Pinkie didn’t know what she got herself into. Going on one trip is fine. Going on two? Great! Going on them at the same time? She might need a little help with that.
Twilight was looking forward to the diplomatic trip to Maretonia with Princess Luna. However, she became rather ill and could not attend. The same day, Sunburst announced his plans to visit Mount Aris. Twilight was bummed she couldn’t attend either of them.
Pinkie happened to be visiting Twilight that day when she heard her complaining about the trips she couldn’t attend. Being the good friend that she was, Pinkie decided to help Twilight out by attending them in her stead. However, when she learned that going on both was going to be an issue, she quickly realized that she couldn’t be in two places at once. Or could she?
“Now… What were those directions again?” Pinkie mused to nopony in particular as she exited the Castle of Friendship and made her way towards the outskirts of town.
Earlier that day, she decided to visit Twilight. However, when she arrived, she found that her friend wasn’t feeling too well and made time to stay for a while after hearing that. While they talked, Twilight mentioned a problem she was having. It was… uh... Pinkie scratched behind her ear before her eyes lit up when she realized what she was searching for. She mentally kicked herself for momentarily forgetting her Pinkie Promise to help Twilight, the reason she was currently heading to the one place she thought she would never be visiting again: The Mirror Pool.
Pinkie snapped from her reverie as she arrived at the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. “Hmm, I could’ve sworn it was around here somewhere,” she mused as she idly rubbed her chin. She pushed through some of the denser underbrush as she continued thinking out loud, “Let’s see… Oh right, now I remember! Where the brambles are thickest, there you will find… A pond beyond which is easy to find!” Pinkie scoured every inch of the path in the Everfree as she made her way further in. She parted bushes and ducked her head around trees. The thicket-coated canopy overhead allowed only dapples of light to filter down to the forest floor. An innumerable amount of thorny vines slithered across the dense underbrush. She tripped a few times, but soldiered on. The brambles entangled on the numerous branches within a hoof’s reach grew thicker and thicker.
It didn’t register with Pinkie that the scenery had changed until a few minutes later. “Ow! Hey, what’s pricking me?” She glanced around at the brambles all around her. “Oh! The brambles! I gotta be getting close!” she chirped as she pressed forward.
The sound of a twig snapping a few hoofsteps behind her and to her left quickly caught her attention. Pinkie stopped and spun around. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her head darted left and right for a few moments before she decided it was nothing. Further down the path, the sound of twigs snapping came again. This time, a rustle of leaves accompanied it.
Pinkie twirled around in an instant. “W-who’s there?” Either because she decided not to focus on it before, or she just tuned it out in favor of being focused on her task, Pinkie took this moment to realize that this part of the Everfree was suddenly completely silent. Come to think of it, she didn’t even remember seeing any animals in the woods when she checked the path a few minutes ago. Not even birdsong could be heard filtering down from the canopy above. Under any normal circumstances, the thought wouldn’t have even crossed her mind. However, now she found herself acutely aware of how silent the forest was and a lump started to form in the pit of her stomach.
A nervous chuckle escaped her lips as she continued on, glancing over her withers every so often. Was she being followed? Several tense moments followed in silence until Pinkie finally allowed herself to believe the danger had passed. She released a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding and wiped her brow. “Phew! I thought somepony was–woah!” Her hoof suddenly was no longer on solid ground. Scrambling backwards, and only after assuring herself she was safe, Pinkie looked down to determine why. Her eyes settled on a strange hole in the ground as her hoof made its way to her chin and rubbed along it.
“Wow, I can’t even see the bottom! That must mean it’s super duper deep!” She lowered her head and squinted. The musty scent of dirt invaded her nostrils as she leaned forward towards the hole. The further in her head went, the worse her vision became. Right before she was about to fall in, she pulled her head back and stared at it with furrowed eyebrows. “Is this the place? I vaguely remember falling into a deep hole in the ground when I discovered the pool the first time… Is this the same one, though?” Pinkie glanced left and right.
When she saw no other holes in the ground, she refocused on the abyss underneath. She was about to further question the authenticity of her recalled directions when a low snarl came from somewhere nearby. Thinking quickly, Pinkie leapt into the hole and curled into a ball.
Wind howled past her ears as she plummeted into the seemingly bottomless hole. The high-pitched whistling filling her ears quickly dulled into a strong gust of wind. Any light that followed her down was quickly consumed by the shadows around her. Pinkie could have sworn she was picking up speed as she descended further and further down. Suddenly, an abrupt shift in position caused her stomach to turn upside down. She was no longer falling, instead she now felt herself sliding along a flat surface.
Adjusting her position slightly, her forward momentum caused her to start rolling along the dirt floor of a passageway of some sort. She also realized that curling herself into a ball was a very smart idea.
A few moments later, she felt the surface beginning to undulate as she rolled along. Darkness pervaded her vision, with the sound of dirt rustling under her the only indication that she was still moving. Pinkie felt herself leave the ground momentarily, only to roughly impact something firm. She heaved a groan of displeasure before rising to her hooves.
After regaining her bearings, she lazily drifted her head and traced the hewn rock walls. Light reflected from an unknown location inside of this new area that coated the walls and stalactites, giving the area a crystal-like shine. The next thing that Pinkie realized was that the temperature dropped sharply compared to the passage behind her. A gust of chilled air blew past her, which made her shiver from head to hoof. Glancing down, she noticed a section of stone created a natural ramp that connected the tunnel behind her to the cavern beyond.
“Huh. Where am I now?” she asked as she took a few steps into the cavern before she heard the sound of dripping water. She descended the ramp and followed the sound to a large circular recess in the cavern floor filled with a strangely clear liquid. Pinkie watched its surface ripple as water dripped into it. She took a closer look and noticed her reflection staring back at her.
“Oh, the Mirror Pool! I found it!” Pinkie exclaimed before she gazed into the water and hesitated for a moment. “Um, let’s see if I remember the legend… Uh, and into her own reflection she stared... Yearning for one whose reflection she shared... And she solemnly swears not to be scared at the prospect of being doubly mared!” For a few moments, nothing happened. Then Pinkie saw her reflection dip her head and move closer to the rim just beneath her. The water rippled while her reflection disappeared below the undulating water’s surface. Suddenly, the pool began to froth and a pink-maned head rose from it. It looked up at Pinkie and a foreleg materialized next to it, outstretched as if asking for assistance. She grasped the foreleg and helped the clone out of the pool, who looked around at her surroundings with wonder.
“Ooh! This place is amazing!” the clone chirped as she started pronking around the cavern.
“Hey, come back over here, other me!” Pinkie called. The clone zipped back over to her, bouncing on her hooves. “You sit tight, alright? I just need to do one other thing,” Pinkie explained as she turned her back to the clone and began to recite the legend again to create a second clone.
After she helped the second one out of the pool, Pinkie turned to the first one and pointed to a spot a few hoofsteps away. "Alrighty! You two head right over there! I’ll be right back!" Pinkie curled up into a ball and bounced off somewhere. One of the clones grew bored before even reaching the place and trotted away. The first remained seated staring at the spot Pinkie once was. The second wandered around the cavern, stopping and staring into the water for a moment before inspecting the wall across from her.
When Pinkie reappeared, she was wearing an army helmet with the words ‘Born to Run’ written on the side in graphite along with a small standing board in her hooves. She reached into her mane and extracted a metallic extendable pointer. Then she tapped the pointer on the board, raising a plume of chalk dust. When she finished setting up, she noticed one of the clones were missing.
She raised a hoof to her mouth and whistled. The second clone lept a few inches into the air, flailing her hooves as the sound reverberated off of the cavern walls. Taking a few deep, calming breaths, she paused and looked over at the source of the sound which just so happened to be Pinkie. She made her way over instinctively, noticing the other clone was now situated in front of a board that wasn't there before.
After scrutinizing it from a distance, she decided that she needed an explanation and turned her attention to the first clone. “What’s going on over here?” she asked as the second clone tapped the first one’s foreleg. “I don’t know! The one that looks like me told me to sit here, so I did!” With a shrug, the second one took a seat next to the first. Pinkie cleared her throat and lightly tapped her pointer against the board. Both clones pricked their ears and stared intently at it.
"Alright, soldiers! Now, I'm sure you're wondering what’s going on and I'm about to explain things, so pay attention! I’m only going to say this once, understood?” Both clones saluted, to which Pinkie nodded and flipped over the board to show a crudely drawn flow chart.
“In twenty-four hours, we are going to have a doozy on our hooves. Two trips.” Pinkie paused and rested the pointer against a bubble with the words ‘Maretonia’ and ‘Mount Aris’ inside of it. “Two different locations.” She then dragged it across the chalk-lined board to another bubble. “One of them with Sunburst, the other with Princess Luna.” She followed up by sliding the pointer along another line to a third bubble with two numbers and a word: twenty-four hours. “Both leave at the exact. Same. Time. Can either of you tell me what’s wrong with this scenario?” Two hooves shot up in unison. After a moment of hesitation, Pinkie pointed at the first clone, who was now wearing an army helmet similar to her own.
“Ma’am! There is no way to attend both trips at the same time, Ma’am!” the clone blurted out as Pinkie settled back on all four hooves to pace.
“Very observant, other me! That is where you two come in. Each of you is to find either Sunburst or Princess Luna, accept the offer and get briefed on the trip in question. If there are any problems, and I pray to Celestia you two can handle yourselves, come and find me at the Corner! However, once you leave, you’re on your own! Do I make myself clear?”
“Ma’am, yes Ma’am!” the two clones exclaimed as their hooves lightly tapped against the helmets on their heads.
“Good. Now, come with me, you two. We have a lot of preparations to do!” Pinkie declared as she grabbed the two helmets along with her own and threw them over her withers. The two clones trotted alongside Pinkie back towards the opening of the cavern. Going from the brightly lit cavern to the darkened tunnel caused the trio to rub their eyes in order to get better accustomed to the stark disparity. Streaks of amber, indigo, orange, and red lazily meandered their way across the sky as the three finally made their way out of the tunnel and back into the Everfree.
Pinkie looked up and noticed that the sky was much darker than when she first fell into the cavern. She could have sworn that she only just stumbled upon the entrance a few minutes ago. Was she really preoccupied with preparing her clones for that long? She shrugged and made her way back to town with the clones in tow. Fortunately for Pinkie, the Everfree graciously allowed her to leave using the same path she entered on.
Pinkie got up bright and early to prepare her clones for the trips that were planned that day. As she gazed down at the pair, she winced as she recalled the events of last night. The Cakes weren’t exactly pleased with her two guests.
She shook her head and leaned to her right. She pulled out a poster board from somewhere with sheets of paper tucked into the folds of the display. “Rise and shine, you two!” she announced as the two clones yawned and rubbed their eyes. “We need to be up before the crack of dawn! Before we get started, I’m going to test you on some names I went over yesterday!” she chirped as she flipped up a piece of paper which bore a depiction of Sunburst drawn on it in orange crayon.
“Sunburst!” the two replied nearly in unison. Pinkie rolled over the page to reveal a portrait of the Princess of the Night. “Princess Luna!” Pinkie nodded in approval as another paper was turned. “Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie swiveled her head to the paper which bore a portrait of herself upon it. After a few seconds, she returned her attention to the clones again.
“Great job, you two!” Pinkie announced as she zipped into her closet. A few moments later, a pair of pre-packed saddlebags sailed out from the closet door. The clones clopped their hooves together excitedly.
After helping them strap the saddlebags around their barrels, Pinkie and the clones descended the staircase into a small hallway that connected the seating area to the kitchen. Mr. Cake dashed past them and out to the main area without batting an eye at their presence. The sounds of grinding metal and the clattering of pans could be heard from the kitchen.
“Morning, Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie called before the sounds abruptly stopped. Mrs. Cake peeked her head around the doorframe, with her face partially covered in flour and sugar, and put on her best, though slightly forced, smile.
“Oh… Morning, Pinkie dear. Are your, um, guests leaving?” Pinkie nodded her head at that. “O-oh! Well… Uh, have a good trip!” Mrs. Cake announced as the sounds of batter preparation started up anew. They continued onward through the kitchen and pushed through a swinging door of the back entrance. The amber glow of the sun was only just starting to appear over the horizon.
Pinkie led them down the main road through Ponyville in companionable silence. As she did, she noticed lights came on in various windows, and pony-shaped silhouettes appeared in several others. As the residents of Ponyville began their day, Pinkie realized that they were running out of time. As more and more lights came on in the surrounding buildings, she turned to her clones.
“Now, before we get too far, I have to tell you both something super duper important, so pay close attention, okay?” Two pairs of ears pricked at her voice, indicating that the two were listening. “Whatever you do, do not, and I cannot express this enough, do not let yourselves be seen together. If you do, then the entire plan is ruined at best. At worst, there will be a lot more problems than just Twilight not being able to attend these trips.” Pinkie admonished as they made their way over to the train station. “Do you two understand?” They nodded at Pinkie, who smiled and continued down the path.
With nopony around, the trip to the station was rather uneventful. Pinkie was silently grateful they didn't have to try their luck with the back alleys. The trio arrived just as the Canterlot Express sped into the station, exhaling a gout of steam as it came to a rather sudden stop.
"Alright, you two wait here and stay out of sight. I'm going to get your tickets, and I'll be right back. Remember! Don't let anyone see you two together!" Pinkie parroted as she pronked into the station. The two clones slipped around the side to look at the train. When they saw a head turn their way, they quickly disappeared around the corner again.
After buying two tickets for them, Pinkie came back out, only to hear somebody muttering something about needing to lay off the cider. Shrugging, she returned to her clones to address them for what she expected to be the last time.
“Good luck, you two! Remember, if you need any help…” Pinkie began as the clones seamlessly finished her sentence for her, “... come and visit me at the Corner!” Pinkie simply giggled as she hugged them.
"All aboard! Next stop, Canterlot Station!" the conductor announced as a shrill whistle could be heard. Pinkie broke the hug and quickly ushered them into the last car just as it started to move. She stood on the platform, waving at the two until they chugged out of sight.
