Fairy Tales of Equestria Volume 2

Treasure Bay

Once upon a time in a small village by the sea, there lived three little fillies named Bloom, Scoot, and Belle. They were best friends, orphans, and dirt poor, but they didn't care. Since their parents had died, the trio always thought that as long as they had each other, everything would be fine. They lived at the Commander Bencrow Inn with only an old pony to look after them. Even though they were fed, safe, and warm, the three fillies longed for a life more exciting than this. A life of adventure, freedom, action, exploration, danger, enterprise; but alas, they were never able to go out and see the world. Until one day, their young lives changed forever.

One afternoon, a strange pony wearing ragged, baggy clothes came to the Inn with a large sea chest in tow. The fillies had never seen a pony like this before and they were confused and a little frightened all at the same time.

"Excuse me?" Belle asked as she stepped forward to the pony. "Who are you?"

The rugged mare looked at the tiny unicorn filly before her. She looked her in the eye and smiled. Bloom and Scoot soon joined their friend.

"Ah, three fine lil' ponies before me, eh?" She asked. "Listen here, lil' mates, and listen real good. See this?" The pony held up a silver coin in her hoof and showed it to the trio. "This is a silver bit. Every month, each o' ya will get one o' these from me if ya promise to keep your eyes peeled for an ugly sea mare with three legs. Understand?"

The fillies looked at each other in confusion before nodding their heads slowly and saying, "We promise."

"Good. And remember, beware the sea mare with three legs." The pony smiled.

For the past week, the mare stayed at the Inn without paying for rent and she often held parties at the Inn that mostly involved very close friends who were mostly sailors and gallons of apple cider. Bloom, Belle, and Scoot rather enjoyed the company of their mysterious guest, but cleaning up after her was another story. One that involves sponges, brooms, mops, brushes, rags, gallons of boiling water, and lots and lots soap.

One day, while they were cleaning the parlor after another one of the strange guest's sailor/apple cider parties, they heard the front door slowly creak open and they saw a different pony in ragged clothing enter the parlor. Only this one had a long walking stick and her pupils were completely blank; it indicated that she was blind.

"Is anypony there?" The pony asked in a very soft voice. "If there is, can anyone tell a poor, visually challenged pony where he is now?"

"You're at the Commander Bencrow Inn." Bloom answered.

"So there is somepony here. Take me to the pony with the sea chest, whoever you are." The blind pony commanded.

"Ma'am, I don't really think we—" Scoot tried to intervene, but was interrupted by the blind pony.

"I said take me to the pony with the sea chest or I'll—" The pony was interrupted by a different voice.

"What's goin' on out here? Huh?"

"Bones. Apple... Bones. It's so good to hear from you again. What's wrong? Aren't you going to greet your old shipmate?" The blind pony asked. "Come here."

The pony reluctantly walked closer to her unseeing acquaintance. "Good. Now I have something for you. It's from me and your other shipmates. We really wanted you to have... this."

That was when the pony forced a piece of paper into the other's open hoof and with that, she walked away, leaving the group in confusion.

The pony, now dubbed as Apple Bones unfolded the paper in her hoof and saw that there was a small black dot in the shape of an apple drawn smack in the center of the paper. Apple Bones gasped in shock and suddenly collapsed onto the floor. Bloom, Scoot, and Belle were very confused. They walked closer to the pony and looked at her.