第三章
第 3 章
4 年前
546天星公主叫道：“这可是加了个海藻酱还有海藻屑的海藻冰淇淋噢！”她边说边递给小蝶装满绿色的一大杯，小蝶犹豫了一下，然后把上面的翻盖小勺掏了进来，挖了一大勺放嘴里。虽然听起来名字怪怪的，但确实很美味。
小蝶喃喃道：“嗯———”她边看了看周围其它正在享受海藻大餐的海马们。“这个地方叫什么？”
“海藻专柜！”天星边说边指了指那大大的菜单。“他们也会卖海藻三明治还有海藻煎饼，但软菜才是我的最爱！我很高兴能和你一起享受这些，小蝶！”
“我也很高兴。”小蝶点点头回应道。天星已经玩得这么开心了，让她感觉非常棒。吃完饭后，两个朋友一起游过了广场。无论往哪看，小蝶都能看到一些有趣的景象。这边有一个工艺品小集市，在出售着海玻璃沙球还有其它一些稀奇古怪的物品，在那边有一个散落着食品推车的区域正在被一小群蓝色蟹类生物侵占着，他们全都争先恐后地挤到一辆卖海藻玉米饼的小推车前，小蝶轻轻推了推天星并指了那些小生物问道：“那些小家伙是什么？”
“布里蟹，”天星厌恶地嘟了嘟嘴。“他们通常只会在海马国以外的海域，但不知为何，我们最近…老会见到越来越多的他们出现在这了…”
“他们或许是被那些美味食物吸引来的噢！”小蝶打算开个玩笑放松一下她们的心情。很明显天星是把那些布里蟹当成害虫了，小蝶心想着：他们长得挺滑稽，但还是挺可爱的。
“喔！”天星喊了起来，拉着小蝶的前蹄到广场中央。“这是我最喜欢的！”一对章鱼在喷泉旁跳着霹雳舞，它们的八条触手朝四面八方挥来挥去，其中一只抓着一根灯杆转了三圈，然后就被吸到了海星精品店的一边，他绕着他的伙伴头上转了转，又用触手拉了回去。
有一小群海马们都围过来看，当他们似乎有点心不在焉，他们一直在靠在一起聊着天，然后转身没再继续看表演。小蝶并不想有意偷听，但她正好浮在两位海马的旁边，他们在音乐中声音大得都试图让对方听见自己在说啥。
“你觉得这是真的吗？”那匹紫红色翅膀的粉红色海马问道，她的声音带有一些忧虑。“金鳍在上周看到的那些？”
“谁知道呢？我一直以为那些讨厌的生物是不存在的！”她的朋友回答着，看上去有点害怕。“但如果——如果他们真的会那么做呢？那我们都要完蛋了！”小蝶看了看天星公主，想知道她有没有听到刚刚那些海马们的谈话。他们说的那些讨厌的生物是什么？是在说那些布里蟹吗？然而天星公主现在随着音乐起舞着，她边扭动自己的身体，边旋转大笑着。“这些表演简直太棒了！”她用颤音叫道：“通常我妈会让我出城堡玩，你懂的，只要我能被监视着就行。”天星轻轻地叹了口气，翻了翻白眼。“让我尾鳍老难受了，对吧？”
天星指了指不远处两个明显是被派来跟踪公主还有她的宾客的年轻卫兵，他们可要比其他看表演的海马们更心不在焉。有时候小蝶一转身就看到他们在那互相接球玩，小蝶记得上次她们来这的时候的卫兵可多了，是发生什么新鲜事了吗？
“你每次都要带他们一起，对吗？”小蝶边问回头看了看那两个卫兵，原来他们来回抛的球是个海螺壳。
“是啊，真的挺烦的，对吧？”天星叹了口气。“我妈最近的保护欲有点太强了，但如果我们游快点的话，就能甩掉他们了！”
“呃，我不太确定…”小蝶皱了皱眉头，“我可不想再去惹怒女王了。”自上次那件事发生后，她就觉得小马国跟海马国的关系算是陷入了困境。
“别担心，”天星咯咯地笑了，“我只是开个玩笑，我们会好好遵守规矩的…在这一次。哇哦！看那！”她们的注意力又转回到了节目上。章鱼们互相配合地跳了起来，互相挽着触手，一起摇摆了起来。天星开心地鼓了鼓鳍，把一大袋沙钱扔进了前面的捐赠桶里。马群里已经有几匹海马们正看向了公主，他们显然是已经认出了她。
当舞蹈全都结束后，天星叫了起来：“太棒了！”
小蝶也点点头赞同道：“我们现在去咏叹调剧场吗？”
天星回道：“好主意！其实，我们现在去正好可以赶上午后场，如果我们能再快点，我们甚至还可以去小商店买一些海藻爆米花！”
小蝶回道：“噢呃，嗯！”她假装表现自己很兴奋。如果她再吃海藻的话，脸都变绿了。尽管如此，为了观看这场热闹的表演，再吃些海洋里的海藻也是值得的。“我听说海星们会唱出最美妙的歌声！”
“只要你能等到和声部分，”天星笑着道：“那绝对会让你大开眼界！”
当她们在这拥挤的圆形剧场中穿行时（后面还有两个卫兵继续跟着），这让小蝶不禁感到浑身有点不自在。似乎这里所有海马们的目光都看向了她们，可能是因为她是和一位公主在一起，但她的朋友暮暮可是小马国的公主，所以她已经习惯跟朋友们在一起经常受到大家目光注视的感觉，但不知为何，这次的感觉却不一样了，这是她的想象吗？
她还是把一切都抛到脑后，试着去好好欣赏那些精彩的表演。当最后一首歌时一只巨大的、弯弯的海星出现在舞台中央时，让小蝶几乎忘记了这种奇怪的感觉。她戴着一条毛茸茸的海带围巾和一件闪闪发光的牡蛎壳做成的蓝色长袍。她画的那个乌贼墨眼线让她看起来更加美丽，让小蝶不禁想起了瑞瑞。现在小蝶还必须要记清现在的一切表演这样她回去后才能好好跟瑞瑞描述。