"How much long~er?" the first clone whined as the train lurched to the left. "It feels like we've been on this train for da~ys!" she exclaimed as her forehooves stretched her face like rubber before it bounded back into a bemused expression.
The second clone leaned to her right and pulled out a pamphlet from somewhere, flicking it open. “Well, according to this...” She turned the first clone's head with a hoof and tapped at a portion of the paper for emphasis. "We should be at Canterlot station in a couple more hours!" she exclaimed. The first clone merely sighed and stared out of the window.
Eventually the Canterlot Express pulled into the station, exhaling another gout of steam as they disembarked. "Finally! I thought we'd never get here!" the first clone groused. The second one seemed to ignore her plight.
“Uh… Where do we go to find them?" The second clone glanced left and right before she shrugged. "I have zero ideas of where to start!"
The first clone facehoofed as she let out a groan. "There's no way I'm getting back on that train again so soon to return to the Corner. Let's just ask around and see if somepony can help us." The second one nodded. They left the station and made their way into the city. After asking around and getting pointed in the right direction by several members of the Royal Guard, the two eventually arrived at Canterlot Castle.
"So, according to what we were told, they both should be in here!" The second clone galloped through the main gate to the castle with the first one following behind a few moments later. “Alright, let’s split up! I’ll go left, you go up those stairs!” The second clone zipped off down a side hallway before the other could protest. Sighing, she ascended the stairs and entered the hallway beyond.
Deciding to follow it, she came across a member of the guard. She stopped and glanced over at the mottled grey stallion who was stationed outside one of the innumerable rooms in the castle.
“Um, excuse me? I’m here to see Princess Luna. Could you possibly tell me where she is?” The guard remained frozen in his stoic pose as she waved a foreleg in front of his face. “Hello? Can you help me or not?” Realizing she wasn’t going to get anywhere by asking the guard, she decided to continue her attempts to locate the Princess of the Night on her own.
“Hmm, where could she be?” She mused as she wandered around the halls. “Oh!” She dove underneath the velvet carpet. “Not here.” Her mane deflated a bit as she pulled her head back up. “And what about…?” She stuck her muzzle in a nearby vase. “Nope, nada. And… oof.” She rubbed her forehead.
“Who dares bump into the royal personage?" When the clone looked up, she saw a rather tall pony looking down at her. "Ah, Ms. Pie. To what do we owe this honor?” the princess asked as comprehension flashed across the clone's face. Pinkie rubbed her forehooves together nervously as she realized who was speaking to her.
“W-well, you see, Princess Luna… Uh, T-Twilight won’t be able to attend the trip. S-so, she sent me instead?” she offered meekly as she pawed at the rug-adorned marble flooring.
Concern flashed across Luna’s face for a brief moment. Twilight made it a point to never be late for anything. She always had her day scheduled down to the second and even if she was running late, she definitely would have arrived by now. Maybe she just overwhelmed herself? There must be an explanation, and she was going to find out what. She looked down at Pinkie and raised an eyebrow. “Pray tell, what is the reason for her not attending? She would be the first to ‘jump on the bandwagon’, as the young ponies say, to attend a trip like this.”
“Well, you see… Twilight’s kinda, sorta, maybe feeling just a teensy, weensy bit ill right now.” Pinkie’s eyes momentarily focused on the floor tiles. A few moments later, she looked back up at Luna and tilted her head. “I’m sure that, if Twilight was feeling like her normal self, she would definitely make it a point to be here right now. I’m fairly certain that this is more her area of expertise, not mine,” she mused as she lightly scratched behind her ear.
For the first time since before she boarded the Canterlot Express, a hopeful smile wound its way along her muzzle, producing dimples in her cheeks. “Is there something special going on? Ooh, ooh, ooh! Did Twilight discover a new civilization?” she pondered enthusiastically. “Or maybe she discovered a new species? Ooh! Or maybe she's receiving an award! If that’s the case, I’m going to have to throw her a party when we get back! Ooh, she’s going to be so surpris~ed!” Pinkie hopped in place with a mirthful expression on her face.
“Nay. Yet with her enthusiasm when we told her, one might think so.” Luna took a moment to shake her head and allow a small snicker to escape her lips. “It’s just a business trip to discuss matters of importance to the Crown, as well as some delegation issues.”
“Oh." As quickly as the smile came, it fled from the clone's face. Her dimples collapsed outward with such speed, one would say they were mimicking an inflating balloon. "So, what you’re trying to say is... It’s a diplomatic voyage?” she asked with a bit more disdain than she intended to.
Fortunately, the shift in tone seemed to have sailed directly over Luna’s head. “Verily. Doth thou intend to accompany us? We would be grateful to have some company on our trip!” she added with a small smile.
Maybe it was the hopeful look in Luna’s eyes, or the pressure of not letting Pinkie down, but the clone found herself nodding in response. Luna began heading towards the staircase with the clone following right behind her.
The second clone made her way down one of the many hallways in her search for Sunburst. As she did, she glanced at a vase sitting on one of the many tables she passed. “That’s strange. That pot looks pretty familiar. And that one, that one, did I mention that one?” Somewhere inside of her head, two little voices were having a conversation.
Hey, uh, me?
Yeah, me?
That vase looks awfully familiar, doesn’t it, me?
Yep yep! I’d say we passed that vase about four times now, me!
Hey, me! You know what I just realized?
What’s that, me?
We’re lost!
Don’t be silly! I know the castle like the back of my hoof! We’ll get there before we know it!
There goes that vase again, me.
Yep, okay, we’re lost, me.
Pinkie stopped and rubbed her chin with her hoof. Almost as if the castle knew she was completely lost, a door swung open and smacked her right in the face. She bounced a few hoofsteps away and settled on her dock on the floor.
“Is that you, Twilight?”
Shaking her head to regain her bearings, she saw a stallion peer out from around the door. His orange and cream-colored coat was offset only by the silvery-grey pair of glasses that rested on his muzzle. After a few moments of recollection, she put a name to the face: Sunburst. When he looked to his right, he saw Pinkie and rounded the door to face her fully. "Oh, you're not Twilight. You're… You're one of her friends, aren't you? Pinkie, was it?"
“Yep yep! That's my name! Hiya, friend!” the clone stated as she rose to her hooves. "Sadly, Twilight couldn't make it… So, she sent me!" She pronked around Sunburst energetically, eventually coming to a rest at his side with one foreleg draped over his back.
"Huh. Okay then. So, I presume that she told you what we were doing?" Sunburst mused as he lifted his hoof and adjusted his glasses.
"Um… Well… That is to say, uh… N-no…?" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "She didn't really tell me anything… M-maybe you can fill me in?"
"Alright. Let's take a walk. When we get to the airship, I'll let you know what the plan is. That sound good to you?" Sunburst didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he started making his way to the airship with the second clone following close behind.
As they passed through the main hall, she saw the first clone heading the opposite way, chatting with Princess Luna. A snippet of the conversation filtered in despite the distance between them. “Doth thou have any knowledge of Maretonian culture?” She heard Luna ask as she saw the first clone vibrate her head back and forth so fast it became a pink blur.
The second clone suddenly felt a lump form in the pit of her stomach, yet she had a difficult time trying to piece together why. She scratched behind an ear as she recalled the conversation she was a part of right before arriving here.
Whatever you do, do not, and I cannot express this enough, do not let yourselves be seen together. If you do, then the entire plan is ruined at best. At worst, there will be a lot more problems than just Twilight not being able to attend these trips.
She snapped from her reverie and quickly realized that if they stayed on course, they would pass by each other like ships in the night. If Sunburst saw the other clone, then the entire plan was ruined. She had to come up with something, and fast!
Thinking quickly, the second clone reared up. "How about we, uh, go this way!" Without warning, she pushed Sunburst down a side hallway just as the other Pinkie and Luna trotted past. "Phew!" The second clone wiped some non-existent sweat from her brow when she saw them pass by. Sunburst simply glanced at Pinkie and raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, Pinkie? Why are you pushing me?" The clone immediately stopped and took a few steps away from him with an awkward chuckle. Her eyes darted back and forth intermittently as she started tapping her forehooves together nervously.
"Well, uh… You see, we were… W-we were about to run into Princess Luna! Y-yeah! Don’t want to run into any potential distractions! Yup, totally trying to keep your best interests at heart here and not trying to hide anything! No sirree!" Sunburst stared at her for a moment. Pinkie was sweating bullets behind her exaggeratedly wide smile, hoping that he wouldn’t question it.
Eventually, Sunburst relented with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his muzzle with his hoof. “Let’s just get to the airship…” he groaned as he made his way past her and down the hallway. Pinkie expelled a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding and followed him.
Eventually, the two arrived at the airship that was docked outside of the city. She was expecting a giant ship with balconies and metal outcroppings, yet all she saw was nothing more than a large weather balloon repurposed to support a wooden galleon, with two propellers on the back. A building was settled on the deck that was an entirely different color compared to the rest of the galleon itself. Several bay windows flanked the sides of the building at measured intervals. Even from Pinkie’s current location, she saw that they housed a number of basic cabins inside. Basic living arrangements, from beds to nightstands and even bathrooms, could be seen through the windows on the side facing the duo.
When they got closer, it became quickly apparent that it was hastily constructed on the ship itself to turn it into a passenger vessel. Squinting, Pinkie could also barely make out signs of dry-rot on some of the building’s planks. As they began walking up the ramp to board, Sunburst turned to Pinkie. “Alright, here’s the plan. When we get to Seaquestria, we’re going to go visit the Queen and get her permission to go and explore some old ruin sites on the seafloor. We’ll spend maybe a day or two down there, then return home. Simple, right?” he mused as he boarded.
“Ooh! I can’t wait to go deep sea diving!” she exclaimed as she followed him on board. I wonder what the other clone is up to right now? Maybe she’s having just as much fun as me? I sure hope so!
The first clone was most definitely not having fun.
The fun abruptly ended when Pinkie realized that this trip was going to be all business and no pleasure. Sitting in a room and listening to delegation issues and grievances? That sounds so... boring! she thought as Luna started trotting towards the staircase. Realizing she was forging ahead without her, Pinkie hurried along to catch up.
"Now, as thou are surely aware, our knowledge of customs are… more than a little dated compared to modern day Equestria." The princess looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if lost in thought.
Oh great, now what? Pinkie wondered as she trotted beside Luna.
"We do not wish to make a… What’s the term?"
"A faux pas, Princess?" Pinkie mused as she glanced up at Luna, who met her gaze and raised an eyebrow.
“So, that is what they’re calling it these days? Intriguing. Anyway, we are afraid of making a… that, so, this is why we asked Twilight to come along with us. We were planning to make her our arbiter,” Luna explained as they turned a corner and made their way down the main hall towards the front gate. At the same time, the second clone and Sunburst were heading the opposite way.
“Doth thou know anything about Maretonian culture?” the princess asked as the first clone shook her head so fast it became a pink blur. When the world stopped spinning, Pinkie looked around for a moment. She could’ve sworn she saw two other ponies in the hall with them. She gave the area a cursory glance, then shrugged and returned her attention to Princess Luna.
“So, uh, you told me why we’re going there, but not what we’re going there for. If I’m going to be your assistant, shouldn’t I be super duper prepared for what I’m dealing with here?” Pinkie mused as she pronked along, trying to mask her distaste for the situation. Luna sighed and turned to her again.
“Verily, thou do speak the truth. We shall explain it the best we can.” The princess raised a hoof to her chin and tapped it thoughtfully. "My sister said that she wanted to hold a meeting with the Duke of Maretonia to discuss trade opportunities and attempt to collect on owed tariffs. We decided to leap at the opportunity and told her that we wanted to go in her stead." When no objections came, Luna's gaze settled on the ceiling once again. "We have decided that we want this trip to be an attempt to assuage our sister’s fears. We wish to show her that we are just as 'in the know', as the young ponies say, as we say we are.”
Luna coughed softly into her silver horseshoe before continuing, "A-anyway, the reasoning behind our choice aside, we won't bore you further with the details. As far as our meeting is concerned, it won't be a simple in and out affair. Maretonia's Duke is notorious for his ability to negotiate. We will need to be cunning and observant.” Pinkie opened her mouth, but Luna raised a hoof to forestall any objections. “Our time runs thin, Ms. Pie. We must make haste to our transport, lest it leave without us. Any further questions can be asked aboard the vessel.”
Eventually, the two arrived at the airship outside the city. Much to Princess Luna’s relief, the galleon was still dry-docked. However, she noticed the propellers on the rear of the vessel spinning up in preparation to embark. In a moment of clarity, she looked down at Pinkie with one hoof raised. “We shall not make it on time, Ms. Pie. Quickly, grab our hoof with thine.” No sooner than Pinkie grasped Luna’s hoof, the world distorted around them. Colors bled into each other, and Pinkie’s vision swam. Shortly after, an intense pressure bore down on her body that stretched and contorted like rubber. The whole ordeal took only a few seconds, but to Pinkie it felt like an eternity. When she regained her senses, she found herself and Luna on the deck of the galleon.
Meanwhile, the second clone and Sunburst were getting settled into their cabin for the long trip ahead. Pinkie parted the blinds to glance down at the deck of the airship. When she saw who was on it, she hastily shut the blinds and chewed her lower lip in silent panic.
Hey, me?
Yeah, me?
Please don’t tell me I saw who I just thought I saw.
Afraid so, me! Looks like they’ll be traveling on the same boat as us, me.
CODE PINK! THIS IS NOT A DRILL, ME! I REPEAT, THIS. IS. NOT. A. DRILL!
Pinkie’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and she turned to bolt out of the room. She made it to the door when Sunburst came out of the bathroom, a worried expression on his face. “Um, Pinkie? I heard what I assumed was frantic hoofsteps, so I came out to check up on you. Is… is everything alright out here?” Pinkie’s body froze as her mind started running a mile a minute, trying to come up with a suitable answer. Eventually, she sucked in air through her teeth and put on her best, yet slightly forced, smile.
“Uh… yep, yep! Never better! The… the sun was just in my eyes! Yeparooni!” Pinkie punctuated her sentence with an awkward chuckle as Sunburst trotted past her and noticed the blinds were shut.
