Chapter 9: Don't Swim In The Water
In the mountains somewhere in Equestria, we focus on the bigger one where the Quinkan had just finished establishing their new lair from the Hollow Shades.
Grunting could be heard in one part of the corner of the very large mountain lair.
Kai was lifting a large dumbbell while glaring at the projection screen of Chase and his team taking down the changelings from the last encounter with Queen Chrysalis.
While he was lifting the dumbbell, Tai Lung came up behind him. Sensing that the snow leopard was behind him, Kai stopped lifting the weight.
"What is it?" Kai asked as he put the dumbbell down.
"We have just prepared the final adjustment to the portal, Kai." Tai Lung reported with a firm look. "It is ready to be tested."
Hearing this, Kai turned to him with a smirk.
After a few months of spending all of their lives in the mountains, Kai had been acting as the main leader of the Quinkan, Tai Lung, Lightning Dust, and Celtic Shanyu. They all have shown him more respect since he was willing to finish Zhao's work in order to destroy the Mane Sixteen for good.
"Show me." Kai said, making Tai Lung nod in reply before they went off to join their army.
They had just arrived in time to see Celtic placing one of the Netherworld Quartz on a pedestal. Then he uses his magic on it, making the crystal light up and it shoots out two red magic beams at the center part of the huge cave wall.
The beams circled around a bit before they formed a huge circle, showing the Netherworld and the Sanzu River. Seeing this made Kai smirk evilly.
"Prefect." Kai said sinisterly. "This will give us the perfect opportunity to poison the water supply. And I know the perfect place to poison one of the largest waters around the world." He turns to a picture of Mount Aris as he smirked evilly at it. "Once we have the portal opened through one of the underwater caves, we will unleash the Sanzu River and poison all of the sea creatures. That will also include Queen Novo's subjects as well."
He turns his attention back to Tai Lung, Lightning Dust, and Celtic. He walks up to Tai Lung, who stands at attention.
"Tai Lung, gather your best men. You have a mission to destroy the water around Mount Aris." Kai instructed Tai Lung.
"Yes, Kai." Tai Lung replied back with a bow before he walked off screen to prepare his best Quinkan soldiers.
Once he was gone, Kai smirked evilly at the Sanzu River flowing through the Netherworld.
"Soon, Master Zhao will be brought back to life and Chase will meet his end once and for all." Kai said with a sinister smirk as he chuckled evilly.
*Main theme*
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville as the students were in the dojo inside the School of Friendship.
Chase observed the scene as the head of the dojo with Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio aiding him as his assistants.
Mako and Korra were practicing their elements with each other as the alicorn filly used her water element to send a powerful watery beam at Mako. But he managed to use his fire element to form a flaming wall to fizzle the water out.
Bolin was practicing his earth element skills as he back flipped into the air and slammed his right hind leg to the ground, making a boulder jump out of the wooden floor. He jumps at it and sends a powerful kick to the boulder, shattering it to a million pieces.
Chase walked into the center of the dojo as his three students used their element chi to clean up the mess without ease. Then they stood at attention to Chase as he stood in front of them.
"Well, done, Mako, Bolin, and Korra. Your element skills have been improving since you came here with your friends." Chase said to his three students proudly. "Now for the next course next week, you will practice on escalating your element with deep concentration."
Bolin, Mako, and Korra bowed in respect to their sensei.
"Yes, sensei." The three chorused together respectively.
"That is all for today." Chase said as he turned his attention to the other students. "As for the rest of you, you will all continue to perfect your skills next week as well and manifest your avatar to see what animal spirit you possess deep inside you for both mind and heart."
The other students in the class bowed in respect to their master before they left the dojo leaving only Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio in the dojo.
"Wow, Chase. That was an amazing speech you did." Jade said as she approached her brother with an impressed smile. "For a moment there, I think you were beginning to sound just Grandpa."
"Yeah, I couldn't have done it better myself, bro." Sunray added with a smirk.
Chase smirked in reply.
"Well, with you guys by my side, I can't do it alone." Chase replied back. "Come on, let's go back to the teacher's lounge. We deserve a break for a while."
With that, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio left the dojo to go to the teacher's lounge.
(Scene changes)
In the deepest darkest part of the water, at least ninety feet below Mount Aris, all of the fish, sea turtles, etc were swimming around the area while some swam into the murk.
At a small open part of the murky water, a huge cave laid at the base of an underwater volcano. Inside the cave was so huge that a path of water was also running outside of the opening.
It was a little quiet despite the dropping of water from the stalagmites hanging from the cave ceiling.
Suddenly, a portal opened up as a few Protoquin, Pyroquin, and Electroquin soldiers stepped out with growls as they approached the river. Then arriving next to them was Tai Lung as he smirked evilly. He takes out a vile and dips it into the water, getting a sample out of it. Tai Lung holds the vile in front of him with a sinister smile.
