Author's Notes:

Hello everybody,

I know it's been a while since I posted anything, so I decided it couldn't wait any longer. I was struggling with how to go about writing this chapter, which was why it took so long, but recently I hit another writing storm.

Also I would just like to say how much I appreciate everyone here sticking with this story, despite it slowing down so much in chapter production. Part of the inspiration I have for writing this is reading your comments and seeing how many people actually read it. Thank you all very much, and I hope you enjoy this addition.

So long for now.

Pinkie

The view was undeniably breathtaking. Clouds had formed high above in all shapes and sizes; the patterns and designs diminished as the pink pony stared at them, developing into other forms as time drew on.

It was midday, judging by the sun high up in the sky, but the later hour had done nothing to lessen the amazing colours of the water far below. The little pony had never been on a boat out at sea, nor had she ever thought about such an experience prior to now; however, despite the circumstances of the voyage, Pinkie was glad to have the chance to be here all the same.

The air was clean and crisp, and there was a constant breeze. The wind rushed through her curled mane and fur and whistled in her ears, though being on a boat sailing along the Equestrian coast at high speeds, Pinkie imagined that that was fairly difficult to avoid. Distant mountains from Canterlot and the Dragon Spire Mountains could be spotted if her eyes shifted to the right, the splendid sight of such wonders not being interrupted by the clouds ever-changing in the sky. It was a truly beautiful vision all around them, something she was certain Rarity would be enjoying at this time.

“I hope we can find them before it’s too late,” she spoke aloud to herself, not imagining anypony to have heard her. The pink mare pushed herself off from resting her hooves on the side of the ship, to look around at who had come up to the deck.

They were close to Starswirl Island by now, her and her four friends having the captain explain the route they were taking. So she had returned to look out at the expansive stretch of water, and hopefully spot the island with the odd name. If I can spot it from farther away, maybe I can see what shape it is. She had to giggle, guessing that it would look neither like a star nor a swirl, but found it fun and funny to imagine nonetheless.

Several sailor ponies were up with her, maintaining the boat so that it would reach their destination without any delays or unforeseen complications. Ex-pirates, she thought excitedly, her shimmering cerulean eyes growing. I wonder if they would tell me about adventures they went on if I asked, stealing treasure, fighting the law, mystical creatures and other pirates. She felt as giddy as a school filly with a lunchbox full of chocolate cake thinking about that. Captain Vem was sure to have a tale or two to tell, if only she had the time to ask.

Twilight was on deck as well near the middle of the vessel and on the right side, with Applejack not too far away. Pinkie managed to smile and began to hop over to the two mares.

“Hi, Twilight! Heya Applejack! What are you two doing?” As she approached, she could tell that Twilight had her map out, and the orange pony seemed to be looking off of it also.

Applejack glanced up from the map to grin, tipping her hat in greeting. “Howdy, Pinkie Pie. Twilight and ah are just lookin’ off this here map again. If we can’t get the help that Princess Celestia spoke about with Twilight then we’ll need to know the best and fastest way to the western continent.”

“Oh,” the earth pony replied, taking a spot to the right of Twilight, on the floorboards of the Sea Princess. “Have you found the best way yet then?” She stuffed a hoof into her mane and brought out some gum, tossing it into her mouth as she watched.

“We think so,” Twilight answered, lighting up her horn to roll the map back up, before placing it back in her saddlebags. The alicorn turned to face Pinkie. “There are a few islands on the way, across the open ocean, but most of the really large ones are spaced out enough to not cause any trouble. It’s basically a straight shot from Starswirl Island to the coast of the western continent.”

“Great! I hope that will get us to Rarity and Spike faster.”

“Me too, Pinkie. Hopefully, Princess Celestia has managed to convince the ibex by now though.”

Applejack rested a hoof on the astute alicorn’s shoulder. “Ah’m sure we’ll catch up to them, whether or not we have another ride from Starswirl Island. ‘Sides, those two are strong. They’ll look after one another.”

“Yeah! Say, where are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

“They’re still below deck,” the farm mare replied. “They both said they were fairly hungry, so I’d imagine they’re still down at the mess hall.”

Pinkie frowned. “Mess hall?”

“Uh huh, it’s at the back of the boat. There weren’t enough seats right where the food was prepared, because the sailors were having lunch, so Fluttershy and Rainbow offered to go back there instead.” She stopped and narrowed one eye at the party mare. “Pinkie, what are you chewin’ on?”