她大声唱着：“感受内心节奏，下弯腰，拿起你的鳍，跳海洋之舞，随节拍扭动，快又慢！”伸出两条触手拍着节拍，灯光照到舞台上，照亮了三位伴唱的河豚歌手。
“跳海洋之舞，快又慢…”三位河豚一起跟着合唱起来。“噢噢噢…啊啊噢噢…”中间的河豚一直用它的鳍推着另外两条河豚，显然是想帮他们游到前面更远处，她转向一边，让光线能捕捉到她最好的角度。
天星公主和小蝶都跟着节奏上下摆动起来，最后但三条鱼儿围着海星游来游去，鳞片变得闪闪发光时，天星激动地叫了起来。演出结束后，两马出了剧院，直接鱼贯而出地加入到海马们的马群里。天星激动道：“没有什么要比动情的海星之歌还要棒的啦！”
“没错！”小蝶也赞同道：“整个场地都舞了起来！倒数第二首歌我也挺喜欢的。”
天星笑了，她回忆了舞台上游来游去，随着音乐一起舞动着的海星合唱团，他们都穿着令马难以置信的绿色还有蓝色海带的蟒蛇状服装，还戴着那些晃来晃去的贝壳耳环（当然天星是非常欣赏那些耳环的）。
当她们游出剧院后，看到有一位长着霓虹绿鳍的老海马朝她们游了过来。他戴着顶贝壳头饰，看起来相当高贵。“天星公主。”他微微鞠了一躬。“我很高兴还能在城堡的围墙外见到你！”
“也很开心见到你，阿斯顿爵士。”天星微笑地回应道。“这位是我的好朋友小蝶。”
阿斯顿爵士笑了看了看小蝶道：“见到你很荣幸。”他回过头来看了看天星，眉头紧锁起来。“你亲爱的母亲还好吗？现在海马国到处都在传言，说有位海马看到了一条——”阿斯顿爵士眼睛谨慎地瞟了瞟四周，他放低声音继续说道：“——沙龙，这是真的吗？如果情况属实的话，那就有点麻烦了。我不知道她能不能——”
“嘘！不要轻易相信你听到的一切！”天星低声道：“不过，无论咋样，我们真的需要往回游了，实际上我们现在就在回城堡的路上。”
“请代我向女王陛下问好。” 阿斯顿爵士再次鞠躬，“我虽然退休了，但如果有需要，我会一直愿意前来提供帮助。”说完他就游走了。
“他曾经是我妈的顾问，”天星向小蝶解释道：“我想他可能是觉得无聊了，我每次见到他时他总是想打听一些海马国最高机密的八卦。”
“这也解释了我在广场那听到的！”小蝶点点头。“一些海马们就在谈论沙龙，但我想应该只是谣言吧。”
“嗯…也不算完全是。”天星看了看四周，好像在担心有小马会听到他们声音，卫兵们至少离她们后面有十个鱼鳍远。“在这片海洋中，有一个‘沙龙’巨兽的传说，据说它们生活在数百个月前被海底沙子掩埋的深处，如果它们被吵醒，就会非常生气，没有任何马见过…直到上个星期前。”
小蝶的眼睛睁得大大地问道：“发生什么了？”
“一名卫兵在巡逻海马国邻近的海域地区时，发现自己竟然来到了布里蟹的海域里，他听到了一种奇怪的声音。” 天星解释道：“当他去调查时，他看到了一个巨大的、长着獠牙的生物刚从沙子里钻了出来！当他急匆匆赶回城堡汇报的时候，他满脸都是震惊，说那生物看起来就像能一尾巴甩就能把整栋建筑砸得粉碎似的！”
小蝶道：“这听起来确实很可怕。”她之前虽然也面对过小马镇那边的巨龙，但这沙龙听起来有点吓马又神秘。
“别担心！我妈肯定会有个计划，”天星向她的朋友保证道：“这总有一些根本不是沙龙的可能性，也许这只是一些灯光的小把戏，你知道吗？在我们海马国外面的海域可是非常得黑噢！”
小蝶回应道：“嗯——没错——”她还记得她和她的朋友第一次来到海底的时候可是一片漆黑，最后还是天星用她自己的光芒拯救了她们。
但现在，天星只是在继续往前游，好像刚刚告诉小蝶的那些不是什么重要事，但一切都似乎开始说得通了。这个海域给海马们带来的感觉不一样正因为她本身就是不一样，所有马都很紧张。在这里海底伸出的某个地方，可能就潜伏着一只愤怒的大沙龙，谁会不怕一只长着獠牙的远古巨兽啊？
在回城堡路上的大部分时间，她们都很安静，除了天星中途停下来指给她看了看新开的咖啡馆，或是她最喜欢搜集贝壳的地方。她甚至还在继续出发前给小蝶指了指明天会带她去的那个暗礁，可以让她们看到更多五彩斑斓的珊瑚还有闪光鱼儿。小蝶跟着她的朋友走着，思绪却一直停在沙龙身上。诺沃女王真的有办法解决吗？还是天星她有点太乐观了？
英文版：
Seaweed ice cream with seaweed sauce and seaweed sprinkles on top!”Princess Skystar exclaimed, passing Fluttershy a cup full of green stuff. Fluttershy hesitated, then dug in her clamshell spoon and took a huge bite. It might’ve sounded weird, but it was delicious.
