Chapter 44: Spirit of Adventure
With Zipp, she was clasping desperately from the edge of a cliff. "Can't… Hold… On… Much… Longer!" She cried out as she began to slip while the rest of the Mane 8 rushed up to her in panic.
"Zipp!" Sunset called out. "Hang on, we're coming!"
"Grab our hooves!" Sunny added as she reached out to Zipp, who struggled to grab her before she slipped and fell over, which made everypony gasped in panic. "Zipp!" She cried as she reached down, but she raised a brow at what she saw.
Giggling was heard when Zipp landed on another platform not that far. "Just messing." She teased.
"Really?" Twilight questioned while the others gave disbelief looks while Pipp gave a groan.
"Can't you 'mess' in a way that doesn't make us think you're about to fall off a cliff?!" Pipp questioned her sister in exasperation.
"Relax!" Zipp said with a smile as she flew up to her friends and rubbed a hoof to her chest. "You ponies need to take a page out of Syrena's book." She said with a smirk.
"Syre-who?" Sunset asked with a brow.
"I never heard of her." Twilight said with a shrug.
Pipp stammered in disbelief by what her sister was saying. "Zipp, what are you talking about?!" She questioned.
"Syrena!" Zipp repeated as she held up a book that had a pirate ship symbol on it. "Only the bravest pegasus sea captain that ever lived!" She said in excitement with sparkles in her eyes as she eyed the boat as she flipped the pages of the pirate ship with a pegasus pirate mare sailing the seas as they all visioned her story.
"Legend has it that Syrena possessed a magical compass that gave her incredible powers." Zipp explained while gesturing to the compass that was around Syrena's neck as it glowed brightly as a lunar eclipse appeared as the compast glowed brightly. "And it was especially powerful under the light of a lunar eclipse!" She added as the glow spread all over Syrena's ship as it managed to get through the toughest of the sea like worse storms, tidal waves, and even whirlpools.
"Wow, this Syrena pirate sounds like a brave pegasus pirate." Sunset commented with an impressive look.
"Rainbow would love to meet that pegasus." Twilight added, knowing how Rainbow can get along with that Syrena character.
"What happened to her?" Misty wondered about the fate of the pirate pegasus.
"Well, nopony knows for sure." Zipp answered with a thoughtful smile. "But the story goes that her ship sank in a terrible storm." She added with a slight panic look while looking around before smiling again. "And that she took her magical compass with her." She added with a smirk.
"It's basically pirate 101." Twilight said with a shrug. "A captain always goes down with the ship."
"That is so true." Sunny nodded in agreement.
"So, why are we here exactly?" Hitch wondered, as did the others to why Zipp told them to meet her here.
"Oh, right." Zipp said with a smirk. "For that!" She turn and pointed to the sun, where the lunar eclipse then took formation as the moon blocked out the sun and some magic sparkles shone in the sky and in the ocean, which the Mane 8 looked in amazement. Zipp looked out to the ocean with a sigh as she picked up a pebble. "If I could be even half the adventurer as you were." She said sadly, wishing she was just like Syrena.
"Aww." The rest of the Mane 8 said in sympathy, feeling for her as Zipp tossed her rock pebble, which skipped in the ocean before sinking into the ocean, which then created a swirl.
"Huh?" Zipp asked in confusion before the swirl then formed into a water tornado.
The Mane 8 then gasped in shock while confused at what was happening. "Uh, Zipp?" Sunset asked.
"Note to self: Sea is still magical during a lunar eclipse…" Zipp said as the cyclone got closer to them as she turned to her friends. "It's alright! We just need to stay calm and-" She trailed off when she turned as they saw the water cyclone getting closer to them. "Okay, maybe we should panic now!"
"You don't say." Twilight muttered before the cyclone began to suck the Mane 8 in, which they tried to fight before they screamed as they entered the eye of the cyclone as their bodies then glowed as they went down into the center of the cyclone itself while screaming.