The little pony concealed her worry over the situation, only raising an eyebrow in answer. “Oh. Gum. Want some?”

“Uhh, no thanks.”

She shrugged. “Okie dokey lokie! More gum-gum for me then. Well, maybe I should go see them. Maybe they have some leftovers for me. I’m already hungry again.” Without another word or waiting for a response from either of them, Pinkie bounded off to the stairs below decks. And those three, she thought, suddenly letting her concern show. I hope they were able to hide before Fluttershy and Rainbow saw them.

She descended the staircase, still hearing the waves crash about across the sides of the boat until she emerged in the kitchen area. Most of the sailor ponies were present, and the shouting and laughing drowned out the sounds of the sea or the breeze from above. True Blue caught her eye as he was making the meals for his fellow sailors and waved to her.

Pinkie grinned back and waved, bouncing off to check the spot where she had discovered Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo the other day. I’m sure they’re fine, she reasoned. They did make it this far without being seen, well except by yours truly, and nopony can compete with me in hide and seek. Still, it looks like there are plenty of places to hide here. I’m surprised none of them earned a cutie-mark in being a spy.

The magenta-maned pony rounded the corner and spied the barrels that the three young mares had hidden near, but couldn’t see Sweetie or the others anywhere. Pinkie closed the distance to the Mess Hall quickly, pushing the door open and spotting her two friends sitting at a table, plates almost empty.

“Hi girls!” she shouted, waving in an exaggerated fashion at the two in the room.

“Hey, Pinkie. What’s up?” Rainbow Dash called from over her shoulder.

She halted at their shared table and looked up, hoof to her chin. “Oh, you know, the usual. The sky, clouds, birds, the sun, space-”

“Okay, Pinkie! I get it,” the cerulean pegasus interrupted, slapping a hoof over her forehead. “Jeez, when will I learn never to ask you that?”

The party pony shrugged as she bounced in between the two friends. “I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers.” She bit her lip. But I do have a question.

“Are we nearly there, Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy mustered as she placed her utensils down on her plate of food. “Oh, it would be so awful if we were late and we missed the ship that the princess sent us.”

Pinkie waved a hoof in answer. “Oh, don’t worry, Fluttershy. We’ll be arriving shortly. Besides, Twilight hasn’t received a letter from Princess Celestia yet, so I doubt it’s left.”

“That’s what I told her,” Rainbow cut in, stuffing her face with a forkful of food. “But feeh wouldn’t lifen to me.”

“Fee?” the earth mare asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why would Fluttershy need to pay anything?”

“No, feeh!” she tried again.

Pinkie glanced over at Fluttershy and saw her shrug and shake her head. “You sound really silly, right now, Dashie.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and groaned. She swallowed. “Whatever. So, what are you doing down here? Did Twilight send you down to get us?”

She tensed up briefly, thinking about what she promised the three stowaways on the ship. “Oh, no, I just wanted to come and see you.” Wait a minute, she thought suddenly. That’s it! “Actually,” she began, leaning in toward the two pegasi and lowering her voice conspiratorially. Her bright eyes shifted from left to right. “I’m looking for somepony. Have you two seen any strange characters come through here recently; slightly smaller in stature than us?”

“Umm, no?” the speedster replied in confusion.

“Shh shhh! Not so loud,” Pinkie whispered aggressively, even though she knew nopony would care to hear her speaking normally. It’s all part of the ploy, Pinkie. “Fluttershy? What about you?”

The timid mare shook her head again. “Sorry, Pinkie,” she said in a quieted voice. “Why are you looking for them?”

“Oh, no reason,” she answered. The excitable pony bounced back up to a standing posture and grinned widely at her friends. “Anyway, those two are looking at the map for different routes in case the princess’ boat never comes.”

“Worrywarts,” Rainbow scoffed into her fork of food. “We’ll be fine; Twilight’s just,” she swallowed, “being her usual egghead, worrying self. The princess has never let us down before.”

“Well, that’s true,” the timid mare spoke up. “But it never hurts to be prepared.”

“Do you think these ex-pirates have any cool stories about being non-ex-pirates?” Pinkie interrupted, causing both ponies to glance at her in confusion. “I mean, they must have some stories of stealing gold and jewels from underwater chests or rich families, or fighting the sea or having a swashbuckling fight with some berry eating weirdo, right?”