"Prefect. This remedy of the sea water will be of use to us since it is more pure in these parts of the world. The time to poison the water supply around this part of the world is at hand." Tai Lung said sinisterly. He turns to his soldiers as he brings out another Netherworld Quartz and puts it on top of a large stalagmite of cavern ceiling. "Prepare the portal and release the Sanzu River. Those Hippogriffs and their sea animal friends will be at our command soon enough."
The Electroquin nodded in reply before they turned to the Netherworld Quartz and began to power up their electric magical powers. Then they began firing a number of magical beams of electricity from the palm of their clawed hands at the Netherworld Quartz, making it light up as it sparked off some magical energy.
Soon it opened a portal and the Sanzu River began to flow right into the salty water, going further and further into the deep blue sea. Tai Lung smirked evilly as he watched the Sanzu River poison the water.
"Yes." Tai Lung said in a low voice as he formed a toothy smirk on his face evilly.
(Scene changes)
At the School of Friendship in the teacher's lounge, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Twilight, and Pinkie were busy doing their casual stuff, Twilight was going through some of the paperwork, Pinkie was making some chocolate chip cookies from the oven with Antonio's help, Jade was working on something new as she held a blue blowtorch while wearing some goggles over her eyes, Sunray was doing some push ups, Trini was meditating in a lotus position, and Chase was sharpening his katana swords.
"Man. You know, Chase. When you said that being a teacher wasn't gonna be easy, you were right." Antonio said as he and Pinkie pulled out two trays of chocolate chip cookies before they placed them on two cooling racks.
"Well, I told you guys that being a teacher was a lot of responsibility. Didn't I?" Chase asked with a smirk as he stopped sharpening his katana swords.
"Yes you did, honey." Twilight said to her husband with a giggle while writing down the paperwork.
"Plus, training the students is never easy to do." Trini added as she got out of her meditation and got back on all fours as she walked over to grab a cookie just as Pinkie put them on a big plate. "And by passing down Grandpa's lessons, we might be earning our ranks somewhere in bushido."
"Remember, Trini." Chase said to his older cousin with a smile. "Grandpa also taught me everything he knows, just not the way we know."
"So true to that." Sunray said with a smile as he stopped doing his pushups.
Jade was still working on her project while not noticing that Pinkie had appeared behind her.
"Boo!" Pinkie shouted.
"AH!" Jade yelped.
She then turned around and held the blowtorch near Pinkie in shock.
"Whoa! Easy, Jade, don't shoot." Pinkie said pleadingly.
Jade turns off her blowtorch with her magic as she lifts her goggles to show her flat and annoyed expression with her mouth formed as a line.
"Pinkie, never sneak up on a unicorn mare while she's wielding!" Jade snapped with a scowl. "Even you should know better than that!"
Pinkie took a look at what Jade was building as it looked like some sort of special scuba gear.
"Wow! Love what you've done to these new scuba gear." Pinkie commented.
"Yeah, but they're not ready yet. Sooner I get these babies working, we're gonna try them out in the pond." Jade said with a smirk as Chase approached the group with a curious look.
"What are you making, Jade?" Chase asked curiously.
"I'm working on these new scuba diving equipment to help us explore the deepest part of the water in Equestria." Jade explained as she held up a blueprint for Chase to look at and he took it to examine the picture. "These babies are also the perfect state of the art anti Sanzu River water protection suits so that we won't get into contact with the evil river flowing through the Netherworld."
"How much further are they at?" Chase asked as he placed the blueprint down.
"They should be ready in just a few minutes once I put together the last minute adjustment to the air tanks." Jade answered as she put her goggles back on and turns on the blowtorch before she began to wield on the last adjustment to the air tanks.
Twilight had just finished going over the paperwork as she heard the conversation and put the papers down.
"Exactly how is the scuba gear going to protect you guys from the Sanzu River?" Twilight asked, joining her husband and sister-in-law as Pinkie went back to grabbing a few chocolate chip cookies for herself to enjoy.
"With the recent Sanzu River invasions we had the last few years, I'm trying to see if we can stand a chance against the Sanzu River with the state of the art diving tech." Jade explained as she was focused on her project. "And with these scuba gear helping us, we'll be able to see what the Quinkan have in mind to flood the world again."
Then suddenly, the doors burst open, gaining the seven ponies attention, as Rainbow Dash zips right in as Starlight follows behind her. By the look on their faces, they were horrified.
"Twilight! Chase!" Rainbow said, horrified. "You gotta come check this out! The water in the pond has become red and something's happening to Silverstream! The students need us!"
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, Rainbow Dash. What's wrong?" Chase asked, concerned of the situation.
"It sounds serious, Chase! Silverstream is very sick from swimming in the water and she's burning up." Starlight answered worriedly.
