第五章
第 8 章
4 年前
290小蝶问道：“这是我们唯一的地图吗？”她低头看了看摊开在桌上的卷轴，这是一张很详细的海马国地图，每条街道还有小巷都有标记。有标记咏叹调剧院，还有她之前和天星路过看过章鱼表演的广场。这里标有几十栋住宅楼，两个市场，还有海马国的顽岩海马学校（Shool for Stalwart Seaponies）。几乎每根灯柱和路标在地图上都有标记，但看向国度之外的那片区域，地图上几乎是一片空白。那里小蝶只听他们说过有两大片海带森林和布里蟹海域，其它的就没什么了。
“这是我们能得到的最详细的地图了。”海盐气空指了指海马国外那片海域的一个蓝色叉叉。“我们认为沙龙可能就在这，湛蓝跟我们说过她去那前会先去海带森林那边看看。”
“在这片低谷附近有一条隧道，我们知道在哪。”珊瑚玫瑰边说边指了指离海马国比较远的一个区域。“传说中沙龙会把自己深埋于沙土之下，也许这个隧道就是个古老的沙龙洞？这里可以作为一个很好的初始搜查点。”
小蝶深吸一口气，她知道要和沙龙这样的神秘生物谈判是很困难的，但她没想到要想去找到它也是一样的困难，沙龙有可能在任何地方，而他们现在要前往的海域，却只有一点点线索。
小蝶问道：“那布里蟹要怎么解释？”
“海马国的诞生没有多长时间，”海盐气空解释道：“沙龙已经在水下生活了几个世纪，而我们两个月前才从艾里斯峰来到海底，仍然有很多很多地方需要我们去探寻，我们对这个海底世界其它地方的了解并不多。”
“没有海马会离开海马国海域，因为我们不需要。”珊瑚玫瑰解释道：“但如果金鳍和湛蓝都能找到沙龙的巢穴，那我们肯定也能找到。”
就在这时，他们听到了城堡外面的喊叫嘈杂声，他们全都游到窗户这，望向下面城堡的大门。一大群布里蟹已经占领了整个广场，涌向了餐馆还有四面八方。海马们都厌恶地看着他们，默默地游到了一边。
小蝶问道：“他们来海马国做什么？”
天星回道：“这真是个好问题！”她指了指远处的海藻店，一些布里蟹已经开始聚集在那了。“也许他们还是想来吃东西的？”
海盐气空举起了她的珊瑚矛，那根矛是其他卫兵的矛的两倍，鱼钩状的尖端装饰着鱼的牙齿。“我们没有时间继续在这讨论这些琐事了！”她喊道：“我们现在必须要找回湛蓝——立刻去准备！”
海盐仅仅花了几秒钟就召集了所有的卫兵，她抓起一袋装满食物和补给的海藻袋甩到肩上。小蝶想告诉她要注意，如果广场上的海马们看到卫兵们都全副武装地匆忙离开，他们很可能会害怕，他们现在最不需要的引起大范围的恐慌，尤其是再加上布里蟹泛滥的情况下。
但海盐气空看起来并不像是在顾虑这些的样子，她从小蝶和天星身旁游过，径直游出了房间。
她喊道：“列队！”所有海马卫兵们都在她身后列成了一排。“今天我们将要保卫我们的海马国！”
海马卫兵们全都欢呼起来，然后海盐领着他们游过大厅，朝大门游去。大门一打开，一堆海马们全围了过来观看，小蝶能听到一旁的群众中流露出像波浪一样的窃窃私语声。卫兵们都要去哪？
当他们经过海马群时，有一位海马问道：“是要去对付沙龙吗？”
另一位海马喊道：“我们大家都会有危险吗？”
小蝶跟在卫兵们的后面，她一整天都没有这么紧张过，当大部队经过时，还有一些海马们从家里窗户那探出身子，举着他们的小海马看向这里，而其它海马们都站在街道两旁看着这里。海盐游在队列的最前面，面无表情并且态度坚决。
“各位请游到一边，”她边喊边把长矛举向空中。“这与你们无关！”
天星补充道：“祝你们一天愉快！”让这气氛听起来能友好一些。
当他们游向海马国以外海域时，小蝶看着建筑物外的那些水波，随着路灯柱越来越少，前方的海域逐渐变得漆黑，根本不可能看清。但她还是继续向前游着，跟在其他卫兵们的后面。