It was clearly a difficult question to answer, judging by their faces contorting in even more confusion, but she could wait. Having explained what she was looking to ask about, the excitable mare resumed her giddy bouncing.

She watched as Rainbow Dash’s hoof lightly collided with her forehead, exhaling and shaking her head afterward. “Okay, I don’t know exactly what you just said, but I heard the word pirates and talking about tales of pirate-y things, so I’m interested.” The speedy pegasus leapt out from her seat at the table and rose on her wings. “Fluttershy, are you going to come along?”

“Um, actually, I think I’d like to go up for some air,” the pony replied, resting her forelegs on the table. “I’ve never seen what the ocean looks like in pony before, but it must be beautiful out here, and I’m sure there are quite a few marine animals I’ve never seen before too.”

“I don’t know about the new animals, but the view up there is definitely super exciting,” Pinkie responded, hopping in place while Fluttershy stood from her place at the table as well. “Just, if you go up there, don’t take an umbrella too, or else you might be blown away by the wind, and I don’t think we have enough time to be inventing a new sport like wind surfing.”

She blinked in surprise briefly, before the nature-loving mare giggled into her hoof. “Thank you, Pinkie. I’ll keep that in mind.”

In return, Pinkie beamed. “Don’t mention it. Heck, a few hours ago, I almost invented it, but Twilight pulled me back in with her magic before I could figure out any cool tricks. Oh well, maybe on the way home from finding Rarity and Spike I’ll have more time.”

With excitement in her heart and a bounce in her step, the little pony turned on her heels and bounded toward the door she had come through moments prior. She glanced over her shoulder to see if the two were following her, but found that they hadn’t moved since she began on her way.

“What?” she spoke up in confusion and interest, ceasing her bouncing and merely staring at the pair. “We don’t have much time left to do either of those things and I want to hear at least one super terrific story they have to tell.”

“Riiiight,” the cerulean pony said, flapping her wings and slowly approaching her. Fluttershy followed a step behind, all three leaving through the open doors. “So who do you have in mind, Pinkie? I know the captain would have a lot to tell us, but he’s probably a little busy at the moment.”

“We could just start with True Blue, and ask around the tables while the rest are still eating if he can’t tell us anything.”

Rainbow nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me. Are you going to head up right now, Fluttershy?”

“I think so,” she answered as the kitchen area, and all of the sailors, came into view. “I hope you find a good story before we have to leave. Maybe you can tell me about after.”

“Sure thing, Fluttershy!” the magenta maned pony exclaimed. She and Rainbow waved goodbye as the timid mare wandered up the stairs to the upper deck, before they both spun around to face the ponies at lunch. Now I want to hear what adventures these ex-swashbuckling heroes got up to while they were still buckling and swashing.

It was late into the afternoon when the Sea Princess docked at the Harbour of Starswirl Island. By that time, all of the sailors that were eating had left to prepare the ship and tie it at port, so not even True Blue was present to regale Pinkie and Rainbow Dash with any stories.

None of the ponies they asked had much to say on the matter anyway, so it was unlikely that he would be any different. Still, it was disappointing that they had had no luck in hearing cool tales.

“Can you believe that, Pinkie?” the cerulean pegasus scoffed flying in place with her forelegs crossed. She frowned at the stairs to the surface, most likely from watching those deck hooves scramble up after explaining that they had nothing of interest to share. “Not a single one of them told us anything.”

The party mare herself merely sighed mournfully. “Not even one itty bitty tale of adventure? That doesn’t sound like the pirates I read about in books.”

“Yeah. I really doubt that none of them went on any dangerous trips. If that’s the case, then we have had more experience with that sort of thing than they have.”

An idea popped into Pinkie’s head from her friend’s rambling. Or perhaps it was more like a bell tolling, or a light bulb clicking on. Either way, she had had a thought. “Well,” she began, standing on her hooves and looking beside her at the pony, “maybe they wanted to hear one of our stories before they told us anything.”

“Eh, I don’t think so,” Rainbow replied, coming down to land a few feet in front of her. “Maybe they were all hiding something from us; like they don’t want us to know what they did. Oh well, we’re already here at Starswirl Island, so we’ve got no more time to ask around. Come on, Pinkie Pie. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy are probably already waiting for us to get going.”