Hearing this made Chase, Twilight, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, and Pinkie turn to her with shocked looks before they ran off to check the scene for themselves as Rainbow and Starlight caught up to them.
(Scene changes)
Sure enough as they exited through the front doors of the school, Chase, Twilight, their family, and friends saw the students gazing at something that horrified them.
Pushing the students away a bit, Chase, Twilight, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio walked through them before they came to stop as they saw what the students were looking at as they gasped in horror and shock.
Silverstream was feeling ill as her feathered body turned a light shade of red and her eyes were bloodshot.
She was being treated by Sokka and Fluttershy, but they were not having the best of luck.
"Oh my gosh!" Twilight said horrified as she and Chase approached them. "Sokka, Fluttershy, what happened to Silverstream?"
"We don't know, Twilight." Sokka said, confused and terrified while gently placing Silverstream on a makeshift bed on the ground. "She was just swimming in the pond, then somehow it became red. It also must have an effect on Silverstream. We can't find the right cure for her."
Hearing the part of the water in the pond becoming red, Chase turned and stepped at the edge of the pond as he noticed that Sokka wasn't kidding. The water in the pond had indeed turned red as it bubbled up a bit.
Upon seeing it, Chase immediately recognized it.
"Guys. I was afraid this would happen." Chase said grimly as he used his magic to grab a stick and slowly placed it in the water. Upon contact with it, the stick caught fire and burned into ash. "It's Sanzu River water."
The students gasped in horror upon hearing it.
"But I don't understand. How can the Sanzu River possibly come here?" Twilight asked Chase as she joined her husband.
"Yeah. We just sent that dang river back to the Netherworld after our second city battle with Zhao not too long ago." Applejack added, just as confused as her friends were.
"I don't know, but it's not safe to be here standing near this dangerous water. We're gonna have to evacuate the school until we find a solution." Chase instructed.
Twilight nodded in agreement before she turned to the other students, who were still worried.
"Alright, everypony. You're all gonna have to go back to your homes until we say it's good to come back. We'll tell your families about this in no time." Twilight said to her students, who acknowledged in agreement before they went back inside to pack up for home until the Mane Sixteen will figure out a way to stop the mysterious threat of the Sanzu River.
Only Mako, Bolin, Korra, Gallus, Sandbar, Smolder, Yona, and Ocellus stayed put as they didn't want to lose Silverstream.
"H-Headstallion Chase?" Silverstream asked weakly, gaining Chase's attention as well as the others.
"Silverstream." Chase said as he approached the young ill Hippogriff. "Don't talk. We're gonna get you inside."
Chase then uses his magic to levitate Silverstream off the ground as he and the others went back inside.
(Scene changes)
In an infirmary room inside the School of Friendship, Silverstream was laying on a hospital bed on her back while sleeping. Jade wore a doctor's lab coat while using a stethoscope to listen to the young Hippogriff's heart. Luckily, it was still beating normally despite Silverstream feeling ill.
"Okay, I just sent a letter to Queen Novo about the current situation to see if she might be able to find a way to help us heal her niece." Spike said as he enters the room and joins the others.
"Good work, Spike." Twilight said to her dragon assistant as she turns to Silverstream worriedly.
"Is it serious, Jade?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "Is Silverstream going to be alright?"
"I'm not sure, Fluttershy." Jade said with concern as she removed her stethoscope from Silverstream. "I'm trying to find a way to cure her, but it looks like the Sanzu River water is somehow burning up her heart so rapidly. If we don't find a way to heal her, I think she'll be consumed by its poison."
"How long do we have?" Twilight asked her sister-in-law with hope and worry like the rest of the group.
"Judging by the increasing heat in Silverstream, I think we have less than five days before she'll burn up completely." Jade replied back as she put her lab coat on a hanger. "It's only a matter of time before she's lost forever."
Chase gained a determined look as he stamped his hoof on the ground firmly.
"That's not gonna happen. We can't let that happen." Chase said, not wanting to lose one of his students. "We're gonna find some way to heal her even if she's in this state."
"Honey, we want to cure Silverstream too, but we don't have the right cure for her." Twilight said to her husband as she stood next to him. "We're just gonna have find out what it is and maybe see if it will work."
Chase was about to reply back when a voice called out.
"Princess Twilight?! Master Chase?!" A familiar voice called from the hallway, making the Mane Sixteen turn to see Terramar flying in the room with a frantic and worried look.
"Terramar?" Chase asked in surprise, gaining the young Hippogriff's attention.
"Oh, thank goodness I've found you. I've been looking all over for you guys." Terramar said with a sigh of relief as he landed on the ground next to the others and saw his older sister in her worst condition. "My aunt sent me here to check up on my sister. Is she in the same condition like the rest of the Hippogriffs?"
"Well, she's just started to burn-" Clay was about to answer when Chase puts a hoof to his mouth.
