The soldiers were happy enough to see us, once they were sure of who we were. One of them waved us along past all the other boats, bobbing there in the water. "You'll be taking this one." He pointed to a yacht. Was it a yacht? I had never learned one boat from another. It was definitely a boat!

On the deck were four other soldiers who looked like they were waiting for us. "I hope you don't mind my saying so, but this sounds like a suicide mission." He looked over Aiko and me. "He either really trusts you, or hates you."

I puffed out my chest and sat up tall. "We're going to pull it off, even if it looks impossible. Everyone's counting on us."

Aiko bobbed her head. "We have some advantages that may help. If they have infected people as well, we should b--"

"You've already said enough. On the boat, and keep your plans to yourself." He hiked a thumb at the boat. "You'll be carted in, dropped off, and then you're on your own. They'll be giving you a portable radio, but even using it's a huge risk. If they're on the ball, they'll be searching for rogue transmissions, and it might be a big neon sign pointed at you if you try using it."

I took a slow look around at the spotlights they had and everyone looking all tense and ready as if they were going to get pounced on. "Aren't we early? What's the rush? You guys look like you could use some cheering up."

The man kneeled down to my level. "Look, Miss Pie was it? They could be here any moment. We're thanking every god we can think of that you got here so quickly. There isn't any time left. We'll 'cheer up' when we're not about to be slaughtered. Our people being freed of this insanity? That'd be a nice bonus prize. Go, Miss Pie."

I gave the best salute I could, imitating what I saw the other soldiers do. "I'll do my best, and then some more!"

Aiko spread her wings and sailed down to the boat easily. "I'll do what I can."

I hopped down beside her and began exploring the ship. It wasn't that large, for a space we'd be living in, but I hadn't been on too many boats, so it was kind of cool, and the way it went back and forth and back and forth... Um, give me a moment. I made it to the side of the ship before making a mess of anything, or one.

Aiko pat me on the back lightly. "I didn't feel that well the first time I went fishing, but you get used to it, I promise. Thank you, for all of this. This is a very brave thing you've volunteered to do."

I flopped against the railing, facing her. "Aren't you doing the same thing? You don't need to think me all special for it. Saving's the day is kind of my job ever since Twilight entered my life. Bright girl, but she's a real trouble magnet, let me tell you."

She sat down in front of me. "Tell me."

So I did. I told her how we met, and defeated Nightmare Moon, who turned out to be a pretty nice mare. How we faced off against Discord, and went to a fancy party. I expounded on our adventure to the frozen north, and how Twilight's brother's wedding totally got crashed. She kept asking me to go on, so I did, our clash with the nasty vines, rescuing the tree of harmony, which later helped us turn things around on Tirek. That was a blast!

"Just before I came here, I went with one of my besties, Rainbow Dash, and we took care of a problem in the griffon lands. We got to meet an old griffon friend we had a fight with, and we got that behind us. It was a really nice trip, if a little dangerous at times."

Aiko nodded slowly. "You really have been to many places. I can scarcely imagine half the things you've described, but it does give me hope. If you can go through all that, and still be smiling, maybe we can pull this off."

I held out a hoof to her. "There's no maybe. We will." She clopped her hoof against mine and we smiled.

Setting out into the dark waters, the boat hurriedly ferried us out until the city behind us became a dot, and then nothing at all. It was all water in every direction. I thought there had been a lot of air while in the sky, but no, even there I could look down and see the ground. Here? No ground, just water. Water water water!

There wasn't much for us to do but look out at it, or try to chat with the soldiers, but they weren't in the talking mood, no matter how nice I tried to be with them. About the only time I got to socialize with them is when they started a card game and I took a chair after one left. Their game was a little different than most pony ones, but I was able to figure it out, and had fun trying to get into the tricky parts of it. It was as much about fooling your game partner as having good cards, like a lot of card games, really.

