horror as though this were a travesty. "My name is Rarity. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Fluttershy."
"Name's Applejack." The earthpony mare said. "Pleased ta meet you too."
"Likewise to you both," Fluttershy said with a smile.
===========
Through the course of the following days, Applejack and Rarity quickly became good friends to Fluttershy. And over the course of those days, she got to know her two companions. Rarity was an aspiring fashion designer but had yet to gain any recognition beyond her hometown. In fact, that dress she'd been wearing when Fluttershy had spotted her was her newest design.
"Oh my. I'm very sorry about your dress." Fluttershy automatically began apologizing. Rarity just waved her off.
"Oh think nothing of it, darling." Rarity said. "I'm not shallow that I would value dress I could always make again above my own life. In fact, when I get back home I intend to fix that little design flaw. I can already see it, 'Fashionable and Floatable'. I may need to work on that, but you two get the idea."
While Rarity acted in a refined manner, in a situation like this she'd opted for the practical above style. Applejack on the other hoof was more her polar opposite. The orange earthpony had been born and raised on a farm and had lived on it until it fell on hard times that forced her family off the farm. Applejack and her brother then seek employment elsewhere. Applejack had chosen the occupation of a sailor. While admittedly it'd taken time for her to get her sea legs, she was now an expert sailor.
"Now don't get me wrong, Ah love the open sea more than Ah thought I would when I first started." The farm pony/sailor said. "The fresh air and wide open horizons for one are enjoyable, but mah Granny always said that 'y'all can take an Apple from the farm, but ya can't take the farm out of the Apple'. Ah still love the feel of the earth beneath mah hooves and nothing is more satisfying than a full day of apple bucking."
"I'm sorry that you can't be on your farm," Fluttershy said. Applejack shrugged like it didn't bother her much.
"T'aint yer fault so don't apologize fer it." She said. "Besides, at this point, the open ocean feels a bit like a second home. An' what about you?"
"Me?" Fluttershy squeaked in surprise.
"Indeed." Rarity agreed. "We've all shared about ourselves darling. What about yourself?" The other two mares watched her expectantly.
Fluttershy hated being the center of attention and would usually do whatever she could to stay out of the spotlight. But this time was different. She still felt a little nervous, but it wasn't the same crippling fear she usually experienced when all eyes were on her. Looking back on the experience, she guessed that the reason for this was because it was only two ponies and both were already friends. Even so, she gulped before she began speaking.
"Um.. well there really isn't much to tell." She started nervously. "I was born and lived in Canterlot for a time before we moved to the country." She didn't mention that the reason for the move was because of bullies, but judging by the tone of voice and the fact that she was glancing away (coupled with their knowledge and experience with Canterlot), she didn't need to tell them.
"I-I'm not very good with crowds or other ponies." She continued. "And I'm not very brave." Suddenly her companions began laughing. Fluttershy was bewildered. She wasn't sure she'd said that was so funny, but the most confusing thing was that she didn't feel like curling up and hiding like she normally did when whenever others laughed.
"Pfft. Sorry 'Shy." Applejack apologized as he laughter petered out. "It's just, that's the biggest load a' horse apples Ah ever heard." Fluttershy was still confused so Rarity elaborated.
"Indeed. After all, not just anypony could save me from sinking down to 'Davey Hooves locker'."
Fluttershy blushed and tugged her mane towards her face. "O-o-oh I didn't a-actually d-do much." She stuttered. "I-it was Applejack who saved you."
"True. But Ah wouldn't have been able ta if Y'all weren't there." Applejack said and Fluttershy's blush deepened and her mane was now hiding most of her face. Applejack continued regardless. "When Ah came across ya, Ah saw that while you weren't able ta get the dress off, you were slowing her sinkin'. If y'all weren't there, she'd have been too far fer me ta do anythin'. Far as ah'm concerned, Y'all are a bona fide hero."
Fluttershy continued to blush, but she'd moved her mane from her face and a tiny smile graced her muzzle. Then it melted as a thought occurred to her. She turned to Applejack with a worried, serious face that melted the other two mare's smiles.
"Applejack, we're going to be alright, right?" She asked with concern, bordering on fear and panic. "We'll be able to go home, right? We are going to live.. right?!" At this point, Fluttershy's voice was rising in panic. Applejack gave her a motherly smile and slung a hoof across her back before she could start hyperventilating.
"Hey now Sugarcube, let's not lose our heads just yet." She soothed and Fluttershy calmed down a little. "Look here." She as she gestured at the barrels and trunks that she'd hauled out of the wreckage. "What we got here is enough food and water ta sustain us fer a week or two at most. And that's ifn' we don't ration it. Ah also managed ta pick up a few oars. We may not be able ta paddle all the back to Equestria, but when we come across another boat or land, we can at least paddle towards it. If we ration the food and water, then Ah reckon we'll be fine till then."