She nodded her head ecstatically, remembering what their main goal was. “Right. I forgot to check what shape the island was, a star or a swirl. Then we have to check out every sweet shop on the island.”

“Uh, no. We have to go find Rarity and Spike.”

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie said with a giggle, bouncing forward to ascend the steps with the high flyer right beside her.

The sun shone down upon the Sea Princess, and the magenta maned pony had to squint for a few moments as she and Dash set hoof on the deck. It was far less windy than it had been while Pinkie was up here, though there was a little breeze that she could feel against her fur. There were shouts emanating all around her, yet the rays of the sun were blinding. A gentle rocking told her that they had indeed landed at the shore of the famous island, and once she could see clearly once more, the voices the mare heard were no doubt attached to those ponies she and Rainbow had questioned earlier.

“Tie that off,” one of the sailors cried from her left.

“Help me with this, will you? We’re running a bit late already,” said another.

The shouting persisted as the two friends made their way over to the left side of the ship. Once again, the board was locked in place for guests and crew to depart from the vessel, and Pinkie could see Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy standing to the side of the dock. It was surprisingly large for such a small island, however Pinkie had only ever seen the docks at Vanhoover and Manehattan.

Regardless, the pier appeared to stretch across half of the shore, and all manner of fishing and shipping vessels were present. Many ponies and zebras and giraffes were rushing about along the wooden planks, unloading and loading their stock as the crew of the Sea Princess was currently partaking in as well.

“Hey you two, quickly,” the lavender alicorn exclaimed up at them, shaking the mare from her watching. “We don’t have any time to lose, remember?”

“Right. Those sweets aren’t going to eat themselves,” she answered, bounding down the steps and out of the way of sailors carrying big crates or barrels. When she reached the bottom and grinned at the trio waiting, the odd looks they were giving her in response jogged her memory. “Oops. I mean, Rarity and Spike aren’t going to rescue each other! Or something like that.”

Rainbow soon joined the assembled party, rolling her magenta eyes when Pinkie glanced her way. “Yeah. Something. Anyway, what’s the plan? No letter from the princess yet?”

The three others shook their heads. “I’m afraid not,” Twilight admitted. “We can only trust that what she’s doing will get us there in time. In the meantime, we should make sure that our boat hasn’t already arrived and Princess Celestia is just late in letting us know. It would also be wise to go into town and see if we can find some more food to stock up on. The remainder of the journey won’t be as easy as taking a ship around the continent.”

“Ooh, great ideas, Twilight. Maybe I’ll be able to eat some sweets from here after all.”

The alicorn exhaled lightly and took in another breath. “We should split into three groups. Rainbow Dash, you’re the fastest out of us, so could you fly over to the other end of the dock and start scanning for the right ship?”

“You got it.”

“Fluttershy and I will begin from here and work our way over to you, while Pinkie and Applejack go and find some food to take with us. Hopefully, something that will survive in the harshness of the frozen continent we’re heading for.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” reassured the country mare with a tip of her hat and a glad expression. “I’ve come prepared and stashed away everything we need to start a fire for cookin’ or heatin’ up some meals while we’re there. Granny Smith taught me well about takin’ the essentials of survival.”

A smile eased its way onto Twilight’s face, a welcomed change by the pink pony since they discovered where Rarity and Spike had really gone. “Good work, Applejack. If any of you find anything, let the rest of us know. I can shoot a beam of light up in the air, Rainbow can perform a Sonic Rainboom and Pinkie can use her party cannon…if you brought it, that is.”

“Are you kidding?” Pinkie answered, first appearing flabbergasted that Twilight even wondered at all, before she drew back and pulled said cannon out of nowhere and beamed. “Of course I did.” The little pony aimed the cannon straight up and launched the confetti within into the air with a loud popping noise.

Once the multi-coloured party decorations had settled around the five friends, and all of the ponies that heard the commotion had returned to their routines, the studious mare cleared her throat. “Now let’s get moving. The longer we stay here on this island, the more chances there are that something bad could happen to Rarity and Spike.”

“Come on, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack called from her right. “It’s a small island, but ah saw the town at the top of this here hill from the ship. Hopefully, they have what we need to continue with this little journey.”