Eventually they went off to do various chores, and it was getting late, so I went to flop in my cot and catch some sleep, only to have a warm presence snuggle in with me. Unlike Emma or Homer, Aiko seemed to just want to be close. She threw a leg over me, and I returned the favor, and we slept like that. Nothing extra, and that was just fine.

I woke up to singing. Somepony was singing a soft and alluring song, but it wasn't in any language I... oh there it goes. Her words shifted in my head all crazy, and I could understand what she was saying clearly. It wasn't Japanese, I was sure of that. Aiko was sitting up next to me, looking curious about the noise. "Do you hear that?"

I nodded quickly and bounced to my hooves. "Let's go see what it is!"

"Won't you join us? Won't you join us? It's so much nicer in the water. Won't you join us? Won't you join us?" They weren't rhyming, just singing. They sounded like mares with very sweet voices.

Bursting through the door from the cabin to the decks, I saw a few of the soldiers just sort of staring out into the water. "Hey, guys, do you hear that?" They didn't answer, so I bounced up to them, and saw the source.

In the water were three ponies, though they had scales instead of fur, and glistened in the light. One was bright yellow, another deep blue, and the last a vibrant green. They sang in unison and swayed left and right as they did, gazing at the soldiers with half-lidded eyes.

When I leaned forward, a fourth one, with deep red scales, popped free from the depths, her nose barely a foot away from mine. She was close enough that I could see she had sparkly green eyes. "Hello there! You're not a human." She was speaking that funny language. "This is the first time a pony was on a boat. Why haven't you made your human friends into ponies? They'd be so much happier!"

A dirty little part of me agreed with her. They'd all be so much happier as ponies... Wait, no! "They like being humans. Leave them alone!"

Aiko suddenly pulled one of the soldiers back and gave him a shaking. "Wake up!"

All four sea ponies frowned at us. "You shouldn't do that," said the closest one. "People get violent when they're not happy." She reached a hoof out of the water and I could see she had fins on her leg, just like the one she had on her head. "Let them enjoy the song. It isn't hurting them."

Two more of them popped up beside the green pony that was talking to us and began to sing, and she fell right into their song without a delay. "Even ponies need to listen. Even ponies need to dance."

It was like when Aiko tried to tell me what to do, but I didn't have a choice. With her, I could just say no, but them... I rose up on two legs and spun around before shuffling to the tune of their slow-moving song. Dancing and listening just seemed like a fine thing to do, until Aiko tackled me to the ground. "Hey! What's the big deal?"

Aiko put her hooves over my ears. "Stop listening!"

With a soft thud, Greenie hopped up onto the deck. She was more fish than horse from the midsection down, with her bottom half curled, like a sea horse? That's what she was! A sea horse. Her green scales glistened as she pushed up on her hooves. "Why aren't you dancing? Who are you?" She was looking straight at Aiko.

I forced myself back up, only to start dancing. I wanted to talk to them, but I was singing along instead. Was that what the soldiers felt like? Aiko would have to save us!

She glared back at the sea horse. "Maybe you don't realize, but we have very important business ahead of us, that can save millions of lives. Pony, or human, or sea horse. They'll all die."

The sea horse tilted her head one way, then the other. "I don't understand you..." She turned to me and waved at her friends in the water. "You, tell me what she's saying." The ones singing for ponies to dance went quiet, freeing me from their grip.

I flopped back to all fours with a huff. "Thank goodness! She said we're on a super important mission that could save like kajillions of lives and we need to do it, for ponies and humans and everyone!"

Aiko flicked an ear at me. "What are you saying?"

I could understand either of them, but talking was one or the other, and whoever I tried to talk to, that was it.

"Is that Korean?"

The sea horse suddenly clopped her hooves. "Ah ha! I recognize it. This is a Japanese boat."

What? There was more than America, Japan, and China? How many states did this world have?! How many languages did it have?! "Um, yes. Were you born ponies out here? We wouldn't mind getting to know you, but we have to keep going. Please let our guys get back to work."