Fluttershy relaxed returned the smile. It wasn't much, but it was hope. Hope that things would get much better.
=======
There were very few things that could earn enough of Fluttershy's ire to be hated. Not even her fillyhood bullies were hated as much as this Tartarus forsaken heat. Now under normal circumstances, this kind of weather would be pleasant. The kind of weather that many a mother would urge their child to play in. But under normal circumstances, one would be within the vicinity of a tree, house or any kind of shade. On their little raft there was little to no relief from the heat, save at night where it was so cold they had to huddle together under the sailcloth for warm. And after a week of this, all three mares were willing to brave a second tempest on their little raft if it meant blessed relief.
Oh, sweet merciful Faust, its so hot I feel like I'm melting." Rarity gasped dramatically. She was leaning against a barrel like it was a fainting couch and was fanning herself with a hoof.
"Ah hear ya Sugarcube." Applejack agreed from where she was sprawled out across the raft. "It's much hotter than the Appaloosan desert in summer."
Fluttershy could only nod and mumble agreement. For her, the heat was much more oppressive and everything was beginning to spin and warp. She barely registered her friend's voices at the corner of her hearing. She couldn't hear what they were saying but could tell by their tone that they were concerned. Darkness was pressing in around her as they moved towards her and she swiftly lost consciousness.
========
She wasn't how much time had passed after that. Her head ached, her body felt heavy and she was certain that she was sleeping almost constantly. Whenever she did awake, her friends were nearby taking care of her. This pattern continued for a time, though Fluttershy had no idea for how long when suddenly there was a change.
======
Fluttershy awoke with a sudden start. Judging by the light in the sky, it was late sunset or thereabouts. For a moment she was confused as to what had woken her up. Then she felt the raft jerk a bit. Her friends were jumping as much as they dared and shouting out at the tops of their lungs. Then they stopped jumping and Fluttershy could feel the raft begin moving forward. Then there were more voices. Everything was still a bit murky, but she could still recognize the other two mares alongside unfamiliar voices. As she drifted back to sleep, she felt a pair of strong hooves scoop her up and cradle her gently. Even as she passed out, she knew that this could mean only one thing: they'd been rescued. They were going to be alright. And then she passed out.
The sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky a gorgeous palette of reds, oranges and yellows and coloring the sea the same streaks. It was all in all an awe inspiring scene..... and the filly on the docks could care less about the sight. The yellow earthpony filly started down at the water morosely as several tears slid down her muzzle and dropped into the water. Her mane was red and held back by a pink bow. She didn't notice the second filly approaching until she spoke.
"Hey, you okay there?"
The sudden voice made the first filly jump and turn around. The second filly was a white unicorn filly about her age with a curled pink and purple mane. She cocked her head and for a time, green eyes stared into orange. The earthpony filly sniffed and swiped a hoof across her eyes.
"Yeah. Ah'm jus' fine." She answered the unicorn.
The unicorn filly frowned, clearly not believing her. "You're a bad liar." She scolded before settling down next to the earthpony filly. "Now tell me, what's wrong?"
The earthpony filly was almost tempted to lie to her, but her big sis had always taught her to not lie and anyways, she was a bad liar. She bowed her head to look down at the water for a moment before she spoke.
"Ah lost mah big sister." She said quickly. The unicorn filly was quiet for a moment.
"How'd you lose her?" She finally asked.
"She was a sailor." The earthpony said. "On board the Royal Rainbow. Ah assume you heard of it? That ship that recently went down in a storm?"
The unicorn filly nodded. "I've heard of it." And the pair descended into silence until the unicorn filly broke it. "But I don't think that you're sisters dead."
The earthpony's head snapped up in surprise. "What?"
The other filly smiled. "Let me ask you something. What's your sister like?"
The other filly gave some thought before allowing a small smile to creep onto her muzzle. "She's tough. And strong, but not as strong as mah big brother. And she's the most stubborn mare Ah'm proud ta know. She doesn't go down easily. At least not without a fight."
"Well there you go!" The unicorn filly said. "That's why I don't think neither she nor my sister is dead."
The earthpony was surprised. "Yer sister?" The unicorn filly nodded and looked out at the horizon. At this point the sun had almost completely set and purple was creeping in.
"My sisters a bit fussy about her looks, but when push come to shove she doesn't back down without putting up a fight." She said proudly. "And that's why I'm going to go out there and find her."
The filly next to her was floored. "Go out there ta find her?!" She asked in confusion.
"Yeah." The unicorn filly looked down at the water. "See, my sister was a passenger aboard the Royal Rainbow." The earth pony's eyes widened. The unicorn looked up and continued "But I don't think she's gone. I can just feel it. She out there somewhere, and I intend to find her. And if it turns out I'm wrong, at least I can say I tried."
She stood up and turned to the filly next to her. "You could come with me." She suggested. "Who knows, maybe my sister and your sister are together."