“Yummmm...”’ Fluttershy said. She glanced around at the other Seaponies enjoying their seaweed treats. “What’s this place called?”
“The Seaweed Shoppe!” Skystar offered. She gestured to the massive menu. “They have seaweed sandwiches and seaweed pancakes, too, but the soft serve is my favorite! I’m so glad I get to share all this with you, Fluttershy!”
“Me too.” Fluttershy nodded in return. It made her feel good that Skystar was having so much fun already. After their snack, the two friends swam through the village square. Everywhere she looked, Fluttershy was greeted with interesting sights and sounds. There was a craft fair selling sea-glass maracas and other fanciful items. Nearby, an area littered with food carts was being overrun by a small group of blue crablike creatures. They scrambled over one another to get to a cart selling fried seaweed tacos. Fluttershy gave Skystar a nudge and pointed to the critters. “What are those little guys?”
“Beezlebugs.” Skystar scrunched up her muzzle in distaste. “They usually stay in the fields outside the kingdom, but for some reason we’ve been seeing more and more of them around....”
“Seems as if they came for the delicious food!” Fluttershy joked to lighten the mood. Clearly, Skystar saw the Beezlebugs as little pests. They were a little funny-looking, Fluttershy thought, but still cute in their own buggy way.
“Ooooh!” Skystar shouted, grabbing Fluttershy’s foreleg and dragging her over to the center of the square. “This is my favorite!” A pair of octopuses were break-dancing by the fountain, their eight arms flying out in different directions. One grabbed a light pole and swung around three times, then suctioned onto the side of the Starfish Boutique. He let his partner spin on his head awhile before jumping back in.
A small crowd of Seaponies had gathered around to watch, but they seemed distracted. They kept leaning into one another and talking, then turning away from the performance. Fluttershy didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she was floating right next to a pair of Seaponies who were speaking loudly to hear each other over the music.
“Do you think it’s true?” a pink Seapony with bright-fuchsia wings asked. There was worry in her voice. “What Golden Fin saw last week?”
“Who knows? I always thought those nasty creatures didn’t exist!” her friend replied, looking a bit frightened. ““But what if—what if they actually do? We’d all be doomed!”Fluttershy turned to Princess Skystar, wondering if she’d heard what they were saying. What were nasty creatures? Were they talking about Beezlebugs? But Skystar was dancing along to the music. She shimmied around, twirling and laughing. “Aren’t these performers terrific?!” she trilled. “Sometimes my mom lets me come out here to watch. You know, as long as I’m being watched.” Skystar gave a little sigh and rolled her eyes. “Such a pain in the tail fin, right?”
Skystar pointed to the two young guards who had been assigned to trail the princess and her guest everywhere they went. They weren’t half as serious as the others, and sometimes when Fluttershy turned around, she caught them goofing around with each other. Fluttershy didn’t remember so many guards from her last visit. Was this something new?
“Do you have to bring them?” Fluttershy asked. She glanced over her shoulder at the two Seaponies. Now they were tossing a conch shell back and forth.
“Yeah, it’s a real drag, huh?” Skystar sighed. “But my mom has been really overprotective lately. Maybe if we swim quickly, we can ditch them!”
“Oh, I don’t know...” Fluttershy frowned. “I wouldn’t want to upset the queen again.” After the last time, she felt she was navigating some murky waters regarding pony—Seapony relations.
“Don’t worry.” Skystar giggled. “I’m only kidding. We’ Il follow the rules...this time. Whoa! Look at that!” They turned their attention back to the show. The octopuses jumped and joined their arms, swinging each other around. Skystar clapped her fins together in delight and tossed a big pouch of sand dollars into their donation bucket. A few of the Seaponies in the crowd were staring at the princess. They’d obviously recognized her.
“Fantastic!” Skystar proclaimed once the dance had ended.
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Should we go to The Aria now?”
“Great idea! Actually, we’re just in time for the matinee. If we hurry, we can even grab some seaweed popcorn at the concessions stand!” Skystar exclaimed.
“Oh! Yum, yum,” said Fluttershy, feigning excitement. If she ate any more seaweed, she was going to turn green. Still, it would be worth all the seaweed in the ocean to see the buzzed-about show. “I’ve heard starfish have the most beautiful singing voices!”
