Most of the trip home they were quiet, except for when Skystar stopped to point out a new café or her favorite place to collect shells. She even pointed out the reef that she was planning to take Fluttershy to tomorrow morning, before she left. They could look at all the colorful coral and glitterfish. Fluttershy followed behind her friend, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the Sand Dragon. Would Queen Novo really be able to fix everything? Or was Skystar being too optimistic?
CHAPTER FOUR
When they returned to the castle, new guards were stationed outside. They opened the gates for Princess Skystar without saying a word. The princess swam in circles around the great hall, her shopping bags under her foreleg. She’d picked out the prettiest blue shimmery scarf for her mother and brought back some seaweed cakes for all the cooks in the castle kitchens.
“Mooooooom!” she called out, swimming to the ceiling. “We’re home! I brought you something really special that I know you’re going to love!”
But nopony answered. “Maybe she’s having dinner?” Fluttershy suggested as she swam after her friend. Skystar wove through the empty castle halls, toward Queen Novo’s bedroom. But on the way there, she heard voices coming from the great gallery—a meeting place off the throne room. There was hardly ever an occasion to use it (other than game night), so it struck Skystar as odd. She motioned to Fluttershy to be quiet as they swam up to the doorway to spy.
The scene inside the great gallery was peculiar. Queen Novo and Salt Air sat in two of the huge carved coral chairs, below a series of giant murals depicting different scenes from Mount Aris. Queen Novo looked serious. The majority of the Seaquestrian guard force stood opposite.
“Cerulean has been gone much longer than expected. There is cause for concern!” Salt Air exclaimed, her voice twice as loud as it normally was. “And I will not sit here and wait to find out that she’s been attacked by a Sand Dragon when we are fully capable of aiding her. Please, Majesty, let us go!”
“Enough!” Queen Novo barked, then spoke more calmly. “I don’t understand why everypony is so worked up. There is no Sand Dragon! Golden Fin even admitted that what he saw could have been an illusion.”
“Your Majesty.” A smaller Seapony with pink wings swam forward and addressed Queen Novo. “Please excuse my forwardness. I don’t mean to swim out of line, but I don’t think it was an illusion…. I think… Salt Air might be right.”
“And who are you?” Queen Novo raised a suspicious brow.
“Coral Rose, the new Seaquestrian historian, at your service.” The small Seapony bowed, eyes downcast. “I believe that the Sand Dragon is real, and it’s awake.” At this, Salt Air’s face flashed a triumphant expression, only to morph back into one of extreme worry. Cerulean could really be in danger. Coral Rose shifted around nervously. “I… I can prove it.”
“You can?” Queen Novo asked. She leaned forward in her chair. Her attention had clearly been piqued. “How?”
“It’s all right here in the legend, Majesty,” Coral Rose said, scrambling to unfurl a scroll. “We are due for what is called the ‘Dragon’s Morning.’ Every hundred moons, supposedly the Sand Dragons awaken from their hibernation deep in the sand. They wake up quite hungry and go looking for—”
“For Seaponies?!” Skystar’s voice echoed through the gallery. The guards froze, noticing Skystar and Fluttershy floating in the doorway. “It’s true?!” the princess shouted, swimming inside the room. Fluttershy followed behind, feeling awkward and out of place. “Seaquestria really could be in danger?”
“Skystar! There you are.” Queen Novo looked quite relieved to see her daughter. “Go to your chambers and visit with Fluttershy there, okay? The castle needs to be on lockdown until we know more.”
“But Cerulean’s out there….” Skystar’s eyes went wide. “And I want to help! Are we going to rescue her?”
“Yes,” Queen Novo said decidedly. She exchanged a look with Salt Air. “Tonight.”
“Then I’ll go get my things!” Skystar said, her voice trembling. “Wait for me!” Skystar shot out of the room, leaving only a trail of bubbles behind her.
A trail of bubbles… and Fluttershy. She moved behind a group of guards in a feeble attempt to hide. This was not how she’d pictured the evening unfolding.