"Wait, wait. What do you mean the same condition like the other Hippogriffs are in?" Chase asked Terramar curiously.
"The Sanzu River has just swept into the waters around Mount Aris and some of the seaponies have become ill. We're trying to find a way to cure them, but there's not much we can do." Terramar said, worriedly and turned back to the ill Silverstream. "And if Silverstream is like this too, we might not be able to survive if the Quinkan will attack us."
Hearing this gained the others attention after Terramar mentioned the Quinkan.
"Wait, the Quinkan have invaded Mount Aris and Seaquestria?" Sunray asked in surprise, making Terramar nod in confirmation.
"We've managed to build a magical force field around Mount Aris so that the Quinkan won't be able to break in." Terramar answered.
"This is so bad, guys. How are we gonna be able to cure all of the Hippogriffs and Silverstream if the Quinkan are invading the area?" Trini asked with concern. "If we don't find a way soon, there might not be a cure left to heal all Queen Novo's subjects."
As the others conversed with one another, Chase was still looking at Silverstream with concern as she slept while feeling very burned up. While thinking, he remembered the waters around Mount Aris and Seaquestria. That's when it hit him with his eyes widened in realization.
If the waters around the area are more pure than the evil Sanzu River water, then that might be the cure to heal the Hippogriffs and Silverstream.
"Wait a minute, guys." Chase said, gaining his family and friends' attention. "If the Sanzu River is surrounding the waters around Mount Aris, do you think Queen Novo must've saved some sea water?"
"Chase, this is no time for debating. We need to-" Sokka said sternly, only for Twilight to cut him off.
"Hold on, Sokka." Twilight said before she turned to Chase. "What are you saying, Chase?"
"Okay. If the waters inside Mount Aris have not been in contact with the Sanzu River, then could there be a chance that maybe we might still cure the Hippogriffs and Silverstream?" Chase asked as he turned to Terramar, who had the same idea.
"That might be possible." Terramar said with hope.
"And if the waters inside Mount Aris are more pure than the Sanzu River, then there's still a chance to cure the Hippogriffs." Jade said, following along with her older brother and Terramar's theory as the others had looks of hope on their faces.
"Then we better get Silverstream back to Mount Aris before it's too late." Chase said while gazing at Silverstream as she still slept.
(Scene changes)
Riding inside the Friendship Express, Chase, Twilight, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Pinkie Pie, Nyx, and Terramar sat separately.
Silverstream was sleeping with a blanket over her while she was on her back. By the look on her, she was still feeling fatally ill.
"Honey. At this rate we might not be able to have much time before Silverstream stays in this condition." Twilight said to Chase as she and her husband shared the same seat with each other. "Are you sure the sea water will be enough to cure her and the Hippogriffs?"
"Only one way to find out, honey." Chase replied back with determination. "Because if we don't do it, then we've done this for nothing."
"Is she gonna be gone, Mommy and Daddy?" Nyx asked her parents with concern.
"Honey… honey, no. Don't even think that." Twilight said to Nyx as she picked her daughter up so she could sit next to her parents. "We're gonna fix it while we still can, Nyx."
"We better do it soon, guys." Sunray said as he, Jade, Trini, and Antonio looked at Terramar sitting on the opposite end to look at his sister with concern. "Silverstream is getting worse by the minute she's like this."
"I-I don't even wanna think about it, boys and girls." Pinkie said with a scared look, not wanting to lose one of her best friends.
"The longer she stays in this condition, the more she'll be burning up." Jade said with concern.
Then the train whistles out.
"Final stop: Mount Aris station!" The conductor announced as Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Twilight, Pinkie, Nyx, and Terramar saw the station leading to Mount Aris.
As the train stopped at the station, Chase, his family, and friends exited the coach. Then they saw the waters around Mount Aris were indeed turned to red due to the Sanzu River.
"Oh no." Nyx said at the ghastly sight of the waters being infected by the Sanzu River substance.
"We're too late." Trini said with a horrified look on her face as the rest of her family shared the same expression.
"No we're not. We just need to get to Queen Novo and her subjects. Let's get to the Hippogriff village and at least see if most of them aren't ill." Chase said with a determined look as the others nodded in reply.
They were just a few moments away from reaching the stairs leading to the top when a familiar Hippogriff princess made her appearance.
"Twilight! Chase! Jade! Sunray! Trini! Antonio! Nyx! Pinkie!" Skystar said happily as she hugged the seven ponies with all her might, making Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Twilight, and Nyx cringing in pain as their eyes widened.
"SKYSTAR!" Pinkie said happily as she hugged the Hippogriff princess as well.
"It's good to see you too, Skystar." Chase groaned in pain before he glared at Skystar. "But could you let go already?! We can't breathe!"
"Oh, sorry." Skystar said sheepishly as she let go of the seven ponies.
Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Twilight, and Nyx rubbed their aching backs from Skystar's hug before they stopped to turn their attention to her.
"I'm so glad you guys are here! Mom is up at the village helping our subjects with everything she can to find a sea water cure." Skystar said with relief. Then she noticed Silverstream as she gasped at the sight of her cousin in the same condition. "Silverstream too?"
"Yeah. The Sanzu River just infected the water in the pond at the school. We came here after Terramar arrived just in time." Chase said with confirmation.
Skystar nodded her head.
"Come on, Mom is waiting for us." Skystar said as she led the way up to the village with the others following her.
(Scene changes)
In no time, the group made it just in time to see some Hippogriffs doctors handling the sick ones in the process.
"It's true. They're all sick." Chase said with concern.
"How long have they been like this?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"Since the Sanzu River came underground from the deepest part of the water." Skystar answered with concern.
"Twilight! Chase!" A familiar voice came off screen as they turned to see Queen Novo and some of her Hippogriff soldiers approaching them.
"Novo!" Chase said as he and Twilight approached Queen Novo, who hugged them with a relieved smile.
"Thank goodness you both have come here." Queen Novo said as the three broke the hug and she showed a worried look. "All of my subjects have been poisoned by the Sanzu River. None of our cures we have can heal them all." Then she remembered something. "Did you bring Silverstream with you? How's she doing?"
"She's not doing well." Chase answered as Jade placed Silverstream on the ground, showing how very sick she was. "It happened when she was swimming in the pond."
Queen Novo approached her ill niece and placed a talon on her head to feel how warm she was.
"We think there might be a cure here and it sounds like the sea water remedy might be it since it's much more pure than the Sanzu River." Jade explained to the Hippogriff queen.
Hearing this gained Queen Novo's attention in surprise.
"It is true, Jade." Queen Novo said as she turned her attention to Jade. "But we haven't been able to gather enough since my subjects had to evacuate Seaquestria. We also have the Quinkan on the loose in the water. Bigger ones at that and they've just turned almost half of the sea animal population in the dark part of the trench."
"But how did the Quinkan invade the water supply?" Twilight asked Novo with a concerned look. "The ocean is so big we won't be able to find them. Not to mention the Sanzu River is dangerous to swim in."
Jade thought about it for a moment before she remembered something.
"Not unless you have some special scuba gear to help you protect yourself from it." Jade said with a thoughtful smile.
"Wait, honey. You're not thinking that you all are just gonna swim down there with ordinary scuba gear." Queen Novo said to Jade with a concerned look. "If I remember, you'll just get yourself burned alive."
"We won't have to worry, your majesty." Jade said with a smirk. "I've been working on a very special scuba diving equipment that will help us stop the Sanzu River and take it back to the Netherworld."
That's when it hit Chase.
"She's right." Chase said, agreeing with his sister with a smile as Queen Novo turned to Chase. "She's just finished a project back at the school that might help us and get the sea water to return to normal."
"We'll do whatever we can to cure your subjects, Novo." Twilight said with a confident smile. "We won't let you down."
Queen Novo stared at them for a moment before she sighed, having no other options left.
"Alright. But be careful, Chase." Queen Novo said with a worried look. "The Quinkan are still searching through the murk in the water for any more signs of Hippogriffs. I want you to watch yourselves."
"Don't worry, Novo." Chase replied back with a smile. "We won't let you down."
This made Queen Novo smile back in reply.
(Scene changes)
A few moments later, Jade had just brought the five special scuba gear with her consisting of five pairs of goggles, air tanks, diving computers, fins, wet suits, and scout compact regulators.
The eight members of the Mane Sixteen were down at the beach as Twilight, Pinkie, and Nyx watched Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio putting on their scuba gear.
"And you're sure this is gonna work, Jade." Chase asked as he put on his black wet suit while Jade's was purple, red for Sunray, blue for Trini, and yellow for Antonio.
"Yup." Jade confirmed as she put the goggles on her head while strapping the air tank to her back. "The new and improved scuba gear will allow us to swim through the Sanzu River without it having a chance to burn us. These wetsuits will protect us from the substance as well. Now we all know what we're supposed to do, right?"
"Yup." Antonio said sarcastically as he put his goggles and fins on with the rest of his family doing the same. "We're supposed to swim in hot Sanzu River water when we should be at home enjoying the air conditioner."
"Right." Chase said with a smirk as Twilight, Nyx, and Pinkie giggled.
"We better get ready before time runs out, guys." Trini said with concern. "There's no telling how long the Hippogriffs will be resting in those conditions."
"We won't be gone long. We'll be back in time as soon as we bring the Sanzu River back to the Netherworld." Chase said to his older cousin as Twilight approached her husband with a hopeful smile.
"Be safe, honey." Twilight said, hugging Chase and kissed his cheek as her husband nuzzled her lovingly.