“Just wait until you hear the harmonies,” Skystar said, smiling. “Totally unreal!”
As they wove through the crowded amphitheater (with the two guards in tow), Fluttershy couldn’t help feeling a bit self-conscious. It seemed as if everypony was still watching them. It could have been because she was with a princess. But Twilight Sparkle was a princess back in Equestria, so she was used to stares whenever they were together. This felt different, somehow. Was she imagining it?
She pushed it out of her mind and tried to enjoy the magnificent performances. Fluttershy had almost forgotten the strange feeling by the time a huge, curvy starfish took center stage for the final song. She wore a fluffy kelp boa and a long blue gown made of shimmering oyster shells. Her squid-ink eyeliner made her look glamorous, which reminded her of Rarity. Fluttershy would have to remember the style so she could report back to her.
“Feel the rhythm of the deep, down below, pick up your fins and do the ocean mambo, twist to the beat, fast and slow!” she belted out, bringing up two of her arms to clap out the rhythm. A light shone down on the stage, revealing three puffer fish backup singers.
“Do the ocean mambo, fast and slow...” the three fish sang. “Ohhh ahhhh ohhhh...” The fish in the center kept pushing the other two with her fins, obviously trying to get farther out front. She turned to the side, letting the light capture her best angle.
Princess Skystar and Fluttershy bobbed along to the beat. Skystar shrieked at the finale, when the three fish swam laps around the starfish, their scales glittering. When it was over, the two filed out of the theater, caught in the crowd of elated Seaponies. “There’s nothing like a soulful starfish song,” Skystar said, beaming.
“It was wonderful!” Fluttershy agreed. “The whole place was dancing! I loved the second- to-last song, too.”
Skystar smiled, remembering the choir of starfish parading around onstage, singing different parts and clapping their arms together to the music. They’d worn incredible costumes of green and blue kelp boas with dangly shell earrings (of course Skystar had admired the earrings).
As they were swimming out, an older Seapony with neon-green fins came over to them. He wore a shell headpiece that looked rather regal. “Princess Skystar,” he said, giving her a little bow. “It’s so nice to see you here, outside the walls of the castle!”
“And you, Sir Aston,” Skystar replied with a friendly smile. “Sir Aston, this is my good friend Fluttershy.”
“What a pleasure,” Sir Aston said with a smile. He turned back to Skystar, his brows furrowed together. “How is your dear mother doing? There were rumblings around town about a Seapony spotting a”—-Sir Aston’s eyes began to dart around in caution; he lowered his voice and finished his sentence—‘“‘a Sand Dragon. Is it true? Very troublesome, if so. I wonder what she’s—”
“Psht! Don’t believe everything you hear!” Skystar chirped, not skipping a beat. “But anyway, we’ve really got to swim. We’re heading back to the castle now, actually.”
“Please give Her Majesty my regards.” Sir Aston bowed again. “I may be retired, but I’m always here to offer assistance, if need be.” Sir Aston swam off.
“He used to be my mom’s adviser,” Skystar explained to Fluttershy. “I think he’s bored or something. Whenever I see him, he’s always trying to rustle up some gossip about top-secret Seaquestrian state business.”
“So that explains what I heard in the village square!” Fluttershy nodded. “Some Seaponies were talking about Sand Dragons. But I guess it’s just a rumor.”
“Well... not exactly.” Princess Skystar glanced around, as if she was worried somepony might hear them. The guards were swimming at least ten tail fins back.“Down here in the water, there’s a legend about great beasts called ‘Sand Dragons.’Supposedly, they lived deep in the sands of the ocean floor hundreds of moons ago. If they are woken before it’s time, they get very angry. Nopony has ever seen one.... Until last week.”
“What happened?” Fluttershy asked, eyes growing wide.
“One of the guards was exploring the surrounding areas of the kingdom when he found himself in a Beezlebug field. He heard a strange noise,” Skystar explained. “When he went to investigate, he saw a giant creature with huge fangs coming right out of the sand! He was quite shaken when he reported back to the castle. He said the creature looked as if it could smash a whole building with just a flick of its tail!”
“That sounds scary,” Fluttershy said. She’d dealt with her share of Dragons before, but the Sand Dragons sounded really intimidating. And mysterious.
“Don’t worry! I’m sure my mom’s got a plan,” Skystar assured her friend. “There’s always the chance that it wasn’t even a Sand Dragon. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, you know? The ocean can be very dark outside our kingdom.”
“Mmmm hmmm,” Fluttershy replied. She remembered that it had been pitch-black the first time she and her friends had found themselves below the surface. Skystar had rescued them by shining her light.
But now, Skystar just kept swimming, as if what she’d just told Fluttershy weren’t a big deal. But everything was starting to make sense. The village felt different because it was different. Everypony was on edge. Somewhere, out lurking in the deep, there could be a big, angry Sand Dragon. Who wouldn’t be afraid of an ancient giant, fanged beast?
Most of the trip home they were quiet, except for when Skystar stopped to point out a new café or her favorite place to collect shells. She even pointed out the reef that she was planning to take Fluttershy to tomorrow morning, before she left. They could look at all the colorful coral and glitterfish. Fluttershy followed behind her friend, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the Sand Dragon. Would Queen Novo really be able to fix everything? Or was Skystar being too optimistic?