小蝶左右都看了看，她只能依稀辨认出在她前面的几个卫兵，她还听到不远处天星的声音：“小蝶！我在这里！快跟过来！”
唯一的问题是，她搞不清天星说的‘这里’是哪个地方，每当她向一个方向游，她都会注意到向相反方向游的海马卫兵。天星已经在她前面有一段时间了，现在小蝶根本搞不清她去哪了，漫天沙子和浮动的海草在她周围打转，根本分辨不清哪里是哪里。
小蝶向四周叫着：“海盐！珊瑚玫瑰！”她挥了挥自己的蹄子试图在水中找到一条出路。
“水晶潮！”另外一个海马的声音传了过来。“你在哪？这沙子让我什么都看不到！”
“全都跟紧点！”海盐的声音也传了过来，但这次似乎离小蝶更远了。
小蝶看了看四周，试图在黑暗中辨认声音的来源。现在她一个卫兵都看不到了，他们才刚刚出发不到一个小时，小蝶就已经在这海底沙尘暴中彻底迷失了方向。
然后再不远处的黑暗中，小蝶发现一道又长又明亮的橙色光芒，那光芒在水里游着S形，在她面前上下舞了舞。
“我来帮你！”一个陌生的声音朝她喊道：“顺着这道光往这边游，对，就是这样！让我们带你远离这沙尘暴！”
小蝶完全按照那声音说得做了，那道橙色光芒游出多远，小蝶也紧跟着它游了多远，它游的方向稍微往右偏了偏，小蝶也照做了。不到几分钟，小蝶就看到前面的几个卫兵了，周围的漫天沙子还有海藻几乎都不见了。
当她继续往前游的时候，水流也变得越来越清澈了，也能看到前面的海盐气空和天星了。当她靠近了那道光时，她发现那根本不是什么光，而是一种橙色鳗鱼，漂浮在一只有彩色条纹的海星身旁。
“大家都游出来没？”海盐看了看他们问道：“所有海马们都没事吧？”
其余的海马们都点点头，他们回头看了看，沙尘暴仍然在他们背后打转，那边的海水飞舞着漫天的沙子还有海草。
那只彩虹海星解释道：“那边的水流，你看到了吧——可是非常湍急的，一般生物会被困在里面好几天，这确实是个大难题，但没有什么是我不能解决的，先生们。自从我住在这里，这沙暴就一直在这肆虐。”
小蝶仔细看了看彩虹海星，他要比她在海马国那见到的大多数海星们都要矮，长着一双大眼睛，肚子圆圆胖胖，全身上下分布着从火红到深紫色的彩虹色条纹，就像云宝那样。
“呃…”天星边说边看了看四周。“我不想显得太没礼貌，请问你是谁？”
“他就是刚才救了你们队列尾巴的海星！”她弯弯曲曲地朝他们划了个S形，靠近了一点。她有着一张生气的小脸，头顶上还顶着一簇白发。她的嗓音要比小蝶听过的任何声音还要高三个八度。
“帮我个忙，哈利。”那条鳗鱼边说边游到海星这。“下次你需要我去救一些困在沙暴里的生物时，确保他们是那种会说‘谢谢’的。”
然后说完那条鳗鱼就迅速地往相反方向游走了。
小蝶朝她喊道：“谢谢你！”但那条鳗鱼已经游得很远了，逐渐变成了深海里的一个光点。
“我叫哈利，我想你应该已经知道了。”海星说道：“我一直都住在这，你们一定是海马吧，我能从你的小马脸还有尾蹼那能看出来，我听说过你们，对，我听说过好多关于你们的事。”
小蝶看到机会，赶紧游到海盐这，想和海星说说话。她现在最不希望的是海盐把哈利给气走了。
“我们正在找我们的朋友湛蓝，”她说道：“她也是个海马，你有见过她吗？”
“我可能不太清楚…但螃蟹可能知道。”海星想了一会儿，回道：“对，找到螃蟹就行。”
小蝶问道：“螃蟹？”一想到会见到更多的新生物，她不禁感到有点兴奋。“它是谁？”
“喋喋不休的螃蟹，总是能说个不停。”哈利说道：“叽里呱啦叽里呱啦地，跟我来吧。”
哈利快速向前游的时候，小蝶转过头看看其它海马卫兵们是什么反应，他们感觉都很高兴，可以找到了一个可以帮他们带路的生物，也许哈利说话有点奇怪，但毕竟是他救了他们，这就够了。
