After practice, Ariel and the others made their way to Triton's throne room.
Ariel still had Stormy fresh on her mind, which made her beside herself with glee as she danced around with Flounder.
"Oh, it's going to be wonderful to ride that horse!" said Ariel.
"Ariel, you heard what the tamer said about Stormy," warned Garret. "He's too ornery to love and tame, and based on what we just saw back there; I think I have to agree with him."
"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be fine," insisted Ariel. "All we have to do is convince daddy to let me ride him."
Sebastian gulped. "We? Well, don't expect me ta help!" he said with a huff. "I keep my business to me own nose!"
"But daddy always listens to you," said Ariel.
"Well, dat's true," Sebastian agreed. "I do have a way of - ." He then quickly caught himself. "Ariel, stop seahorsing around!"
"OK, you did that on purpose, Crabby," said Garret. "Although I'll give you points for making a solid pun."
"For the umpteenth time, my name is not Crabby!" Sebastian snapped. "And Ariel, will you stop with dis nonsense about dat seahorse? You know what your father's going ta say!"
"About what?" asked a deep and familiar voice.
The group jumped in surprise and looked back to find King Triton sitting on his throne, looking as stern as ever.
Ariel then swam over to her father. "Um, Father, may I, uh..." She was about to ask the king about Stormy, but at the last moment, she faltered. "May Garret, Flounder, and Sebastian stay for dinner?"
"Certainly," said King Triton. "I always enjoy hearing Sebastian's opinions on "t'ings." "
Ariel wryly smiled as she swam back to her friends.
"Whatever happened to "convincing your dad?" asked Garret with a raised brow.
Ariel lightly shushed. "Be quiet. I'll ask him during dinner," she said.
That evening, the royal family was at the dining hall enjoying their dinner. As they ate, King Trion spoke to Garret.
"So, Garret, I see that your nose has fully healed," he said. "How does it feel?"
"It feels great, sir," replied Garret. "I'm glad I don't look like a masked bandit anymore."
"Very good," said the king. "And, uh, anything of interest happen today?"
"Well, I met this giant seahorse tamer and his seahorses," said Garret. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"Is that so?" King Triton spoke with interest. "Then, you must have met Marley. He's one of the finest seahorse trainers I've ever met. What did you think of the seahorses?"
"They were all pretty amazing," replied Garret. "But there was one that piqued my interest. This one was red with brown patches and can change its color depending on its emotions."
"How peculiar," King Triton hummed. "That would make that seahorse as unique as you are, my boy."
"Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it," Garret spoke while shyly scratching his cheek.
Ariel then cleared her throat. "Speaking of seahorses," she said. "I think every girl should learn how to ride a giant seahorse." She looked across to the red crab. "Don't you think, Sebastian?"
"Oh, boy. She's going for it," thought Garret.
"Of course, Ariel," Sebastian replied. But he quickly corrected himself as he looked across to King Triton. "I mean, as long as she never goes near it."
"Why, Ariel, you're certainly welcome to come riding with me," said King Triton. "We have a nice, tame, old mare that would suit you just fine. And since Garret's shown a keen interest, he may come along as well."
Ariel appeared surprised. Then, she began forcing herself to laugh. "An old mare? Daddy, you're so funny."
Sebastian tried to join in on the laugh, but he stopped when he noticed that the king wasn't laughing.
"Geez. Talk about cringe," Garret thought.
Ariel then got right to the point. "Actually, daddy, I was thinking about riding... Stormy."
King Triton's eye widened in surprise. "Stormy?!" he exclaimed incredulously.
At that moment, all of Ariel's sisters laughed. Sebastian again tried to join in on the laugh, but he stopped with one quick glare from Ariel.
King Triton wasn't laughing either.
"I take it that you know that seahorse, sir?" asked Garret.
"Yes, I do," said King Triton. "And Ariel, that seahorse will throw you in an instant. Isn't that right, Sebastian?"
The red crab gulped. "Well, maybe half an instant."
"No, he wouldn't," insisted Ariel. "He likes me. Right, Sebastian?"
"It's true, sire," said Sebastian. "He really does like her."