“I know my daughter well enough to know that she is determined to go—no matter what I tell her to do.” Queen Novo swam back and forth, then back and forth again, pacing the room. “Salt Air, you must watch out for her.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.” Salt Air brought her fin to her chest in salute.
Queen Novo nodded before adding, “And so must you, Fluttershy.”
It was as if the water had drained from the room. Fluttershy suddenly felt all eyes on her. There had to be a mistake! Fluttershy was not even really a part of this kingdom. She was just a visitor. Why would they want her along on such an important Seapony mission?
“M-m-m-me?” she stuttered, meeting the queen’s eyes. She looked worried, her brows drawn together in a line.
“Yes. Skystar has told me of your many brave pursuits in your land. And my daughter trusts you. Please, Fluttershy? We have already suffered through a great war with the Storm King in Mount Aris. We cannot take another tragedy.”
Fluttershy didn’t know what to say. But she knew one thing for sure—a friend needed her. And she never turned her back on a friend in need. “Okay, I’ll go.”
“We have to resolve this however we can,” Queen Novo said, her voice full of sadness and worry. She’d worked so hard to keep the peace in Seaquestria. It was vital that it remain so. She put a fin on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Please be careful out there.”
“Exactly! We must take precautions to protect ourselves from the monster!” Salt Air said to a Seapony standing in the back of the crowd. “Let’s bring our coral spears and shell shields. Helmets, chest plates. Full armor. I’m not taking any chances.”
Suddenly, Skystar reappeared. She wore a saddlebag that had been decorated with shells. “What’d I miss?”
Fluttershy struggled to find the words to explain the quick turn of events. In a moment’s time, talk had turned from keeping peace to wielding weapons. She knew she’d have a hard time persuading Salt Air to not go at all, but there had to be a better way. Wouldn’t showing up in armor make everything worse? Bringing a small army with spears and shields? If Cerulean wasn’t already in danger, she surely would be if the Sand Dragon thought the Seaponies wanted to harm it.
“Don’t you think the spears will scare it?” Fluttershy asked. She’d encountered so many other scary creatures before. She’d tamed a cockatrice, a Manticore, and even befriended a Draconequus. There were fierce Dragons in Equestria, and she imagined a Sand Dragon must look a lot like that.
“I hope so,” replied Salt Air with a huff.
Fluttershy frowned. “There’s always another way to communicate. You just have to try to understand the other creature….” She looked to Coral Rose for backup, but the Seapony just shrugged. Up until recently, Sand Dragons had only been a legend, passed on to the Seaponies from the ancient fish and crustaceans. Now they were real.
Salt Air leaned in closer. “Giants of the Sea, is what the stories call them…” she said. “Huge fangs! Tiny, beady eyes.”
“And claws that could cut you in two!” another guard added. The rest of the Seaponies nodded along, their eyes wide in fear. Fluttershy tried to keep her expression normal, but her stomach was doing flips. It was always a little scary to confront a creature ten times your size, and when Fluttershy had done it in the past, she’d felt the same nervousness. But she’d never let that stop her before, and she couldn’t let it stop her now. Being brave wasn’t about not feeling any fear. It was about not letting your fear stop you.
“Every minute that Cerulean is near it, she is in danger,” Salt Air added. “We must give the monster a great show of force. It should know that Seaponies are not to be messed with!”
A Seapony who h
ad left now returned carrying a bundle of spears. The end of each was carved into a razor-sharp point. Helmets were piled on the floor. There were chest plates and shields, along with a few other weapons Fluttershy didn’t recognize.
“Moooom!” Skystar finally said. “We’re not really going to bring all that junk, are we?”
Queen Novo looked as if she was struggling with the decision, too. Finally, she spoke: “You must stay safe. At all costs.”
“It’s not just the Sand Dragon we have to worry about,” Salt Air said. “Cerulean is the only Seapony to have ventured that far beyond the village. We have no idea what we’ll find out there….”