小蝶喃喃道：“嗯———”她边看了看周围其它正在享受海藻大餐的海马们。“这个地方叫什么？”
“海藻专柜！”天星边说边指了指那大大的菜单。“他们也会卖海藻三明治还有海藻煎饼，但软菜才是我的最爱！我很高兴能和你一起享受这些，小蝶！”
“我也很高兴。”小蝶点点头回应道。天星已经玩得这么开心了，让她感觉非常棒。吃完饭后，两个朋友一起游过了广场。无论往哪看，小蝶都能看到一些有趣的景象。这边有一个工艺品小集市，在出售着海玻璃沙球还有其它一些稀奇古怪的物品，在那边有一个散落着食品推车的区域正在被一小群蓝色蟹类生物侵占着，他们全都争先恐后地挤到一辆卖海藻玉米饼的小推车前，小蝶轻轻推了推天星并指了那些小生物问道：“那些小家伙是什么？”
“布里蟹，”天星厌恶地嘟了嘟嘴。“他们通常只会在海马国以外的海域，但不知为何，我们最近…老会见到越来越多的他们出现在这了…”
“他们或许是被那些美味食物吸引来的噢！”小蝶打算开个玩笑放松一下她们的心情。很明显天星是把那些布里蟹当成害虫了，小蝶心想着：他们长得挺滑稽，但还是挺可爱的。
“喔！”天星喊了起来，拉着小蝶的前蹄到广场中央。“这是我最喜欢的！”一对章鱼在喷泉旁跳着霹雳舞，它们的八条触手朝四面八方挥来挥去，其中一只抓着一根灯杆转了三圈，然后就被吸到了海星精品店的一边，他绕着他的伙伴头上转了转，又用触手拉了回去。
有一小群海马们都围过来看，当他们似乎有点心不在焉，他们一直在靠在一起聊着天，然后转身没再继续看表演。小蝶并不想有意偷听，但她正好浮在两位海马的旁边，他们在音乐中声音大得都试图让对方听见自己在说啥。
“你觉得这是真的吗？”那匹紫红色翅膀的粉红色海马问道，她的声音带有一些忧虑。“金鳍在上周看到的那些？”
“谁知道呢？我一直以为那些讨厌的生物是不存在的！”她的朋友回答着，看上去有点害怕。“但如果——如果他们真的会那么做呢？那我们都要完蛋了！”小蝶看了看天星公主，想知道她有没有听到刚刚那些海马们的谈话。他们说的那些讨厌的生物是什么？是在说那些布里蟹吗？然而天星公主现在随着音乐起舞着，她边扭动自己的身体，边旋转大笑着。“这些表演简直太棒了！”她用颤音叫道：“通常我妈会让我出城堡玩，你懂的，只要我能被监视着就行。”天星轻轻地叹了口气，翻了翻白眼。“让我尾鳍老难受了，对吧？”
（看来大电影最后说的那禁足是被禁止出海马国了
）
）天星指了指不远处两个明显是被派来跟踪公主还有她的宾客的年轻卫兵，他们可要比其他看表演的海马们更心不在焉。有时候小蝶一转身就看到他们在那互相接球玩，小蝶记得上次她们来这的时候的卫兵可多了，是发生什么新鲜事了吗？
“你每次都要带他们一起，对吗？”小蝶边问回头看了看那两个卫兵，原来他们来回抛的球是个海螺壳。
“是啊，真的挺烦的，对吧？”天星叹了口气。“我妈最近的保护欲有点太强了，但如果我们游快点的话，就能甩掉他们了！”
“呃，我不太确定…”小蝶皱了皱眉头，“我可不想再去惹怒女王了。”自上次那件事发生后，她就觉得小马国跟海马国的关系算是陷入了困境。
“别担心，”天星咯咯地笑了，“我只是开个玩笑，我们会好好遵守规矩的…在这一次。哇哦！看那！”她们的注意力又转回到了节目上。章鱼们互相配合地跳了起来，互相挽着触手，一起摇摆了起来。天星开心地鼓了鼓鳍，把一大袋沙钱扔进了前面的捐赠桶里。马群里已经有几匹海马们正看向了公主，他们显然是已经认出了她。
当舞蹈全都结束后，天星叫了起来：“太棒了！”
小蝶也点点头赞同道：“我们现在去咏叹调剧场吗？”
天星回道：“好主意！其实，我们现在去正好可以赶上午后场，如果我们能再快点，我们甚至还可以去小商店买一些海藻爆米花！”
小蝶回道：“噢呃，嗯！”她假装表现自己很兴奋。如果她再吃海藻的话，脸都变绿了。尽管如此，为了观看这场热闹的表演，再吃些海洋里的海藻也是值得的。“我听说海星们会唱出最美妙的歌声！”
“只要你能等到和声部分，”天星笑着道：“那绝对会让你大开眼界！”
当她们在这拥挤的圆形剧场中穿行时（后面还有两个卫兵继续跟着），这让小蝶不禁感到浑身有点不自在。似乎这里所有海马们的目光都看向了她们，可能是因为她是和一位公主在一起，但她的朋友暮暮可是小马国的公主，所以她已经习惯跟朋友们在一起经常受到大家目光注视的感觉，但不知为何，这次的感觉却不一样了，这是她的想象吗？
她还是把一切都抛到脑后，试着去好好欣赏那些精彩的表演。当最后一首歌时一只巨大的、弯弯的海星出现在舞台中央时，让小蝶几乎忘记了这种奇怪的感觉。她戴着一条毛茸茸的海带围巾和一件闪闪发光的牡蛎壳做成的蓝色长袍。她画的那个乌贼墨眼线让她看起来更加美丽，让小蝶不禁想起了瑞瑞。现在小蝶还必须要记清现在的一切表演这样她回去后才能好好跟瑞瑞描述。
