It was night for three days before I heard the news. All of the animals were acting strangely, and I couldn't even tell them what was wrong. Pippi knocked on my door at what should have been noon; she had on a dark cloak and her horn was glowing like a lantern. I only opened the door a crack to talk to her.
"Is it Bengt" I asked her , my voice shaking. Pippi just shook her head somberly.
"No, it's-" she hesitated, "It's the Princess. She's not feeling very well. Anna could you come to the library in about an hour? I want to tell everygirl what happened at once." Of course I said it was ok at the time, Pippi looked like she had a lot on her mind. But it also looked like after we met up at her house, we'd have to go on another scary journey to defeat some evil monster that's taking away the sunlight or hurting the Princess. At one point I even wondered if the Princess had gone crazy and refused to raise the sun.
I put all the animals to bed, packed up my things, and locked my cottage door. Even though it was still night, it was very bright outside; the stars were all shimmering brightly, and the moon was glowing about half as bright as the sun. The streets were empty though, everygirl was scared of whatever was keeping the sun down, except for a few fillies playing jump rope by the school. When I opened the door to the library, I was the last one there.
"Where were you Anna? We've been waiting forever for you!"
"I, I'm sorry Tommy. I thought I was early, weren't we supposed to meet in an hour? I, I-"
"Oh Anna dear you were right. It's just that we were all a little anxious to hear Pippis news that we ran over the second she came to the door."
"So what is goin' on Pippi?"
Pippi was lighting the last of the lamps, and she stepped down from the stool she was standing on.
"Everygirl should probably sit down now that we're all here. I've recently gotten a letter from Captain Longstocking saying that she was attacked by Seahuman when she was trying to get an important ingredient for another student that had fallen ill at her school. Her leg is very injured, and Luna is taking her place while she gets better."
"Seahuman? But Pippi those don't exist anymore!"
"Well, obviously they still do" Pippi finished coldly. There was a long awful silence, and Annika broke it as usual.
"So, that's all? I mean, it's awful awful that the Princess is hurt so bad, but she'll just take a big long rest from the job, and then everything can go back to normal? That's not too totally terrible-"
"If that was it Annika, I would agree with you, but I've been doing a lot of research on the thought-extinct Seahuman. When they attack, their razor teeth inject a venom that can-"
"Razor teeth? Venom? But Pippi, from all the old stories Seahuman were friendly little critters, why in the name of soggy oats would they have all of this, and why did they attack the Princess in the first place?"
"Well Willie, a long time ago land children and Seahuman lived in harmony, but during the time of darkness 1,000 years ago Bengt turned their hearts to evil. When she was defeated, the Seahuman hearts stayed cold and it was thought that they were– eradicated." There was another long pause.
"So what's wrong with the Princess, Pippi; and how can the six of us help?" Pippi walked over to an old dusty book in the corner and opened it up. She turned the book around so we could see it rightside up.
"Seagirl venom is extremely powerful. In the rare case of a land girl escaping an attack, they've usually died within the next month. It begins to deteriorate the body, and in unicorns it can stun their magic. If the Princess is infected for too long she may never be able to raise the sun again. Amazingly, there is a cure, and if we don't waste anymore time we can save the Princess. I've gotten all of the ingredients from the help of Zecora, except one. If we go to Seagirl Shores and finish the potion before the next morning star disappears, we should be able to save the Princess. I'm not sure how we'll get it, that's why I'll need evergirl's help. Any questions?"
"Yeah Pippi, uh, what is the last ingredient exactly?"
"Seagirl tears."
Everygirl split to back to their houses to quickly pack for the journey. Since I had already packed, I sat in Pippi's study in the silence. Everygirl came back quickly, and they dragged me onto the train, but not before I had caught a glimpse of the original letter that the Princess had sent to Pippi. It was very brief, and wasn't any different from Pippi's story, except that the Princess ended the letter with "Please, do not worry Pippi Longstocking. Whatever you do, do not go to the land of the Seahuman, Equestria will always be safe with two princesses or one."
It was a long, quiet train ride. We had to walk several miles to the beaches. There was a giant, old fence blocking the shore, but Willie was able to break through it. When we got to the water, I just stood there, with my hooves in the sand, staring at the murky water.
"Are you sure this was a good idea Pippi?"
"We have to save the Princess."