他们都紧跟着，几分钟后他们来到了一大丛珊瑚礁前，珊瑚礁上的彩色条纹跟哈利身上的一模一样，珊瑚玫瑰游到了小蝶旁边，“这些都是地图上还没探索过的，”她用她的鳍夹着地图道：“我一定把这些全都记下来，沙尘暴就在这，而我们现在所处的位置应该就在这。”她边说变指了指卷轴上两处不同的地方。
他们游到了珊瑚礁的深处，两边的珊瑚全都显露出来，哈利看了看四周笑着问道：“我这来了一些海马们在找会说话的螃蟹，有谁知道那些叽叽喳喳的螃蟹现在在哪吗？”
他一直看着那些珊瑚，小蝶很困惑。他是在自言自语吗？他是疯了吗？还是在觉得有谁会回答他的问题？
突然一个声音从一边的珊瑚丛出来：“往北边大约五十码！在谷地里！”
小蝶看到有一部分珊瑚在移动，给他们指明了正确的方向。当她仔细去看的时候，她的眼睛花了差不多一分钟才看清珊瑚上布满了像哈利一样，他们的身体都紧贴在珊瑚和礁石的两侧。
“你们都听到他们说的了吧。”哈利边说边拿他的一只触角指向那个方向，“螃蟹在那边！只要你们告诉他们去哪，他们就会帮你，不过你懂的，他们可能就会先跟你唠叨个没完。”
海盐气空懒得再跟哈利说什么，就开始往那个方向游去。她挥鳍示意其他卫兵们也都跟上，他们重新列好队形出发了。他们都游远后，只有小蝶回头看了看哈利。
“我们不会忘记你为我们做的一切，”她说道：“诺沃女王会知道你和你的朋友们都是拯救我们的英雄。”
自从他们见面以来，哈利第一次直视着她，他大大的眼睛开始湿润起来，充满了彩虹般的泪水。他笑了：“只是来帮忙，你懂得，这就是我，我很喜欢帮忙！”
小蝶也同意道：“没错，其实我也挺喜欢的！”并给了他一个能照亮整片海洋的微笑。但小蝶游向离去的大伙们时，她惊叹着她背后的这些美丽的彩虹海星，海洋生物们也是各自具有独特的魔力，但有一些魔力，比如善良还有感激，无论在任何地方任何生物都是会有的，如果海盐她也能意识到这点就好了。
英文版：
Is this the only map we have?” Fluttershy asked. She stared down at the scroll spread out on the table. It was a detailed map of the village, with every street and alley marked. There was The Aria and the square where she and Skystar had seen the octopuses perform. There were dozens of apartment buildings, two markets, and Seaquestria’s School for Stalwart Seaponies. Almost every lamppost and street sign was marked. But beyond the village, the map was mostly blank. There were two kelp forests and a Beezlebug field that Fluttershy had heard about, but not much else.
“This is the best map we’ve got.” Salt Air pointed to a blue X far out beyond the village. “This is where we think the Sand Dragon could be. Cerulean told us she was going to look beyond the kelp forest before she left.”