“It’s all going to be okay,” Fluttershy said. But as more Seaponies entered the meeting room with more shell shields and weapons, Fluttershy grew nervous. Part of keeping Seaquestria safe meant keeping the Sand Dragon calm. How would Fluttershy be able to do that when Salt Air was already so angry? What would the Sand Dragon think when they showed up to its lair with a small army?
Fluttershy packed up a bag with food and supplies, trying to ignore the fear that was growing in her chest. But she had the sinking feeling that they were all swimming in the dark on this one.
CHAPTER FIVE
Is this the only map we have?” Fluttershy asked. She stared down at the scroll spread out on the table. It was a detailed map of the village, with every street and alley marked. There was The Aria and the square where she and Skystar had seen the octopuses perform. There were dozens of apartment buildings, two markets, and Seaquestria’s School for Stalwart Seaponies. Almost every lamppost and street sign was marked. But beyond the village, the map was mostly blank. There were two kelp forests and a Beezlebug field that Fluttershy had heard about, but not much else.
“This is the best map we’ve got.” Salt Air pointed to a blue X far out beyond the village. “This is where we think the Sand Dragon could be. Cerulean told us she was going to look beyond the kelp forest before she left.”
“There’s a tunnel somewhere close to this valley. We know that,” said Coral Rose, pointing to an area far beyond the city. “In the legend, the Sand Dragons bury themselves deep below the sand. Perhaps the tunnel is an old Sand Dragon burrow? It could be a good place to start.”
Fluttershy let out a deep breath. She knew it would be hard to negotiate with a mysterious mystical creature like a Sand Dragon, but she had no idea it would be just as hard to find it. They were leaving any minute, and they still had only a few clues about where they were headed.
“What about the Beezlebugs?” Fluttershy asked.
“Seaquestria is a young world,” Salt Air explained. “The Sand Dragons have been underwater for centuries, but we only left Mount Aris two moons ago. We’ve managed to do so much in that time, but there’s still so much we need to see and explore. We don’t know much about the rest of this world.”
“Nopony goes beyond the village, because we don’t have to,” Coral Rose explained. “But if Golden Fin and Cerulean can find the Sand Dragon’s lair, then we can, too.”
Just then they heard shouts and cries outside the castle. They bolted to the front windows, looking out at the castle gates below. A horde of Beezlebugs had overtaken the main square, darting into restaurants and every which way. Seaponies swam out of the way in disgust at the kingdom pests.
“What in Seaquestria are they all doing here?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s a really good question!” Skystar replied. She pointed to The Seaweed Shoppe in the distance, where a group of Beezlebugs had started gathering. “Maybe they came for the soft serve?”
Salt Air held up her coral spear. It was twice the size of the others, with a hooked tip decorated with fish teeth. “We don’t have time to float around, talking about such petty matters!” she cried. “We have to go find Cerulean—now!”
It took only a few seconds for Salt Air to rally the rest of the guards. She grabbed a seaweed sack that was filled with food and supplies and threw it over her shoulder. Fluttershy wanted to tell her to be careful. If the Seaquestrians out in the square saw them all leaving in such a rush, carrying spears, they might be frightened. Widespread panic was the last thing they needed on top of a random Beezlebug infestation.
But Salt Air didn’t look as if she wanted to be questioned. She swam past Fluttershy and Skystar, straight out of the room. “Line up!” she called out, and the Seaponies fell into line behind her. “Tonight we will defend our kingdom!”
The Seaponies all cheered. Then Salt Air led them through the great hall toward the main gate. As soon as the doors opened, the villagers began to gather and watch. Fluttershy could hear the whispers rushing through the crowd like a wave. Where were the guards going?
“Is it a Sand Dragon?!” one Seapony yelled as they passed.
“Are we in danger?” another called out.
Fluttershy followed along behind the army, more nervous than she’d been all day. More villagers were showing up by the minute. Some leaned out of their windows as the brigade passed, lifting up their Seafoals to watch the curious sight. Others lined the street. Through it all, Salt Air swam out in front of the guards, stone-faced and determined.