“‘Little journey?’ Applejack, we just finished saying that this is a huge deal.” Nonetheless, the party mare joined her orange friend in sauntering up the hill, bordered by two huge rocks with moss growing half way up each. There was an unusually shaped tree from behind the rock on the right as well, the trunk and branches bending in strange places and ways.

It was quite funny to Pinkie, wondering why no trees in Ponyville or the Everfree Forest were like that.

“Ah was bein’ sarcastic,” Applejack responded flatly, but couldn’t hide the small amused smile from Pinkie.

“What’s that taste like?” she asked.

Applejack only rolled her green eyes and shook her head. “Nothin’. Never mind.”

“Well, if it tastes like nothing no wonder you want to forget about it.”

This time she managed to receive a chuckle from the country mare. “Nothin’ ever dampens your spirits, does it, Pinkie?”

She shook her head rapidly, beginning to bounce a little as she walked. “Nope. And how do you know about spirits? Do you believe in ghosts too?”

“Shucks, no,” her friend said as they reached the top of the hill. Before them lay the town that Pinkie Pie assumed had a similar name to the island itself. “Ah’ve never seen one nor heard a spirit speak, and I don’t suspect ah ever will. Ghosts and spirits are just as make believe as zombies. Now then, ah wonder if this place has a marketplace or some such.”

“I believe in ghosts,” Pinkie responded softly, through her sudden pout. Another thing she had come to copy from Rarity, she recognized. In an instant, her behaviour shifted into a contemplative one. Hmm, I wonder if she has picked up on any weird things I do…or is copying her just another Pinkie-sense thing? What if I hung out with Applejack or Fluttershy like I do her? Would I copy them too, and become some kind of combination of the three? What if I-?

“Pinkie, look out!”

“Huh?” She resurfaced from her thoughts in time to see a pony with a large purple hat on her head closing in on her. She seemed to be as out of it as Pinkie was mere moments prior, and upon looking up from her newspaper, her stoic expression turned to shock and fright.

It all happened quite quickly.

The pony shut her eyes, likely readying herself for the inevitable collision, but the pink mare kept her cerulean eyes open. On reflex, her curled pink tail shot forward in front of her, wrapping around the stranger’s right front leg and spinning both of them in a clockwise manner, dissipating their momentum in the process.

Seconds passed.

She waited for the two others to reopen their eyes, seeing from her new position that Applejack had flinched away from the scene just before she thought it would happen. Pinkie’s tail released its hold on the pony’s leg, snapping back to its normal position on her backside.

“Oops, sorry there,” she giggled cutely, seeing that her unbelieving-in-ghosts-and-spirits friend was gazing at her through squinting eyes. “I guess I got distracted from where I was going. It happens.”

The new mare’s eyes shot open in confusion, glancing to her left and right, before staring directly at Pinkie. “Huh? What? What happened?”

Now the party pony chuckled lightly, reaching behind her and grabbing her fluffy tail in one of her front hooves. “You just got saved by Pinkie’s tail. It tends to have a mind of its own when things like this happen. I suppose I should name it. Hey Applejack, what do you think of Fluffy Pink Tail sense?”

“I…I…what?” the pony continued.

Applejack laughed as she wandered up next to the stranger, tilting her Stetson back on her head. “Don’t worry about it, sugarcube. If you don’t know what just happened, having just met Pinkie Pie, ah can tell you it doesn’t get any easier to tell after bein’ friends with her for as long as ah have. Trust me.”

“That’s what I’m telling you, Applejack!” Pinkie shouted suddenly, zooming up to the two ponies. “If you can believe in my Pinkie-sense even though you can’t see it then why can’t you believe in ghosts?”

The mare in question leaned back slightly, appearing startled to have the cotton candy pony so near. She stepped back away and cleared her throat. “Well, ah didn’t say ah exactly believe in Pinkie-senses, but just like Twilight that one time, ah learned that whether or not ah believe in it, it will hurt if ah ignore it. Now, ah never had an experience like that with any ghosts, so if or when that happens ah’ll consider adding that to mah list of things ah can’t ignore.”

Pinkie tapped a hoof on her chin in thought and raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, I guess that makes sense. Okay, that is acceptable to me.” Note to self, play a prank on Applejack to make her believe in ghosts, she pondered devilishly, giggling afterward.

“Great. Now, as for the pony you almost ran into, ah’d like to apologize for what just about happened.” They turned to find the amber coated mare still staring in surprise at Pinkie.