The earthpony hesitated a moment. "Ah don't know...." She trailed off uncertainly.
The unicorn offered a hoof. "C'mon, it could be an adventure!" She said with a squeak.
The earthpony was still hesitant and unicorn's face softened. "You could at the very least try." She said. "And haven't you cried enough?"
The earthpony hesitated a moment longer as she thought about her sister. She remembered her sister would tell her 'nothin' ever gets done when y'all are whinin' an cryin'. And the more she thought of it, the more it made sense. There was no way her sister would go down that easily and she was probably out there on the open sea right now. Just waiting for her.
With her mind made up, the earthpony filly grabbed the unicorn's hoof. "Alright, Ah'll come." She said. "Who knows, it could be one heck of an adventure."
The unicorn smiled and pulled her new companion to her hooves. "Glad to have you aboard." She said cheerfully. As they shook hooves a thought suddenly occurred to the earthpony filly.
"By the way, mah name's Applebloom. What's yours?"
"Sweetie Belle! Its nice to meet you Applebloom."
=======
Fluttershy blinked her eyes open groggily and was a little confused at the sight of a wooden ceiling instead of open skies. It only took her moment for her to recall her last memory. She'd woken up when Applejack and Rarity were calling out to a ship before they began paddling to it. They had been rescued and now she guessed that she was in their infirmary. Glancing around the room she spotted Applejack leaning up against the wall to the right of her bed, asleep. Rarity had fallen asleep leaning on her bed on the left side. Seeing them there made her smile a bit.
"I see you're awake."
Fluttershy let out an 'eep!' at the sudden feminine voice and looked up to spot the speaker. Standing not far away was a purple unicorn with a white lab coat. Her mane was straight and indigo in color with a magenta and purple streak. And perched on her muzzle and attached to a chain that went around her neck was a pair of black glasses with purple lines that seemed to glow, though that could've been her eyes fooling with her she figured. Her eyes, which were a lovely shade of purple, looked at her apologetically.
"Oh, I'm sorry for scaring you." She apologized.
"O-oh its alright." Fluttershy quickly said. "You just startled me a bit. I'm fine."
"Oh good. I wouldn't be much of a doctor if my patient died of a heart attack after she got better." The purple mare joked. Her horn then began glowing magenta and she levitated a scroll and quill towards her before she continued speaking in a more serious tone. "Now then, my name is Twilight Sparkle and I am the ship's doctor around here. Now when we brought you aboard, you were running a high fever and had a badly twisted hoof. I was able to all but heal your hoof, so you'll still need to stay of it for a couple days more. As for your fever, there wasn't much I could do except give you the medicine you needed and wait for it to break. Just a few hours ago, it broke. Tell me, how do you feel?"
"Um, well my hoof feels a bit better." As she spoke, Twilight began writing on her scroll. "And I feel much better. But my stomach feels weird and I feel a little tired."
Twilight nodded and rolled her scroll up before placing it on a nearby table. "That's perfectly normal." She assured. "You couldn't keep your food down because of your fever and you could only hold fluids. In addition your fever broke only recently. You're going to need plenty of bed rest for a couple days."
As Twilight spoke, Fluttershy's eyes grew heavier and she quickly sank back to her pillow. Twilight's horn lit up and her blankets were tucked in around her. "Its late and you need your rest." Twilight said as she began to drift off to sleep. "Goodnight, Fluttershy."
======
Before they parted ways, Sweetie Belle told Applebloom that she had a plan to get them out to sea and that she should pack what she would need then they would meet back here tomorrow evening. After she'd done her chores, eaten her dinner and had been tucked into bed, she set to work. She imagined that she would need to pack what she would usually take on a camping trip only a little different.
She packed a pillow and a couple of warm blankets, some food and a canteen or two of water and other important items. Before she could finish, she caught sight of the hat that sat on a dresser beside her bed. AJ's hat hat to be exact. Slowly, Applebloom picked the hat up and held it. It was well worn and not very fancy, but it was the most important thing to her, not just because it was a hat, but because it was also a promise.
Applejack treasured this hat as much as she treasured her family and didn't want to lose it out at sea. So every time she went out to sea, she would give to Applebloom and say 'Ah'd like ya ta hold onta mah hat till Ah get back. And don't y'all worry 'bout me cause so long as y'all got this hat, Ah'll always be nearby. And y'all can bet yer boots A'll be back fer it.' Applebloom smiled at the memory and every time her sister went out to sea, it made her feel better knowing that a little piece of her sister stayed with her.
Applebloom hugged the hat close for a moment before safely tucking it into her bag. As she hopped into bed and tucked in, she completely missed the brown and white shape that tucked itself into her bag.
======
True to her promise, Applebloom met Sweetie Belle in the exact spot where they'd met the following evening, her own saddlebags packed. As Applebloom nearly tripped under the weight of her saddlebags, Sweetie Belle's brows furrowed in concern.