她大声唱着：“感受内心节奏，下弯腰，拿起你的鳍，跳海洋之舞，随节拍扭动，快又慢！”伸出两条触手拍着节拍，灯光照到舞台上，照亮了三位伴唱的河豚歌手。
“跳海洋之舞，快又慢…”三位河豚一起跟着合唱起来。“噢噢噢…啊啊噢噢…”中间的河豚一直用它的鳍推着另外两条河豚，显然是想帮他们游到前面更远处，她转向一边，让光线能捕捉到她最好的角度。
天星公主和小蝶都跟着节奏上下摆动起来，最后但三条鱼儿围着海星游来游去，鳞片变得闪闪发光时，天星激动地叫了起来。演出结束后，两马出了剧院，直接鱼贯而出地加入到海马们的马群里。天星激动道：“没有什么要比动情的海星之歌还要棒的啦！”
“没错！”小蝶也赞同道：“整个场地都舞了起来！倒数第二首歌我也挺喜欢的。”
天星笑了，她回忆了舞台上游来游去，随着音乐一起舞动着的海星合唱团，他们都穿着令马难以置信的绿色还有蓝色海带的蟒蛇状服装，还戴着那些晃来晃去的贝壳耳环（当然天星是非常欣赏那些耳环的）。
当她们游出剧院后，看到有一位长着霓虹绿鳍的老海马朝她们游了过来。他戴着顶贝壳头饰，看起来相当高贵。“天星公主。”他微微鞠了一躬。“我很高兴还能在城堡的围墙外见到你！”
“也很开心见到你，阿斯顿爵士。”天星微笑地回应道。“这位是我的好朋友小蝶。”
阿斯顿爵士笑了看了看小蝶道：“见到你很荣幸。”他回过头来看了看天星，眉头紧锁起来。“你亲爱的母亲还好吗？现在海马国到处都在传言，说有位海马看到了一条——”阿斯顿爵士眼睛谨慎地瞟了瞟四周，他放低声音继续说道：“——沙龙，这是真的吗？如果情况属实的话，那就有点麻烦了。我不知道她能不能——”
“嘘！不要轻易相信你听到的一切！”天星低声道：“不过，无论咋样，我们真的需要往回游了，实际上我们现在就在回城堡的路上。”
“请代我向女王陛下问好。” 阿斯顿爵士再次鞠躬，“我虽然退休了，但如果有需要，我会一直愿意前来提供帮助。”说完他就游走了。
“他曾经是我妈的顾问，”天星向小蝶解释道：“我想他可能是觉得无聊了，我每次见到他时他总是想打听一些海马国最高机密的八卦。”
“这也解释了我在广场那听到的！”小蝶点点头。“一些海马们就在谈论沙龙，但我想应该只是谣言吧。”
“嗯…也不算完全是。”天星看了看四周，好像在担心有小马会听到他们声音，卫兵们至少离她们后面有十个鱼鳍远。“在这片海洋中，有一个‘沙龙’巨兽的传说，据说它们生活在数百个月前被海底沙子掩埋的深处，如果它们被吵醒，就会非常生气，没有任何马见过…直到上个星期前。”
小蝶的眼睛睁得大大地问道：“发生什么了？”
“一名卫兵在巡逻海马国邻近的海域地区时，发现自己竟然来到了布里蟹的海域里，他听到了一种奇怪的声音。” 天星解释道：“当他去调查时，他看到了一个巨大的、长着獠牙的生物刚从沙子里钻了出来！当他急匆匆赶回城堡汇报的时候，他满脸都是震惊，说那生物看起来就像能一尾巴甩就能把整栋建筑砸得粉碎似的！”
小蝶道：“这听起来确实很可怕。”她之前虽然也面对过小马镇那边的巨龙，但这沙龙听起来有点吓马又神秘。
“别担心！我妈肯定会有个计划，”天星向她的朋友保证道：“这总有一些根本不是沙龙的可能性，也许这只是一些灯光的小把戏，你知道吗？在我们海马国外面的海域可是非常得黑噢！”
小蝶回应道：“嗯——没错——”她还记得她和她的朋友第一次来到海底的时候可是一片漆黑，最后还是天星用她自己的光芒拯救了她们。
但现在，天星只是在继续往前游，好像刚刚告诉小蝶的那些不是什么重要事，但一切都似乎开始说得通了。这个海域给海马们带来的感觉不一样正因为她本身就是不一样，所有马都很紧张。在这里海底伸出的某个地方，可能就潜伏着一只愤怒的大沙龙，谁会不怕一只长着獠牙的远古巨兽啊？
在回城堡路上的大部分时间，她们都很安静，除了天星中途停下来指给她看了看新开的咖啡馆，或是她最喜欢搜集贝壳的地方。她甚至还在继续出发前给小蝶指了指明天会带她去的那个暗礁，可以让她们看到更多五彩斑斓的珊瑚还有闪光鱼儿。小蝶跟着她的朋友走着，思绪却一直停在沙龙身上。诺沃女王真的有办法解决吗？还是天星她有点太乐观了？
英文版：
Seaweed ice cream with seaweed sauce and seaweed sprinkles on top!”Princess Skystar exclaimed, passing Fluttershy a cup full of green stuff. Fluttershy hesitated, then dug in her clamshell spoon and took a huge bite. It might’ve sounded weird, but it was delicious.