Tilting her head at her bizarre expression, the magenta maned pony waited to hear something from her lips. This stranger shook her head shortly after, appearing apologetic for something. “Oh, uh, it’s fine. I wasn’t watching where I was going either. No harm done.”

“Well that’s mighty fine of you to say so. Ah’m Applejack and this here is Pinkie Pie.”

She nodded in answer. “Sapphire Star. How do you do? You must be new here; I haven’t seen either of you around before.”

“Yep. We’re on a mission!” Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully, hopping a few times for emphasis. “We have to find all sorts of snacks and candies and goodies for the trip.”

Applejack chuckled from beside her. “Well, she’s partially right. We are on an important mission, but we’re looking to find more actual meals to take with us. Sugar and sweets is fine sometimes, but if my friends and ah wanna keep our strength up we’ll need some real lunches and dinners. Would you know any places we could go?”

The pony inclined her head. “Sure. There’s one just down the street and on the right,” Sapphire pointed out, motioning with her hoof. “This is the downtown district, so there are a few places to choose from. But to me the place I mentioned is my favourite.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, Sapphire. Thanks for the info.”

“Not at all. I hope whatever you have to do goes well. Have a nice day!” She began walking away, stopping to wave behind her at Pinkie and Applejack.

“Bye, Sapphire Star! I’ll be back to play you the friendship song after we’re done, but unfortunately we don’t have time right now.” With that out of the way, she grinned brightly and turned to face an unimpressed looking Applejack. Pinkie tilted her head slightly, her magenta mane following the action.

Neither of them said anything. The pony with the golden mane simply started walking in the direction Sapphire Star had suggested, and the little pony followed closely behind.

Around half an hour later, Pinkie came bounding out of the restaurant, her mane full to bursting with candy and other snacks. The other customers within that place were eyeing her in confusion, though she didn’t pay them much mind. She had accomplished what she set out to do, and Applejack had her saddlebags full again with food for their continued journey. It was a double success.

The excitable mare licked a lollipop dangling from her mane as it bobbed up and down with her light prancing. The front of her mane was curled around the stick, keeping it in her reach. Beside her the orange pony said nothing, merely tipping her Stetson forward on her head.

Once the two exited the building, Pinkie jumped once and breathed in the clear afternoon air. “My energy is already refilling. I was beginning to slow down without any sweets in my tummy. Did you notice, Applejack?” She glanced over her shoulder and saw the mare in question roll her green eyes.

“Ah still don’t understand how you managed to find some sweets while you were standing right next to me in the line the whole time. Are you sure you didn’t end up takin’ some of that comic book hero Filli-Second’s abilities back into this world?”

“I have my secrets, Applejack,” Pinkie answered, turning her head in a fashion similar to Rarity. I can see why she does this, she thought with a quiet giggle. Even if she is pretending when she does it, it’s still a lot of fun. Her focus returned to the dangling lollipop, while they continued walking. “Hmm, I wonder what this flavour is. Strawberry, blackberry, dragonfruit? Applejack, try this and tell me what you think, would you?”

Applejack shook her head as she strolled beside her, leaning back from the sweet in her vision. “Ugh, this is just like when you nearly talked mah ear off at that cherry orchard,” the farm pony muttered.

“Seems like a combination of flav-” Pinkie gasped, causing Applejack to start back in shock. “That reminds me. You never told me what name you liked better, chimicherry or cherrychanga, or chimicherrychanga! And you never sang along with me back then either. I still remember the song I made too. Pickle barrel, pickle barrel, pickle barrel! Sing it with me. Pickle barrel kumquat, pickle barrel kumquat, chimicherrychanga! Come on, Applejack, I know you want to.”

“Hey, wait a minute. Ah think ah saw somethin’ over at the docks. That must be Twilight or Rainbow!” She pointed a frantic hoof back in the direction of the ships. Without another word, the cowgirl dashed off, leaving Pinkie with no choice but to gallop after her.

“You’re just saying that so you don’t have to sing with me!”

“Um…yeah?” she replied, glancing behind her at Pinkie.

The party mare tilted her head to the side and crunched on the remaining candy. Her hair flung the stick into a nearby trash can, while she ran through the small town and down the hill. “At least you’re honest about it!” she called out, grinning widely.