"We will." Chase assured his wife before turning to Nyx. "Be good until we get back, Nyx. And help you mother any way you and Pinkie can."
Nyx nodded in reply to her father.
"I'll try, Daddy." Nyx said before she hugged her father. "Just come back safely."
Chase smiled as he hugged his daughter lovingly.
"I promise, sweetie. We'll be back." Chase said before he let go of Nyx and turned to the rest of his family. "Alright, guys. Let's go."
Chase then jumps into the water followed by Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio.
The five ponies swam down to the coral area as they gazed at the horrible watery landscape before them as the Sanzu River did affect the ocean. They then ventured further deep into the darkest part of the water of where the evil river escaped.
No sooner they arrived at the darkest part of the murky water and saw the cave as well as the volcano. They also saw that the Sanzu River was sprouting out of the volcano.
Thinking that is the place to go, the Elite Ninja swam to their destination. Entering the inside of the cave, Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio resurfaced as they climbed out of the Sanzu River. They shook themselves dry before gazing at the cavern they were in.
"Well, we're here. Now where could the Quinkan be?" Sunray asked curiously.
"There's gotta be something bringing the Sanzu River through the Netherworld." Trini said while looking around.
Suddenly, something caught Jade's attention.
"Hey, guys! Over there!" Jade said, pointing at something off screen as her family followed her direction.
There in front of them was the portal leading to the Netherworld as the Sanzu River was flowing out of the water through the portal.
"Looks like there must've been more Netherworld Quartz in that place since we found the other one we destroyed at the Serpents Temple." Chase commented with a glare. "Come on, we gotta destroy the portal and return the Sanzu River back to the Netherworld."
"But how are we gonna do that?" Antonio asked curiously as he pointed to the Netherworld Quartz at the top of the big stalagmite. "That crystal is like on the stalagmites way up there and we're nowhere for sure if the Quinkan are down here."
Then some saliva fell down on Antonio's head, making him flinch before touches the saliva and looked at it.
"Uh, I think you might've spoken too soon, Antonio." Jade said with a frightened look as she and the others saw the Protoquin, Pyroquin, and the Electroquin clinging to the ceiling of the cave glaring at the five unicorns as they growled.
"Uh oh." Antonio said with a shudder as Tai Lung jumped into the scene with an evil smirk as the five unicorns turned to him in surprise.
"Tai Lung!" Chase shouted in surprise.
"Hello, Chase." Tai Lung greeted sinisterly before he held the vial of the sea water remedy. "Looking for this?"
"He's got the sea water remedy, guys!" Jade shouted, pointing at the vial.
"Get it!" Sunray said.
"I got it!" Antonio replied back as he used his magic to conjure a kusarigama as he and his family stood on their hind legs with their horns lit and aura hands replacing their front hooves.
Antonio then twirls the other end of the kusarigama chain before using the fundo end of the chain to snap the vial out of Tai Lung's hand like a whip. Tai Lung grunted in pain, holding his stinging hand as the canister slipped out of his grip and flew into the air.
Gathering power into her legs, Jade leapt up into the air with a powerful jump, caught the vial in mid-air and flipped back down to the ground, landing soundly on her feet on the other side of the cave.
"Ha, ha! I got it!" Jade cheered victoriously.
Tai Lung growled angrily before he dished out one of his katana swords as Chase and his family dished out their weapons, holding them in a firm grip.
"Quinkan, attack! Get that remedy!" Tai Lung command and with that, the Quinkan jumped from the ceiling of the cave before they rushed forwards in unison towards the Elite Ninja, all their weapons at the ready.
"Elite Ninja! Attack!" Chase ordered as he, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio charged into the fray to defend the remedy.
The Elite Ninja battled relentlessly against the mass amount of Quinkan Soldiers. Jade couldn't use her tessen fans and hold the vial at the same time, so she was struggling critically with her bunch of opponents. Sooner or later, they would overpower her and take the vial from her without a fight.
Upon seeing his cousin in trouble, Antonio turned and held his up his hands.
"Jade! Jade! Over here!" Antonio called, waving his arms in the air desperately. "Throw it!"
Nodding, Jade jumped up right into the air and drew her arm back.
"Catch!" Jade shouted, tossing the vial of pure sea water over to Antonio with everything she had.
Antonio managed to catch the vial and tossed it to Trini, who caught it and strapped it to her belt.
"I got it!" Trini shouted.
Chase had both his Katanas unsheathed as he slashed and sliced his way through The Quinkan soldiers, avoiding various assaults around him as he did so. One Protoquin soldier attempted to attack him by leaping towards him to restrain him, however Chase saw his attack coming, and performed a perfect split as he slid to the floor, watching as the soldier flew over his head and smacked into another. Chase smirked as he slid himself effortlessly to his feet.
Sunray had seen the whole thing from the other side of the lab, and he winced.
