With the boiling sun sitting at its peak of the sky, the large tropical island below boils in moist heat and brightly shines as the rays of the sun reflects from the leaves of the tall trees. The ocean surrounding the lone land glistens as well as it gently rolls about the horizon, slowly washing over the silky white beach. Walking along the meeting point of land and sea, a purple alicorn and a rainbow-haired pegasus quietly enjoy their location as the clear seawater flows between their hooves.

“It’s so peaceful and quiet out here,” the small cyan mare speaks out, “I love this.”

“I like it to,” her friend replies, “But we can’t here for long, we have to get Rarity and Sweetie Belle.”

“Can’t we just stay here for just a little while and enjoy this moment?”

“As much as I would like to, think about our friends, they could be starving on that ship.”

“From what I saw, those pirates feast like kings. I’m pretty sure they’ll have leftovers for them.”

“Maybe.”

“And how are we going to find them once we build a raft or something? Where are they, and where are we?”

“I don’t know… We should be somewhere in the Western Antlertic Ocean is what’s left of our ship followed the main current.”

“And if we didn’t?”

“Then we’re completely lost Dash. We might never be able to save our friends or even get back home.”

“Hey, chill out.” Rainbow Dash responds in a relaxed tone, “We always find a way to get out of these types of scrapes together. For now, how about you just rest and get all of that pressure out of your head. We have plenty of time before any boat will be built.”

“I guess.” A cold foaming wave of water then washes onto the shore and slips between the two mares’ legs, sending a soothing chill through their bodies and causing Twilight to unconsciously coo at the sensation. “Oh… That feels nice.”

“See? Just let it all go for now.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” As Twilight’s nerves soon give wave to her surroundings, a wave of positive energy pulsates through her body and soul. Her mind slowly shuts down of all thought and is soon replaced by all of the beautiful sights, sounds, feelings, and smells. The glittering ocean and verdant plants mesmerize her eyes, the waving of the large leaves and the harmonious fumbling of the smooth water echoes in her ears, the smooth sand and clean water caresses her hooves while the soft breeze and beating heat brushes her fur, and the salty air and flagrant distant flowers purifies her nose and subconscious. This unified euphoria of relived innocence is interrupted however by Twilight’s stomach quivering inside. “Oh dear,” Twilight quietly giggles, “I’m actually a bit hungry. I’ll go look for some food alone.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I like the peace.”

“Figured you would. Well, good luck.”

“Same to you.” Twilight wades away from the sandy coastline and goes into the forest of palm trees and exotic plants just beyond the beach.

Hidden deep inside the thick of the jungle, there is a large meadow clearing that runs along a tiny river. With only a few large pine trees dotted around the flowery valley, the entire patch of land is shaded throughout the entirety of the day, with only small rays of sunlight poking through the leaves. Near the edge of this meadow, where the thick bushes and palm trees meet the small flowers and beds of grass, four small tents made of loose planks of wood, thick sticks, and leaves stiffly stand in the breeze, all surrounding a circle of rocks protecting the recently used fireplace. A small yellow pegasus emerges from of these tents with a half of a coconut held in her mouth and heads towards the river a small hundred metres away. As the pink-haired mare reaches the flowing creek, she’s greeted by Twilight on the other side of the brook.

“Oh,” Fluttershy mumbles, dropping the coconut onto the grass below her chin to free her mouth, “hi Twilight. Like what we did when you and Applejack were asleep?”

“Yeah, you and the others did a great job on those tents back there.” Twilight gleefully replies. “Say, do you have any food? I’m starving.”

“Sure, there are some dates and coconuts in one of the tents.”

“Thanks.”

“You look like you’re in a good mood.”

“Yeah, I just figured I’d take it easy while we’re here.”

“You?”

“Well, with some help from Dash.”

Fluttershy softly giggles to herself before replying, “That’s okay.” Quietly, Twilight leaps across the small river and heads towards the mostly sunlit camp while Fluttershy continues with her own business and proceeds to collect water from the clear stream.

After a minute of pure silence, Twilight’s voice echoes from across the meadow, “I don’t see any food.”

“What?” Twilight quickly flies back to her yellow friend.

“I check all of the tents. I didn’t see any dates and the coconuts had nothing in them.”

“Oh, I guess somepony ate our supplies. Oh well. Want to help me fetch some more?”