She giggled softly. "No! Not yet. We were fishers and ship workers until others caught us and taught us how to sing, and now we sing for others. We're so much happier this way." She leaned forward, almost flopping over. "They'd be happier too. You don't have to do anything, land pony, just let us play with them."

Aiko tried speaking their language, slowly and poorly. "Please... stop."

The sea horse blinked in surprise. "Nice try! Thank you." She drew in a breath and suddenly squirt a stream all over one of the guards. "One down. That's not the fun way, but it works." The soldier sputtered and tried to clean himself off. It woke him up at least, but it was already too late.

Aiko squealed in horror. "How can you do that? Stop!" She launched herself at the sea horse and crashed into her, sending them both into the ocean.

I moved between the sprayed soldier and his friends. "I think he's infected." That was all they needed to hear, and they dispersed. I only realized then that the songs had all stopped and moved to the edge, looking for Aiko.

A hand settled on my shoulder. "Pie. Pie Pinkie. Tell me there's something you can do!" He spun me around to face his wet face. "I don't want to die, not like this, as if I was never even there, replaced by some... alien."

I glanced back at the disturbingly clear water, wondering if Aiko was alright. "Ok, look. The other guys, they're your friends, right?"

"Y-yes. We've served together a while." He was shaking, and scared. Already his mane was starting to thin and fall out. It'd be a quick one, I guessed.

"Okay, then we have to get you all together, and they need to remind you of what makes you, uh, you, and awesome! Okay?"

He nodded even as a loud snap made us both wince. I grabbed for his hand and pulled him along away from the edge. "You're going to be alright. You're a, uh, Japanese soldier, and you're proud of it."

"Damn proud," he muttered as he spat out a few teeth to the ground, then stumbled, falling to his knees, then to his belly entirely as his clothes began to contort painfully around his changing body.

I shouted for the others. "Guys! Please, he needs you!" I spun back on him and grabbed for his hand, even as it began to become more of a hoof. "Stay with me. Pinkie's with you, I promise. You're on a mission, doing good for other people. Tell me your name?"

He tried to say it, or something, but it was a slurred mess that came out. His pants exploded to shreds as his legs began to seal together. He was becoming a sea horse all right. He howled with pain despite my efforts to calm him down.

"His name is Hiroshaki." I whipped around to see one of the others standing a few feet away. "He's a computer whiz, and a damn fine hand at poker. Every shore leave, he'd find a new girl to impress with his medals. I don't know how the bastard does it, makes me jealous as hell." He crouched down, but didn't come closer. "He wouldn't lose, not to a damn disease. Not like this."

Scales began to spread over him in a rapid sheet. He was a soft blue-green shade. His snout was fully grown, and new teeth had sprouted. Even his hands were becoming hooves rapidly. Though painful, it was at least fast. And his blubbering was becoming something akin to words. "Hiro... Shaki... Computer..."

"Yeah, best computer guy on this boat. Remember that time you changed the CO's password, made him pissed off for days? He never did figure out it was you. Secret between brothers, right? We're still brothers. You can lick this."

Hiroshaki pushed up, then collapsed. "Damn... man, it... hurts everywhere."

"I know it does, I know. We've seen it before. At least you didn't pass out. Too manly for that, huh?"

He laughed at the statement of bravado. "I... almost wish... I could." He held up a hoof towards his friend. "How ugly am I?"

"On a scale from one to ten, maybe an eleven. So no worse than normal."

"You amazing... jerk." They laughed together despite the pain, and Pinkie smiled. She was sure he'd be alright. He had a friend. Something tickled at her suddenly. The pony disease was most tolerable with friendship.

The power of friendship. She put a hoof over her face. It seemed so obvious, now that she'd seen it. If Twilight knew, she'd probably blow a gasket.

The changed soldier tried to push up again, to flop over. "Miss Pie, can you get me up please?" He sounded like he didn't really want to ask.