"Hey, you okay? Are your bags too heavy?" She asked. Applebloom waved her off and straightened.
"You kiddin'?" She retorted with no small amount of pride. "Apples are tough and strong. I used ta carry this much when I went camping AND hiking with mah sister. Ah can handle it. Now what's this great plan of yer's?"
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes good naturedly, but didn't pursue the subject. Instead she gestured for the farm filly to follow her. "Over this way. I'll show you." She said. As they trotted down the docks, neither saw the fluffy white tail that briefly peeked out from Sweetie Belle's saddlebag, or the white rabbit that watched and followed from afar.
======
Further down the docks, the two fillies found themselves looking at a ship from behind one of the crates that were being loaded on.
"Applebloom Apple, I'd like to introduce you to the Harmony's Light, sister ship to the late Royal Rainbow." Sweetie said dramatically. She then paused and face hoofed. "I've become my sister." She mumbled to herself.
Applebloom quirked an eyebrow at her friend before taking it in. She didn't know much about ships, but even she could tell that this was gorgeous, well fitted galleon. "Impressive." She whistled. "But what does this have ta do with findin' our sisters?"
"Like I said, Harmony's Light is the sister ship to the Royal Rainbow." Sweetie Belle explained. "And coincidentally, it will be sailing the same rout the Royal Rainbow was on. And it will be pulling out of port, tonight! The plan is to sneak on before that happens."
"How?"
A devious smile spread across Sweetie Belle's face. "Follow my lead."
======
"Applebloom?" Big Mac called out as he knocked on his sister's bedroom door. "Applebloom you in there?" He paused a minute to let her answer. But when no answer came, he nearly knocked the door down as he entered.
His eyes then widened at the sight before him. The room was empty, and the sheets and blankets had been tied into a rope secured to the bed and hanging out the open window. It didn't take a genius to figure out how she got out. Then he spied a a folded piece of paper on the bed. He scooped up the paper and unfolded it to read what was written on it.
-Went to find AJ.-
The stallion's eyes widened and he dropped the note to rush out the door and down to the docks.
======
"And y'all are sure this'll work?" Applebloom shifted uncomfortablely as she and Sweetie Belle were cramped together.
"Of course I'm sure. Now be quiet!" Sweetie Belle hissed back. A moment later they crate they were hiding in was hauled up and carried aboard the ship. It was a relatively large crate and would've easily fit the two fillies with room to spare if it were for the fact that they were sharing it with a shipment of cloth. The crate jostled and shifted as it moved up to the ship.
For a time it was actually relaxing. Then the crate suddenly lurched to one side as the sailor put it down in the hold and as she slid to one side of the crate, Sweetie Belle heard a 'Yipe!' below her. Looking down, she found that she very close to landing on top of a white rabbit, and had instead planted a hoof on it's tail. The rabbit shot her a glare that Sweetie was possible from a rabbit. Sweetie Belle smiled sheepishly and lifted her hoof.
"Oops. Sorry about that Mr. Rabbit." She said. The rabbit didn't pay her much attention and had pulled it's tail away from her her and was now hugging it protectively.
"Hey Sweetie, what's with tha' rabbit?" Applebloom asked once the took notice of the fluffy white critter.
"I don't know." Sweetie said with a shrug. "I just looked down and he was there. Wait a second." She turned back to the bunny. "Are you a boy or a girl?"
The rabbit made a paw gesture that clearly meant the first one. Applebloom watched this and scratched her. "Maybe he's a stowaway like us." She suggested.
"You think so?" Sweetie asked Applebloom before turning to the white rabbit. "Are you a stowaway too?" The rabbit nodded. "My name is Sweetie Belle. And this is Applebloom. What's your name?"
The bunny scratched his chin to figure out how to communicate his name. He then made a graceful pose as he gently flapped his arms like wings. It was a very angelic pose and would hopefully get the point across.
"Um, dancer?" Sweetie tried.
"Nah, it looks like he's flyin'. Sooo, bird?" At Applebloom's suggestion, the rabbit flopped down in exasperation. Clearly this was going to be harder than it looked. He tried various angelic poses, but they all sailed over the fillies heads.
"Cloudy?"
"Snow?"
"Flower?"
"That sounds to girly ta be a boy's name."
"Oh, then what about Fluffy?"
"That sounds more like a cat's name than a bunny name."
The rabbit in question facepawed. At this point he felt like throttling something. He then glanced around the box and spotted a label that had been put on one of the bolts of fabric. The was an image of a white pegasus mare with her wings outstretched and a angelic look on her face. She was wrapped in cloth and had her forelegs together and beneath her face. Below her were the words 'Angel Fabrics'. The bunny briefly thought about the serendipity of it before practically leaping at the label and thumping a paw on it.
"Yer name is Pegasus?" Applebloom asked. The rabbit violently shook his head before pointing at the label again. In specific, the words beneath.