“Oh come now, Pinkie. I’m sure the sun isn’t that bad. Let’s just open these up and–“ Sunburst was about to part the blinds when Pinkie reared up and interposed herself between him and the window.
“W-wait! The sun’s just a teensy weensy bit glary right now… so, maybe we should wait! L-let me check to see if it’s okay!” Pinkie pushed Sunburst away and turned to the window.
“Please be gone, please be gone...!” she muttered frantically to herself as she opened the blinds a crack to see if they were still there. Her head darted back and forth as she scoured every visible inch of the deck. When there was no sight of Princess Luna or the other clone, she opened the blinds again. “Okie dokie! There we go, one set of open blinds!” Pinkie made her way past Sunburst as he rolled his eyes. She hurried out of the cabin and down to the deck to search for the other clone.
The first clone couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
When she looked up at the cabins, she noticed blinds being opened. Before she could turn away, she realized the other clone was staring straight down at her. Time imperceptibly ground to a halt as the gravity of the situation began to dawn on them. No words were exchanged, if only for the fact that the situation spoke for itself. After a few tense moments, the first clone shook her head and hesitantly glanced up at the window again, only to find that the blinds were closed. Her actions didn’t go unnoticed, however. “Ms. Pie? Pray tell, is something the matter?” Pinkie snapped from her stupor when she realized that Princess Luna was still with her.
“Uh… n-nope! Nothing’s wrong! Everything’s totally fine, yep yep!” Before Luna could respond, Pinkie started leading her into the building which housed the cabins. “Y… you must be really tired from teleporting us both onto the ship! We should… f-find you a place to sit! Yep yep! Don’t want you fainting during the meeting!” Pinkie quickly ushered a rather addled Luna inside.
“Okie dokie! You just sit right here. I’ll go find someone to check us in!” Before Luna could protest, Pinkie already disappeared from sight. When she entered the hallway, Pinkie wiped some sweat from her brow. “Phew! That was another close call! I think I need to find a certain someone and have a little chat with her…”
As the first clone left the foyer to search for the second, the second clone came down the hallway from the opposite direction of the first. “Where are you…?” Pinkie muttered to herself as she turned a corner and saw something pink out of the corner of her eye. “Aha! Found you!” she exclaimed as she hurried along to catch up.
Luna could hear frantic hoofsteps right outside of the foyer. She stood up and moved into the hall to see what all the commotion was about.
Pinkie wasn’t watching where she was going. “Oof!” she grunted as she rubbed her head. When she looked up, she saw the pony she bumped into was none other than Princess Luna.
“Ah, Ms. Pie! Thou must have found someone rather swiftly. Tell us, what is our room number? We also noticed that your luggage is missing. We are left to assume that you already finished unpacking?” Pinkie froze in place, staring up at Luna with a vacant expression. A look of confusion darted across the clone’s features. It was quickly replaced with widened eyes, furrowed eyebrows, and a forced smile as she quickly drummed up a response. She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.
“Ah! U-uh, no... I haven’t found anyone yet, Princess. I’m looking for a certain someone though, so I think I’ll ju--”
“Mayhap we can provide our assistance,” Luna interjected. “Provide us with a description, and we shall assist you forthrightly!” Luna announced in the Royal Canterlot Voice as she extended a hoof towards Pinkie.
Upon hearing this, Pinkie frantically waved her forelegs in front of herself. “O-oh no, that’s okay, Ireallydon’tneed--” Luna pressed a hoof to Pinkie’s mouth.
“No, we insist that we lend thee our aid. Thou look much troubled, and our conscience would not rest if we denied the aid that is sorely required.”
“Butbutbut!” Pinkie tried to protest, however Luna was already ushering her out of the room.
“I do not like boondoggling, Ms. Pie. Onward, let us solve this problem we are having!” Pinkie nervously began leading Luna along the hallway, her mind racing a mile a minute to come up with a suitable explanation as to who she was searching for. Oh Celestia. I just hope that the other me isn’t roaming about right now. I don’t know how long I can keep this up.
Meanwhile, the second clone made her way down the hall, checking every few doors for the first clone. "Nope, nopony in this one. Or this one, this one…" Eventually, Pinkie found herself back at the foyer, having gone a full circle and not locating the other one.
"There you are!" Pinkie's head snapped to the right to see a stallion heading over to her. She recognized him nearly immediately. "What's gotten into you? First I hear you running across our room, then I come out to see you about ready to bust down the cabin door. I know something's up, nobody acts like that when things are going well. So, care to explain why you were acting so weird?" Sunburst stopped a short distance away from Pinkie, who stared back at him with a glazed look in her eyes as she tried to process what he was talking about.
“Um, what are you talking about? I wasn’t acting strange…” Pinkie tried to protest, but the expression on Sunburst’s face allowed for no arguments on the matter. The words wilted and died on her tongue as he took a few steps closer. He cleared his throat before beginning to recount the events of a few minutes prior.
“First, I heard you open the blinds as I was going into the restroom. That was all well and good until I heard the stomping of hooves outside of the door.'' By now, Pinkie was scratching her cheek and trying to get a word in edgewise, however Sunburst simply ignored her in favor of continuing his rant, “Normally I wouldn’t pay it any mind, but I heard them coming closer. I figured you were going to try and burst into the bathroom in a panic, so I came out to see what was going on. That was when I saw you at the door, looking ready to run straight through it.” When Pinkie opened her mouth, Sunburst shoved a hoof onto it to silence her. “I know what you’re going to say, ‘Butbutbut, I don’t remember doing that!’, right? You aren’t getting out of this one so easily, Pinkie. Come back to the room and explain yourself.”
Pinkie sighed and subduedly nodded her head as Sunburst lowered his hoof. Turning sharply on his hooves, he began leading her back up the hallway from whence she came. At the same time, Luna and the first clone were coming around the corner as they continued their search. As the two clones passed by each other, they seamlessly swapped positions and continued on like nothing had happened.
“Do we know who we are looking for, Ms. Pie?” Luna questioned as she glanced down to Pinkie beside her. It was at this time she noticed the luggage on Pinkie’s back. “Ms. Pie? Why are you still carrying around thy luggage? Didn’t thou place it in our room? We are confused, did thou find a room beforehand or not?”
“Um…” Pinkie tapped the tips of her hooves together momentarily. “I may have set it down in an empty room figuring it was ours?” Luna stared blankly at Pinkie, who chuckled nervously and rubbed her forelegs together before relenting with a soft sigh.
“We suppose it cannot be helped. Let us return to the foyer to see if we cannot garner some assistance.” Luna slowly shook her head as she followed the hallway back to the foyer area.
Meanwhile, Sunburst glanced behind him and could have sworn he was seeing double. Two Pinkies in the same space? He rubbed his eyes, figuring he was seeing things. When he was finished, the first clone had already left the hallway. "But, uh, huh? Pinkie? Did you just see that?" he asked, waving a foreleg in the general direction the other one left. Pinkie glanced up at Sunburst with one eyebrow raised.
"See what, Sunny? I only saw Princess Luna leaving. What did you see?" she replied nonchalantly.
Sunburst stared at Pinkie with wide eyes and a frantic expression. "S-so, you didn't see that other version of you just walk away with the princess?" he asked as Pinkie pronked over and rested a hoof on his back.
"Don't you worry, Sunny! There's only one me, and that's all there ever will be!" she exclaimed, which seemed to placate him. Satisfied with the fact that there was only one Pinkie after all, he went on his way with her in tow.
The sun sat low in the sky as Luna and Pinkie finally returned to the foyer. As they arrived, they came across someone who could finally settle them in. The attendant was very apologetic for not being present when the two first arrived and took the pair’s names. She was a little confused when she saw Pinkie’s name written in the book already, but chalked it up to an oversight and wrote her name down again. After taking Luna’s name and realizing that the lunar diarch was on board the airship, she excused herself briefly to notify the staff and quickly made arrangements for a bed that was more accommodating for her.
After they settled into their cabin, and Luna allowed herself to flop onto her bed and make herself comfortable, Pinkie started to unpack her saddlebags and gave the room a cursory glance. A pair of beds sat against the western wall, with a single nightstand and lamp set between them. Another door sat off to the right of the main door, presumably for the bathroom. Beige curtains were drawn across the wall directly across from her. “Now, Ms. Pie. I am sure that thou wish to know more about our meeting, yes?”
“Didn’t you already explain this to me before we got on the airship, Princess?” Pinkie quipped as she hopped onto the second bed, which creaked as she sat upon it. “I thought you made it perfectly clear I was supposed to keep things on track.” Pinkie paused and brought a hoof to her chin. ”Are you trying to tell me that isn’t the only job I have?” She tilted her head.
Luckily for Pinkie, she didn’t have to think about it for too long. “Verily, thou are correct in assuming this, Ms. Pie. However, I need us both to be on the same page when we walk in. Now, from what our sister had informed us, Maretonia’s Duke has been neglecting to pay his tariffs for many moons.”
“Surely it can’t be that much, right Princess?” Pinkie interjected with an air of uncertainty. “He seemed trustworthy from what I could gather, so what could he possibly owe? A thousand, maybe two?”
“From last year’s tariff report, he owes…” Luna paused and ignited her horn. A scroll embedded with the royal seal conjured itself into existence and rose to her face. After a few moments of scrutiny, Luna lowered the scroll slightly. “According to this official statement from the Crown, a hundred thousand bits.”
Pinkie’s jaw immediately opened so wide it impacted the floor with a soft thud. A few moments later, it was enveloped in the soft glow of Luna’s magic and promptly closed. “Before you say anything, yes, this is a serious matter we have been sent out to resolve. Our sister also mentioned making an attempt to open trading with him. She stated, and I quote, ‘mainly for their silk along with a few other things they are known for’.”
"Gee, I wonder what those other things might be?" Pinkie mused as she rubbed her chin with a hoof and made exaggerated humming sounds.
"Our sister is very enigmatic indeed." Luna slipped from the bed and rose to her hooves. "We will be heading outside for some fresh air, Ms. Pie. You are free to remain here if it pleases." Without waiting for a reply, Luna opened the door with her magic and stepped out of the room.
Pinkie was about to stand up and follow her out when a harsh whine pierced the silence. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a crudely constructed megaphone made of what Pinkie decided was warped plastic. Inside of the rounded end, a stopper could be seen plugged into a raised portion of the interior. Squinting, she could barely make out a wire mesh wrapped around the tip of it. A few moments later, a crackling sound came from it, and a voice, clearly male in origin, projected itself into the room.
"Good afternoon, passengers, and welcome aboard Canterlot Air. I am your captain, Clear Skies. In just a few moments, we'll be leaving Equestria and heading over the Neiponeise strait to our first stop, Mount Aris. We should arrive, if all goes well, in a little under an hour. All passengers looking to disembark should begin to pack their luggage and await further instructions. Once again, we should arrive at our first stop, Mount Aris, in a little under an hour. All passengers looking to disembark should begin packing their bags and await further instructions. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation, and thank you for flying Canterlot Air." The crackling sound cut off, leaving Pinkie in silence once more.
"...and that's why I was in such a hurry, Sunny. I'm sorry that I worried you so badly."
Pinkie scuffed the carpeted floor of their cabin with a hoof. Sunburst, for his part, had the decency to rub the back of his head and sigh. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Pinkie. I overreacted for no good reason. I should have known that Princess Luna was on the airship as well, seeing how much commotion was going on earlier. I--"
Before Sunburst could comment further, a sharp whine pierced the awkward silence of the room. Their ears snapped to the sound and listened intently. After the announcement ended, the duo looked at each other for a moment. "So soon?" they both asked nearly in unison as they stared up at the cone in stunned silence.
Sunburst was already collecting their luggage by the time Pinkie snapped from her stupor. "Well, guess we should head to the deck. If our stop is coming up soon, we should probably make the most of it, huh?" With a nod from Sunburst, the duo left their room.
On the deck, Princess Luna was resting against a portion of the guardrail and looked out to the ocean ahead of them. After a few minutes, the low peal of thunder caused her to snap her head from the water and out to the expanse of sea ahead. Eventually, she noticed a particularly dark patch of clouds a few miles out to sea. Lightning arced from the dark edges of the cloud, heating the air around it and causing her to avert her eyes from the bright flashes of light. "That does not bode well for us," she mumbled to nopony in particular as the cloud seemed to ripple slightly from the intense pressure released by the bolts.
"What doesn't bode well for us, Princess?" Luna jumped a few inches in the air, spinning around with her horn lit.
“You shall rue the moment that you attempted to sneak upon Princess Luna, Lunara Invictus, Priestess of the Moon! I shall give you a few moments to pray to whichever god you follow before you shall be sent to meet with them personally!” Luna roared in the Royal Canterlot Voice as she lowered her horn. When she saw the shocked face of Sunburst staring back at her, she expelled a breath she wasn't aware she was holding and dimmed her horn.
"We would like to apologize, Sunburst. Your outburst merely startled us. Why are you on the deck?" Luna tilted her head slightly, one hoof scratching at her cheek as she glanced over her shoulder.
"Well, you see, my st--"
Sunburst was cut off by the sharp squeal of the intercom turning on again. "Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking." Several pairs of ears pricked as heads turned to give the announcement their full attention. "I have just received word that the Cloudsdale Weather Team had neglected to inform us of a storm they were creating over the Neiponeise strait yesterday. If you look off of the port side of the ship, you'll see the weather team heading out to move the storm inland."
Off to the side of the ship, several flocks of pegasi flew by. A few of them landed on the deck of the airship and attempted to calm the passengers. "We were informed by the weather team captain that we should alter our course, unless we want to fly straight into the storm. Due to this, the next stop will be delayed by a few hours. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we recommend that all passengers return to their cabins. Once again, thank you for flying Canterlot Air."