"Dude, how do you do that?!" Sunray cried.
Chase drop kicked a Pyroquin soldier and grinned at his younger brother.
"Because I'm me!" Chase teased, shrugging before he turned back to fell yet another unfortunate Pyroquin soldier. Sunray only rolled his eyes with a smirk, and returned to the battle.
Seizing his chance to get a shot in, Tai Lung charged at Chase with his katana swords drawn as the alicorn stallion was busy with another soldier. But just as Tai Lung was about to catch Chase off guard, the alicorn stallion managed to clash blades with the snow leopard.
"We know it was you poisoning Queen Novo's subjects, you dirty cat!" Chase snarled with a glare.
"So you have. Let's see if you can stand a chance of the Sanzu River as well." Tai Lung said mockingly before kicking Chase in the chest, making him grunt in pain as he fell on his back and slid near the Sanzu River as he gasped in horror.
Chase managed to stop by using his katana swords to dig into the ground, making him slow down. He then saw Tai Lung coming in at him, ready to finish him off once and for all. But Chase quickly rolled out of the way as he was twenty inches from the snow leopard.
Tai Lung charged at Chase again as he threw a set of fiery punches at the alicorn master, but he easily blocked them as well as a few kicks from the snow leopard.
Sunray just managed to spin kick two Protoquin soldiers down and uppercuts a Pyroquin soldier away. He then notices Chase taking on Tai Lung alone, but then noticed that the snow leopard managed to overwhelm him with a powerful palm strike, sending the alicorn master to the cave wall.
He was about to go help him, but then a number of the Quinkan soldiers blocked his patch.
"Guys, guys! Over here!" Sunray shouted to Jade, Trini, and Antonio as they came to him. "We gotta help Chase. Antonio you go up the middle. Jade and Trini, you guys take the sides. Got it?"
"Got it!" Trini replied back with a nod.
"Good!" Jade replied back as well.
"I don't get it?" Antonio said with a grin.
"Ugh." Sunray groaned in frustration while Jade and Trini rolled their eyes before they recomposed themselves as Antonio realized they needed to help Chase as he wiped his grin away. "Okay, ready…"
"BREAK!" The four ponies shouted together as they each clasped their aura hands before they got into fighting positions and the Quinkan growled at them.
Without further warning, Antonio back flipped towards Tai Lung and Chase as his family kept fighting the Quinkan.
Chase was thrown at the cave wall by Tai Lung as he grunted in pain as the snow leopard advanced toward him with a sinister smile and unleashed the claws from his right paw hand.
"Goodbye, Chase Young. And good riddance." Tai Lung declared evilly.
"Hey, kitty!" Antonio shouted at Tai Lung, gaining his attention as he noticed the unicorn stallion standing behind.
Before he could do anything, Antonio threw his back with a yell and head-butted him fiercely in the stomach. Tai Lung's eyes bulged with his mouth forming a circle while groaning in pain and toppled over onto his back.
"Ha-ha!" Antonio laughed as Chase joined him with a smirk.
"Way to go, Antonio!" Chase congratulated his cousin proudly.
"Thanks." Antonio replied back when Tai Lung quickly recovered and jumped away from his enemies.
"I grow tired of this!" Tai Lung shouted with an angry growl.
Jade, Sunray, and Trini joined their family as they glared at Tai Lung, who charged straight at them.
"You guys ready to use your element powers?" Chase asked his family with a smirk.
"Ready!" Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio replied back in unison before all five of the ponies began to concentrate as they were enhanced by their magical chi.
Antonio leapt at Tai Lung first with a yell, landing a powerful sidekick to Tai Lung's chest combined with his element powers as dust flew out of the kick into the snow leopard's face.
Sunray jumped over his cousin with his aura hands flaming hot as he charged at Tai Lung, sending a powerful fiery punch to the face enough to send the villain spinning.
Next, Trini charged forward at Tai Lung and used her wind element power to send a powerful kick sweep to Tai Lung's legs as he was sent flying in mid air.
Last, but not least, Chase and Jade jumped at him with their lightning and water element chi swirling around their fists as the two pulled them back with a glare then thrusting them forward with all their might into their signature double-palm strike as the lightning struck Tai Lung with the water, sending the snow leopard flying to the Netherworld Quartz crystal as it shattered completely.
This of course not only let the portal send out a powerful eclectic bolt, but also allowed the Sanzu River to head straight back into the Netherworld for good, allowing the sea water to return back to normal.
Tai Lung burst through the rubble with a loud roar and landed back on the ground before he turned his angry glare to see Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, and Antonio glaring at him as well.
Seeing that the Quinkan were defeated and the water returned back to normal, Tai Lung snarled viciously.
"This is not over!" Tai Lung declared furiously before he tossed four smoke bombs to the ground, creating a huge cloud of black smoke.