“Yummmm...”’ Fluttershy said. She glanced around at the other Seaponies enjoying their seaweed treats. “What’s this place called?”
“The Seaweed Shoppe!” Skystar offered. She gestured to the massive menu. “They have seaweed sandwiches and seaweed pancakes, too, but the soft serve is my favorite! I’m so glad I get to share all this with you, Fluttershy!”
“Me too.” Fluttershy nodded in return. It made her feel good that Skystar was having so much fun already. After their snack, the two friends swam through the village square. Everywhere she looked, Fluttershy was greeted with interesting sights and sounds. There was a craft fair selling sea-glass maracas and other fanciful items. Nearby, an area littered with food carts was being overrun by a small group of blue crablike creatures. They scrambled over one another to get to a cart selling fried seaweed tacos. Fluttershy gave Skystar a nudge and pointed to the critters. “What are those little guys?”
“Beezlebugs.” Skystar scrunched up her muzzle in distaste. “They usually stay in the fields outside the kingdom, but for some reason we’ve been seeing more and more of them around....”
“Seems as if they came for the delicious food!” Fluttershy joked to lighten the mood. Clearly, Skystar saw the Beezlebugs as little pests. They were a little funny-looking, Fluttershy thought, but still cute in their own buggy way.
“Ooooh!” Skystar shouted, grabbing Fluttershy’s foreleg and dragging her over to the center of the square. “This is my favorite!” A pair of octopuses were break-dancing by the fountain, their eight arms flying out in different directions. One grabbed a light pole and swung around three times, then suctioned onto the side of the Starfish Boutique. He let his partner spin on his head awhile before jumping back in.
A small crowd of Seaponies had gathered around to watch, but they seemed distracted. They kept leaning into one another and talking, then turning away from the performance. Fluttershy didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she was floating right next to a pair of Seaponies who were speaking loudly to hear each other over the music.
“Do you think it’s true?” a pink Seapony with bright-fuchsia wings asked. There was worry in her voice. “What Golden Fin saw last week?”
“Who knows? I always thought those nasty creatures didn’t exist!” her friend replied, looking a bit frightened. ““But what if—what if they actually do? We’d all be doomed!”Fluttershy turned to Princess Skystar, wondering if she’d heard what they were saying. What were nasty creatures? Were they talking about Beezlebugs? But Skystar was dancing along to the music. She shimmied around, twirling and laughing. “Aren’t these performers terrific?!” she trilled. “Sometimes my mom lets me come out here to watch. You know, as long as I’m being watched.” Skystar gave a little sigh and rolled her eyes. “Such a pain in the tail fin, right?”
Skystar pointed to the two young guards who had been assigned to trail the princess and her guest everywhere they went. They weren’t half as serious as the others, and sometimes when Fluttershy turned around, she caught them goofing around with each other. Fluttershy didn’t remember so many guards from her last visit. Was this something new?
“Do you have to bring them?” Fluttershy asked. She glanced over her shoulder at the two Seaponies. Now they were tossing a conch shell back and forth.
“Yeah, it’s a real drag, huh?” Skystar sighed. “But my mom has been really overprotective lately. Maybe if we swim quickly, we can ditch them!”
“Oh, I don’t know...” Fluttershy frowned. “I wouldn’t want to upset the queen again.” After the last time, she felt she was navigating some murky waters regarding pony—Seapony relations.
“Don’t worry.” Skystar giggled. “I’m only kidding. We’ Il follow the rules...this time. Whoa! Look at that!” They turned their attention back to the show. The octopuses jumped and joined their arms, swinging each other around. Skystar clapped her fins together in delight and tossed a big pouch of sand dollars into their donation bucket. A few of the Seaponies in the crowd were staring at the princess. They’d obviously recognized her.
“Fantastic!” Skystar proclaimed once the dance had ended.
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Should we go to The Aria now?”
“Great idea! Actually, we’re just in time for the matinee. If we hurry, we can even grab some seaweed popcorn at the concessions stand!” Skystar exclaimed.
“Oh! Yum, yum,” said Fluttershy, feigning excitement. If she ate any more seaweed, she was going to turn green. Still, it would be worth all the seaweed in the ocean to see the buzzed-about show. “I’ve heard starfish have the most beautiful singing voices!”
“Just wait until you hear the harmonies,” Skystar said, smiling. “Totally unreal!”