As the trio stood there, the airship lurched to the left, heading towards the Everfree Forest as the storm slowly began to move inland. From where they were, they noticed that the cloud appeared to be unstable, and the team was having a difficult time controlling it. The surface of the cloud appeared to be rather spongy due to the amount of water it was allowed to collect. Several members were trying to kick the cloud into a more condensed shape, however the only thing they seemed to accomplish was making their rear hooves rather damp. To an untrained observer, the storm appeared to be casually fighting back against the efforts of the team to manipulate its structure.
Even as the pegasi tried to get the cloud under control, several bolts of lightning arced from the black frills of the cloud’s edge, catching several of them off guard. They were electrocuted by one of the stray lightning bolts and started plummeting to the ground below. Several wingponies broke off of the cloud formation to bring them to safety.
The cloud lazily drifted off course. Even though they were turning away, the cloud seemed determined to collide with the airship as the weather team ineffectively tried to corral the unruly storm. As lightning crackled in the sky, nearly everyone on board quickly darted for the safety of the main building as rain pelted the ones that remained; either frozen in abject fear or fascination at seeing such a storm up close.
A few crew members barely had time to react as lightning arced over the airship, narrowly missing its target. The remaining passengers fled for the main building in sheer terror. Meanwhile, Princess Luna ignited her horn and teleported herself, Sunburst, and Pinkie to safety.
"Hu-wha?" Pinkie's eyes shot open as she bolted upright from the bed. The last thing she remembered was some sort of announcement that the airship was coming to their first stop, but not much else after that. "Guess I fell asleep… What time is it?" Pinkie raised a hoof to her chin.
As she attempted to recollect what happened after the announcement, another squeal of the speaker broke the silence of the room. Pinkie's head turned to the cone, and she listened intently. After the announcement was over, Pinkie rose from the bed and made her way over to the curtains. "A storm? I didn’t hear anything." Pinkie slid the curtains open just as the airship lurched to the left.
The sudden motion caused Pinkie to wobble unsteadily on her hooves. Thinking quickly, she gripped the curtains to keep herself from toppling over. She dared not move until she felt the airship level out. “Whoa! What’s going on out there?” she asked as rain began beating against the window and the low rumble of thunder made her jump. Glancing down, she saw ponies on the deck staring up into the sky and starting to panic. She followed their gazes to the storm looming overhead.
Lightning crackled in the sky as several dots were zipping around the edges of the cloud, trying to find purchase where none was available. A bolt arced down towards the airship and disappeared out of sight. Soon, she heard the dulled stomping of hooves. As she glanced down, it was just in time to see that the ponies were already gone, including Luna and the others. She hurriedly shut the blinds and stormed out of the room to find them.
Meanwhile, down below in the main foyer area of the ship, startled ponies stampeded the hallways in an effort to return to their cabins and gather their belongings. The attendants attempted to calm the crowd, however their words fell on deaf ears as each passenger tried to shove past the next in order to get through the small doorway to the hallway that housed the cabins. Eventually, the throng managed to free itself from the small doorway and clogged the hall.
As the first clone made her way down to the lower level, a sea of bodies met her. She knew that trying to push her way through would be more trouble than it was worth. Turning around, she returned the way she came to find another way down to the main area.
At this time, Sunburst, Luna, and the second Pinkie appeared in the foyer as the panicked crowd died down enough to be manageable. “Out of all the bumbling, idiotic decisions, this one has got to be the worst!” Sunburst exclaimed over the commotion as the sharp peal of thunder caused him to jump slightly. “I mean, who leaves a storm out in the ocean of all places?” he grumbled.
The rain outside turned into a downpour. The patter of rain against the roof of the building attempted, yet utterly failed, to drown out the panicked cries of the startled passengers. Meanwhile, the first Pinkie made a loop around the upstairs hallway to the left side of the ship. When she arrived at the staircase, she barreled down the stairs towards the ground floor. Once at the bottom, she was grateful to find the crowd of ponies thinned out considerably on this side of the ship. As she got closer to the foyer, she caught the tail end of the conversation between Luna and Sunburst.
Pinkie peeked her head in just in time to see Luna’s face contort into a scowl. “We can agree on this, Sunburst. This is something that we need to speak with the weather team captain about,” she declared before her expression softened into one of concern. “However, that can wait until after our trip. For now, we must adjourn to our cabins and hopefully ride out the storm.” Before either Sunburst or the second Pinkie could comment further, Luna already distanced herself from them.
The first Pinkie quickly ducked her head out and around the lip of the doorway right before Luna disappeared into the hallway. Satisfied that the others were safe, Pinkie quickly made her way back to her room before Luna could notice she was gone.
“I don’t exactly have high hopes right now, Sunny,” the second Pinkie admitted ruefully as she watched Luna disappear around the doorframe. “I mean, you saw it, I saw it, even Princess Luna saw it!” she exclaimed as she turned to face Sunburst. Before he could blink, Pinkie was suddenly muzzle to muzzle with him. “This storm is dangerous!” she exclaimed, her forelegs waving dramatically for emphasis.
Outside of the building, a bolt of lightning pierced the air and made its way towards the airship. At the last moment, the bolt forked as if the ship sliced straight through it. One part grazed the top of the balloon, the other part angled itself downward towards the ground. In the distance, the stray bolt found purchase on the mainland of Equestria, hitting one of the trees in the Everfree Forest. Sparks flew as the bolt ignited the wood of the aforementioned tree and started a small fire. Before the fire could spread to the surrounding areas, it was rapidly extinguished by the torrent of rain outside.
“I know, Pinkie.” This time, it was Sunburst who rested a hoof on Pinkie’s back. “All we can do is trust the judgement of the captain to pilot us through this storm. I’m sure that they’re more than capable of handling it. After all, I’m sure that this isn’t the first time they flew an airship. Let’s just head back to our cabin until this passes, alright?” Pinkie shrugged and followed Sunburst out of the foyer.
As they struggled to return to their rooms, the intercom crackled to life. “Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking.” Panic was momentarily replaced with curiosity, and the crowd skidded to a halt to listen. “I have just received word that the weather team has finally started to get control of the situation.” Cheers erupted from the passengers as they began to slowly file into their cabins. “We were advised that we should make an emergency landing until the storm has passed overhead, which will delay our next stop by a few hours as previously stated. We thank you for your patience while we work through this trying situation, and as always, thank you for flying Canterlot Air.”
The moon was high in the sky by the time the weather team was finally able to corral the storm and move it further inland. Crew members climbed up onto the deck to mop up the excess water and to assess the damage to the hull and balloon. Eventually, the airship lurched as it slowly ascended back into the sky and continued onward. Luna and the first clone were asleep in their cabin. Throughout the entire ship, most of the other passengers were as well.
No sooner than they were back in the air, the intercom squealed to life as a familiar voice could be heard. "Attention, passengers, this is your captain speaking." Most of his words fell on deaf ears, however he continued on regardless. "We are approaching our first destination, Mount Aris, in a little under thirty minutes. All passengers looking to disembark should pack their luggage and begin to congregate on the main deck. Once again, we are approaching our first destination, Mount Aris, in a little under thirty minutes. All passengers looking to disembark should pack their luggage and begin to congregate on the main deck. As always, thank you for flying Canterlot Air.”
At this time, the second clone had already packed her luggage and joined Sunburst, who was standing on the deck with a small group of other ponies in various states of exhaustion. He was staring out to sea as the airship began to approach their destination. In the distance, a large rock formation could be seen bathing in the silver light given off by Luna’s moon.
The formation, which looked more and more like a mountain the closer they got, was being split down the middle by what looked to be a verdant hill. Small pinpricks of light dotted the hillside at random intervals; when the airship got a bit closer, the source of the lights appeared to be a rough outline of houses that could be seen along the hillside. Sandy beaches and grass enveloped the base of the formation. “Finally, we’re almost there,” Sunburst muttered to nopony in particular.
“And it only took us the better part of a day!” Pinkie chirped, which caused Sunburst to jump.
“P-Pinkie?” he blurted out as he spun around to face her. "When did you get here?”
“Right around the same time as you, Sunny!” she exclaimed as she stood next to him. “I’m equal parts nervous and excited! This feeling is so strange, it needs a word to describe it! Hmm, how about... nercited!" Sunburst simply glanced over and raised an eyebrow. Pinkie rubbed her chin with her hoof. "No, that won’t do. Ooh-ooh! How about excervous?" When Sunburst rolled his eyes and glanced away, Pinkie decided that she was free to continue. "Excervous it is, then! Hmm… excervous. That’s a funny word to say. Excervous, excervous, exceeeeervous!”
Sunburst toned her out in favor of his own thoughts. The fact that they were going to be investigating sacred ruins held his attention more than Pinkie and her antics. As the duo stood there, the rough outline of a wooden platform came into view. A support consisting of steel beams that jutted out from the rocks could also be seen as the ship lurched to the left. Eventually, they saw a large stone disk which appeared to grow from the top of the wooden pier, with several layers of stone underneath to create a natural stairway down to the wooden platform below.
As the ship descended, they noticed a single building which sat off to the left, along with a hippogryph who was positioned at a small table behind a ticket window. Her head rested on her forelegs, and she appeared to not be moving. ‘Must’ve drawn the short straw. Can’t say I haven’t been in that position before...’ Pinkie thought as the airship slowly approached the platform, landing on the stone disk with a creak of protest before silencing itself with begrudged acceptance.
This act startled the hippogryph, who shot her head up and quickly rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Hu-who what? I-I’m awake, boss! I’m not sleeping on the job!” After a few blinks to banish the mist from her eyes and take a few calming breaths, the hippogryph noticed the airship and quickly left the booth to make herself presentable as well as notify someone to take her place. Eventually, Pinkie and Sunburst saw her raising a makeshift ramp on the side of the airship.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I guess I must’ve dozed off because not many airships usually come in at this time of night over here, so I figured it was going to be a slow night. I guess I was just proven wrong! Anyway, welcome to Mount Aris!” She apologized a few more times before she led Pinkie and Sunburst off of the airship. Behind them, the small crowd of ponies took this opportunity to follow them. Taking a moment to get their bearings, the familiar sight of the ticket kiosk started drawing the crowd in. A second gryph could be seen behind the window to assist the ones who disembarked. Pinkie was drawn from her stupor when she realized the hippogryph beside her was still speaking. “Are you two here for a visit, a vacation, or?”
“Actually, we’re here to talk with Queen Novo!” Pinkie interjected with her usual smile. “We’re here to go spelunking! Isn’t that right, Sunny?” she asked as her hoof lightly jabbed Sunburst’s side.
“Ow--Y-yes, that’s right. I’m here on a, uh, archeological study of Seaquestria. I was hoping to meet with the queen today, but our airship got delayed,” he explained as the hippogryph nodded lightly.
“Of course, of course! I can show you to a roost--that’s what we call a home, an inn, basically anywhere we can rest--and you can stay there until we can inform our queen of your arrival and prepare you for your trip down below. Isn’t that exciting?” she eagerly babbled while she fluttered her wings.
Without waiting for a reply, she started flying away. When she looked back and noticed they weren’t following her, she stopped for a moment and was about to call out to them. That was when she noticed that neither of them had wings. She quickly flew back and landed, awkwardly rubbing a foreleg with one of her claws. “Whoops, eheh, sorry… I’m just used to flying everywhere. Come on, follow me!” she stated as she began walking away at a leisurely pace.
Sunburst and Pinkie grabbed their belongings and followed after her. After they stepped off of the pier, they continued down the street in companionable silence. As they walked, they noticed that this particular street of Hippogriffia was quiet at this time of night. Since no street lamps were posted along the street, they had to depend on moonlight to illuminate their path.
Eventually they reached the center of town, where a single building was fully lit. Hippogryphs flitted to and fro inside, and the front door was wide open. "You can head in and talk to the hippogryph behind the bar. I'm afraid this is where we part ways; gotta get back to the pier now. I still got a job to do, after all! Good luck!" With a light wave, the hippogryph accompanying them flew off back to the port. Pinkie and Sunburst waved goodbye and entered the building.
The sounds and sights assaulted them all at once. Hippogryphs darted around the slightly cramped room, placing mugs down on tables as several others were talking about a rather nasty storm they saw earlier. In the corner, one of them was playing a piano, and a small group of obviously inebriated patrons raucously sang along. On the other side of the room, a single gryph was polishing a long oak bar. Pinkie and Sunburst approached him. The former reared up to rest her forelegs on the bar and bluntly asked, “Hey! Do you have any rooms available?”
As the airship made its way to their next destination, Luna was awake at this time to help her moon start its slow descent in the sky. No sooner than she lit up her horn, a groggy voice pierced the silence of the room. “Princess?” Pinkie was rubbing her eyes with a foreleg as she propped herself up on the bed with the other. “You’re awake a little early to lower the moon. Is everything okay?”
Luna froze. She slowly turned her head to look at her, with an uneasy expression on her face as she dimmed her horn. “To tell thee the truth, Ms. Pie, everything is not okay. We are… unsure if we are the right pony for the job.” She swirled her head back out to sea, to gaze upon her moon once more. “Maybe we should have let our sister undertake this trip. She is more, as the young ponies say, in the know about these things.”
“Aw... What's the matter, Princess?” Pinkie pronked over to Luna’s side. “Where’s that ‘can-do’ attitude you showed at the start of this trip?” she asked with her usual cheerful smile and a harmless hook of a foreleg. “I thought you wanted to prove you were capable of handling yourself?” Pinkie’s head tilted slightly as she looked up at Luna with a curious expression.
“Yes, thou are correct in assuming this, Ms. Pie. However, that was only our wounded pride speaking at the time. Now that we have had time to think over our previous actions, we can see that it was foolish of us to undertake such a venture. We know next to nothing ab--” Pinkie lightly jabbed her hoof onto Luna’s mouth, silencing her.
“Nonsense, Princess! You’re going to go out there and do a super-de-duper job!” Pinkie paused as she slowly lowered her hoof. “If you have doubts, you don’t have to worry. After all, you got me! You got this… no, we got this. Together,” she added.
The conversation died, and an awkward silence grew between them. Eventually, Luna let out a soft sigh and lit her horn, guiding her moon towards its slow descent to the horizon. “We do hope thou are correct, Ms. Pie. We do not wish to make a faux pas, there might be more at stake than just losing out on bits and opportunities here,” she stated as she unsuccessfully stifled a yawn. “However, we shall attempt it, if for nothing more than our sister’s and yours sake.”