I gently propped him up against a nearby rail, and he nodded in thanks before he started talking with his friend some more. It was just what he needed, and I left him to it. The water had more of my attention then. Would Aiko be alright? Was she even down there? I couldn't just sit there! "Aiko! Say something!"

With a loud splash, Aiko came into view, having a big smooch with Greeny. The sea horse pushed her away a few inches. "Your friend is calling for you."

Aiko pulled back with a wrinkled snout. "Were you going to hold me down there until she did that?"

"I still don't understand you." Greenie leaned in and Aiko leaned away, but Greenie had the advantage and got her nuzzle. "You should get back on land. You're not a sea horse."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. "Aiko, get back up here. Greenie, no more squirting people on this boat! That wasn't nice, or the pony thing to do."

Greenie released Aiko and span towards me. "Did they change? Are they a boy or girl sea horse? Are they pretty? Send them down."

I waved a hoof at her. "Yes, boy, pretty enough, and they don't wanna."

Aiko got ahold of the side of the ship and climbed up the netting to flop up onto the deck, panting.

I kept looking at Greenie. "He's staying here, with his friends, who he likes as humans."

Greenie looked genuinely confused. "He still remembers who he was? I don't..." She looked curious. "How did you do that?" She clapped her hooves. "Now I want to see him even more! Let me see him!"

"He's tired and sore, and he doesn't even speak your language. What would you say to him?"

She pouted. "I guess that's true... Is he angry?"

I looked over my shoulder at the soldier, who was speaking quietly with his friend. "Hey! Are you angry with her?"

Funny thing, Japanese doesn't have as many words that are literal curses as some languages, but he sure tried. "Um, yes, sorry, he's a little angry right now. You did kind of turn him into a sea horse after being asked not to."

She rubbed her hooves together like a little foal. "But he was a human. He'll learn how to be happy, I know it. Being a sea horse is happiness." She smiled gently. "Please tell him I just wanted him to be happy."

I rolled a hoof at her. "I'll tell him that, and ask the others to forgive you all, if you solemnly swear to leave everyone on this boat alone in the future."

She put a hoof over her heart. "I promise. No more squirting, and no more changing, unless they want it? They should want it! Being a sea horse is way better than being anything else, even what you are."

"Pony."

"That. You should try it."

I wasn't sure how I could do that. "I'll consider it. No more singing and mind controlling too, right?"

She pouted. Was she hoping I'd forget to ask that. "Fine... We can sing if we don't command you, right? You'll like our singing, it's nice, and we like singing."

"Well, sure, if it's normal singing." I smiled at her. "I'd like to learn who you are. You know, your names and stuff. You have names, right?"

She looked confused at the idea. "Name? Oh! How we find each other." She let out a pure little note.

Another sea horse's head popped up and gave a subtly different note, then another, and another, until a chorus of notes sang out, each one a little different from the other. "These are our names. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

I giggled at that. "I don't have a sound like that, but you can call me Pie Pinkie, or just Pinkie for short." I only noticed then that their funny language had the same thing as Japanese. Family name first, huh.

In a harmonious band, they sung out my name, then slipped into the depths, until they were all gone. I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time I'd see the sea horses.

Author's Notes:

Oh, wow! The votes!

So, last time:

1: One of the others somehow sneak along (feel free to include who you intend) 2.3 votes
2: They're spotted by a patrol boat, making things quite dangerous before they even land! 0.33 votes
3: Luna has a message. 0.83 votes
4: So how does Spitfire handle her new role? 0.9 votes
5: What do you mean there are infected in the ocean? 17.64 votes

22 votes total! Most since I started counting them, and the large majority demanded ponies in water.

How about a new vote!

1: Luna still wants to chat.
2: They land in a hot zone, and things get interesting fast.
3: Friendly agents meet them at the shore, and give them a briefing from the inside.
4: The sailors determine things have gotten hot, and are afraid to come to shore. Guess Aiko and Pinkie are flying the last leg.
5: Aiko wants to use the sea horses in a pre-emptive sea strike!