"'Angel Fabrics'." Sweetie Belle read. "My sister uses that brand a lot! Says they make the best quality fabric ever." She then turned back to the rabbit. "Is that your name? Angel?" The rabbit nodded. Sweetie Belle smiled. "Well, its very nice to meet you Angel."
======
"So why aren't we staying in the hold?" Applebloom asked nervously as they snuck around the deck.
"Because its not very good place to stay for the duration of the trip." Sweetie explained. "Plus, wouldn't it defeat the entire purpose of the trip if we stayed in the hold? We can't very well go looking for our sisters if we're in a crate in the hold."
"Fair point." Applebloom conceded with a shrug. "So where were you thinking we should hide?"
"Somewhere that the crew won't visit a lot." Sweetie hummed in thought. "You said your sister's a sailor, so you got any ideas?"
Now Applebloom hummed in thought. Angel, who was sitting on her back, also looked thoughtful. After climbing out of the crate, the white rabbit had opted to join them. Sweetie Belle offered her own back but Angel was still a little sore about the tail thing and chose Applebloom's back instead.
"Maybe we could hide in tha' crows nest or-!!" As she been speaking, Applebloom had rounded the corner and froze. An instant later she swiveled back the way she came and Sweetie Belle suddenly for herself dragged behind a barrel. "Sweet toffe apples, what's he doing here!?!?" She hissed in panic.
"Who's 'he'?" Sweetie Belle asked. Before Applebloom could answer, a huge red stallion with a mane the color of straw rounded the corner. His green eyes gazed around as he scanned the area in search of his little sister. Said little sister was crouched behind a barrel, praying that he would pass them by. After a minute, the stallion began trotting farther away from their hiding spot.
"Applebloom, who was that?" Sweetie Belle repeated her earlier question when she was sure that he was out of earshot.
"That was Big Macintosh. My big brother." Applebloom answered.
"What the heck is he doing here?!" Sweetie hissed.
"Ah kinda left him a note, butAh thought he wouldn't find it until much later." Applebloom explained. "But how did he figure we were on this ship? There's like a hundred other ships at the docks!"
"Must've reached the same conclusion I reached when I was looking at the shipping schedule." Sweetie said. "We'll have be extra careful to avoid him."
======
For a time they were able to escape Big Mac's notice and it seemed as though they may be able to make it through this. Unfortunately their luck ran out and all it took was accidentally being spotted across a room. The stallion and fillies briefly made ey contact and everything froze. Then Applebloom and Sweetie Belle bolted and began running as fast as they could with Big Macintosh behind.
"Applebloom Apple, you get back here right now!" Big Mac called out to her.
Applebloom cringed slightly. Normally she would obey her big brother, but this time she glanced backwards and called out, "sorry big bro, but I need to do this!" before picking up her pace.
"Applebloom!" Was the last thing she heard before rounding a corner.
"Applebloom..*huff*" Sweetie Belle huffed, starting to lose her breath and feel the weight of her saddlebags. "Exactly...*hah*...how long can...*huff*...your brother keep this up?"
Applebloom looked at her friend apologetically. While she was more fit than her unicorn friend, she too was starting to feel the strain of trying to outrun Big Mac. "Ah'm mighty sorry 'bout this Sweetie." She apologized. "When we were living on our family farm, Big Mac could harvest half an orchard in a day without tiring."
"*hah* *huff* *hah*...i-its okay Applebloom." Sweetie Belle huffed. "I don't...*hufff* blame you. Something like this was bound to happen anyways. We just need to lose him."
However, no matter what they did to try and throw him off their tails, he still remained doggedly on course. And through the course of the chase, many crew members found themselves very nearly bowled over by the group, though there was one stallion who accidentally dropped a cannonball practically on his hoof. Nothing was broken, but there was some pretty bad bruising that would have him walking with a limp for a time. By this time the two fillies were almost out of breath and slowing down. But before they could throw in the towel, they made a turn that led to the galley
======
In the galley, the ship's cook had just finished a pot of stew he knew the crew would love after a long day of work. After this, meals would become more bland or unpalatable, but he figured the crew deserved something nice to start off their long trip. So he was understandably surprised when a pair of fillies with large saddlebags and one with a rabbit clinging to her mane burst in with a large stallion right behind them.
Before the chef even got the chance to figure out what was going on, the fillies rushed towards him followed by the stallion. To his credit, both tried to avoid the chef, and the large pot of stew he held in his magic, but due to his bulk and his speed and the entire groups speed, they were unable to avoid the oncoming collision. The result a huge explosion of stew that doused all the ponies present and trapped the fillies and rabbit beneath the pot.
======
"Hmmm. You know, this stew isn't half bad." Sweetie said. She turned to Applebloom, who was sitter there staring at the floor glumly, seemingly not noticing that Sweetie Belle had said anything. Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to release the lock of mane that she'd been sampling the stew from and put and arm across her friend's shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" She asked her friend.