Satisfied, Pinkie returned to her bed and slipped back under the covers. “That’s the spirit! Good night, Princess,” she said as she flopped onto her back and fell asleep nearly instantly. With some lingering doubts, but a much clearer mind, Luna climbed back into bed and went back to sleep.
The amber glow of the sun slowly washed over the city of Hippogriffia, rousing its residents from slumber. Sunburst and the second Pinkie were heading downstairs to the main area of the inn. As they walked, they passed some familiar faces they saw on the airship. A few of them waved and smiled at the duo. Rounding the corner, Pinkie glanced at Sunburst. “Well, today’s the big day, Sunny! Ready to head down and talk to the queen?” she asked as she pronked alongside him.
Sunburst looked at Pinkie and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “If I said no, would you believe me?” he replied. Pinkie simply giggled.
“Of course, silly. Don’t worry though, Queen Novo is one of the nicest rulers I’ve ever met! Sure, she might be a little rough around the edges, but who isn’t around strangers?” she remarked as they approached a staircase and began descending to the ground floor. “Once we get down there, just be yourself and everything will turn out fine. Trust me.”
We’ll see about that… “Um, okay, Pinkie. Sure thing,” Sunburst stated as they continued down the stairs.
A hippogryph was standing at the counter and talking with the gryph behind it. “Would you happen to know what room our guests are staying in? I was told to come fetch them.” A subtle gesture of a claw was all it took for the hippogryph to turn and notice the two. “Oh! Well then, that saves me some time and effort…” he mused as he approached the duo. “Hello there, you two! I have just received word that our queen is ready to accept visitors. If you two are prepared, you can follow me over to the well, and we can get you ready to go down below.”
No time like the present, I guess… “Of course. Lead the way,” Sunburst calmly replied. As they followed the path through the plaza, a tall building slowly came into view, extending into the sky. Walls in the shape of wings curled around the tip of the structure, forming a figurative protective cover for the city. “What’s that?” Sunburst asked as they approached the structure.
“This is the Well of Eternity. It serves as our link to Seaquestria. Before you ask, this is the fastest way to travel to the underwater city.” Sunburst shot an inquisitive glance at Pinkie, who only nodded in confirmation. “Now, if you’d follow me, the well is just ahead.” When no objections came, the hippogryph led them inside.
After descending a short flight of stairs, Pinkie and Sunburst found themselves in a modest-sized room underneath the city itself. Marble pillars flanked a circular recess in the ground, and the walls were engraved with various underwater motifs, from schools of fish to coral reefs. Inside the chamber, a pair of hippogryphs awaited them. One of them was holding what appeared to be a bubble affixed to a collar of alabaster white coral. The other one was empty-hoofed. “Wait, only one? What about Pinkie?” Sunburst declared as he gestured to the pink mare. “Doesn’t she need one too?”
“Nope! I don’t need one, Sunny. I already visited Seaquestria once before.” Sunburst glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. Pinkie tilted her head slightly in confusion. “Wait, I didn’t tell you all about my visit to the queen of the hippogryphs?” When Sunburst shook his head, Pinkie shrugged and continued on towards the opening of the well. “All you need to know is that the queen blasted me with some really colorful pearl, and now I don’t need to wear one!” she mentioned as they approached the rim of what could now be discerned as a pool of some sort. One of the gryphs slipped the bubble helmet over Sunburst’s head as Pinkie leapt into the air and curled her hooves to her chest. “Cannonball!” she declared before splashing into the pool and disappearing beneath its depths.
Sunburst simply stared at the pool, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “A-are you sure it’s safe?” One of the gryphs rolled his eyes. On an unseen cue, he lifted Sunburst up and chucked him into the pool. Almost immediately, he felt himself sink. Water swirled around him in a vortex as it sucked him down into the depths. He heard a distant cry of elation from below him. Well, at least Pinkie’s having fun…
Suddenly, his stomach turned upside down as he felt himself impact something firm. Before he could figure out what was going on, he started sliding along a smooth surface. A bright flash of light suddenly illuminated the darkness ahead. Soon, he felt himself leave the ground to pass through an opening in the rock wall. When he regained his bearings, he noticed that he was no longer moving. Glancing around, he realized that he was now in an underwater cave.
“Whee! Wasn’t that just super-de-duper?” a familiar voice said as he turned to his left to see a seapony that looked exactly like Pinkie.
Sunburst stared at her for a moment. "P-Pinkie?" he finally managed to sputter out as she nodded. "W-what happened to--Oh, the pearl thing. Right." Pinkie grabbed one of his forelegs and began swimming away from the well's exit.
As the two swam with Pinkie leading the way and Sunburst allowing himself to be dragged along, the passageway opened into a sizable underwater cavern. As they passed a coral reef, several buildings slowly came into view. With long stems protruding from the rock walls and a rounded top, they reminded Sunburst of mushrooms. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to be grouped around a lone stalactite embedded in the ceiling. Light shone from inside of several homes, and a few seapony foals swam by, giggling amongst themselves. A couple of concerned seaponies sped past, trying to keep up with them.
Up ahead, a bright pink light pierced the darkness of the cavern. "There's the palace!" Pinkie chirped as she swam towards the light. At the very tip of the rock formation, a building in the shape of a clam shell that sat upright quickly came into view. Structural supports grew along the outside of the roof from what looked like pieces of brown seaweed. An opening at the bottom of the structure formed a spotlight that allowed the light inside to spill out into the cavern. Pinkie and Sunburst swam toward the opening.
Before they could reach it, two seaponies dressed in makeshift armor consisting of seashells, along with a spear made of hardened coral, suddenly appeared and blocked their advance. “Halt. State your names and your reason for entry,” one declared as the other moved a bit closer to Sunburst.
“Hm. You don’t look like a seapony…” he mused as he circled Sunburst once. “What are you doing here, outsider?” he bluntly inquired as he came to a stop in front of Sunburst, spear at the ready.
“W-well, I’m here to do a…” Sunburst gulped as he forced the rest of his words out, “... a-an archeological study of Seaquestria.”
The guard stared at Sunburst for a moment before he slowly moved his spear away. A look of confusion flashed across his face before it was replaced with comprehension and understanding. “Hmph. Fine. I shall go and speak with the queen to see if she will allow an audience with you. Names?” he stated through clenched teeth.
“I’m Pinkie Pie, but I’m sure you know all about me,” she mentioned before swimming over to Sunburst. “And this is Sunburst!” Pinkie chirped as she wrapped a foreleg around his withers. “He’s the one doing the studying, I’m just here as his assistant,” she quickly clarified as the first guard sighed.
“Okay. You two wait here. I’ll go and inform the queen of your intentions. I’ll be right back.” He swam off and disappeared back into the building, leaving the second guard to watch the entrance. After a few moments, the first guard returned and cleared his throat. “Her Majesty has informed me that she will grant you an audience with her. Follow us.” They followed the guards up a short passageway, which led them to an opulent throne room. Marble pillars flanked the room at measured intervals as illuminated strands dangled from the ceiling above. Upon closer inspection, they noticed the light was coming from an unusually large mass of pink anemone that was transfixed on the ceiling directly above the throne. “Here is the outsider and his entourage, Your Majesty.”
A light snort came from the seapony on the throne. Her tailfin and webbing reflected the colors of the rainbow, and her goldenrod yellow scales adopted a rosy hue from the light that shone from the anemone plastered to the ceiling. She swam forward, coming to a rest just before the two guards. “No need to be so formal, my little seaponies. Now, return to your posts so I may speak with our guests.” With a salute, the two guards disappeared down the passageway from whence they came.
Unfortunately for Novo, Pinkie took advantage of the silence. "Hiya, Queenie! Did you miss me?" she chirped, prompting a soft sigh from her.
"Yes, hello again, Pinkie," she replied neutrally as her gaze settled upon Sunburst. "And what is your name, outsider?"
"S-Sunburst, Your Excellence," he choked out as Novo sighed.
"Please, just call me Novo. I am the queen of the seaponies. However, I'm sure you already knew that," she mentioned idly as she swam back to the throne.
"O-oh, of course, Queen Novo," he replied as Novo settled back onto the throne and rolled her right hoof, resting her cheek upon it.
“Now, my guards have informed me that you’re looking to do a… what did you call it again?” she asked with an air of disinterest.
“Um, archeological study?” he helpfully supplied, to which Novo lightly shrugged.
“Archeological study. Right. So, how were you looking to accomplish this?” Novo asked as she lowered her foreleg and leaned forward slightly.
“We were looking to go deep sea diving and maybe explore some ruins in the area. That is, if you’ll allow us to,” Sunburst explained as Novo snickered lightly.
“I could, but there’s one problem with that," she quipped as her webbed foreleg gestured at him. “I think you’ll find the deeper parts around here to be rather… inhospitable for an outsider such as yourself. So, what we’ll do is—”
“—blast you with that magic pearl thingie!” Pinkie interjected as she circled Sunburst once. A soft sigh escaped Novo’s lips. She rolled her eyes, swam up to the anemone coating the ceiling, and reached into a clump of illuminated fibers. When she pulled her arm back, a glowing pearl about the size of a baseball could be seen in her clutches.
"Took the words right out of my mouth, Pinkie. This is our prized possession… the Sea Pearl. With its magic, we are capable of shifting our forms between land and sea. I can lend you its power to complete your little excursion. Due to a certain someone attempting to steal it...” Pinkie started nonchalantly whistling as she tried, but ultimately failed, to appear to be guilt-free, "I cannot allow you to touch it. However, you do not need to be near it for its effects to work.”
As she held the pearl towards Sunburst, wisps of brown magic wafted towards him. When they infused his body, he suddenly could no longer feel his rear legs. Looking beneath him, he noticed they had fused into a single tip, from which a tailfin colored orange with a few yellow streaks sprouted. The next thing he noticed was a significant loss of musculature in his forelegs, their shape becoming slimmer and less toned.
Webbing ran along the underside of his forelegs, which ended at the crook of his upper leg. Suddenly, he felt lethargic, and his breaths were coming in short, labored spurts. Seeing this, Pinkie quickly removed the helmet, causing Sunburst to cough for a moment before his breathing slowed, and his head started to clear. “Would’ve been nice to have a little warning about that...” he spat out between coughing fits.
“Oh. I didn’t think that I needed to preface the fact that, since our kind lives in the sea, we breathe through our gills,” Novo dryly commented. “That would normally mean that breathing pure air would be much more difficult,” she added as she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you are free to go explore the seafloor… or whatever it is you do for these types of studies,” she declared with a wave of her hoof. “Just don’t get lost. Now, if that’ll be all, I—”
“Oh, uh, Queen Novo?” Sunburst interjected as he rubbed his forelegs together sheepishly. “Since these trips usually last more than a day, would it be possible for us to have a place to stay while we’re here? Also, would it be possible to have a, uh, guide to help us?”
Novo suppressed the urge to sigh as she rested her forelegs on the armrests of her throne. “I don’t see why not. I shall have lodgings arranged for you by the time you return, and I shall send for someone to meet you outside. Now, if that’ll be all, I have more pressing matters to attend to.” Behind them, two other seaponies filed into the throne room led by the guards the two had seen earlier. When they were waved over, the guards led Pinkie and Sunburst back into the passageway.
“See? That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Pinkie asked as the two guards disappeared back into the palace.
“Well, no, but I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first arrived,” Sunburst commented as Pinkie shrugged. “So, what’s the plan?”
“She did say that someone was going to meet us here, right?” Pinkie tilted her head as one of her hooves tapped against her chin in thought.
Sunburst blinked slowly before letting out a soft sigh. “Well, guess we could wait here for a bit. After all, we don't know much about what's on the seafloor…” he added as he swam off to the side, with Pinkie following close behind.
Meanwhile, back on the airship, the first clone was sitting in her room. She was staring out of the window at the wide expanse of sea before her when the intercom crackled to life. “Good morning, passengers, this is your captain speaking. If you look out of your windows for those of you on the starboard side of the ship, you’ll see the lovely Mount Aris in the distance as we make our way to our next stop, Maretonia. We’re scheduled to arrive, if all goes well, in a little under a day. I shall take this time to inform you of our many amenities on board, which include—”
PInkie tuned out the announcement in favor of her own thoughts. One whole day? I didn’t think we’d have to travel that far to get there. Then again, I’ve never been to Maretonia, so maybe this is normal? She was about to continue this train of thought when the sound of the door being thrust open snapped her from her reverie. She jumped slightly, twirling around just in time to see Luna peek her head into the room.
“Oh! We are sorry for scaring you, Ms. Pie. Thy lack of presence worried us, so we began searching for thee. If we knew thou were still in our room, we would have searched here first,” Luna explained as she rubbed her forelegs together. “However, now that we have thy attention, we would like for thee to join us on deck! We are sure thou would like to see this,” Luna stated as she turned and disappeared from the doorway. After taking a few calming breaths, Pinkie rose to her hooves and followed her out.
Once she arrived at the deck, Luna waved her over to the bow of the ship and pointed towards the Equestrian mainland. When she followed Luna’s hoof, she saw a bright rainbow in an arch between two cloud formations. A small group of passengers had assembled on the bow of the ship to stare at it, its bright colors visible even from where they stood. Eventually, the rainbow began to fade and activity returned to normal.
Pinkie turned to Luna and cleared her throat. “So, since we have another day at least before we get there…” she began, as Luna glanced at Pinkie, “Maybe we should go over things one more time? You know, just to ensure we’re prepared once we get there?” she added as Luna softly sighed.
“Verily, one more glance couldn’t hurt. Afterwards, we are particularly interested in visiting the spa. We think that some time to relax before we arrive would be a good idea,” Luna decided as Pinkie led her back into the main building and towards their room.
After exiting the throne room, Sunburst decided they should wait off to the side for their guide. Not even a few minutes later, a seafoam-colored seapony swam up to the entrance and adjusted a satchel strap on his shoulder. The satchel emitted some rather ominous rattling that he seemed to ignore. Once satisfied, he pulled out a piece of paper, and appeared to be studying it intently. After a few moments, he glanced up and muttered something to himself as his head drifted back and forth.