"Wait a minute, Pippi, how are we going to get to the Seahuman? I hope we don't have to swim, that water looks simply freezing!"
"Don't worry Cassandra, no swimming. But since there's no dock we'll have to wade for a little bit to get into the boat." As Cassandra mumbled, Tommy was beginning to fly over the water.
"I don't see any boat out here Pippi, are you sure it's here?" she asked. Pippi focused her horn's magic and a small purple boat suddenly appeared in the water.
"Oh." Tommy flew down and settled in the boat as the rest of my friends began to wade in the water.
"What's wrong Anna dear, aren't you coming?" Cassandra soothed, now flank-deep in the sea. I stared back into the cold, black water.
"Um, I don't think we should go. Something doesn't seem right. I–"
"Don't worry Anna! We'll be in and out of the boat in no time flat! You don't even need to go into the water, you can flap your little wings right into the boat lickity-split! Easy as can be!"
"But, the Seahuman–"
"Now listen here Anna, the Seahuman a lil' scary with their razor sharp teeth and poison and such, but Pippi here's learned all about them and she wouldn't let any of them hurt us, we'll be perfectly safe. Now c'mon Anna, the Princess needs our help." They all stared back at me, already in the boat. I carefully skimmed over the water and joined them there. Willie and Tommy started to paddle as the rest of us looked over the water. Pippi pulled out a bottle and a large book, then began reading as we continued over the sea.
It was quiet for a long time, nogirl was talking to each other, just silently looking over the water. It wasn't long until we couldn't even see the shore anymore; I wanted to scream to go back, but I was afraid nogirl would listen.
"So, uh, Pippi? Where are these Seahuman? Do we just wait, or are we goin' divin', or–"
"We need to wait until we're far enough out so the Seahuman will meet us, then we can start luring them to our boat and collect the tears. Don't stop rowing, I'm not sure how long it is until the venom will take its full effect, and we need to hurry and save the Princess."
"Pippi, I don't think this is such a good idea–"
"Just be quiet, ok Anna?! The Princess- all of Equestria needs this or else, or else, or else, well there might not be an Equestria, ok?!" Pippi screamed. I ran back to my corner of the boat and started crying. Cassandra walked over to console me.
"Oh Anna, it wasn't your fault. Pippi's just under a lot of stress right now; the Princess is one of her closest friends. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you flew back to shore, we'll be right back as soon as we've gotten the tears." Cassandra smiled down at me, but I knew I couldn't fly back.
"Oh, but, it's, it's so far. And the water, it's, it's filled with the Seahuman. I just couldn't-"
"Pippi, I think I saw something in the water!"
"Tommy, don't stop rowing! We need to be farther out and we don't have much time! And stop sticking your head off the side of the boat, it's dangerous!"
"Fine. But there's definitely something down there." We kept rowing, and rowing, until I couldn't even see the Equestrian Mountains. Just water, everywhere. The stars weren't shining as bright anymore, and the moon was moving out of view. I wished I had turned back when I had the chance, when I could have guessed where home was, but it was too late. Suddenly, Pippi held up her hoof.
"Stop! We don't need to row any further. This is perfect." Pippi took out a small shimmering grey seashell and tossed it into the water. As my friends watched as it sank, the light on her horn grew dark and the boat fell silent.
"Now what?"
"Now, we wait." We sat in the boat, and it suddenly hit how cold it was out in the boat. Cassandra pulled out her scarf and sat down next to me while the others huddled closer together by the edge.
"Where are they? I don't see–"
"Rainbow! Stop sticking your head over the side! The Seahuman will be here soon, just trust me." Pippi was standing with the vile on standby, watching and waiting. Suddenly, I felt something hit the boat.
"I, I see somethin'! Down in the water there, do ya see it?" Something hit the boat again; I peeked over the side and saw something large swimming below. Or, was it was two somethings? What looked like children were swimming under the boat, and we started to hear their strange song.
"Shoo be doo! Shoop shoop be doo!" Three girl heads peeked out beside the boat, then three more on the other side. Everygirl was stunned, and wasn't sure quite what to do.
"Call upon the Seahuman, when you're in distress! Helpful as can be, children, simply send your SOS!" They sung again, then laughed and dove below the surface. Almost everygirl was stuck in a state of suspicion and confusion, except for Annika, who was rolling on the floor giggling.