“There’s a tunnel somewhere close to this valley. We know that,” said Coral Rose, pointing to an area far beyond the city. “In the legend, the Sand Dragons bury themselves deep below the sand. Perhaps the tunnel is an old Sand Dragon burrow? It could be a good place to start.”
Fluttershy let out a deep breath. She knew it would be hard to negotiate with a mysterious mystical creature like a Sand Dragon, but she had no idea it would be just as hard to find it. They were leaving any minute, and they still had only a few clues about where they were headed.
“What about the Beezlebugs?” Fluttershy asked.
““Seaquestria is a young world,” Salt Air explained. “The Sand Dragons have been underwater for centuries, but we only left Mount Aris two moons ago. We’ve managed to do so much in that time, but there’s still so much we need to see and explore. We don’t know much about the rest of this world.”
‘“Nopony goes beyond the village, because we don’t have to,” Coral Rose explained. “But if Golden Fin and Cerulean can find the Sand Dragon’s lair, then we can, too.”
Just then they heard shouts and cries outside the castle. They bolted to the front windows, looking out at the castle gates below. A horde of Beezlebugs had overtaken the main square, darting into restaurants and every which way. Seaponies swam out of the way in disgust at the kingdom pests.
“What in Seaquestria are they all doing here?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s a really good question!” Skystar replied. She pointed to The Seaweed Shoppe in the distance, where a group of Beezlebugs had started gathering. “Maybe they came for the soft serve?”
Salt Air held up her coral spear. It was twice the size of the others, with a hooked tip decorated with fish teeth. “We don’t have time to float around, talking about such petty matters!” she cried. “We have to go find Cerulean—now!”
It took only a few seconds for Salt Air to rally the rest of the guards. She grabbed a seaweed sack that was filled with food and supplies and threw it over her shoulder. Fluttershy wanted to tell her to be careful. If the Seaquestrians out in the square saw them all leaving in such a rush, carrying spears, they might be frightened. Widespread panic was the last thing they needed on top of a random Beezlebug infestation.
But Salt Air didn’t look as if she wanted to be questioned. She swam past Fluttershy and Skystar, straight out of the room. “Line up!” she called out, and the Seaponies fell into line behind her. “Tonight we will defend our kingdom!”
The Seaponies all cheered. Then Salt Air led them through the great hall toward the main gate. As soon as the doors opened, the villagers began to gather and watch. Fluttershy could hear the whispers rushing through the crowd like a wave. Where were the guards going?
“Is it a Sand Dragon?!” one Seapony yelled as they passed.
“Are we in danger?” another called out.
Fluttershy followed along behind the army, more nervous than she’d been all day. More villagers were showing up by the minute. Some leaned out of their windows as the brigade passed, lifting up their Seafoals to watch the curious sight. Others lined the street. Through it all, Salt Air swam out in front of the guards, stone-faced and determined.
“Please swim aside!” she called, raising her spear in the air. “This is none of your concern!”
“Have a lovely day!” Skystar added, to make it all sound a bit friendlier.
As they got closer to the edge of the village, Fluttershy stared out at the water beyond the buildings. It grew dark and murky once the lampposts disappeared. It was impossible to know what was out there. She kept going, though, following behind the rest of the guards.
Fluttershy looked right, then looked left. She could make out only a few Seaponies in front of her. Somewhere in the distance, she heard Skystar’s voice.‘“Fluttershy! Over here! Follow me!”
The only problem was, she couldn’t figure out where “over here” was. Every time she swam one way, she’d notice a Seapony going in the opposite direction. Skystar had been in front of her for a while, but now Fluttershy didn’t know where she’d gone. The sand and seaweed swirled all around them. It was impossible to tell where anypony was.
“Salt Air! Coral Rose!” Fluttershy called out into the deep. She waved her fin in front of her, trying to find her way through the water.
“Crystal Tide!” another Seapony called out. “Where are you? I can’t see anything through the sand!”
“Stay in line!” Salt Air’s voice said, but this time it was farther away.