Applebloom glanced at her before looking back down. "Ah screwed up badly." She said morosely. "Ah'm powerful sorry that this had ta happen. Ah ruined yer plans an got us caught."
"Hey there, its okay. You didn't ruin anything." Sweetie Belle pulled her now sniffling friend closer so that she could hug her.
"No?" Applebloom asked a little confused.
"Nah. In fact, truth be told, I was kinda making it up as I went." Sweetie Belle said blushing a little. "I did do my research on boats leaving the harbor and I wasn't lying when I said that this ship would be following the Royal Rainbow's course. But as far as sneaking onto the boat and hiding, those I was making up as we went."
Applebloom stared at her for a moment before she began laughing. "So y'all was startin' this adventure without a clue what ta do?" Sweetie Belle blushed even more. Applebloom stopped giggling and returned Sweetie Belle's hug. "An ya know what? Ah don't care."
Sweetie Belle was surprised. "You don't?"
"Nah. Ah was more concerned that Ah'd ruined some sorta carefully laid plan." Applebloom explained. "But since Ah didn't, Ah feel better and now Ah don't care if there ever was a plan in the first place. Ah'm just a little excited about this adventure."
Sweetie Belle smiled. "Thank you Applebloom for coming with me on this adventure. I just hope we haven't ended it before its begun."
At that exact moment, the door to the captain's cabin opened and out stepped Big Macintosh. The stallion sighed and shut the door behind him and trotted up the fillies. The two sat there between two sailors and looked up at him. With a nudge of his head, he gestured for them to follow before walking down the hall. Without a word, the fillies fell into step behind him. After a bit of walking, Big Mac finally spoke.
"Applebloom, what were ya thinkin'?"
"Sweetie Belle and I are gonna find our sisters." Applebloom answered her brother.
Big Mac glanced at the unicorn that he could safely assume was Sweetie Belle. "And what about you Sweetie Belle? Won't yer folks be worried bout you?"
Sweetie Belle shook her head and looked uncomfortable. "Not exactly. My parents aren't really 'around', so to speak, so I was pretty much raised by my sister."
The two Apple siblings took the hint and decided to drop the subject.
"Sooo... what do you an the Captain talk about?" Applebloom asked her big brother. Big Mac sighed.
"Unfortunately, the ship is too far out at sea ta turn around an take us back ta port." Big Mac explained. "An at first, the captain wanted ta throw us into tha brig fer stowin' away. Ah managed ta talk him outa it in exchange fer all three of us workin'. Captain also gave us a cabin so he can keep an eye on us. An Ah'm still wonderin' what in the name of the sun and moon possessed y'all ta do this in tha' first place."
"Don't get mad at Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle jumped in. "It was my idea in the first place, so please don't be mad at her."
"Well that's mighty kind of ya Miss Belle. But Applebloom's a big filly capable of makin' her own decisions. An Ah know y'all didn't force her on this insane mission."
"Darn tootin'!" Applebloom added to her brother's little speech. "An it isn't an insane mission. Both Sweetie Belleand myself believe that our sisters are out there."
Big Mac quirked an eyebrow. "An how certain are you that this isn't grasping at straws?" He still remembered how devastated she was when they got the news.
There was quiet before Applebloom answered. "Maybe Ah am a little." She admitted. "But you an I both know Applejack, an one thing we know is that she's the most stubborn mare in the world. She wouldn't go down without a fight an she'd brave a hurricane ifn' it meant she could come home ta us. So is it really so unbelievable that AJ could possibly still be alive?"
Big Macintosh considered this. He'd known Applejack since she was foal and Applebloom was right. Ever since she was Applebloom's age, whatever AJ set her mind to, she did. And now that he was thinking about it, it wasn't too farfetched that Applejack was still out there.
"Ah guess yer right." Big Mac finally admitted. "T'wouldn't hurt ta check at least."
"Oh thank you, thank you big bro'!" Applebloom exclaimed as she lept at him and hugged him as well as she could.
Big Macintosh chuckled warmly and stopped so he could hug her back. "Well somepony needs ta keep an eye on you." He then turned to Sweetie Belle and gathered her into the hug. "And you as well."
Sweetie Belle smiled and hugged back. For a moment they just sat there embracing each other. Finally Big Mac released them both and set them on the ground.
"Now why don't we all get ourselves washed up and Applebloom? What's up with the rabbit?"
Angel only pricked his ears up when he found the attention on him.
=======
After washing up as well as could be expected on a ship, the three ponies were brought to their 'cabin' which was roughly the size of a stamp and only had one bed.
"Hmm. Looks like we're all gonna be sharin' a bed." Big Mac hummed. As he spoke, the two fillies shed their saddlebags...and jumped in surprise when muffled grunts came from within.