At the other end of the cyclone, the Mane 8 exited it as they ended up at the bottom of the ocean. Izzy regain her bearings before she noticed something different about herself. "Huh?" She asked as she look at herself, seeing her front hooves and ears are like fins, having gills on her neck while looking back and saw that her hindlegs are now a fin tail and having fin-like wings while having a magical light on it while her Cutie Mark was on one of the fins on her back as she gasped in awe. "We're seaponies." Her eyes then widen in realization. "Wait, we're seaponies! Whoo-hoo!" She cheered in excitement before she move around while did a fish-mouth impression.
The rest of the Mane 8 look and saw they were seaponies as Izzy just said, which amazement while Twilight looked like how she was when she was a seapony, but much more magical then a physical one she had when she first met the Seaponies or when she visit Seaquestria.
"We're seaponies!? It's been a long time since I became one." Twilight said with a smile.
"This is what being a seapony feels like, Twilight?" Sunset asked with a smile.
"Well, the seapony form I once went to was more physical than magical." Twilight said while gesturing to the glowing tail she has. "But very close to it."
"But still, this is amazing!" Sunny cheered as the others swam around.
Hitch was then face to face with a clam. "Good day to you, fine sir." He said with a proper tone with a smile before the clam turned to him and bit him on the nose. "Ow!" He cried out as the clam swam off. "What have I ever do to you?!" He asked while rubbing his nose.
"OMP! These tails are gorg!" Pipp sang in amazement while admiring their seapony forms. "Can we keep them, Zipp?!" She asked with sparkles in her eyes, but get no answer as she and the others Zipp wasn't with them. "Can we? Zipp?" She asked again before turning and saw Zipp looking at something. "Zipp?"
Zipp looked ahead as she saw a shadowy figure in the distance. "Mmm." She hummed as she moved the seaweed aside and swam towards what appeared to be a wreck ship as she swam around and inspected each part of it. "Huh." She hummed as she swam towards the figurehead covered in mold. "This looks like…" She wiped it away to see an eye before wiping the whole thing clean, which revealed to be a familiar pirate pegasus. "Syrena?! No way!" She asked in excitement as she turned to her friends. "Ponies, this is her ship! This is Syerna's ship!" She squeals in excitement.
"Really?" Sunset asked in amazement, as were the others.
"A long lost pirate ship, this is the discovery of a lifetime." Twilight said with a wide smile as Izzy swam towards the side of the ship.
"Ooh, Yarr 'tis a fine seaworthy vessel!" Izzy said in a pirate accent as she gave a small laugh and slap the side wall, which crumbled to pieces as Izzy recoiled back in surprise as she gave a sheepish look. "Yoa-hoa, heh, was a fine seaworthy vessel. Heh. Woopsies." She sheepishly said as the others inspected the whole.
"Years of being underwater, and somewhat intact, still impressive pony craftsmanship." Twilight commented while rubbing her chin.
"C'mon! Let's check it out! Maybe the compass is somewhere inside." Zipp said with a smile as she swam into the ship while the others watched her enter the darkness part of it.
"Um, anypony else concerned about how terrifying this is?" Sunny asked as she saw the others, san Sunset, swam into the ship, leaving them behind. "Just me?"
"Come on, Sunny. We've done this a thousand times." Sunset said to her. "And this ship is abandoned underwater, so I'm sure there is no danger inside, okay?" She said with a comforting smile.
"Okay." Sunny nodded with a nervous smile.
"Thatta girl." Sunset said with a smirk as she grab Sunny. "Now come on, and let's find us a compass." She said as she pulled Sunny into the ship while said mare gave a nervous look as they didn't see many red eyes peeping from the darkness.
"Wow." The Mane 8 said in unison as they swam through the inferior of the ship, while it may be falling apart and with sea accessories it collected over time, it is an amazing sight while Hitch noticed two crabs, who flinched as they scurry away.
Hitch gave a confused look. "Maybe underwater critters just don't like ponies." He said to the group.
"Yeah, I don't think that's that, Hitch." Sunset said with a brow.