Fluttershy spun around, trying to make out anypony in the dark. But now she couldn’t see a single guard. They’d been traveling through the water for less than an hour, and they were already completely lost in the middle of a sandstorm.
Then, far out in the darkness, Fluttershy spotted a long, glowing orange light. It made S shapes in the water, moving up and down in front of her.
“Help is here!” an unfamiliar voice called. “Follow this light over this way, yup, just like that! We’re gonna lead you away from the sandstorm!”
Fluttershy did exactly what they said. The glowing orange light kept moving farther away, and Fluttershy kept following after it. It went a little to the right, and so did she. Within minutes she could see about a dozen Seaponies in front of her. The sand and seaweed in the water were mostly gone.
As she kept swimming forward, the water got clearer and clearer. Skystar and Salt Air emerged from the storm, too. When she swam closer to the light, she could see it wasn’t a light at all, but some sort of orange eel floating next to a starfish with rainbow stripes.
“Is everypony out?” Salt Air said, glancing around at the group. “Is everypony safe?”
The rest of the Seaponies nodded. When they turned back, the storm was still swirling behind them. The water was a mess of sea plants and sand.
“The currents, you see—really bad currents,” the rainbow starfish explained. “Creatures get caught up in there for days. Really a bit of a problem, but not one I can solve, no sirree. That sandstorm has been raging for as long as I’ve lived out here, yes that’s right.”
Fluttershy studied the creature. He was shorter than most starfish she’d seen in the village, with huge eyes that never looked directly at them. His middle was round and plump, and he had long, colorful stripes down his entire body. They went from fiery red to a deep purple, just like the rainbow.
“Ummm...” Skystar said, glancing around. “I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”
“He’s the starfish who just saved your tails!” the orange eel said. She squiggled toward them in an S, moving closer. She had a small, angry face and a tuft of white hair on the front of her head. Her voice was three octaves higher than any Fluttershy had heard before.
“Do me a favor, Harry,” the eel said as she glided past Salt Air. “Next time you need me to save some creatures from the sandstorm, make sure they’re the type to say ‘thanks.’”
Then the eel shot out into the water, swimming fast in the opposite direction.
“Thank you!” Fluttershy called after her. But the eel was already far away, just a speck of light in the deep sea.
“I’m Harry, but I guess you already know that,” the starfish said. “Lived out here my whole life. You must be the Seaponies; I can tell by your pony faces and the fins and everything. I’ve heard about you, yes, definitely heard a lot about you.’
Seeing her chance, Fluttershy swam out in front of Salt Air to talk to the starfish. The last thing they needed was for Salt Air to scare Harry off, too.
‘“We’re on a quest to find our friend Cerulean,” she said. “She’s also a Seapony. Have you seen her?”
“Can’t say I have... but the crabs might know,” Harry replied. He thought about it for a second and echoed the statement. “Yes, find the crabs.”
“The crabs?” Fluttershy asked. She couldn’t help feeling a little excited at the prospect of meeting even more new creatures. “Who are they?”
“Chatty crabs, always yapping,” Harry said. “Yappity yap yap yap. Follow me.”
As Harry marched forward into the ocean, Fluttershy turned to see what the rest of the Seaponies thought. They all looked pleased that they’d found a creature who knew where they were and where they were going. Maybe Harry was a bit odd, but he had saved them. That counted for a lot.
They all followed. After a few minutes they came to a coral reef that was striped with the same rainbow pattern that covered Harry. Coral Rose swam beside Fluttershy. “None of this is on the map,” she said, holding it in her fins. “I’ll make sure I copy it down. The sandstorm was right here, and now I think we’re right here.” She pointed to two different places on the scroll.
They swam through the center of the reef, and the coral rose up on either side of them. Harry looked around and smiled. “Got some Seaponies here who are looking for the chatty crabs. Anyfish know where the chatty crabs have been hanging out, doing their yapping?”
He stared out at the coral. Fluttershy was confused. Was he talking to himself? Was he completely crazy? Who did he think would answer the question?