Applebloom carefully peered into her bag and was assaulted by a wet toungh. She stepped back to wipe her face as a brown and white dog exited the bag and began running around the room to explore.
"Winona!?" The Apple siblings exclaimed at the same time. At roughly the same time, a slightly large white fluffy cat crawled out of Sweetie Belle's bag and settled onto the bed.
"Opalescence!?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"WHAT ARE Y'ALL/YOU DOING HERE!?!?" All three spoke in stereo to their respective pets. Opalescence just glanced a Sweetie Belle with half closed eyes while Winona paused her examination and stood in front of her masters with a very happy look on her face. For time they were all quiet.
"W-Winona? W-w-wha-how?? Were you there the whole time?!" Applebloom exclaimed.
"Opal? What are you doing here? I thought you didn't like to travel!" Sweetie Belle said at roughly the same time as Applebloom. Opal slid a condescending eye towards Sweetie Belle and Winona pressed up close to Applebloom then gave a yip. The whole time this was going on, Big Mac was getting over his initial surprise and figuring out why the animals were there.
"Are y'all here fer tha' same reason as these two fillies?" He asked. Winona barked confirmation and the cat shot him a look that clearly said 'well give the stallion a prize'. Big Macintosh sighed and rubbed his muzzle with a hoof. Then he let out a mutter.
"Its gonna be a looong trip."
======
Twilight gently levitated Fluttershy's hoof towards herself and examined it carefully. Now that the unicorn was closer, Fluttershy was able to see that the markings on her glasses were tiny intricately carved runes arranged in swirls and circles on the frames. And they did glow with a gentle purple light. And there was a very slight lavender glow on the lenses. After a minute, Twilight was satisfied with her examination and gently lowered her hoof as she leaned back.
Twilight then pulled her glasses off and let them hang by their chain. As she did, Fluttershy saw that the runes ceased to glow and from where she was laying vanished from sight since the purple coloring also fled, making the tiny markings hard to spot.
"Well, you've been coming along quite well." She said in a cheerful voice. "Your hoof has healed very nicely, though you maybe be walking with a slight limp for a bit and I wouldn't try walking a lot for a day. Otherwise, your fine and come this afternoon we'll be able to introduce you to the Captain. He's been wanting to meet you three."
"Thank you very much for rescuing us." Rarity thanked the purple unicorn as she put away her stethoscope and other basic and magical examination instruments. "And for helping Fluttershy."
"Its not a problem." Twilight said. "We couldn't just leave you floating there now would we?" Twilight then pulled out a bag and slung it across her back. "Now I've got a special appointment elsewhere on the ship and Spike will be back with your food. You can stay here and do whatever you want, but I highly recommend that my patient gets some rest before this afternoon. See you soon!"
When Twilight left, Fluttershy leaned towards her friends. "So, what's the ship like?" She asked.
Applejack shrugged. "Ain't really sure actually." She admitted. "We were found an' brought aboard when it was dark out and we've basically refused ta leave this room since." She smiled and ruffled pegasus' mane. "Didn't wanna be to far from ya."
Fluttershy blushed. Though she knew they were her friends, she still felt a little nervous when they complimented her like that. "So, what do you think the captains like?"
"Well considerin' how he saved our flanks, Ah'm willin' ta say that he's a good sorta feller at tha' very least." Applejack said, throwing in her two bits on the subject. "Though Ah can't say fer sure since Ah haven't met him yet."
"I agree with Applejack." Rarity said. "Anyone who would rescue strangers in a bad spot can't be all bad, now can they?"
Fluttershy smiled. "No I guess they can't."
======
"Right this way ladies." Spike said as he led them to the Captain's Cabin. After their talk they talked about other things until Spike came back with food. While Fluttershy was napping, Twilight returned with several papers circulating her head as she focused intensely on what was on them. Despite her apparent obliviousness to the world around her, Twilight flawlessly trotted across the room and settled at her desk. All without acknowledging the other beings in the room.
At first Rarity and Applejack were a little concerned, but Spike assured him that this was normal for the purple unicorn. "She get like this a lot." Were his exact words. "And when she does, she's pretty much lost to the world."
Whatever was on those papers must've been pretty interesting, because when Fluttershy woke up a few hours later, Twilight hadn't moved or said anything. Just sat there reading and scribbling the odd note. And so it was up to Spike, a young purple and green dragon and Twilight's Number One Assistant, to lead them to the Captain's cabin. The group had made their way down a short wide hall before following a flight of stairs up to the deck.
The deck of the galleon was a bustle of activity as various ponies and other creatures worked. Fluttershy was fascinated because amongst the usual unicorns, earthponies and pegasi there were also other species. There were zebras, donkeys, giraffe, minotaurs, griffins and she swore that she saw a changeling or two. The variety of species had Fluttershy so amazed, she almost jumped out of her skin when someone suddenly shouted her name.