“Sure.” Leaving the coconut half on top of a stone at the edge of the creek, the two mares head into the thick palm tree forests. As the two walk through the thick plants below their hooves, the sounds of chirping birds and the squeaks on monkeys can are heard all around them. “Hey Fluttershy,”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not sure if I’ve asked this, but what’s your favourite animal?”

“Rabbits. They’re just so fluffy, warm, and gentle. How about you?”

“Owls are my favourite. They’re really smart and can do a lot of neat things.”

“Good thing you befriended Owlowiscious. You two seem to be in sync.”

“Yeah. Say, what are your thoughts on Juliana, Korsan’s ice phoenix?”

“I’m still trying to figure out how he found her. Fire phoenixes are already extremely rare in the world. It would’ve taken a miracle to find one that produces ice.”

“I know. But what about Juliana herself?”

“Well, she is very pretty, despite how she’s been fighting against us and Philomena back in Equestria. I am mostly glad that she looks to be well taken care of, as well as the rest of his crew it seems.”

“I hope Rarity’s getting the same treatment-No, wait, I gotta let that go for now.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m just trying to unwind after Korsan’s last attack.”

“I see. Oh! Here we are.” The two ponies stop their walk at look up to see bunches of large bananas hanging from the treetops above their heads.

“Oh. Good, I’m practically famished after that walk!” Immediately, Twilight attempts to grab the ripe fruits with her magic, only for nothing to happen. After a fair second or two of trying, the purple pony remembers Korsan’s anti-magic strap wrapped around her horn. “Oh, forgot,” The alicorn then flies up to the yellow bananas and attempts to pull them down with her bare hooves. However, as she tries with all of her might, the bananas stay put on the tree and Twilight son runs out of breath and falls to the jungle floor. “They’re too strong for me.” Twilight pants in exhaustion and hunger.

“Let me try something.” Fluttershy then places a hoof over her mouth and begins to heavily blow into it, causing a loud whistling noise to rupture throughout the forest. Soon after her whistling, a small black and white lemur appears from one of the tops of the trees and curiously looks down at the two strangers with its big yellow eyes. “Hello there.” Fluttershy gently calls out to the small animal, “Can you please help us by getting some bananas?” The small animal snaps its head down towards the bananas and then back towards the onlooking mares.

“Please?” As if repulsed by Twilight’s command, the lemur starts to back away from its post.

“Wait, Mr. Lemur, we’re very hungry. Can you please help us? We’ll even share some bananas with you.” Interested by the tone of Fluttershy’s voice in this new request, the primate returns to the girls and leans below the treetop. He reaches out his small hands towards the main stem of a large bundle of the yellow fruit and pinches the branch, causing the entire bundle to snap off and fall down onto the jungle floor. “Thank you!” Snapping a single banana out from the group, Fluttershy grabs a banana and flies up to the lemur. “Here you go.” The small critter quickly grabs the yellow fruit and scatters away into the jungle out of her and Twilight’s sights. Twilight also takes a larger banana from the bunch and attempts to peel it open. Although having trouble at first, the hungry mare manages to pop open the end and quickly shoves the revealed white insides into her mouth. She then quickly bites down and swallows the engulfed piece and is immediately rewarded with mental and physical satisfaction.

“Yum, thanks Flutter.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“How come you’re so good with animals?”

“I just have a gift I guess. Though, I’m pretty sure you could do the same thing with your magic.”

“I couldn’t. Even the most advance unicorn magic to this date can’t allow ponies to communicate with animals as well as you do.”

“Huh. I must be very lucky then.”

“I guess so. Anyways, where are the others? I’ve only been walking along the beachside with Dash the past hours when AJ split up with Pinkie.”

“Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo are searching for parts to build a functioning raft and any passing ships at the beach along with Dash. Spike’s at the volcano trying to make a smoke signal. And Pinkie’s…”

“Being Pinkie?”

“I have no idea where she is.”

“Well that’s okay. A little exploration around here wouldn’t hurt.”

“Just be careful with snakes if you’re planning to do that. They don’t like it when you step on their homes.”

“I’ll keep note of that.”

“Anything else I can help you with?”

“Hmmm… Do you have any guess when we might be able to leave?”

“I don’t know, a month maybe.”

“Okay.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. Still a little concerned about Rarity and Sweetie Belle.”