When he noticed Pinkie and Sunburst, he quickly perked up and made his way over to them. "Oh, you must be the two I was told were waiting for me! My name's Riptide, and I'll be your guide for this little excursion on the seafloor. Follow me!" he announced as he began slowly swimming away from the duo. Pinkie and Sunburst exchanged an unsure glance before following him.
As they swam, the diffused light of the palace slowly faded into obscurity, and the laughter of energetic foals slowly died down. As they neared the outskirts, Sunburst and Pinkie noticed that the houses were sparse on this side of Seaquestria; in the center of the city, houses were every few feet. Out here, they could go for several minutes without seeing one. Soon, the only thing that remained was the coral reef that grew along the seafloor. The ethereal darkness permeated their vision, not allowing them to see more than a few feet in front of their faces.
As the murky shadows slowly engulfed them, Sunburst spoke up, “S-so, uh, it’s getting kinda dark now. M-maybe we should have some sort of light to guide us?” The seapony in front of them stopped for a moment, facehoofed, and turned around to head back in the direction of Seaquestria.
Sunburst was just about to wonder if they should follow him when the seapony paused. He patted himself down, as if looking around for something. When his forehoof brushed against a piece of fabric, he rested the frog of his other hoof against his forehead before fiddling with something on the side of the fabric.
With a groan of protest, a clicking sound could be heard as something came undone. The duo only watched as he fished around for something inside the satchel. “Aha! Here we go!” he declared as he pulled out a small round object with an indent on the front. Giving the indent a twist, a flash of light illuminated the murky water surrounding them. “I nearly forgot that I already had my deep sea diving gear. Here, take one of these spelunking helmets; they should help light your way. Just give the knob a twist!”
Riptide dug into his satchel, retrieving a helmet for Pinkie and Sunburst, who graciously accepted it. After helping to strap the helmet onto their heads, he resumed their trek to the seafloor. Angler fish hastily retreated from the light their helmets gave off. “Now that we’re out of the city, our first stop should be around here somewhere…” Riptide mused, mostly to himself, as he rubbed his chin with his hoof. “If I remember the directions from my last visit, it should be right after this section of—”
“What’re we looking for?” Riptide was jolted out of his reverie by Pinkie suddenly appearing at his side, which caused him to squirm away from her.
“Gah!” was all that he managed to choke out before taking a few deep breaths. “Skies above! You nearly gave me a heart attack! To answer your question, I’m looking for a specific monument around here.”
In the distance, a silhouette quickly came into focus amidst the backdrop of coral and shadows. “Ah! It should be up ahead!” A few minutes of swimming brought them to a dilapidated marble temple.
Seaweed slithered along the worn walls, exposing several holes where the salt water corroded the once pristine marble. Portions of still intact walls were cracked and discolored with age. If Riptide noticed, he didn’t seem to care as he cleared his throat and seamlessly transitioned into tour guide mode. “Our first stop today will bring us to the ruined temple of Sacanus. Not much is known about Sacanus, except that his staff has been rumored to be able to control weather patterns across all of Equus.”
After a few moments, they were led into the temple. Paintings hung upon the walls, their canvases now blank due to being submerged in seawater. Whatever was on them was lost to the ravages of time. The guide stopped at a wall bearing what looked like a hoof-carved mural of a unicorn wielding a wooden stick that forked at the tip to create a makeshift staff. A sky blue crystal was nestled in a groove at the top, with a bluish-white glow emanating from it.
“Is that what I think it is?” Sunburst asked as Pinkie floated closer to the wall.
“It looks like a staff of some sort, Sunny!” Pinkie declared, which only earned her an eye roll from Sunburst.
“This is an early depiction of what we have come to know as the Staff of Sacanas,” Riptide announced as he gestured to the mosaic. “During the time of the three tribes, it is unknown if anyone knew the true intention of this particular staff, or if it even had a name. All we know is that it was used to control the weather during pre-Equestrian times.” Riptide coughed into the frog of his hoof. “Its origin is currently unknown, but from some accounts we discovered during various studies, we theorize it was near where the tribes first settled. Allegedly, a unicorn saw an unusual cloud pattern over a series of peaks that are known today as the Appleloosa Mountains. He went to investigate when a lightning bolt struck one of the peaks. Climbing to the top, he saw something embedded in one of the rock faces. He managed to pry it loose and brought it back to show the other tribes.”
Riptide gestured to another section that depicted a beam extending from the crystal to attach itself to a cloud. A final fresco displayed the cloud being moved by the beam, along with a sufficiently awe-stricken crowd. Each panel looked as if it were either meticulously preserved or lovingly recreated. “As you see here, unicorns were the primary ones to use the staff. A common theory at the time was that the staff required magic to function, so naturally the unicorn tribes claimed ownership of it. They decreed that, since they were the only ones with known magic at the time, that they should set the weather. Thus, the matter of weather manipulation was settled.”
"So, from this, we are left to theorize that the staff itself ismagical?" Sunburst quipped as Riptide merely shrugged.
"From what little we know about the staff itself, we can gather that the only part that was is the crystal," he mentioned with a shrug. "All tests we conducted seemed to point to a similar conclusion: The body of the staff is just an oversized branch carved to look that way, which led us to theorize that the only part of the staff that appeared to hold any magic was the crystal. Now that we had time to study these murals, they seem to confirm our hypothesis. Let's move on, shall we?"
After a few moments, he continued on to another section. This time, it showed a mixture of pegasi and earth ponies being upset with a cloud. The next was a pegasus flying up to it and pushing it. The third one was a pegasus, situated behind the cloud with forelegs outstretched. A continuation of the depiction showed a now moved cloud, indicated by three lines extending from it towards the pony in question. They had wide eyes and a slack jaw as they stared at the cloud, with several ponies on the ground talking amongst each other.
“However, in time, even that didn’t last,” Riptide explained as he gestured to the display. “The other two tribes expressed disdain at the unicorn tribe’s haphazard arrangement of the weather. One day, a group of earth ponies and pegasi tribes were so upset with a cloud placement that they decided to move it themselves. Since the earth ponies had no means of reaching the cloud, it fell upon a member of the pegasus tribe to handle it. When they pushed, the cloud moved on demand. Naturally, this was a cause for alarm—”
“Let me get this straight,” Sunburst interjected as he glanced over at Riptide with one brow raised. “Are we led to believe that they just simply didn’t try to move it themselves in the past?”
“As much as I would like to say yes, I just don't know,” Riptide commented as Sunburst returned his attention to the mosaic. “From previous expeditions and accounts we unearthed, we’re led to assume that none of the members of the pegasus tribe attempted this before. It also might have something to do with the fact that they believed the only way to control the weather was with the staff.”
“But… but that doesn’t make any sense!” Sunburst retorted, raising his forelegs into the air for emphasis. “Pegasi fly in the air all the time! The probability of them not bumping into a cloud is astronomically small!” Sunburst began pacing, doubling over his steps as he transitioned into full-on rant mode.“From my previous research, they even made homes from the clouds—and that was before they united! I don’t understand why a pegasus moving a cloud would be a cause for alarm. I refuse to believe that they haven't tried this before in the past. There has to be a better explanation, and I’m—grrk!” Sunburst’s rant was cut short by Pinkie, who shoved a hoof into his mouth to silence him.
“Sunny. I know this is scientifically improbable, but this poor guy already told you that he didn’t know,” she commented as she gestured to Riptide, whose forelegs were raised in a placating gesture. “Do you think that maybe this can wait until after we get home? You’re wasting this poor guide’s time and ours with this pointless rant!” Sunburst’s gaze seemed to bore into Riptide, his eyes glinting with silent rage. After a while, his gaze gradually softened, yet his eyes never lost their focus on Riptide. “Think it can wait until later, when we can try and find some real answers?” she admonished as Sunburst stared back at her. After a few moments, he exhaled calmingly through his nostrils and meekly nodded, prompting Pinkie to remove her hoof. Riptide, greatly relieved that the situation was defused, lowered his forelegs and continued on.
He stopped in front of a fourth panel, with a mob of angry pegasi and earth ponies holding torches and pitchforks as they marched towards a village. “When they figured out that the unicorns were lying to them, the other two tribes became furious. They descended on one of their villages in an angry mob, most likely to demand answers.”
Without waiting for a response, Riptide continued down the passageway. Soon, another set of murals revealed itself. This time, one of each race appeared to be sitting around a table. One of them was holding a piece of paper, one was holding the staff, and another rested a hoof on the table. A small spider web of cracks could be seen tracing themselves along the earth pony’s side of the table. The three of them sat locked in what appeared to be a heated discussion. “The three races came together, one representative from each, in an attempt to settle the matter peacefully. Afterwards, the unicorns agreed that they should leave the weather control to the pegasi.” The next part showed three happy ponies working in unison. An earth pony tending to the land, a pegasus pushing a cloud in the sky, and a unicorn manipulating a tool of some sort. “Once the matter was settled, the three tribes coexisted in harmony. At least, until the next problem arose. Now, if you’ll follow me, we’re nearing the inner sanctum.”
A short time later, the passageway opened into a large antechamber. Crumbling pillars flanked a raised dais, which held an indentation inside of it. A translucent dome of rapidly circling air prevented the water from touching it. "And this chamber was the location of the fabled Staff of Sacanas. After recent events, Queen Novo decided that the sacred relic should be moved to an undisclosed location to help prevent something like that from reoccurring. Before the relic was moved, I was able to at least let visitors get close enough to take pictures. However, now there’s nothing left to see here." Turning around, Riptide returned to the entrance with Pinkie and Sunburst in tow.
Once outside, Sunburst took advantage of the silence. “Well, that was a waste of time,” he bluntly stated, which caused Riptide and Pinkie to turn to him.
“What do you mean, Sunny?” Pinkie raised an eyebrow at Sunburst’s comment. “I learned a whole lot! That wasn’t a waste of time for me!”
“Pinkie. Do you know what I do for a living?” he retorted as he started pacing once again. “I’m a historian. We study historical accounts like these. We were there for… 30 minutes maybe? In that short time, do you know how much I learned?”
“Um, nothing?” she offered as Sunburst let out a dry laugh and resumed pacing.
“Precisely. Nothing. I came here in the hopes that I could learn something more at the source. The only thing I learned is that I’m wasting my time here.” Sunburst turned to Pinkie, swimming back over to her side. “C’mon, Pinkie, let’s go.” When he moved to grab her foreleg, she drifted it out of his reach.
“Go where, Sunny? Didn’t we just get here?” Pinkie raised an eyebrow as Sunburst nickered angrily.
“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” he groaned as one hoof pinched the bridge of his snout. “I’m going home, Pinkie. There’s nothing for me here when I already know as much or even more than our guide. Uh, no offense.” he added as Riptide lightly shrugged.
“None taken. I never claimed to be knowledgeable, I’m just a humble tour guide.” he mentioned as Sunburst returned his gaze to Pinkie.
“Satisfied?” he commented as Pinkie meekly nodded. “Good. Now, let’s go,” Sunburst muttered through gritted teeth as he grasped Pinkie’s foreleg. She didn’t make an attempt to avoid it this time. He began swimming in the direction of Seaquestria once more, with a confused Pinkie and a bewildered Riptide in tow.
A short time later, they found themselves outside of the palace, awaiting an audience with Queen Novo. Eventually, the guards allowed them to enter. They passed by a pair of sea ponies who didn’t look too thrilled about something. “Next!” Novo cried, but looked confused when she saw Pinkie and Sunburst enter. “You’re back already? I didn’t expect to see both of you again so soon. Is something wrong?”
“Yes, Queen Novo. I’m afraid we are going to have to cut this excursion short.” Novo raised an eyebrow, an unspoken request for Sunburst to continue, which he capitalized on. "This farce is an insult to my intelligence. I have learned something so fundamentally wrong that I must do more research about it in Equestria. I do apologize for this sudden departure, however I would rather not waste any more time here than is strictly necessary.”
Novo sat there with a stunned look on her face, unable to form words. Unfortunately for her, Pinkie took advantage of the silence. “Ooh, ooh, ooh! I just got an idea~!” she sing-songed as she swam over to Sunburst, cupping his cheeks in her hooves. “Why don’t we visit the Seaquestrian archives? I’m sure that they’ll have more histori-whatsits stored there!” she exclaimed as she released Sunburst’s cheeks. He lightly rubbed them with his hooves. “I’m sure that Novo won’t object to us taking a look. So, what d’ya say, Queenie? Will you let us visit the archives? Huh? Huh?”
After a few moments, Novo’s brain restarted itself with a most undignified sputter. “I—b-but… W-well, I suppose that I can allow you access to the archives, if that’s what you desire,” she offered and tilted her head. “However… there’s a slight problem with that.” Pinkie paused, glancing up at Novo. “It is getting late, and I do not want the both of you roaming about in there unattended. There are several relics I have placed in there that I wish to remain untouched. Come back tomorrow, and I shall arrange for an escort to bring you to the archives. Does that sound reasonable?”
“Hmm…” Pinkie raised her hoof to her chin. “Okie dokie lokie! C’mon, Sunny! We need to get some rest if we wanna be up bright and early to go see the archives!” she exclaimed as she grabbed one of Sunburst’s forelegs and dragged him out of the throne room.
“W-wait! Pinkie! You didn’t even let me explain myself!” he cried as he was lugged outside by Pinkie.
Novo simply stared at the open archway, a sigh escaping her lips as she watched them leave. “Farewell, Mr. Sunburst. Pinkie…” she commented, the barest hint of venom slipping into her voice near the end.
The sun began its slow descent in the sky as the airship floated towards its destination. Pinkie and Princess Luna were in the spa, enjoying a massage. Halfway through their treatment, the intercom crackled to life. “Good afternoon, passengers, this is your captain speaking. Thanks to clear skies and temperate conditions, we will be arriving at Maretonia within the hour. All passengers looking to disembark should begin congregating on the main deck within thirty minutes. We will be docking just outside the city, where we will remain until the next day. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation, and thank you for flying Canterlot Air. We hope you had a pleasant trip.”