"Oh, he does, does he?" King Triton boomed in a raised voice. "Like Spot, that baby killer whale you hid in your room? Or that giant squid you brought home for dinner?"
Garret couldn't help but be surprised as well as perplexed. "Wait, she brought home a giant squid?"
"Honestly, Ariel, when will you learn?!" King Triton continued sternly while raising his voice. "Some creatures are dangerous, and Stormy is one if not the most dangerous!"
"Oh, I don't know about that," Ariel shot back. "He let me swim up and pet him."
Shock crossed the king's face briefly before being replaced with anger.
Garret immediately sensed trouble. "Oh, boy. She's gone and done it now," he thought worriedly.
"You petted him?!" King Triton boomed. "Ariel, I forbid you to go near that seahorse!"
Ariel's eyes filled with tears no sooner than he yelled, and before anyone could stop her, she darted away. Not wanting to leave her alone, Flounder quickly went after her.
"Well, dat is most certainly dat," said Sebastian.
"It is never that with that girl," sighed King Triton.
Arista then spoke up. "We'll be excusing ourselves too, father," she said. "We have to... wash our hair."
The sisters then swam away, but as they did, Garret could hear them giggling while speaking quietly.
"She's in hot water now."
"What a silly girl."
The boy couldn't help but be surprised by their behavior but said nothing.
The king was now remorseful. "Oh, I know what she's thinking now," he said sadly. "She thinks I'm mean."
Sebastian gasped. "Your majesty? Mean? Ridiculous!"
Garret rolled his eyes, knowing that the red crab was kissing up to the king. "Well, from the way I saw it, you were a little bit harsh, your majesty."
Sebastian looked at Garret, horrified, while the king glanced at Garret, which made him relent a bit.
"B-But I suppose that she doesn't understand, is all," he stammered. "Right, Sebastian?"
"Y-Yes, Dat's right," Sebastian concurred awkwardly. "But Garret and I are going to talk to her so dat she can understand!"
Garret and Sebastian then swam off, while King Triton sighed to himself in regret as he sat alone at the table.
Inside her room, Ariel lay on her bed, crying into a pillow while Flounder tried his best to comfort her.
"Come on, Ariel, there are lots of other things we can do for fun without a giant seahorse," the tropical fish soothed.
"Daddy always does what he wants, but he won't let me do what I want," sobbed Ariel. "Why is he - so mean?"
Ariel then continued to cry out her frustrations while Flounder stayed beside her.
Garret and Sebastian were swimming through the halls heading towards Ariel's room.
The red crab was pretty furious with Garret as well as terrified. "What in da world were you t'inking, boy?!" he snapped shrilly. "Speaking dat way to de king!"
"It just slipped out!" Garret snapped back. "Besides, I don't care if you were kissing up to the king, Crabby! Anyone would break down after getting yelled at! It was way too harsh!"
"I know dat! But you were lucky de king didn't fry both of us with his trident!" Sebastian huffed. "De last thing I want is to end up as fricassee!"
Garret then sighed. "Either way, things didn't turn out as expected," he said. "I feel bad for Ariel, but at the same time, and as much as I want to be on her side, King Triton's right too. But she'll likely not listen and do something crazy knowing her."
"For once, I agree," said Sebastian. "Why is it so hard to make dat girl understand? Dis job's weighing heavy on me."
The two soon swam up to Ariel's door, but when they got there, the door suddenly opened, slamming right on top of Sebastian.
"Well, you said this was weighing heavy on you, Crabby," said Garret as he lifted the shell. "But I didn't think you'd meant it this way."
Sebastian could only reply with a groan as he crawled out.
Then, Ariel and Flounder came swimming out. Garret was about to ask his friend if she was doing all right, but much to his surprise, she seemed a lot more cheerful.
"Garret! Sebastian! I'm glad that you're both here!" she said happily.
"No, I'm glad that you're here," Sebastian spoke importantly. "I've come to talk some horse sense into you. You must stay away from that wild-!"
"Tonight, I'm going to go see Stormy," interrupted Ariel. "Sebastian, you're going to be my lookout. And Garret, you can come with me!"
Sebastian double took from that statement, as did Garret.