"I like these Seahuman! Do it again! Do it again!" Annika's cheer was met with an unnerving laugh from below.
"Oh weary travelers up above, you must have sailed your ship far off course"
"Yes, only the pure of heart and truly kind can pass over Seagirl Shores"
"You may have made one grave mistake land children" Then they all cackled below us, churning the murky waters.
"C'mon, we're not scared of you, you stupid Seahuman! Come up here where we can see you!"
"Tommy!" Pippi yelled, "Don't stick your head over the side of the boat! It's–" but it was too late, a horrible shriek from below and four Seahuman had grabbed Tommy in their jaws and dragged her down below the water.
"Rainbow!" Willie cried out as she leapt to try and catch her falling friend, but it was too late, she was far below, never to be seen again. We stood helpless and scared on the boat, all in shock from what happened.
"Please, Seahuman! We come in peace! We don't want to hurt you, we just need one small ingredient! One of your tears, that's all!" Pippi yelled out of the boat.
"Tommy, a girl of great speed and a strong heart
"But she cared more for attention than she did of her friends"
"Such a shallow way to go"
"I doubt she'll be missed
"Please! Seahuman! We don't want to hurt you! Just let our friend go!"
"Oh, Pippi, I'm sorry, but it's much too late for that." The Seahuman cackled again. Pippi turned the light on her horn brighter, and we could see the lake was turning red. We all screamed.
"Shoo be doo, shoop shoop be doo"
"We have to get out of here Pippi! It's not safe here at all, we need to turn back now! Please Pippi, let me go home!"
"But, but Cassandra- what about the Princes? What will happen to Equestria without the Princess?"
"But Pippi, what about us?" she asked again, backing up from Pippi, "What about Tommy? They just took her! What if they do the same to–" Two Seahuman suddenly burst from the water and grabbed Cassandra's tail. She screamed and screamed as she held onto the side of the boat for dear life. Willie quickly grabbed her hoof and was pulling as hard as she could. As Annika and Pippi were moving to help, Willie lost her footing, and was dragged down with Cassandra. I was just crying and crying in the corner, wishing we had never gone, wishing we had never even thought of going, because now my friends were dead and I was sure I was the next to follow. I wasn't pure of heart at all, and I was going to die next. A few moments later, Willie rose to the surface, panting and wheezing.
"I can't swim! Help me, I can swim!" Pippi used her magic and pulled Willie out of the water and into the boat.
"Pippi, we need to go back! The Seahuman aren't going to cry and we're all going to die Pippi!" Annika was starting to cry. Pippi looked solemnly at the oars, then back to the vile.
"Cassandra: such a pretty girl"
"Creative and generous too"
"Generous? She was greedy and vain to the core"
"Cared only for riches and popularity in her heart"
"No pearl inside this one" Their laughter came up with more blood in the water. Our eyes pleaded with Pippi, but she only looked away.
"Pippi, why don't ya just use your magic and get your stupid tear before there's nogirl left in the boat. We need to get out of here, and fast! Please Pippi, think about your friends here" Willie begged. I could feel the boat being thrown from side to side, it felt like at least thirty of them were underneath.
"Shoo be doo, shoop shoop be doo"
"I can't Willie, magic doesn't work on them. But if we go now, the Princess–"
"Pippi, we're never going to get that tear and you know it. There's no way in hay and apples that we can get a tear from them. Do you really want to risk the rest of your friends lives to get it?" At this Pippi slumped, defeated on the floor of the boat. I could hear the Seahuman getting closer, I knew they were coming for me.
"I'm sorry Willie. I never–"
Suddenly there was a sharp CRACK , and the boat nearly flipped. We were all flung to the side, our hooves worn raw from the sudden shock and the desperate clawing on the sides of the purple boat. Annika and I screamed, as I saw her and Pippi fall into the water. Annika was able to grab onto one of the oars that were now in the water, and tried to paddle towards Pippi.
"Annika no!" she screamed as the Seahuman dragged her down, teeth gnashing and eyes a horrible red. Annika's arm was now horribly cut, and her blood slithered into the water.
"Pippi Longstocking: Leader, genius, loyal friend"
"The Princess' best student and future heir"
"Too bad she put the Princess and her studies before her friends"
"Who will spike have to oppress him now?" The Seahuman let out another sharp laugh, while Annika was carefully paddling back to the boat. Willie helped her back inside, and tended to her wound.