“Please swim aside!” she called, raising her spear in the air. “This is none of your concern!”
“Have a lovely day!” Skystar added, to make it all sound a bit friendlier.
As they got closer to the edge of the village, Fluttershy stared out at the water beyond the buildings. It grew dark and murky once the lampposts disappeared. It was impossible to know what was out there. She kept going, though, following behind the rest of the guards.
Fluttershy looked right, then looked left. She could make out only a few Seaponies in front of her. Somewhere in the distance, she heard Skystar’s voice. “Fluttershy! Over here! Follow me!”
The only problem was, she couldn’t figure out where “over here” was. Every time she swam one way, she’d notice a Seapony going in the opposite direction. Skystar had been in front of her for a while, but now Fluttershy didn’t know where she’d gone. The sand and seaweed swirled all around them. It was impossible to tell where anypony was.
“Salt Air! Coral Rose!” Fluttershy called out into the deep. She waved her fin in front of her, trying to find her way through the water.
“Crystal Tide!” another Seapony called out. “Where are you? I can’t see anything through the sand!”
“Stay in line!” Salt Air’s voice said, but this time it was farther away.
Fluttershy spun around, trying to make out anypony in the dark. But now she couldn’t see a single guard. They’d been traveling through the water for less than an hour, and they were already completely lost in the middle of a sandstorm.
Then, far out in the darkness, Fluttershy spotted a long, glowing orange light. It made S shapes in the water, moving up and down in front of her.
“Help is here!” an unfamiliar voice called. “Follow this light over this way, yup, just like that! We’re gonna lead you away from the sandstorm!”
Fluttershy did exactly what they said. The glowing orange light kept moving farther away, and Fluttershy kept following after it. It went a little to the right, and so did she. Within minutes she could see about a dozen Seaponies in front of her. The sand and seaweed in the water were mostly gone.
As she kept swimming forward, the water got clearer and clearer. Skystar and Salt Air emerged from the storm, too. When she swam closer to the light, she could see it wasn’t a light at all, but some sort of orange eel floating next to a starfish with rainbow stripes.
“Is everypony out?” Salt Air said, glancing around at the group. “Is everypony safe?”
The rest of the Seaponies nodded. When they turned back, the storm was still swirling behind them. The water was a mess of sea plants and sand.
“The currents, you see—really bad currents,” the rainbow starfish explained. “Creatures get caught up in there for days. Really a bit of a problem, but not one I can solve, no sirree. That
sandstorm has been raging for as long as I’ve lived out here, yes that’s right.”
Fluttershy studied the creature. He was shorter than most starfish she’d seen in the village, with huge eyes that never looked directly at them. His middle was round and plump, and he had long, colorful stripes down his entire body. They went from fiery red to a deep purple, just like the rainbow.
“Ummm…” Skystar said, glancing around. “I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”
“He’s the starfish who just saved your tails!” the orange eel said. She squiggled toward them in an S, moving closer. She had a small, angry face and a tuft of white hair on the front of her head. Her voice was three octaves higher than any Fluttershy had heard before.
“Do me a favor, Harry,” the eel said as she glided past Salt Air. “Next time you need me to save some creatures from the sandstorm, make sure they’re the type to say ‘thanks.’”
Then the eel shot out into the water, swimming fast in the opposite direction.
“Thank you!” Fluttershy called after her. But the eel was already far away, just a speck of light in the deep sea.
“I’m Harry, but I guess you already know that,” the starfish said. “Lived out here my whole life. You must be the Seaponies; I can tell by your pony faces and the fins and everything. I’ve heard about you, yes, definitely heard a lot about you.”
Seeing her chance, Fluttershy swam out in front of Salt Air to talk to the starfish. The last thing they needed was for Salt Air to scare Harry off, too.
“We’re on a quest to find our friend Cerulean,” she said. “She’s also a Seapony. Have you seen her?”
“Can’t say I have… but the crabs might know,” Harry replied. He thought about it for a second and echoed the statement. “Yes, find the crabs.”
Fluttershy Balances the Scales Page 3