After exiting the spa, Pinkie gathered her luggage and joined Luna on the deck of the ship. In the distance, a crescent-shaped island slowly came into view. A few airships could be seen docked at a port that resided at sea level. It was big enough for five airships to be docked at one of the several piers that encompassed the port in its entirety. Beyond the port, rolling hillsides gradually came into view as brick and mortar cottages could be seen dotting the landscape.
As the airship slowly descended toward the open docking spaces, a crowd appeared to be amassing just beyond the landing of the pier. Two ponies appeared to stand out from the crowd; one was a bronze-colored stallion that wore an open-air mauve hat embossed with gold trim and accented with fireworks and butterflies. A beard cut into the shape of a rectangle sat on his chin, and a tangled, overly poofy mane fanned down his neckline to end at his upper back. He proudly stood in front of the procession. A teal-colored robe concealed most of his form, starting at the neck and ending in an organized pile at his hooves. Resting on his back was a mauve-colored cloak with an embroidered aquamarine-colored design resembling a turtle shell.
Alongside him was a lithe white unicorn wearing a lavender robe complete with a red sash, along with a silver colored headdress that fanned out from a crimson-colored base. It was studded with what appeared to be a turquoise gem. A lavender-colored streak as well as red gems appeared to be embedded upon the headdress itself. Several ponies dressed in bronze plate and centurion helmets were stationed in a box formation at the landing’s edge. Each of them held a sarissa in one hoof and wore a tower shield upon the other, the straps just high enough on the foreleg to allow ease of movement without sacrificing accessibility.
As the ship touched down, a pair of guards approached the vessel and raised a ramp that connected with the lip of the deck. A procession, consisting of the two ponies and what appeared to be a pair of bodyguards, approached the deck. One of the guards travelled up the ramp and onto the ship. Noticing the lunar diarch, he approached her and bowed. “It is an honor to see representatives from our neighboring kingdom.” Turning to Pinkie, the guard paused and raised a hoof to his chin. “And I see that you’ve brought company, Your Highness. May I ask for her name?”
Princess Luna raised a hoof to her peytral and cleared her throat. “Verily, although the reason for our visit is less than pleasant,” she declared as she gestured to Pinkie with her hoof. “This mare accompanying us is Pinkamena Diane Pie, the Element of Laughter.”
“You can call me Pinkie Pie,” Pinkie quipped as she reappeared right next to the guard, one hoof held up to her mouth as if conveying a secret. “It’s much easier, trust me,” she stage-whispered as she retracted from him and returned to Luna’s side.
If the guard was surprised, he didn’t show it, and simply cleared his throat. “Very well. The Duke and Duchess await your company. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.” A general murmur of agreement was exchanged as the trio approached the ramp. The guard accompanying them stood near it as loud fanfare came from below. “Introducing the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia!” he formally announced right before the procession made their way up the ramp and onto the deck. When the Duke and Duchess stopped in front of Luna, they prostrated themselves before her. Pinkie lowered herself before the Duke and Duchess. Luna told them to rise a few moments later, and Pinkie quickly followed suit.
“Greetings, Princess Luna. We are honored that you have decided to come to our kingdom. Hopefully things are going well in Equestria?” the Duke asked as he shifted his position slightly. “I do hope this won’t complicate things.”
“Verily. Fear not, our visit is not to seek thine aid, if this is what troubles thee,” Luna stated, raising a hoof to forestall any objections. “Nay. The purpose of our visit is nothing but official business from the Crown. We are here to discuss matters with thee, nothing more. Now, if thou would kindly escort us to the palace, we can be in and out by the morrow.”
The Duke and Duchess exchanged curious glances before the Duke shrugged and turned around. “All business and no pleasure. I am surprised that your sister is not here with you. She’s usually the one to conduct the proceedings, if I recall. N-not that you making the trip alone is a bad thing of course, but—”
“Please, do calm yourself, good Duke,” Luna interjected as he turned to face her again. “We have decided to make the trip alone this time. Nothing more, nothing less.” She gestured to Pinkie with a foreleg. “Besides, we have brought an arbiter with us, and we feel that this is sufficient. Does this trouble you, good Duke? If it pleases you, shall we reconvene with the presence of our sister?”
The Duke was silent for a moment, before a gentle prod on his side from the Duchess snapped him from his stupor. “Oh! Um, n-no! No trouble at all! This talk is indeed overdue, is it not?” Having said his piece, the Duke spun around and made his way to the ramp. “Come along now, it’s a bit of a walk to the palace from here.”
They were led down the pier by one of the guards and towards a small building nestled against one of the cobblestone walls that flanked the port. As Pinkie and Luna made their way further into Maretonia, they noticed that most of the ponies in the procession had dispersed. Coming up on the plaza, the reason for this became evident rather quickly. A festival was laid out evenly among the available space, a ceremonial pyre lit in its center. Music wafted from the direction of it, and several ponies could be seen performing what looked to be an interpretive dance, its meaning all but lost on them.
Thankfully, the Duke and Duchess edged around the outskirts of the festival, the attendants not batting an eye at their presence. After a short trot, the Duke and Duchess led Pinkie and Luna down one of the side streets and away from the commotion of the plaza. In the distance, an opulent palace gradually came into view. When the sounds of the festival died down enough to be manageable, the Duchess took advantage of the silence. “Forgive me for prying, Princess Luna, but why exactly isn’t your sister here with you? Did something happen to Princess Celestia? We do enjoy seeing her during our little talks like this.”
“As we have stated before, we wished to undertake this venture personally. Our sister is most well, thank thee for asking. We merely expressed an interest in doing this ourselves.”
As they talked, the street branched off and headed past the side of the palace. “Naturally, our sister was not amused with our desire to attend this alone, but she respected our wishes and allowed us to ‘strike out on our own’, as the young ponies say.” As they walked, Luna glanced over at the palace itself.
Mosaic motifs lined the outside walls, displaying various moments of warfare. One of them had a stocky, peach-colored earth pony with a creased brow pacing back and forth in front of a line of spearponies. The earth pony was frozen mid-stride, allowing any and all onlookers to notice his cutie mark; a sword overlapping a shield. Squinting, Luna noticed that his mouth was open as if he was in the middle of giving the assembled army a verbal reprimanding.
Several other murals depicted members of their army locked in a fierce battle with other races. “Now that you have asked us a personal question, we feel it is only fair that we get to do the same. Has this been a common occurrence for your civilization?” Luna asked as she gestured at a few of the battle reenactments.
An uneasy silence coated the group in a murky fog. After a few moments, the Duke awkwardly cleared his throat. “Maretonia has had an… interestingpast, Princess. We used to be a powerful civilization under Fill Whip the Third, the earth pony you see in front of the spearponies here. We’ve fought and conquered kingdoms that belonged to griffons, dragons, the occasional barbaric Yak tribe that threw themselves at us, as well as a few less than savory ones. However, things have become rather lax as of late. We’re still one of the strongest kingdoms out there, but we are nothing compared to what we once were.” Glancing back up at the wall, Luna saw a few that displayed cultural acts, mainly plays and some comedy routines.
“Please, come inside. Apparently, we have much to discuss,” the Duke sourly stated as the quartet filed into the palace.
The palace looked much smaller on the inside than it appeared from the outside. A small antechamber greeted the quartet, with a single marble pillar in each corner of the room. As they passed the center of the room, the Duke and Duchess turned right, leading them down a separate hallway. Pictures lined the walls, depicting some of the more scenic areas of Maretonia. A rolling, verdant hillside was present in one of them, showcasing a small herd of goats intermingled with a few trees. A view of the sea greeted her in another, with a building in the foreground on top of a ledge overlooking it. Luna stopped for a moment to get a closer look at the picture with the goats, her hoof raised to her chin. Before she could begin her train of thought, she realized that she was alone. She quickly looked down the hall and noticed the retreating form of the Duke and Duchess as they made another turn. She nearly tripped over her hooves to try and catch up.
While they walked, Pinkie lagged slightly behind to glance up at Luna. “Do you have the paperwork, Princess?” she inquired with a gentle prod to her side. Luna jumped slightly and glanced down at Pinkie.
“Oh, um, of course, Ms. Pie. We remember that thou placed it into thy saddlebags before we left the ship. Is it not there?” Pinkie’s step faltered for a moment as she reached into her saddlebags and brought out a thick stack of pure white paper. Luna nodded in affirmation. “Good. We ask that thou hold on to it. We think that we shall need it in the upcoming meeting,” she said as Pinkie shoved the pile back in.
“And here we are, the royal advisory,” the Duke announced as he swung the double doors open. Inside was an elliptical table stained with a dark brown lacquer intermixed with maroon-colored swirled lines. Eight chairs were positioned around it. The Duke and Duchess took a seat at the side facing towards the door, while Pinkie and Luna sat down in the chairs opposite of them. “Now that we’re all settled in, I’m left to assume you’ve come prepared for this, correct?” he asked. Pinkie and Luna both nodded in response. “Good. Now, I believe that we have some pressing issues to discuss,” he prompted.
“Verily. Our reason for this talk is two-fold. We ask thee; do you wish for the bad or the good first?” she inquired as the Duke shrugged.
“We’re going to cover both, so we might as well address the concerns first,” he responded. Luna ignited her horn. Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a pair of bifocals. She rested them on her muzzle as she eyed the papers held in Luna’s magic with a stoic expression.
“Now, we have been made aware of a… substantial debt that you have been accruing over several moons,” Luna explained. “We have come to col—”
“If this is about our tariffs, we have already spoken to Princess Celestia about this. She had allowed us to—”
“Fie! A pox on you and your relationship with our sister!” Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice as the Duke and Duchess winced at the volume. A gentle prod on her side caused Luna to pause and face Pinkie. When Pinkie gently shook her head, Luna had the dignity to look embarrassed before returning her attention to the Duke and Duchess. "We are sorry for shouting. We may have...overreacted a bit."
"N-no harm done, Princess," the Duke replied as he adjusted himself in his seat. "What I was about to say was, she had allowed us to pay off our debt when we were able to."
"And such a time has been long forthcoming. We are here to say you can no longer have us 'put it on your tab', as the young ponies say." Luna gestured to Pinkie. "Ms. Pie?"
Pinkie wasted no time. Even before Luna addressed her, her forelegs became a pink blur as she began sorting through the mountain of papers at a rapid pace in her search. Eventually, a neat, albeit small collection of papers sat adjacent to the main, unorganized clutter that rested next to it.
Pinkie cleared her throat as she adjusted the smaller stack and straightened it, selecting one of the files at what appeared to be completely random. "Equestrian law section three, article one states that all city-states under Equestria, also known as 'The Crown', shall pay their tariffs, in part or in whole, on the dates they are due."
"But… but what about what Princess Celestia said—"
"Article one, point one; The Crown has the right to demand overdue tariffs at any time, and does not hold amnesty over the status of unpaid tariffs," Pinkie interjected, which caused the Duke to sputter indignantly.
"S-so, what? Are you here to coerce me into paying my overdue tariffs? This isn't a meeting, this is a farce!" he shouted as his hooves forcibly slammed into the table. "What if I refuse, huh? What then, Princess?" he spat as Pinkie was already searching the pile in front of her, pulling out a piece of paper.
“Section four, article three states that if a city-state is unable to pay its tariffs on time, or outright refuses, it falls to the ruling body’s judgement for the proper course of action.” Noticing the Duke was about to speak, Pinkie seamlessly continued, “Article three, point one; Depending on the severity of your subterfuge, punishments vary. The most common punishments include lack of aid or communication until debts are paid in full. If deference proves to be insufficient, the next course of action is complete severance from the ruling body, with annexation being a last resort.”
“W-what?” The Duke backpedaled momentarily, an incredulous look on his face. “We would be annexed over tariffs?”
“It would not be the first time, nor would it be the last. We have already come to that several times in the past. Verily, the circumstances were more than likely more pressing than misplaced tariffs. We presume this is something that you would like to avoid, yes?” After a moment of silence, Luna continued, “Look, we are not without compassion. We are just asking that you start paying your tariffs. Is that too much of a burden for you?”
An uneasy silence blanketed the room once again for several moments before the Duke spoke, “I… suppose that I no longer have a choice, do I?” he quipped through gritted teeth before sighing. “Fine! You win! There, I said it! We’ll… scrounge up some extra bits to give you before you leave.” He clapped his forehooves together. A scribe entered the room, quickly prostrating before them. “Rise, Wind Feather. Our visitors here have given us an ultimatum. I need you to visit the treasury, count how many bits we’ve collected, and bring back a report for me. It appears we have ridden on good graces for too long,” he mentioned sourly. After the scribe left, Pinkie quickly reorganized the pile of papers in front of her right before Luna sent it away with her magic.
“Now, let’s move on to a lighter note, shall we?” Luna asked as the Duke glanced at her.
“Yes, please. I think that’s enough excitement for one day, wouldn’t you agree?” he mused. Luna could only smirk in response.
“Indeed,” she quipped as the Duke lowered himself into his seat. “With that out of the way, let’s talk about trade opportunities.”
“...and we feel that will be more than sufficient as a trade-off for our missing tariffs.”
Princess Luna considered her options. On one hoof, It would have shone favorably upon her if she were to return to her sister with a heavy bit bag in tow. On the other hoof...
“So, let us see if we have heard you correctly, good Duke. Thou are willing to give us your finest silk and pottery for the next five years for free with no strings attached, along with the amount of bits you have given us already, if we conveniently forget about thy remaining debt?” Luna inquired, one of her eyebrows raised. “Are we correct in assuming that thou are attempting to bribe us in exchange for amnesty from thine tariff evasion?”
“Well, bribe is a strong word, Princess. We were just hoping that you would be able to see a fair deal when one is presented to you," he retorted as Luna rubbed her chin in thought.
"We cannot, in good faith, make a decision on this matter on our own. It would appear that we are in need of a second opinion," Luna stated as she conjured up a scroll and a quill for herself, writing a quick message before sending it off. "While we wait for that, is there any way that we can convince you otherwise?"