"Now, hold on a minute, Ariel!" injected Garret. "Didn't you listen to your dad? And why do I have to come with you?"
"Because you said that you met that seahorse over there, too, didn't you?" replied Ariel. "This could be your chance to go see her!"
Before Garret could object, they heard King Triton calling out.
"Sebastian!"
"I'll see you both tonight at the seahorse corral," Ariel whispered. "I'm counting on you, Sebastian!"
And she swam away.
It was then that King Triton swam up.
"Ah, Sebastian. I've been looking for you," the king said. "I want you to guard that sea horse stallion, Stormy, all night if necessary. And make sure no one goes near it, especially a certain mermaid with beautiful red hair. who tends to disobey her father."
Sebastian gulped, not expecting such an order, but he said bravely. "Yes, your majesty."
"Excuse me, sir," said Garret. "But do you want me to stand guard over Stormy, too?"
"That won't be necessary, Garret," said King Triton. "A young merman like you needs his sleep. And besides, I know that Sebastian can handle this task on his own," He looked across to the red crab. "I'm counting on you, Sebastian."
And with that, the king swam away.
Sebastian was now anxious, as was Garret.
"Geez, you got it pretty rough, Crabby," commented Garret. "Though I'll say this much, you've got everyone's confidence."
"More like I'm up de river without a paddle," Sebastian sighed. "in de middle of de ocean."
A little while later, Garret and Sebastian made their way to the seahorse corral.
Garret couldn't help but yawn as he swam alongside the red crab. "Man, it's too late at night for this," he said.
"You're telling me. After dis, I'm never opening my big mouth again except when I'm eating," said Sebastian. "He has me looking out for her, and she has me looking for him, but who will be looking out for me?"
"Well, me, of course, since I'm here with you, Crabby," said Garret. "But let's stay focused and get to the corral. Hopefully, things will work out somehow."
The two soon arrived at the corral. The seahorses were fast asleep, including Stormy, who remained tied to his post.
Then, Sebastian stopped in a bed full of clams trying to find a good spot to watch Stormy. But some clams opened up, sensing his presence, and they weren't happy to see him.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" demanded one crankily.
"Yeah! We're sleeping over here!" snapped another.
Sebastian was so startled that he shot up, shrieked, and swam backward, trying to escape the clam. However, as he did, Ariel and Flounder happened to come up, and while not watching where he was going, the red crab bumped straight into Flounder.
The two became equally surprised and darted away. Flounder hid in Ariel's hair, and Sebastian shot straight past Garret and landed right onto Stormy's snout, which in turn woke him up too.
Sebastian screamed, and while the red crab raced back to Garret and hid behind his shoulder, Stormy let out a startled neigh as it struggled against its bindings, snorting.
"Shhh! Someone will hear you!" she whispered to Sebastian. She swam over to the seahorse and petted his snout to calm it down. "It's OK. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"She'd say dat if de ocean was full of sharks," Sebastian muttered to Flounder.
As Ariel continued to pet Stormy, the giant seahorse started to relax and grew quiet.
"There. You see, Stormy? Everything's going to be fine," smiled Ariel. "Someday, you and I will ride wild through the sea together."
Garret then interjected. "Listen, Ariel. I hate to sound like that guy, but that is not going to happen," he said firmly. "You shouldn't even be here in the first place. You'll be in a heap of trouble if your dad catches you. And why do you even like Stormy so much anyway?"
Ariel looked across to her friend. "Because he's just like me," she replied.
Garret felt puzzled. "Like you? How so?" he wondered.
Ariel looked back at Stormy and started to sing.
He never hears me
Although he has ears
He refuses to understand
He merely sees me
He doesn't believe
He can let me be who I am
What am I to do?
There's so much of me in you
He may tie the ropes
But he can't hold our hopes
Ariel swam upwards as she sang and then took off at top speed, swimming around the corral. During it all, the color-changing seahorse had woken up, and while feeling curious, she got closer.
Stormy also seemed to respond to Ariel's singing as he struggled to break free once more as Ariel swam back. When she did, Stormy calmed down and even smiled a bit.