As they wove through the crowded amphitheater (with the two guards in tow), Fluttershy couldn’t help feeling a bit self-conscious. It seemed as if everypony was still watching them. It could have been because she was with a princess. But Twilight Sparkle was a princess back in Equestria, so she was used to stares whenever they were together. This felt different, somehow. Was she imagining it?
She pushed it out of her mind and tried to enjoy the magnificent performances. Fluttershy had almost forgotten the strange feeling by the time a huge, curvy starfish took center stage for the final song. She wore a fluffy kelp boa and a long blue gown made of shimmering oyster shells. Her squid-ink eyeliner made her look glamorous, which reminded her of Rarity. Fluttershy would have to remember the style so she could report back to her.
“Feel the rhythm of the deep, down below, pick up your fins and do the ocean mambo, twist to the beat, fast and slow!” she belted out, bringing up two of her arms to clap out the rhythm. A light shone down on the stage, revealing three puffer fish backup singers.
“Do the ocean mambo, fast and slow...” the three fish sang. “Ohhh ahhhh ohhhh...” The fish in the center kept pushing the other two with her fins, obviously trying to get farther out front. She turned to the side, letting the light capture her best angle.
Princess Skystar and Fluttershy bobbed along to the beat. Skystar shrieked at the finale, when the three fish swam laps around the starfish, their scales glittering. When it was over, the two filed out of the theater, caught in the crowd of elated Seaponies. “There’s nothing like a soulful starfish song,” Skystar said, beaming.
“It was wonderful!” Fluttershy agreed. “The whole place was dancing! I loved the second- to-last song, too.”
Skystar smiled, remembering the choir of starfish parading around onstage, singing different parts and clapping their arms together to the music. They’d worn incredible costumes of green and blue kelp boas with dangly shell earrings (of course Skystar had admired the earrings).
As they were swimming out, an older Seapony with neon-green fins came over to them. He wore a shell headpiece that looked rather regal. “Princess Skystar,” he said, giving her a little bow. “It’s so nice to see you here, outside the walls of the castle!”
“And you, Sir Aston,” Skystar replied with a friendly smile. “Sir Aston, this is my good friend Fluttershy.”
“What a pleasure,” Sir Aston said with a smile. He turned back to Skystar, his brows furrowed together. “How is your dear mother doing? There were rumblings around town about a Seapony spotting a”—-Sir Aston’s eyes began to dart around in caution; he lowered his voice and finished his sentence—‘“‘a Sand Dragon. Is it true? Very troublesome, if so. I wonder what she’s—”
“Psht! Don’t believe everything you hear!” Skystar chirped, not skipping a beat. “But anyway, we’ve really got to swim. We’re heading back to the castle now, actually.”
“Please give Her Majesty my regards.” Sir Aston bowed again. “I may be retired, but I’m always here to offer assistance, if need be.” Sir Aston swam off.
“He used to be my mom’s adviser,” Skystar explained to Fluttershy. “I think he’s bored or something. Whenever I see him, he’s always trying to rustle up some gossip about top-secret Seaquestrian state business.”
“So that explains what I heard in the village square!” Fluttershy nodded. “Some Seaponies were talking about Sand Dragons. But I guess it’s just a rumor.”
“Well... not exactly.” Princess Skystar glanced around, as if she was worried somepony might hear them. The guards were swimming at least ten tail fins back.“Down here in the water, there’s a legend about great beasts called ‘Sand Dragons.’Supposedly, they lived deep in the sands of the ocean floor hundreds of moons ago. If they are woken before it’s time, they get very angry. Nopony has ever seen one.... Until last week.”
“What happened?” Fluttershy asked, eyes growing wide.
“One of the guards was exploring the surrounding areas of the kingdom when he found himself in a Beezlebug field. He heard a strange noise,” Skystar explained. “When he went to investigate, he saw a giant creature with huge fangs coming right out of the sand! He was quite shaken when he reported back to the castle. He said the creature looked as if it could smash a whole building with just a flick of its tail!”
“That sounds scary,” Fluttershy said. She’d dealt with her share of Dragons before, but the Sand Dragons sounded really intimidating. And mysterious.
“Don’t worry! I’m sure my mom’s got a plan,” Skystar assured her friend. “There’s always the chance that it wasn’t even a Sand Dragon. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, you know? The ocean can be very dark outside our kingdom.”
“Mmmm hmmm,” Fluttershy replied. She remembered that it had been pitch-black the first time she and her friends had found themselves below the surface. Skystar had rescued them by shining her light.
But now, Skystar just kept swimming, as if what she’d just told Fluttershy weren’t a big deal. But everything was starting to make sense. The village felt different because it was different. Everypony was on edge. Somewhere, out lurking in the deep, there could be a big, angry Sand Dragon. Who wouldn’t be afraid of an ancient giant, fanged beast?
Most of the trip home they were quiet, except for when Skystar stopped to point out a new café or her favorite place to collect shells. She even pointed out the reef that she was planning to take Fluttershy to tomorrow morning, before she left. They could look at all the colorful coral and glitterfish. Fluttershy followed behind her friend, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the Sand Dragon. Would Queen Novo really be able to fix everything? Or was Skystar being too optimistic?