"Princess. You and I both know that would be rather taxing, no pun intended, on us. We have had a difficult year, as I am sure you realized by now."
Luna stole a glance at the clipboard, now sitting in front of her as if awaiting her judgement. She then noticed Wind Feather who was shaking slightly as she stood next to the Duchess. Her eyes didn’t dare to meet the lunar diarch’s, her attention focused anywhere but the table and the ponies that sat around it.
Returning her focus to the clipboard, Luna leaned forward to grab it. That was when she noticed a pink foreleg already swiped it up. "Allow me, Princess." Before she could protest, Pinkie's eyes bored into the papers as she quickly flipped between them. After a few moments, she peeled her attention away from the clipboard. “Princess, a word please?” Luna nodded and turned to the Duke and Duchess.
“Our arbiter wishes to confer with us. We shall return swiftly.” Luna quickly filed out of the door with Pinkie in tow. Outside, Pinkie was pacing back and forth in a frantic manner, her legs crossing over themselves as she started mumbling something to herself. Sweat pooled on her forehead.
“Now, Ms. Pie, what do thou wish to speak with us about?” Luna inquired as Pinkie nearly shoved the tariff report into her face
“We would basically be robbing them blind if we forced them to go through with paying their tariffs! I read through the entire report, cover to cover. They rely on trade for income, Princess. Trade! Last year there was a famine, which forced them to shift their focus to imports in order to make up for the deficit. Even with the income they had from their crafts, they could barely make ends meet!” Pinkie declared as she tapped on the report for emphasis. “I think we should give them some room to breathe, maybe work on alternative solutions? At least until we can be assured they can pay?”
Luna facehoofed and let out a soft sigh. Before she could say anything, a scroll embedded in a golden aura popped into existence. As it fell, Luna grabbed it in her magical field and unfurled it.
Dearest Sister,
I was both concerned and intrigued when I received your letter. Yes, I remember speaking with the Duke and Duchess on their last trip to Equestria about the issue of their unpaid tariffs. At the time, I was intent upon claiming what they owed. During our meeting, I was given a trade report in a similar manner such as this. However, something didn’t add up. They made it sound like they didn’t have the bits to spare, but their report showed a successful year. I simply did not pursue it at the time to prevent an international incident.
However, now that you have sent me this information, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to come in person to sort this out. I appreciate your gumption to try and tackle this problem yourself. However, I cannot ignore the situation in good faith after reading what you have sent me. I shall take the next airship out to meet you, and we can return home together.
Warmest regards, Princess Celestia
Luna rolled up the scroll and stuck it into Pinkie’s saddlebags. “Well, Ms. Pie, it appears that we are no longer ‘left holding the bag’, as the young ponies say.” When she saw Pinkie’s confused expression, Luna raised a hoof to forestall any objections. “In case thou were wondering, that scroll was indeed from our sister. She expressed her intentions of arriving on the next airship out. She also told us to wait for her so we can return home together.”
“So, that means…?” Pinkie asked as she rubbed her chin.
“That means that we no longer have to pressure them ourselves for their tariffs. Let us return to the table, I am sure that they would like to hear about this,” Luna commented as she led Pinkie back into the room.
"We do apologize for the delay, good Duke," Luna prefaced as she and Pinkie sat back down. "However, it appears that you will get to see our sister after all. We received an answer from her while we were conferring outside."
"And…?" he prompted.
"It appears what we had written to her has sparked her interest. Our sister will be taking the next airship out. She requested for us to await her arrival, so our visit will need to be extended. You don’t mind if we stay in the palace, do you? It would be convenient for all parties involved."
"Of course not, Princess. Right this way," the Duke responded as he stood up and led them down the hallway towards another wing of the palace. The Duke trotted over to a side door and unlocked it. "Here you are, make yourselves at home." As he turned away, Luna and Pinkie made their way into the room to get settled in.
Meanwhile, in Seaquestria, Sunburst and the other Pinkie were packing their bags in the small room that Queen Novo graciously gave them. The room itself was slightly cramped and appeared to be made for single occupancy. The two beds that were rolled in sat side by side, only big enough for one pony to sleep on comfortably.
A knock came at the door just as the pair were finishing up. "Ooh! I'll get it, Sunny!" Pinkie chirped as she threw open the door to a pair of guards. One of them cleared their throat and swam forward.
"Mr. Sunburst and Pinkie Pie?" the guard inquired, his gravelly voice grating on her ears.
"Yeparooni! That's us!" she announced cheerfully as the guard turned around.
"Good. Follow us, please." Without further warning, the duo started swimming away from the door. Pinkie and Sunburst struggled to catch up. As they made their way towards the entrance of the palace, one of the guards spoke up, “Now, in case you are unaware, the archives aren’t a public location. Queen Novo has given us implicit orders to maintain the secrecy surrounding it. Therefore, and I apologize in advance for this, we are required to blindfold you both. Once we get there, you can remove the blindfolds for your time inside. Once we leave, however, the blindfolds go back on.”
“Um, question?” Sunburst inquired as the guards stopped to look at him. “Is this really necessary?” he mused as the two guards shared a glance, eyebrows raised.
“Well, after the attack and subsequent razing of Hippogriffia, Queen Novo realized that our most powerful artefact was improperly guarded. She decided to move the archives somewhere no outsider would think to look for it. It’s for this reason that all visitors require an entourage and to be blindfolded before being taken there. Both are to ensure that we do not have another incident like the one we had with the Storm King. I do hope you understand why we’re doing this now,” one of them explained as a pair of blindfolds made of seaweed were wrapped around their eyes and securely tied behind their head. Once confident that they were secured, the two guards began swimming away from Seaquestria, leading the now blinded Pinkie and Sunburst.
As they were led out of the city, they could only hear the general commotion of its inhabitants; giggling foals swimming by and sea ponies talking about their day to day activities. Some of them stopped and stared, but this act was all but lost on them as they neared the outskirts. Once outside of the city proper, silence greeted their ears aside from the occasional blast of superheated gas being released from one of the many hydrothermal vents on the seafloor.
“Ooh, I can’t wai~t! I like surprises!” Pinkie commented.
However, Sunburst wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic as she was. “How much further?” he inquired as another jet of steam billowed from somewhere below them. “It feels like we’ve been swimming for hours.”
“Oh, quiet down back there,” one of the guards quipped as Pinkie and Sunburst felt themselves being led upward. “We’re coming up on it now, so quit your bellyaching,” he added as the temperature slowly began to rise the further up they went. Right before they reached the surface, a flash of light illuminated the area, noticeable even though their blindfolds. When the guards took them off, the duo realized they could feel their rear legs again. Helping them out of the water, the guards ushered them through an ornate pair of double doors.
“Alright, we are now entering the archives. Remember, nothing about its location or what’s contained within leaves these walls. Got it?” he instructed as the duo nodded and went on their way. “When you’re done, come back to the entrance, and we’ll lead you out!” he called after them.
When they passed through the main antechamber, several pedestals greeted their eyes. Most of them were empty, aside from a notable few; one of them held the Staff of Sacanas on top of it, another held what looked to be the Sea Pearl. The rest of them were empty.
Sunburst got closer to the pearl in an attempt to inspect it, however he was cut off by a solid wall of air that pushed back against his efforts to touch it. Upon closer inspection, the colors inside of the pearl were muted and gray. “Huh. Guess this fake one was put here to keep people from looking for the real one,” he decided and wandered away from the display area.
“Well, Queenie can’t exactly use it if it’s stuck in here, can she?” Pinkie retorted as Sunburst simply facehoofed and continued on. Beyond the antechamber was the archives. Inside, multiple bookshelves were situated in tight, yet neat rows. Some were resting against the nooks in the walls, some were lined up in the center of the building, and others were placed on small balconies that dotted the room.
“Huh. Looks like this place was built with hippogriffs in mind,” Pinkie mused as Sunburst lightly shrugged and wandered further into the room.
“Might make combing through the archives a bit tricky. Guess we’re stuck on the ground floor for now,” he shot back as he disappeared behind a row of bookshelves. Pinkie shrugged and pronked off in a different direction.
“No, no… might come back to that one…” Starburst muttered to himself as he scoured the bookshelf in front of him. After exhausting every possibility in the row he was in, nothing of interest caught his eye. He was about to turn and leave when he noticed a tome stuffed awkwardly behind a cluster of four unmarked books. “Huh.” His magic surrounded it and attempted to pull it out. The book didn’t budge. He tried again, applying a little more force to coerce it from its spot.
After a few more attempts, the book came unstuck and shot out. It plowed into Sunburst and made him wobble backwards. He knocked into the bookshelf behind him, causing a few books to fall out and bonk him on the head. A few moments later, a pink-maned head appeared around the side of the bookcase and gasped loudly. “Sunny?” Pinkie exclaimed as she pronked over to him. “Are you okay? I heard that thump all the way across the archives!”
Giving his head a quick shake to reorient himself, Sunburst slowly rose to his hooves. “Y-yeah, I think I’m okay, Pinkie, thanks,” he quipped as he hefted the tome in his magic. Glancing at the cover, he wiped away a thick layer of dust with a hoof and noticed the title. “‘History of Equestria, Vol. I’. What’s this doing here?” he asked as he rubbed his chin.
“I dunno, Sunny! I’m just as stumped as you are,” she mused as she stared at the book over his shoulder. “Ooh, ooh, ooh! Let’s ask the guards and see if they know about this book! Maybe we can take this with us!” she chirped as she pronked away. “Hey, guards!” she called as she rounded the corner.
When Sunburst gathered his wits and followed her, the two guards that led them here were standing in the doorway with confused expressions. “What seems to be the problem here?” one of them asked as Pinkie swiped the tome from Sunburst’s magic and held it up.
“Do either of you know about this book?” she asked as one of them took it and spun it around in their talons. After perusing the cover, he shrugged and returned it to her.
“Frankly, no. I don’t recall the archives having a copy of this book,” he stated. “Where did you find that?” he inquired as Pinkie waved a foreleg in a random direction.
“Eh, somewhere over there, probably,” she quipped with a light shrug. “Do you think we can take this with us?” she inquired.
“Don’t see why not. Never seen that book before, so it’s probably safe to say that it doesn’t belong here. Might as well take it before we ship it off somewhere,” he said as Pinkie filed the book into her saddlebags.
“Alrighty! I guess we should start checking the second floor then. Right, Sunny?” She looked over at Sunburst, who simply nodded in response. The two turned around and disappeared back into the archives as the guards simply shrugged and returned to the antechamber.
“How are we gonna get up to the balconies, Pinkie? Last I checked, neither of us can fly.” Luckily, one of the guards overheard what Sunburst said, peeking his head inside of the room.
“Mr. Sunburst? You don’t need to fly to reach the upper landings. There’s an alternate way up to the second floor designed especially for non-hippogriffs,” he mentioned as he marched past the pair and over to one of the nooks not being occupied by a bookshelf. Embedded in the back wall was a ladder connected to a trap door in the ceiling. “You can climb this ladder to reach them,” he explained. “You’ll arrive at a concealed hallway that loops around behind the balconies above.”
“Oh, uh, thank you, sir,” Sunburst said as Pinkie’s head poked out of the hole in the ceiling.
“Well? Are you coming or not, Sunny?” she called out as Sunburst simply shook his head with an amused expression. He started climbing the rungs of the ladder as the guard showed himself out. Once at the top of the ladder, Pinkie and Sunburst went their separate ways again to begin searching.
“What are we even looking for, Sunny?” Pinkie called as she scoured the first bookcase she came across.
“Anything that pertains to pre-Equestrian times!” he responded as he started taking books off of the shelves. “No… not that one… hmm, that one’s close, but not quite… wait, what’s this?” he pondered as he held up a slightly chewed up tome. “Let’s see here…” he mused as he studied the cover of the book. The wording was rather faded, but he could make out a few letters. “E...something...P W...? I can’t make heads or tails of this. Hey, Pinkie! Could you come over here for a moment?” he called.
Pinkie’s head peeked out from around a bookcase on the other side of the room. “Okie dokie loki, Sunny! I’ll be right there!” she responded. Sunburst raised a hoof to reply before he heard Pinkie’s voice come from behind him. “Whatcha doing?” she asked, causing him to leap a few inches in the air and spin around.
“Gah! Pinkie, please stop doing that,” he said, pausing momentarily to catch his breath before presenting the book to her. “Do you think you could make out what this title says?” he inquired as he displayed the front cover for her.
To his credit, Pinkie had to squint in order to make out the letters. “‘The Earth Pony Unicorn Pegasus War: A Reference Guide’,” she declared. Sunburst lightly nodded.
“Excellent. Thank you, Pinkie. Did you find anything on your side?” he asked, and Pinkie simply shrugged.
“Nope! I didn’t find anything at all, Sunny,” she replied.
“Well, then I guess we’re finished,” he decided as Pinkie nodded and made her way down to the main floor with Sunburst directly behind her. They reentered the antechamber, and the guards escorted them out. When the group stepped into the water, the blindfolds were reapplied, and they swam back to Seaquestria.
When the blindfolds were taken off a second time, they found themselves in the throne room of the palace. “So, I suppose that you found what you were looking for?” Novo inquired as she dismissed the guards with a wave of her hoof.
“Well yes, but actually no,” Sunburst commented as he cleared his throat. “We found something, but I’m not sure if they’re exactly what I was looking for until we study them. Thank you for allowing us to visit the archives, Queen Novo. We shall be taking our leave now to continue our exploration.”
“Of course,” she shot back. “Farewell, Mr. Sunburst and Pinkie Pie,” she stated as she dismissed the pair with another wave of her hoof.
“Let’s head back up to Hippogriffia, Pinkie. I have a feeling we have a lot of reading ahead of us,” he mentioned as the duo swam out of the throne room. “Besides, we don’t want to damage the tomes by exposing them to sea water anyway.”
“Okie dokie loki! I hope we find something in them, Sunny. Otherwise, we’re just wasting our time here,” she said as they left Seaquestria.