"That's it. We're gettin' out of this place now ." Willie quickly fished out the other oar, then her and Annika frantically paddled towards the shore.
"Oh, how cute, they think they can just swim away"
"We've been following you since you set your boat in the water"
"We just need our midnight snack"
"If it wasn't for your SOS we wouldn't feel obligated to give you our whole show and it could have been over much quicker"
"Poor, poor, children." They laughed again. I knew I could have flown away, but I was too scared to move.
"Shoo be doo, shoop shoop be doo"
They rowed faster and faster, sure of the upcoming attack. I just knew it was going to be me. Willie's oar was suddenly jerked down, but she was able to let go before she was pulled under.
"Annika! Drop your oar and get to the center of the boat!" She did as she was told and huddled with me as the boat was getting assaulted on all sides. Suddenly, I heard a sharp creaking, and noticed the long, deep crack going down through the middle of the boat, right underneath us. As I back away, I tried to warn them but I was too late; the boat split in two. Annika was able to jump away, but Willie wasn't so lucky.
"Willie, Willie, Willie..."
"Such an honest supporting friend"
"Little wrong with her"
"But her pride was always at stake"
"Everything's a competition"
"Too bad she's lost" They laughed and the water beneath the boat turned red again. I was huddled against the wall of the boat, my tail trailing it the water. I was so cold, wet, and afraid. I felt something grab my leg and I screamed. It was only Annika. I fell into her arms and began crying all over again.
"Oh Annika they're going to come for me next. You're so nice and caring, they'll never take you, but I just know I'll be next."
"Oh Anna, you're the nicest girl I know, and I knew a lot of children. If anyone here's pure of heart it's totally you."
"Shoo be doo, shoop shoop be doo"
"But I'm not. I might act kind around the animals, but sometimes I just snap, and I become a horrible, horrible girl. I'm not a good girl and I'm going to get eaten by the Seahuman" I cried. Annika just smiled at me, holding my head.
"Don't worry Anna; the big bad Seahuman won't get you. I'll stay here and protect you. They'll have some explaining to do if they want to touch one hair on your head"
"That won't be necessary" one of the Seahuman hissed from behind Annika. There was a sudden screech, then five of them shot out of the water and grabbed Annika by the neck and tore her off the boat.
"Annika no!" I screamed, but it was too late.
"Pinkamena Diane Pie: energetic party girl that loves cheering her friends"
"Element of laughter"
"Unfortunately she was too obsessed with making children happy"
"Ignorant of what people really felt"
"And would get a laugh at any cost"
"Surprise!" Their laughter boomed from under the water. I could see now that there must have been over a hundred of them writhing in the water. I felt so sick, I didn't know what to do. I curled up in what was left of the boat, shaking and crying. It all felt like a horrible, horrible dream that I couldn't wake up from. But it was all going to end soon, I just knew it.
The churning of the water didn't stop, but the seagirl voices fell to a distorted whisper. I couldn't hear their call, I didn't know what was going to happen.
"Please" I cried, "Just get it over with. Just do it now, please."
"Get what over with?"
"Snatch me up and tear me to shreds like you did with my other friends, just please, please-" I couldn't finish, I just burst into tears again.
"Oh we couldn't hurt you Anna dearest"
"You've passed our evaluation"
"You're pure of heart"
"And truly kind"
"Not many children out there like our dear Anna"
"But I'm not pure of heart" I sobbed, "I'm a worse girl than anygirl else who was on this boat"
"No Anna, you care only for others"
"You love others for who they really are"
"You take in those who couldn't care for themselves without expecting any reward"
"But I'm not pure of heart!" I sobbed again, "I sometimes do nice things, I know, but I'm not pure of heart. I get angry–"
"Oh Anna, everygirl gets angry"
"It's not that, it's worse than grumpy. When I get angry I turn into a, a, monster. I turn into a horrible monster that hurts everygirl around them. It's like I have a terrible monster inside me"
"Funny, so do we." With that, a seagirl jumped out of the water, grabbed me by the scruff on my neck and dragged me down to the bottom of the sea, to a bright glowing cave.
And I've never been the same
Shoo be doo, shoop shoop be doo