"FLUTTERSHY!"
The pegasus looked up and saw a cyan pegasus grab a rope as she rushed by in a bolt of prismatic energy. The pegasus then folded her wings and used her momentum and the rope to swing downwards and land with a thud in front of the group.
"Showoff." Applejack muttered from behind. Fluttershy didn't pay attention because the pegasus had now slung a hoof across her back and pulled her close.
"Hey Flutters! Been awhile since I last saw ya." She greeted. "And now you're finally out and about so Twi' must've given you a clean bill of health! I must say, you had me pretty surprised and spooked when we picked you guys up."
"Fluttershy, you know this pony?" Rarity asked.
The rainbow maned pegasus turned and answered for her shy friend. "Uh-huh! Flutters and I go way back." She said. "Name's Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy and I used to live in the same neighborhood in Cloudsdale back when we were fillies. We used to hang out together and I would always try to keep the bullies of her tail. Then when she and her folks moved out, I tried to stay in contact for a bit. But dangit its a small world for our paths to cross like this! Bonnie and Faust must be looking out for you."
"I guess so." Fluttershy said, feeling a little more at ease with a familiar face. "You've grown since I last saw you Dash. Um, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. This is Rarity and Applejack."
Rainbow Dash released Fluttershy and held out a hoof. "Nice to meet you two. And its good to see that Flutters has some friends. Way back when we were kids, I was the only friend she had. And we only met each other because our moms were old pals!"
"Pleased ta meet ya Miss Dash." Applejack said as she took the offered hoof.
"Hey, none of that 'Miss' or 'Missus' stuff from you." Rainbow admonished. "My friends just call me Rainbow, Rainbow Dash or just Dash. And any friends of Fluttershy, is a friend of mine as well."
"Well alrighty then, Dash." Applejack said with a smile.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Rainbow Dash." Rarity added.
"If we're all done with introductions Rainbow," Spike interjected. "I've got to bring these girls to the Captain."
"Oh hey there Spike!" Rainbow greeted. Then with a flap of her wings she was hovering next to Fluttershy as the group resumed their walk across the deck. "So you're going to go meet the Cap'?"
"Uh-huh." Fluttershy answered with no small amount of trepidation that Rainbow Dash instantly picked up on.
"Hey, don't worry about it Flutters." Rainbow assured her. "The Cap' may seem a little intimidating and he'll probably make the wrong first impression, but if he was a bad pony, do you think I'd be here? You remember my rep back in the old 'hood right?"
Fluttershy smiled. "You mean Most Loyal filly on the block?"
"That's the one!" Rainbow Dash said proudly. "And I don't just give that loyalty to just anypony."
Flutters giggled. "They must be very special to have the most loyal pony I know on their crew."
"You know it!" Rainbow Dash then began to turn. "I've gotta go help Gilda out with something and you know I don't leave my friends hangin'. Its been great catching up with you and don't worry about it too much. You'll be just fine. See ya later!"
And just like that she was gone in a blur of color. Fluttershy's gaze followed the trail across the ship where she saw Rainbow Dash meeting up with a griffin, but from this distance she couldn't make out any details.
She was torn from her thoughts when Spike announced, "we're here."
Right in front of them was a simple sturdy door. The doorframe however was decorated with elaborate swirls and curls with a star at the top. Spike walked up to the door and knocked.
"Come in." A deep stallion's voice called out from within the room.
Spike then opened the door and led them all in. Inside the room was the same as before. It was somple, but also had some decoration that made it a far cry from spartan. The furniture consisted of a bed in one corner and a desk sitting in front of a large window with a view of the ocean. There was also a table on the other side of the room that was covered in rolled up and spread out maps. There were other pieces of furniture and other thing, but it was at that point that they focused on the two stallions in the room.
The first they laid eyes on was a white unicorn stallion with a golden mane, blue eyes and pale grey hooves. He wore a white long sleeved shirt and cream colored vest beneath a long blue coat and through they coat they could see his cutiemark was a compass rose. The stallion's general air was very calm and friendly and Fluttershy hoped this was the Captain. Unfortunately this wasn't to be. Sitting at the desk beside the first stallion was a taller and darker unicorn stallion. His coat was a dark grey, his mane long and jet black and his eyes a bright ruby red. He to wore a white shirt with a red vest bordered with black and a longer dark purple coat that hid his cutiemark from view. Unlike like his companion, his presence was very heavy and intimidating but when Fluttershy looked into his eyes, he seemed older and wary. This was the captain.
The darker stallion set his pen down and looked up at them. "Greetings and welcome to my ship." He said in a rumbling voice. "I am glad to see you are all in good health and I'd like introduce myself. My name is Sombra, and I'm the Captain of this vessel."
Before he could continue however, Applejack let out a gasp. "Ah've heard of ya! Yer Cap'n Sombra the pirate! Also known as the Demon King of the seas."