“I don’t know what to do now! How are we supposed to get the rest of the way without a ship?”

Twilight’s voice carried on the wind as Pinkie and Applejack cantered onto the wooden boards of the wharf. Fluttershy was standing beside her, her mane covering most of her face while a piece of parchment was held in a lavender aura. Rainbow landed mere moments before Pinkie approached, coasting down and raising an eyebrow at the alicorn’s outburst.

“What’s going on, Twilight?” the cerulean pony asked, folding her wings against her sides. “Did Princess Celestia finally send a message?”

Pinkie skidded to a halt next to Fluttershy, and the farm mare stepped up shortly after. “Some good news ah hope. Pinkie and ah managed to bring some more food for the trip. Did any of you find that ship?”

The others didn’t answer. The timid pony backed away a few steps, drawing Pinkie’s gaze momentarily, before she stared at the letter in Twilight’s magic.

She sighed and turned the letter over for her, Applejack and Rainbow to read. “It’s from the princess, yes, but she says that no ship is coming for us. The ibex refused to send help, despite her insisting how important this is.”

“Aw, come on!” exclaimed the speedy pegasus, drawing curious eyes to their group. “We’ve come this far and now this? Not cool.”

Applejack ground her teeth worriedly. “Shoot. Is there no other way for us to get over the sea?”

Shaking her head, Fluttershy ruffled her wings awkwardly. “We asked all over the port while we were looking for the ship, but nopony was able to take us that far out from their usual route for deliveries. This isn’t good.”

“What isn’t good, my friends?” came a voice from Pinkie’s right. It was familiar, and when she tilted her head, she knew she had been right as to who had spoken.

The captain of the Sea Princess stood before them, burgundy eyes smiling and tricorn hat balanced nicely atop his head. His forelegs were out of his blue coat, and the sleeves were being caught in the wind blowing in from the sea. The sailor’s outfit was in full view this time, and he had a sword sheathed at his side. Rainbow took to the air and moved over to the side so that his sailors could bring a crate down to their vessel.

“Hiya Captain Vem,” the pink pony shouted with a wave of her hoof. “We’re kinda stuck here now ‘cause our transport fell through and now we have nothing else to do except eat all this candy I have stashed away.” She dug into her magenta mane and tossed a sour raspberry candy into her mouth.

His wide smile faded into a slight frown and he rubbed his scarred chin. “That so? Well we can’t have that. You can’t save your friends when you aren’t able to make it across the sea. What about asking for somepony here to take you along with them?”

“No good,” Rainbow responded, crossing her forelegs. She scoffed. “None of these ponies said they would help us out. Too busy with whatever they’re shipping to sail over.”

“That’s not what they said,” the studious alicorn cut in, standing away from the group, peering out at the expanse of water. “Most of the supplies being shipped from here can’t wait. Plus, they would probably be in big trouble for sailing into ibexian waters without permission. We can’t ask them to step away from their jobs just because we ask them to.”

Pinkie saw the rest turn to Twilight, surprised by her calm and collected answer. She herself was a little startled by her demeanour, after telling them what was on the letter. “Twilight?” the yellow mare whispered, stepping closer to her friend.

“Captain Vem,” Twilight began, not taking her eyes away from the water sloshing about against the pier.

“Princess? What can I do for you?”

She spun around, a stern and determined expression across her features. “We need the Sea Princess one more time.”

After a moment, the stallion smirked. He let out a laugh and tipped his hat. “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Hey! All of you lay abouts and slackers!” Vem shouted from the dock holding the Sea Princess. The five friends stood around him, careful not to be in the way of readying the vessel to set sail. “Hurry up with those provisions and repairs. We’ve got another request from a princess who needs our help.”

“Right, captain!” the present crew called out in return.

“Woohoo! Extended cruise time!” Pinkie roared from beside him, hopping up and down excitedly. Oh, well and of course rescue Rarity and Spike time. I knew I was forgetting something important. She tossed another sweet from her mane into her mouth and crunched on it.

“You sure y’all are alright with this, Vem?” Applejack asked from behind her.

“No doubts at all,” he replied easily, turning to the group and smiling. “I have a feeling Princess Celestia was counting on me having one of my rebellious streaks today. Just in case she wasn’t able to get those blasted ibexes to cooperate and give you five a boat, she sent me and my crew along.”

