Fluttershy heard the chatty crabs before she saw them. Their voices carried through the water. One was talking about her friend Carol, and how she never used her pincers when she ate. The crab thought it was rude. “I just can’t look at her when she does it,” the crab said. “How am I supposed to enjoy my SnailMix when hers is all over her mouth?”
“What is that strange rattling noise?” Skystar asked, looking around in confusion. “Is that the crabs?”
“This way,” Salt Air said, swimming up a large mound of sand. Fluttershy followed her and Skystar to the top of it. The valley stretched out below, filled with hundreds of crabs sitting in the sand, all deep in conversation. Fluttershy could hear a crowd of crabs right below who were debating about vacations in the kelp forest.
“Who would want to go to the kelp forest when you can go to the Blue Cove?” one crab asked. “The Blue Cove has one of the best restaurants in the whole ocean. Those lotus rolls are to die for.”
Before Fluttershy could say anything, Salt Air growled in frustration. “What was that starfish talking about?” She furrowed her brow, annoyed. “These crabs don’t even speak our language! How are they of use to our mission?”
“Actually,” Fluttershy said, swimming over to Salt Air, “I can understand them.” On land, Fluttershy had the most amazing ability to communicate with creatures. Fortunately, it appeared to be the same down here.
“You can?!” Skystar’s face exploded into a huge grin. “That is so super cool. Gosh, my friend is so cool!” Skystar nudged Coral Rose and pointed to Fluttershy. “That’s my friend Fluttershy. Isn’t she cool?”
“Princess,” Salt Air said, interrupting Skystar’s excited babble. “If these crabs can’t help us, we really must keep moving—”
“You must be looking for that Seapony!” a crab with a spotted blue shell shouted. It just sounded like a rattling noise to the Seaponies. Everypony looked to Fluttershy.
“You saw Cerulean?” Fluttershy replied, eyes widening. Finally, another clue!
“Two days ago,” the spotted blue crab said.
“Oh, I think it was yesterday, June,” another crab chimed in.
“No, it wasn’t! I know the days,” the spotted blue crab replied, looking a little hurt.
“What are they saying?!” Skystar asked, almost bubbling over.
“Let’s get the information and move on!” Salt Air begged.
Fluttershy sighed. “They’re arguing about when they saw Cerulean pass by. I’m going to see if anycrab else knows something.” One group was now discussing Sand Dragons and how old they actually were. Two crabs thought it was two thousand moons ago, while others thought it was two moons ago. Fluttershy didn’t bother correcting them. Clearly, crabs had a very different sense of time than Seaponies. But Salt Air was growing impatient.
“Excuse me?” Fluttershy said, swimming toward a quieter group. They were saying something about the current weather. “You have quite a beautiful valley here. I was hoping you could just point us in the direction of the Sand Dragons’ burrows,” Fluttershy prodded. “Is it nearby?”
A crab’s beady eyes darted around to his friends. He was neon yellow, with a red racing stripe across his back. He paused, as if considering whether she was worth helping, then he pointed across the valley with his biggest claw. “If you just go straight, you’ll get to a tunnel. Go through it and out the other side, then you’ll be there. I think that’s where they are. But it’s just a theory. Just watch out for the oogle worms.”
“Oogle worms?” Fluttershy repeated for clarification. “Why should I watch out?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” another crab called out, then giggled as if he knew a big secret and wasn’t telling.
Fluttershy smiled. She glanced over her shoulder at the other Seaponies, who were all gathered together, looking nervous as they watched the crabs. Coral Rose almost got her tail pinched!
“Thanks so much,” Fluttershy said, giving the crabs a little bow. Then she called out to the guards. “I have another clue! Follow me!”
She swam across the valley, over packs of chatty crabs, to where the yellow crab had pointed. The guards followed close behind, but Salt Air kept going out in front of her. It was clear she wanted to lead.
Within minutes Fluttershy spotted the tunnel entrance. It was a dark cavern in the sand. “That’s it!” she said, turning to the others. “He said we just have to watch out for the oogle worms….”
“Oogle worms?” Coral Rose asked. Fluttershy just shrugged. She didn’t know what they were, either.
“I’ll take the lead,” Salt Air called out, charging into the tunnel. “Be ready in case the beast appears!” She had her spear and shell shield raised, ready to fight. Now that they were close to the supposed Sand Dragons’ territory, she seemed even more determined. Fluttershy was nervous again, thinking of what the Seapony might do once the group got there.
Fluttershy, Skystar, and Coral Rose all swam into the tunnel behind Salt Air. The rest of the guards trailed after them. It was completely dark. They hadn’t gotten more than a few tailspans inside and already Fluttershy couldn’t see a thing.