"We'll, they're comfortable with something." Hitch said as a group of fish swam by. "Hi folks." He greeted with a smile, but then the fishes got frightened as they swam away.
"We like you." An eerie voice spoke up, which only Hitch can hear.
"You do? That's fantas-" Hitch trailed off as he turned and saw an army of Biteacuda fishes, who had red eyes, tailfins grey and their horns black while the size of the ponies, in front of the group while they huddled together in fear. "Uh, oh." He muttered in fear.
"Uh, Twilight, what are they?" Sunset asked in worry.
"Those are Biteacuda! Predators of the sea." Twilight said in horror, remembering these types of seacreatures from Rainbow Dash and Applejack when they took the students on a field trip to try and get the teachers of the month.
"Is there anything you would like to share on how to deal with them?" Misty asked in fear.
"Yes." Twilight started with a nod.
"Run! I mean… Swim!" Twilight exclaimed as she swam out from a hole in the ship.
Soon, the other ponies swam out of the ship with screams as the Biteacudas swimming after them.
With Zipp, she was excitedly swimming through the corridor of the ship. "Huh?" She hummed as she swam to the captain's quarters. "Must be close to the captain's cabi-" She said before she stopped when she turned and felt her fintail stuck by something as she groaned as she tried to break free. "Get off of me!" She called as she yanked her tail free, which sent an item flying and landing on the ground.
Zipp then noticed something familiar about the object. "Wait a second…" She started before her eyes widened in realization as she realized it was the compass. "Syrena's compass!" She cheered as she pick up the compass and looked at in with wide eyes with sparkles.
Zipp then heard drilling sound, which caught her attention as she looked at Syrena's table, but then three Biteacudas came bursting through the ground and charged at Zipp, making the seapony-turned pegasus scream as she crashed through the wall and into the deck.
Zipp then looked up and her eyes widened in horror. "Ponies!" She cried out as she saw her friends being chased by Biteacudas while they screamed.
Hitch and Sunny stood together with serious looks. "Stay back!" Sunny yelled as she and Hitch used their magic and grew giant seaweeds. "I got seaweed and I'm not afraid to use it!" She dared as she made the seaweeds into battle ready, which surprised the Biteacudas before they glared and charged forward.
One of the Biteacuda was about to bite Hitch, but it was quickly trapped in seaweed. "Can't we just sit down and talk this out?" Hitch asked nervously as one of the Biteacudas bit him on the tail. "Ow!" He cried out in pain.
With Misty, she was firing her magic, trapping the Biteacudas in bubbles as she avoided one of them trying to bite her. "Hey! Get back!" She yelled before she yelped to avoid another bite as she swam around. "Take that!" She called as she trapped the Biteacudas in a bubble before avoiding another one.
"Whoo-hoo! Yeehaa!" Izzy cheered as she swam around into the ship with a group of Biteacudas behind her. "Whoosh! Pew! Pew! Pew" She fired her magic, trapping them in bubbles before putting them in a chest as she laughed with a victorious smirk.
"Lalalalala-LAAAAAA!~" Pipp sang as magical music notes circled her before hitting the Biteacudas, knocking them out or tangling them up.
Twilight and Sunset were flying around while using their magic to trap the Biteacudas as much as they could. "What's up with our magic?! I was going for a magic blast, not a bubble trap!" Sunset called while using her magic, while trapping some of the Biteacudas in bubbles.
"Our magic must've changed when we became seaponies! The laws of physics are different for our magic!" Twilight called as she shot another magic, keeping them back. "But, at least we're handling them."
"Yeah, but unless we turn the tides of these things, we're gonna be fish food!" Sunset called as they kept fighting.
Zipp flew up and saw her friends being surrounded by Bitecudas while Sunny, Sunset, and Hitch kept growing more seaweeds to keep them back. "Come on, Zipp! What would Syrena do?" She asked herself before a light shined on the compass, which glowed as she smiled and look up at the lunar eclipse above the water. "Of course, the compass! It has magical power in the lunar eclipse!"