“Why’s that, Captain Vem?” the cerulean pony questioned, flapping her wings above the rest.

He grinned and turned his gaze to his ship. “Because, no matter what I’m asked to do, even when I was a pirate captain, I always did what I felt was right. And now what is right is helping you find your friends. Doesn’t matter if I get reprimanded for speakin’ out of turn or going off somewhere where I’m not meant to; if it’s important to my crew and I, and it’ll save lives, I’ll do it.”

Vem glanced over to Twilight, his grin slackening somewhat as he did. “And I alone will accept the penalty. None of my crew has faced something like that because they’re only following captain’s orders. If anypony is to make them pay a price for disobeying orders, it’s me. Thankfully, Celestia realizes and accepts that. Even if she didn’t, I wouldn’t let a single member on my ship be disciplined for following me.”

“You may have to face some sort of repercussions for helping us, but I understand,” said the lavender mare, locking gazes with the captain. “I will make sure that your crew is not harmed for what you are asking of them today, and I will explain the circumstances to anypony who asks.”

“Right. We have an accord.” His attention once again shifted to the Sea Princess. He set a hoof on the board set on the ship. “Set sail for the western continent. From this point on we’ll be making transgressions in the waters of the ibex princes. Our aim is the Ibexian Tundra, so no matter what we come across, be it beasts of the sea or an Ibexian warship, we can’t turn away. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, lads and lasses. Give our ship one more grand adventure.”

The five friends made their way onto the ship, behind the blue stallion, while his crew shouted excitedly in answer. Pinkie leaned to her left and rested a hoof over her mouth, so that only Fluttershy could hear. “Does that mean we’re technically pirates?” she whispered.

She nodded slightly in return. “I think so, Pinkie. Oh, I hope we don’t upset Princess Celestia by doing this.”

“Woohoo! I knew this would be a great day. Where’d I put my eyepatch?”

“Everything and everyone is on board, captain,” a yellow unicorn at the top of the board informed. She had a white coat draped over her sailor outfit, and its sleeves and her black ponytailed mane caught the breeze. “Uh, Princess,” she said in surprise, bowing when the alicorn stepped onto the deck.

“Excellent,” Captain Vem replied. “Tabatha, these are the ponies we had with us on the princess’ request; Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. And to the rest of you, this is my Vice-Captain, Tabatha.”

The ship lurched backward suddenly, jostling the pink mare and the rest of the ponies out of their conversation. Dashing off to the left side of the ship, Pinkie saw the water brushing along the Sea Princess’ outer hull, and soon it left the wharf completely. The ship spun around and slowly began moving off into deeper waters.

“Well, no turnin’ back now,” Applejack spoke up from beside her.

“This is so exciting! Isn’t it, Applejack? We’re gonna be pirates!”

Rainbow chuckled before them. “I have to agree with Pinkie here. It would be cool to be a pirate. At least I always thought so. Now we have a chance to see if we’re right.”

“Don’t forget about our real reason for being here,” Twilight interrupted, standing next to the Captain and Vice-Captain. “Princess Celestia trusted us to bring Rarity and Spike back home before it was too late, and Captain Vem is putting himself and his crew on the line for us. We can’t let that go to waste.”

Applejack smiled and turned to face the studious mare. “You’re right, Twilight. Captain Vem, sir, we’re at your disposal. Whatever you need us to do, just say the word.”

“Mighty kind of you, Applejack. In fact, I do believe that my Vice-Captain here has something waitin’ for all of you down in her quarters. The winds out here can get quite chilly, especially near the tundra coast. I assume that is why I hardly saw you until now.”

“Yes, captain,” Tabatha answered with a dip of her head. The red-eyed unicorn started off toward the stairs to the lower decks. “Come along with me. I used fabric that should be well-suited for your journey through the tundra as well.”

“Oooh, sounds great. I wonder if Rarity thought of that.” With the ship rocking back and forth over the rough sea, Pinkie hopped along with the others while the sun was beginning to set upon the horizon.

Clouds had gathered closer in the sky, darkening out most of the light from the sun. She saw Rainbow stop at the top of the stairs and gaze up. The little pony halted as well, wondering what her speedy friend was thinking.

Her magenta eyes narrowed ominously. “It’s going to be a dark night,” Rainbow Dash muttered, before descending the steps.

Pinkie looked to the air as well for a moment, and sauntered after the rest in silence.