“It’s fine. We’ll hopefully save them.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” After hastily forking down the rest of her banana, Twilight takes off into the air and above the tall jungle. Adjusting to the sun in her eyes, the flying mare begins to circle around the island and several certain areas, searching for anypony or anything of interest. In the back of her head, the princess takes note of specific areas that include the volcano, the meadow, the beach and coastal outline, lagoons, small lakes, a tall cliff peninsula, a mountain range on the opposite side of the island from the meadow, their raft, some small shipwrecks by the beach, and large whirlpool a couple hundred kilometres on the horizon. However, as she flies over a particularly thick portion of the forest jungle, her eyes catch a glimpse of what appears to be a large wooden hut hidden in the foliage.

“What’s that?” With a sharp turn of her large wings, Twilight dives down next to the building and gently lands at the entrance of the shack. Made of dark brown wood and carved stone, the seemingly abandoned structure looks to be having been in a dilapidated condition for several years, shown by the insane levels of plant life sprouting between the cracks and open gaps of the structure. With a growing sense of paranoia tingling in her spine, Twilight walks up to the small entry and pushes it open, revealing a near pitch black room beyond the swinging door. “H-hello?” The only thing that responds to the nervous pony is a hiss of wind and a creaking noise. Opening the door all the way behind her, Twilight illuminates the front room of the abandoned building, revealing its contents. It is a small room, only roughly four metres by five metres, with its wooden walls, ceiling, and floor nearly completely covered in vines and cobwebs. A door stand on every side of the room, each barred shut with rotting wooden planks and rusty nails. In the back right corner of the room, a ladder can be seen extending into the floor above and a basement below. Along the walls hold many pictures, large and small, all having their glass covers coated in dust. Curious, the purple pony slowly walks into the room and approaches one of the larger pictures, looking as if it was a special one that required more space around its dirty golden frame. Using her hoof to smear away the heavy dust, Twilight immediately becomes astonish as her eyes gaze onto the image in front of her eyes being revealed.

As the sun begins its slow decent into the afternoon and eventual night, Applejack is still pacing around the sandy coast with Applebloom and Scootaloo trailing behind her. Paying no mind to the water splashing into her legs, the orange Earth pony’s mind is set on another, more critical thought in her perception.

“Hey, Applejack,” the adult mare’s younger sister cries out, “can we get back to camp? We’re getting’ hungry.” No response is given by the sidetracked leader of the team. “Sister? Hello? Hellooooooo…” Still no reply or even acknowledgement is given.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo remarks to her filly friend, “Is she sleep walking?”

“Maybe I should try screamin’?”

“Wait, isn’t that the opposite of what you’re supposed to do-”

“Applejack!!!” Immediately, the large blond mare snaps from her mental distractions and snaps her neck towards her sister.

“Are you alright?” Applejack fearfully hollers back, now virtually beginning to hyperventilate.

“Sorry. Can we head back to camp now?” Before answering, the frightened pony takes a deep breathe to settle her nerves from the shock.

“Sure, you all lead the way.” The orange pegasus cheers as she flaps her wings and turns towards the jungle. Without paying mind to the others, the energetic filly swoops into the trees, leaving a stunned Applejack and a confused Applebloom behind.

“Sister, I’m sorry for giving you a fright.”

“It’s fine, it’s all hunky dory. I was just a little, distracted.”

“With what?” As the conversation continues, the two Earth pony sisters start to head their way to the meadow as well

“A thought,”

“What were you thinkin’ about?”

“Well… Adult things. Nothin’ to worry your lil’ head about.”

“What adult things? Are you gettin’ married?”

“No, no, nothing like that,”

“Then what?”

“Well… It’s complicated.”

“Applejack,”

“Yeah?”

“Is it about Mom and Dad?”

A moment of silence manifests between the two as they wade through the forest for several seconds before being eventually broken by Applejack, “Sort of. Now that, you know, we only got each other, Big Mac, and Granny, and Granny’s is reaching her limit, there’s been a lingering problem about keeping us safe and all. I haven’t really been getting into thought about it much until our encounters with Korsan and what happened after them.”

“We’ll be alright. Our friends will be with us and we’ll still have each other.”

“…”

“Right?”

“…” As Applejack turns silent again, the yellow filly starts to feel nervous and begins to quiver in worry.

“…You’re starting to scare me.”

“Sorry. But, even if I am with you when something happens, what if I can’t protect you?”

“No, that won’t happen. That won’t happen right?”

“…I pray that’ll never happen. I will make sure that never happens. You have my word.”

“And besides,” Applebloom cheerfully replies, seeing her sister now putting on a strong face, “we’ll always have our friends, right?”

“…Sure…”