Zipp then grunted as she gave a yell and aim the compass at the Bitecudas, but nothing happened as she kept trying many times, but it did nothing. "W-Why isn't it working?!" She questioned as she shook the compass before seeing her friends still fending for themselves against the Bitecudas, as she gave a serious look and put on the compass. "Right. Guess it's up to me."
Zipp then swam towards her friends with a serious look, but then the compass then released some magic, which made Zipp look in awed as the magic moved around her and then it entered her Cutie Mark as it shined bright, which made Zipp smiled in awed before she gave a determined smirk.
"I'm a princess of a different kind, always trying to figure out why!" Zipp recite as her form then glowed with an extra wing projection as her Cutie Mark glowed brighter as she surrounded herself in a water sphere. "When my Cutie Mark comes to life, I blast bravely across the sk-erm, sea!" She called, while correcting herself since she's in the water, as she released the water sphere as it expanded.
The blast then send the Bitecudas back while the rest of the Mane 8 held onto a pole to keep themselves from being blown away as the Bitecudas were blasted a bit far before they regain their bearings and charge at the Mane 8.
Zipp then gave a serious look as she then swam around her friends with a yell, which created a cyclone around them that sucked the Bitecudas in and tossing them away as the rest of the Mane 8 look in awed at Zipp, while the Pegasus cheered before they gave startled yells as the cyclone then started taking them to the surface.
Back on the surface close to Maretime Bay's beach, the Mane 8 were tossed out of the water with screams as they landed on the beach with a thud just as the lunar eclipse ended and the seapony magic faded as they were back to their original pony forms as they coughed and regain their bearings while wet and covered in seaweed.
"Ooh! Look! A souvenir!" Izzy cheered as she held up a seaweed, which Zipp looked as she gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Zipp! I've never seen you do anything like that before!" Pipp cheered to her sister in amazement.
"Syrena's Compass!" Sunny noted as they saw the compass on Zipp's neck. "You found it!"
Zipp look down as she saw the compass was still on her. "Hey!" She cheered with a smile.
"So that's what gave you those amazing underwater powers." Misty said with an awed smile.
"That compass must've given you the boost to use water base powers underwater to fight off those Bitecudas." Twilight said while rubbing her chin.
"Sounds right." Sunset said with a smirk. "Now that's a new upgrade in our inventory."
"You know, I think it's true power was helping me to see what I was already capable of." Zipp said in a smile while holding the compass.
"Well, I learned from many equestrian magical artifacts that it's not the item that gives its user magical powers, but the power of will from the user itself." Sunset said with a smile, having seen many equestrian artifacts back in the human world when she and the Rainbooms faced each one. "And it looks like that compass chose you, Zipp."
"You really think so?" Zipp asked.
"You were the one who found it and saved us from the Bitecudas." Twilight said with a smile.
"Which makes sense of your bravery and all." Sunny said with a wide smile.
"Huh, I guess that's true." Zipp said while eyeing the compass.
"We should store this for safe keeping." Twilight said while eyeing the compass. "With its magical properties, it's best that it doesn't fall into evil grasp."
"Yeah, I learned that many times with others." Sunset said in agreement, knowing from experience that statement is true.
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of this. I promise." Zipp assured as she smiled down at Syrena's compass, having a feeling it might come in handy in the future.
Then the mares heard Hitch crying as they turned and saw him chasing the clam from earlier, which turned to him and blew a raspberry. "Just give me another chance! I know we could be friends!" He cried as the clam then went back into the water. "Please!" He pleaded as he splashed down into the water while the mares watched him with a splash.
The mares looked at each other for a moment before they all gave amusing smiles at what Hitch just did while trying to be friends with sea creatures before they heard another splash, which made them stop laughing as they saw Hitch running back up with a Bitecuda biting his tail as he gave a painful scream.
The Mane 8 had one ocean adventure, and now they have a new magical item in their possession that will come in handy in future events.
End of Chapter 44.