That someday
We'll break away
And we'll ride, you and me
To the edge of the edge of the sea
To be free from his undertow,
But how I don't know
"So that's it," Garret spoke in understanding. "You like Stormy because you can relate to him."
Sebastian and Flounder understood, too, but the red crab tried to remain firm.
"Look, Ariel, we'd better go now," Sebastian spoke worriedly. "We don't want anyone to find you here."
Garret was about to say something as well when trouble came. A large shadow loomed over them, making his heart jump and a shiver go through his spine.
They then turned around, and, much to their terror, King Triton was there, and he was not happy to see them. He was also not alone, having four swordfish and a couple of mermen guards beside him.
Sebastian was quick to speak. "I mean, Ariel! What are you doing here?!" he attempted to scold. "You need to go home immediately! Your father will be - well, see for yourself."
Garret, who would typically make fun of such an act, couldn't speak, frozen in slight fear.
Ariel then saw her father, too, and gasped in surprise.
"Ariel, you disobeyed me! Don't you listen to a word I say? " King Triton spoke firmly. "I told you that seahorse was dangerous!"
"Yes, I do, daddy, but you're wrong about Stormy!" objected Ariel. "I can ride him! I know I can!"
"I won't hear it!" King Triton boomed crossly. "I'm sorry, Ariel, but you leave me with no choice! For your own good, I'm having Marley sell Stormy to a seahorse trader!"
Ariel was horrified. "You can't do that!"
"I'm your father. I'll do what I think is best."
Ariel was now fed up. "You don't care what's best for me!" she suddenly burst out. "All you're doing is tying me down just like Stormy!"
And again, Ariel darted away with Sebastian and Flounder chasing after her.
"Sire, do you want us to follow her?" asked a swordfish.
"Yes, and escort her back to the palace to her room," ordered King Triton. "And have the others stand guard outside."
The swordfish and the guards swam away, leaving Garret alone with the king. At first, Garret felt worried that the king would be cross with him.
However, the king was apologetic. "I'm - sorry you had to see that, Garret," he apologized.
"No, no. It's OK," said Garret. "I mean, I'm the one who should be apologizing for not trying to stop her." He then looked back at Stormy, who resumed struggling with his bindings. "But - are you honestly going to sell Stormy to a trader?"
King Triton sighed. "I don't have a choice, Garret. What else can I do? I understand you think it's drastic, but I must protect my daughter."
"I know, and I get that," said Garret. "But I still can't help but feel bad for Ariel and Stormy. After all, she sees much of herself in that seahorse, or so she says."
Then, Garret noticed something. Over by where the other seahorses were, he saw the color-changing seahorse. She was peering out from behind the other seahorses and appeared frightened.
Garret then swam over and gently petted her by her snout. "Don't worry. You're OK," he told her in a soothing voice. "There's no reason to be afraid."
The creature looked at Garret while nickering, then her color slowly returned to normal.
During this exchange, King Triton looked at the two and then at Stormy and started thinking about what Garret had said and Ariel's words before, now beginning to doubt his decision.
That night, Garret lay in his bed trying to sleep, but he was having trouble doing so. He was still thinking about Ariel and Stormy.
"I've seen her act stubborn before, but this is the first time I've seen her lose her temper and get so upset," he thought. "But as much as I want to help her and Stormy, I can't risk getting involved. After all, it's between them, and there's nothing I can do."
Then, he remembered what Ariel said about Stormy before, which made him remember the color-changing seahorse.
"Just like me, huh? Wonder where I've heard that before."
Arista was in her room reading a book before she went to bed.
Then, just outside her window, she heard something swim past, and wanting to see what it was, she looked outside and saw Ariel.
"Where are you going?" Arista asked with narrowed eyes.
"Uh - forgot to brush my teeth!" replied Ariel.
She then quickly swam away.
Arista was now suspicious, having a good idea of what Ariel was up to.
"She's at it again and because of that horse. Wait until daddy and Garret find out about this."
Ariel stealthily swam along, ensuring she would not wake anyone up or be seen.
She made it close to the archway leading the outside, where two guards stood and swam below it where a small tunnel leading outside was. She was about to swim through it when Flounder came by and bumped right into her.
