The group made their way to the surface and saw something floating above the water.
" Ariel!" Sebastian called out.
At the surface, they saw fireworks coming off of a ship.
" Fireworks!" Pinkie exclaimed, her eyes lit up with excitement.
The sight of bursts of colors in the air fascinated Ariel. She wanted to get a closer look.
" Where are you going?" Twilight asked.
" To get a closer look!"
" That girl is more curious than a cat!" Applejack remarked before she and her friends followed her.
On the side of the ship, Ariel found a small opening, but it was up a ways. She turned to the ponies.
" Can you give me a small boost?"
Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash took a hold of her and gently tossed her as she took hold of the ship. The rest of the ponies followed suit. Inside, they saw a bunch of sailors dancing to music.
" Ohh...it's a party!" Pinkie said, keeping her voice down.
" Yeah, but nothing too exciting." Rainbow Dash replied.
" It is for Ariel." Fluttershy pointed out.
Then suddenly the dog on board, who was amongst the dancing sailors, caught their scent and made his way to them. They hid from his sight, to no avail as he happily licked Ariel's face. A voice called the dogs name and he ran toward it. Ariel looked and saw who the voice belonged to and was instantly captivated.
" Nice looking guy." Rainbow Dash commented.
" I agree." Rarity said, looking at him in awe.
Ariel didn't speak.
Scuttle then appeared, only to be quickly hushed by Ariel.
" I've never seen a human this close before." She said, still watching the man play music while dancing with his dog.
" He's very handsome, isn't he?"
Eventually, they discovered that the man's name was Eric and that he was a prince.
" Wow! They got rulers on land too!?" Rainbow Dash said.
" If that's the case, then where is the princess?" Applejack asked, scanning the deck.
" Good question." Twilight added.
Their question was answered when Eric's butler, Grimsby, told him that the birthday present he got him, a statue of Eric, was to be a wedding present instead. Ariel and the ponies hid when the two walked in their direction.
" The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl." They heard Grimsby say.
Eric sat on the beam above them.
" She's out there somewhere. I just haven't found her yet."
" How interesting..." Twilight mumbled.
A sudden sift of wind caught Rainbow Dash's attention.
" Not to interrupt or anything, but I sense something not good in the air."
" What do you mean?" Rarity asked.
" I was a weather pony, remember? I'm saying that a storm is coming."
Just then, they heard lightning in the distance as did everyone else. Onboard, the sailors began to prepare themselves. The ocean became violent and the winds were vicious, blowing scuttle away.
" Hang on!" Twilight yelled as she, her friends, and Ariel held on to the ropes tightly.
But the winds were too strong and began to pull them away. Eventually, it sent them back to the water. A lightning bolt hit the ship, causing it to catch on fire. The roughness of the waves knocked the sailors down. They all got into a lifeboat, but Eric realized his dog was still on the ship and went back to save him.
" We should do something!" Twilight yelled, trying to keep her head above the surface.
" Like what? This storm isn't doing us too many favors as it is!" Applejack shouted back, holding on to her hat.
Just then, the ship exploded, with Eric still on it. Ariel and the ponies witness this and quickly went toward the wreckage.
" I don't see him." Pinkie said, lifting up pieces of debris.
Ariel spotted Eric laying on a piece of the wreckage, unconscious. He slipped off and Ariel dove after him. They returned to the surface.
" He doesn't look to good." Fluttershy said, she and her friends surrounding them.
" Let's get out of here, quick!" Ariel proclaimed, carrying the unconscious Eric as they left the destruction.
After some time swimming, they found land. Ariel layed Eric out on the sand.
" He really got knocked out cold." Rainbow Dash remarked.
" No injuries. That's a good thing." Twilight said after she examined his body.
" More like lucky." Applejack replied.
Scuttle appeared and went to check him out.
" Is he dead?" Ariel asked.
The seagull looked him over. Suddenly, Ariel saw him breathing.
" Oh thank Celestia." Rarity let out.
" Now that we know he's alive, WAKE UP!" Pinkie exclaimed.
" Don't shake him Pinkie!" Twilight said, using her magic to pull her away.
Arial gazed at him and sang. While singing, Eric started to regain consciousness and weakly looked at her before a dog was heard barking and went back into the ocean. Twilight and her friends, who were hidden close to the shore, overheard Eric talking about Ariel. When him, Grimsby, and his dog walked away, the ponies rejoined Ariel.
" What did he say?" Flounder asked curiously.
" He was talking about Ariel." Rarity answered.
" Really?" Ariel asked, her face lit up.
" No, no!" Sebastian blurted out.
" We just gonna forget this whole thing ever happened. The sea king will never know."
" Uh...as annoying as crabby is, he's got a point." Rainbow Dash said.
" Yes. We can't say a word. We'll be in even huge trouble if he knows we helped." Twilight added.
" That king doesn't really trust us as it is." Applejack pointed out.
" He scares me." Pinkie replied.
The ponies agreed to keep it a secret.
" C'mon Ariel!" Pinkie called.
She didn't move, still staring at Eric. She sang a little before joining them.
" She got that dreamy look in her eyes." Rarity whispered.
" I've noticed. Let's hope her father doesn't catch on." Twilight replied.
The ponies and Ariel headed straight back to Atlantica. In the shadows, the seas witch's henchmen had been spying. The realization of Ariel's newfound love for Eric gave her an idea. She grinned in evil glee.