Once the smoke cleared away, Tai Lung and the Quinkan were gone, leaving only the Elite Ninja in the cave.
"Alright, we did it!" Antonio cheered as his family smiled at him in amusement.
Then they remembered the remedy still strapped to Trini's belt.
"Now we just need to get back to Mount Aris so we can cure the Hippogriffs." Chase said to his family, who nodded in agreement.
(Scene changes)
Later that day, all of the Hippogriffs were finally cured from the sea water remedy as they were all at beach while some of them turned back into seaponies and returned back to Seaquestria. With the water returning back to normal from the Sanzu River, the watery areas around Equestria began to return as well.
Chase, Jade, Sunray, Trini, Antonio, Twilight, Nyx, and Pinkie were seen talking with Queen Novo, Silverstream, who was finally cured as well, Sky Beak, Terramar, and Ocean Flow.
"Thank you, Chase Young, for saving our home from the Quinkan. If it weren't for you and your family getting the pure sea water remedy, we might not have cured all of the Hippogriffs so quickly." Queen Novo said with a big grateful smile she gave to the eight ponies.
"Yes. We will always be eternally grateful to you eight for saving us, especially my little girl." Ocean Flow added in agreement as she nuzzled Silverstream lovingly, which her daughter nuzzled her mother back.
"We were glad to assist you and the rest of the Hippogriffs, Novo." Chase said with a smirk. "And be sure to keep an eye out for the Quinkan the next time you all run into trouble."
"We will, Chase." Sky Beak replied back with a smile as Terramar nodded in agreement.
"Thanks again for saving my sister, guys." Terramar said gratefully to the eight ponies. "And for saving our home too."
"Anytime, Terramar." Nyx said with a smile in return.
Queen Novo turned her attention back to Chase.
"I always knew you were never gonna give up so easily, Chase. You just don't know when to quit in a situation like this." Queen Novo said with an impressed smile as she turned to Twilight. "I guess this is also why you love him so much, Twilight."
Twilight blushed in reply as she giggled.
"Yup, that's my stallion you're talking to." Twilight said as she nuzzled Chase lovingly as her husband held his wife with a foreleg.
"You got that right, honey." Chase said with a smile. "And don't forget, you never give up so easily either."
Twilight giggled in reply.
"So now that the danger has passed, what will you all do now?" Queen Novo asked with a smile.
"We gotta get back to the school so we can tell the students it's safe to come back." Twilight answered with a smile.
Queen Novo nodded understandably.
"Indeed." Queen Novo said with a smile. "And if you ever get a chance to visit us again, you all are more than welcome to come back any time you'd like."
The eight ponies bowed in respect to the Queen of the Hippogriffs in reply before they went back to the Mount Aris train station for home.
While walking, Twilight smiled at her husband proudly.
"I'm very proud of you, honey." Twilight said with a smile. "You saved the Hippogriffs with your family by your side."
Chase smiled in reply.
"I couldn't have done it without you guys by my side as well." Chase said with a smirk. "With what we've been through, I think we made quite an adventure today." He then turns attention to Jade. "And nice job with the scuba gear, Jade. They were awesome."
"Thanks, Chase." Jade said to her older brother with a smile. "I knew they would come in handy in this time of need."
The group laughed in agreement with her.
"Well, now that we've cured the Hippogriffs of Mount Aris, how about we go home and relax for a while?" Chase suggested with a smile.
"I'm up for it, Chase." Pinkie agreed with a smile. "I've got a cake to bake for our victory today against the Quinkan!"
The others laughed at Pinkie's enthusiasm as they went aboard the Friendship Express. As soon as they were on board, the train took them back home to Ponyville.
(Scene changes)
In the lair of the huge Mountain, now known as Dark Mountain, Tai Lung had just returned with his Quinkan soldiers as he just explained everything to Kai.
"So basically, you just screwed up again." Lightning Dust said with a smirk, to which Tai Lung growled lowly at her.
"At least I poisoned Silverstream and the other Hippogriffs." Tai Lung said with a glare.
"Enough." Kai ordered sternly, breaking the two apart. "Since Chase is still getting in the way of ruining everything, it's time to get rid of him for good."
He then turns to a corner of the lair where a small figure that we can't quite make out yet.
"It seems like this might be your time to shine, my pupil." Kai said to the figure with a sinister smile. "Make sure Chase is dealt with so we can drain the magic away to the Netherworld."
"Golly! That's nice of you to say that. But don't worry, I won't let you down!" A cute yet squeaky voice reported before she added sinisterly as the figure opened her eyes to reveal themselves as moderate scarlet. "And I'll make sure Chase knows where his place is after he destroyed my father, Emperor Zhao."
The mysterious young figure giggled evilly as the screen turned to black.
Author's note: Hey guys,
Here's chapter 9 with a new twist to begin with.
I hope you like it.
Peace out!