“I’m here,” Salt Air’s voice was echoing up ahead. “Just keep swimming through.”
Fluttershy felt a warm fin on her shoulder.
“I’ve got you,” Skystar whispered to her. “Don’t you worry!”
Fluttershy smiled, thinking of her friend beside her. Maybe it was dark, but if they stuck together they’d make it out okay. There was nothing to be afraid of.
They kept going, swimming as far and as fast as they could. Finally, they saw the end of the tunnel. Fluttershy could just make out Salt Air up ahead. She swam out of the tunnel first, then Fluttershy followed her. She was about to cheer when she realized something had gone awry. Salt Air was waving her fins and spinning around and around in circles.
“What are they?!” she called out. “Ooo…. grrr….”
Three short, fat worms were coiled around her forelegs. They were black with bright-green polka dots and tiny, strange faces. They slunk across her shoulders, getting closer to her helmet.
Fluttershy reached up and touched her own shoulder, feeling an oogle worm there. What she’d thought were Skystar’s fins had actually been worms—two of them.
She swam in quick circles, trying to get them off, but they clung to her. She had to dive into the sand to get rid of them.
When she finally emerged, all the Seaponies were frantically trying to get rid of their own oogle worms. Salt Air yanked off her helmet and pulled one out of it. Coral Rose was unraveling one that had curled around her neck. It took a few minutes, and some of the guards had to dive into the sand, but soon all the oogle worms were off them. The black-and-green creatures slunk back into the tunnel. Fluttershy swore one stuck out its tongue at her as it went, but maybe she was imagining things.
“That was revolting!” Skystar yelled. “But kinda fun in a weird way?!” She was brushing at her forelegs and tail, as if the worms were still there. A group of the Seaponies was still swimming in circles, grunting and groaning. “That must be why they call them oogle worms—that’s the sound everypony makes when they’re trying to get them off.”
“It was on my neck!” a big, beefy Seapony whined. He shivered, as if he could still feel it there. “Grrrr….” he cried.
Fluttershy looked above them, noticing where they were. Suddenly she didn’t care about the tunnel or the chatty crabs or the oogle worm slime left on her shoulder. “Look!” Fluttershy cried out, pointing up at something she never thought she’d actually see. It was a real, gigantic Sand Dragon! It was instantly recognizable by its massive size, majestic fins, and grainy, sand-hued camouflage hide. Strangely enough, Fluttershy wasn’t scared of it. The creature didn’t seem dangerous at all. It looked gentle and somehow sad.
But Salt Air didn’t notice any of that. All she saw was a monster.
“In formation!” Salt Air called out. The guards formed a triangle behind her, their spears pointed out. They swam forward, moving between the kelp.
“No, wait!” Fluttershy was right behind them with Skystar and Coral Rose. Glitterfish darted through the kelp, turning this way and that. Was Salt Air about to make everything worse?
“I am not afraid of Sand Dragons. I am not afraid of Sand Dragons…” Coral Rose whispered to herself as they got closer, her eyes squeezed shut.
Fluttershy swam as fast as she could to the front of the group. She held up her fin to stop them.
“Please,” she said to Salt Air. “Let me talk to him first.”
“You want to face a Sand Dragon alone?” Salt Air asked, glancing over her shoulder. “Have you been drinking seawater?”
“I know it sounds crazy,” Fluttershy said. “But you have to give me the chance.”
“A chance to make friends with”—Salt Air narrowed her eyes—“an ancient monster who wants to eat Seaponies?”
“A chance to get to Cerulean peacefully,” Fluttershy said, “without raising a spear against an innocent creature.”
Salt Air turned back to the other Seaponies. She tilted her head to the side as she considered it. Salt Air looked to Skystar. “And you’re okay with this plan, Princess?” she asked.
“Absolutely!” Skystar said without hesitation. “I trust Fluttershy. She knows more about creatures than anypony in Equestria!” The princess gave her friend a hopeful look. “I don’t see why it should be any different with a Sand Dragon. I mean, the filly can talk to crabs!”
“We will try it your way first,” Salt Air conceded, and motioned to her guards to retreat. She called out to Fluttershy. “But we will be right here, hiding in the forest. Just yell if you are in danger. We’ll be ready.”
The rest of the Seaponies nodded. Fluttershy turned back to the burrow and slowly swam out of the kelp forest toward the target. The Sand Dragon spotted her instantly. Suddenly, he didn’t look so cute or sad anymore. He stalked forward, baring his horrible fangs.
“Is it finally time to eat?!” the Sand Dragon called out with a roar. His nostrils flared.
Fluttershy swallowed hard. I am not afraid of Sand Dragons, she thought. But as she stared up at the hideous creature, she realized how little she actually knew about this massive, mythical ocean beast. What had she gotten herself into?