Both of them let out a noise in surprise, which didn't go unnoticed by one of the guards. However, and luckily, both Ariel and Flounder hid behind a large coral tree so the guard couldn't see them.
The guard, believing he had heard things, resumed his job while Ariel and Flounder quickly swam past, heading outside and towards the coral.
But they didn't know that someone else was sleeping close by them and happened to wake up noticing them swimming past.
That someone was Sebastian.
Garret was now sleeping peacefully in his bed. However, he wouldn't stay that way for long.
Arista entered the room and started shaking him awake.
"Garret! Wake up!" Arista urged. "Come on! Wake up!"
Garret sleepily sat up, groggily rubbing his eyes. "Huh? What's going on?" he mumbled. He then looked at Arista. "Arista? Do you know what time it is?"
"Never mind that, Garret! This is important!" Arista insisted. "It's Ariel! She's sneaking out to go see that seahorse again!"
Garret wasn't sleepy anymore as his eyes went wide.
"What?!"
Stormy still struggled to escape his rock, wanting nothing more than to get free. But then, Ariel, Sebastian, and Flounder came, and when the seahorse saw Ariel, he began to whinny happily, forcing the little mermaid to swim up and pet his snout to keep him quiet.
"Ariel! You know you shouldn't be doing dis!" Sebastian warned as he and Flounder hid behind a rock. "Your father's not going ta be happy!"
But Ariel ignored Sebastian as she started singing again while undoing Stormy's rope.
Stormy, be quiet
Come on, let's try it
So many worlds to explore...
I don't have a plan
You'll just have to trust my hand
He may be wise...
But we still can surprise him
Someday
We'll break away
And we'll ride, you and me
To the edge of the edge of the sea
To be free from his undertow
I can't wait to go
Let's go!
As soon as she undid Stormy's rope, Ariel mounted the giant seahorse, and with a pull of the reigns and a loud, majestic whinny, Stormy took off like a torpedo leaving a trail of bubbles in his wake.
Right then, King Triton, Garret, and Maley arrived in time to see Ariel and Stormy leave.
"Look! There they go!" cried Garret.
"Ariel! Come back!" yelled out King Triton.
But it was too late. Ariel and Stormy had already vanished in the distance.
King Triton groaned. "Oh, I knew this would happen."
"I'm sorry, your majesty!" Sebastian cried. "We tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen!"
"Don't worry, we'll get her back," Marley spoke bravely. "Even if we have to search every corner of the seven seas. And knowing Stormy, he'll take her straight into the wilderness."
The old merman then took the reigns of four seahorses and gave reigns of a white one to the king, the color-changing one to Garret, and the old gray one to Flounder.
Garret couldn't help but be surprised. "Wait, Marley! I thought you said that this seahorse was too scared to venture into the wild!" he pointed out. "Not to mention, I've never ridden a giant seahorse before! "
"It'll be fine," said Marley. "Besides, we have no time to waste. Consider this your first lesson." He looked across at a puzzled Flounder. "You'll have to ride with the crab."
"Ride?! Me?!" Sebastian squeaked fearfully. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I don't ride no giant seahorses!"
Garret wasn't too keen either, but he was more worried about Ariel than nervous and mounted his seahorse along with Triton and Marley.
"Now, Garret, make sure you and your friend stay close to the king and me," said Marley. "As long as she knows I'm around, she won't get scared.
"O-OK!" responded Garret as he gripped the reigns.
King Triton gave a tug of the reigns. "Away!" he ordered his seahorse.
Marley did the same. "Away!"
The two seahorses whinnied and took off across the water at high speed.
Garret was amazed by how fast they were going, but he quickly realized that he needed to follow and mimicked the same thing they did.
"A-Away!"
The color-changing seahorse neighed in response and shot forward in pursuit.
"Come on, Sebastian!" Flounder urged. "We got to save Ariel!"
Sebastian reluctantly got on, and with a tug of the reigns and a command from the fish, the old seahorse got going too, albeit a bit more slowly while giving the two a bumpy ride.
"Good grief! As if dis night hasn't had enough ups and downs!" Sebastian complained as he held on for dear life.