A week had passed and the Cutie Mark Crusaders still remembered the spectacle they beheld. They decided to keep the spell in order to watch more of Sinbad's adventures, since, to them, Sinbad was probably just as much a hero as the Bearers of Harmony, only he was more cunning and resourceful than they were. After all, Fluttershy would cringe at the sight of any of the monsters Sinbad had encountered, and Rarity would merely complain about Sinbad's attire. That Saturday, they rushed over to their clubhouse to activate the spell and see what their new hero was up to.

"Oh no!", Apple Bloom shouted in horror as the sailor was dragged underwater by a water spout.

"Don't worry, Apple Bloom, Sinbad'll figure a way outta there!", Scootaloo said. "He always does!"

"Ah hope so, Scoots!"

For the next three weeks, the girls watched in awe at Sinbad's exploits as he fought an insane artist with petrifying gloves, befriended a samurai, and kept a young magic user out of Rumina's hands. And unknown to them, Rumina watched, learning about their world, waiting to strike.

But one day, that all changed.

Applejack was working in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, when she heard a familiar voice say, "Applejack, darling, have you seen Sweetie Belle? She was supposed to help me with a dress today."

"Can't say ah have, Rarity. Maybe she's with Apple Bloom. Say, you notice that them girls've been actin' weird?"

"You're just realizing this?"

"Ah mean more than usual. Last week, ah caught Apple Bloom tryin' ta fleece Trixie by sayin' Winona was a talkin' dog, an' sellin' her. We got Winona back, but only after Trixie chased Apple Bloom down."

"Now that you mention it, yesterday I heard Sweetie Belle singing a song I'd never heard before. When I asked her where she heard it, she said around town. And when I asked, nopony had ever heard of that song. Not that it wasn't beautiful, mind you."

"Ya thinkin' what ah'm thinkin'?"

"Oh, yes."

Back in their clubhouse, the girls were watching another one of Sinbad's adventures. This time, while attempting to rescue Maeve, the ship's resident magic user, Sinbad and his fellow crewmen, Doubar, Firouz, and Rongar were trapped in the web of a giant spider.

"Yeesh, they think THAT spider's scary?", Sweetie asked. "That's nothing compared to the ones Chrysalis sent."

"Yeah, an' Sinbad'd kick Chrysalis's flank!", Scootaloo said.

"Girls?", a familiar Southern drawl called from below. "Ya up there? Rarity 'n ah need ta speak ta ya."

"Uh-oh, it's Applejack!", Apple Bloom said.

"We can't let her find out about this!", Sweetie said in a panicking tone, "If she sees our spell, who knows what she'll do?!"

"Quick, deactivate the spell!", Scootaloo said to Apple Bloom.

"Ah don' know how!", Apple Bloom said. "We never got that far!"

"Applejack and I can't stand here all day", Rarity said. "Are you there or not?"

"Just a minute, sis!", Sweetie called out, before turning to her friends and said, "If we can't turn off the spell, we'll have to hide it."

"But that's a terrible idea!", Scootaloo said.

"Ya got any better ideas?", Apple Bloom asked.

"...Let's hide it behind the podium."

Once the cauldron was hidden, all three fillies dashed down to meet the older ponies, all trying to act casual.

"Applejack, what brings you here?", Apple Bloom asked, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Now don' try an' hide somethin' from me, sis", Applejack said. "All three of ya've been actin' weirder 'n Pinkie lately, an' we wanna know why."

"If you girls are having a problem, you can just tell us", Rarity said.

"Rarity, we have nothing to hide, honest!", Sweetie said.

"Oh? Then why won't you tell me where you REALLY heard that song I heard you sing?"

"An' why did Apple Bloom try ta sell Winona ta Trixie?", Applejack demanded.

"Good thing they don't know about my attempts at knife throwing", Scootaloo thought.

"We was just tryin' ta git our cutie marks, tha's all!", Apple Bloom lied.

"In what? Bein' a liar an' swin'ler?", Applejack asked.

"Don't give in, guys!", Scootaloo said in an encouraging tone. "Remember, no matter what they do to us, we can't tell them what we know!"

And then two seconds later, Apple Bloom broke down and said, "Okay, we'll tell ya! But please don' be mad at us!"

"If ya show us what ya've been hidin', ah swear not ta", Applejack said.

"If we ever go out to sea, I'm throwing you to a sea serpent!", Scootaloo hissed at Apple Bloom as all five ponies headed into the clubhouse, and the CMC lead the adults to their cauldron. And just in time to see Sinbad and his crew fight a monster.

"Apple Bloom, what in Celestia's name are we lookin' at?", Applejack asked, confused by what she and Rarity were seeing.

"Sinbad, a' course!", Apple Bloom said with pride. "He's our new hero!"

"Sinbad?", Rarity asked. "What kind of name is that?"

"A real cool one!", Scootaloo said, "You should see him in action! Like this one time, a demon was attacking his crew, and Sinbad killed it by spearing it in the mouth!"

"Or when he fought a monster!", Sweetie joined in. "This monster has him cornered, so Sinbad grabbed a flaming stick near some flaming water, then drinks some of the water, and he uses a fire breathing trick to scare the monster!"

"Oh my!", Rarity said. "He sounds like quite a brute!"

"Ya mind tellin' us how ya learned about Sinbad?", Applejack asked.

And so, after one quick explanation, and a recap of what they saw, Applejack said, "Girls, ah think maybe ya shouldn't watch any more a' Sinbad's adventures."

"What?!", Scootaloo asked. "But why?!"

"First of all, he's nothin' but a bad influence on ya. Sure, yer doin' small things like connin' folks, but what if ya do one a' his more dangerous stunts, like fight a demon 'r a monster?"

"And you don't know what kind of consequences this spell may have", Rarity added. "Do you want to another incident like the cutie pox?"

"But...but what about...", Apple Bloom asked, about to cry.

"Please", Applejack said, "promise us ya won' watch anymore of Sinbad, okay?"

"...Fine.", the girls said in a depressed unison.

"Alright then. Now ya just enjoy th' rest a yer day, while Rarity n' me're at Twilight's, okay?"

"Oh, they can enjoy their day", Rumina said as she observed the events through her cauldron. "Those three little twits have helped me in more ways than one."

Focusing all her magic into the cauldron, Rumina chanted a spell, and as the liquid in the cauldron bubbled and boiled, a portal appeared next to Rumina, and the evil enchantress stepped through it.

Elsewhere, on the Nomad, Sinbad felt a sudden chill in the air as he gazed out at sea.

"Sinbad?", Doubar asked as he noticed the look on his brother's face. "Something wrong?"

"I..I don't know, Doubar", Sinbad replied. "But I get the feeling something big is gonna happen soon..."