But suddenly a voice called out from the other side of the reef. “About fifty yards north! In the valley!”
Fluttershy watched as part of the coral moved, pointing them in the right direction. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but when she looked closely, she could see that the coral was covered with starfish just like Harry. They were all stuck to the sides of it, their bodies molded to the reef.
“You heard ’em,” Harry said, pointing one of his arms in the same direction. “The crabs are thataway! Just tell them where you’re going, and they’ll help you. But they may chat your ears off first, you know.”
Salt Air swam past, not bothering to say anything else to Harry. She waved the other Seaponies along behind her. They re-formed their line and started off. Fluttershy was the only one who turned back to Harry as they left.
“We won’t forget what you did for us,” she said. “Queen Novo will know that you and your friend are heroes.”
For the first time since they met, Harry looked directly at her. His eyes were big and watery, filled with rainbow tears. He smiled. “Just wanted to help out, you know, that’s me, like to help!”
“Well, you certainly did!” Fluttershy agreed, giving him a smile that could light up the whole ocean. As Fluttershy swam off to join the others, she marveled at the sight of the beautiful rainbow starfish retreating behind her. The ocean certainl had its own special magic. But some things, such as kindness and gratitude, meant the same thing everywhere. If only Salt Air could realize it, too.
“这是我们能得到的最详细的地图了。”海盐气空指了指海马国外那片海域的一个蓝色叉叉。“我们认为沙龙可能就在这，湛蓝跟我们说过她去那前会先去海带森林那边看看。”
“在这片低谷附近有一条隧道，我们知道在哪。”珊瑚玫瑰边说边指了指离海马国比较远的一个区域。“传说中沙龙会把自己深埋于沙土之下，也许这个隧道就是个古老的沙龙洞？这里可以作为一个很好的初始搜查点。”
小蝶深吸一口气，她知道要和沙龙这样的神秘生物谈判是很困难的，但她没想到要想去找到它也是一样的困难，沙龙有可能在任何地方，而他们现在要前往的海域，却只有一点点线索。
小蝶问道：“那布里蟹要怎么解释？”
“海马国的诞生没有多长时间，”海盐气空解释道：“沙龙已经在水下生活了几个世纪，而我们两个月前才从艾里斯峰来到海底，仍然有很多很多地方需要我们去探寻，我们对这个海底世界其它地方的了解并不多。”
“没有海马会离开海马国海域，因为我们不需要。”珊瑚玫瑰解释道：“但如果金鳍和湛蓝都能找到沙龙的巢穴，那我们肯定也能找到。”
就在这时，他们听到了城堡外面的喊叫嘈杂声，他们全都游到窗户这，望向下面城堡的大门。一大群布里蟹已经占领了整个广场，涌向了餐馆还有四面八方。海马们都厌恶地看着他们，默默地游到了一边。
小蝶问道：“他们来海马国做什么？”
天星回道：“这真是个好问题！”她指了指远处的海藻店，一些布里蟹已经开始聚集在那了。“也许他们还是想来吃东西的？”
海盐气空举起了她的珊瑚矛，那根矛是其他卫兵的矛的两倍，鱼钩状的尖端装饰着鱼的牙齿。“我们没有时间继续在这讨论这些琐事了！”她喊道：“我们现在必须要找回湛蓝——立刻去准备！”
海盐仅仅花了几秒钟就召集了所有的卫兵，她抓起一袋装满食物和补给的海藻袋甩到肩上。小蝶想告诉她要注意，如果广场上的海马们看到卫兵们都全副武装地匆忙离开，他们很可能会害怕，他们现在最不需要的引起大范围的恐慌，尤其是再加上布里蟹泛滥的情况下。
但海盐气空看起来并不像是在顾虑这些的样子，她从小蝶和天星身旁游过，径直游出了房间。
她喊道：“列队！”所有海马卫兵们都在她身后列成了一排。“今天我们将要保卫我们的海马国！”
海马卫兵们全都欢呼起来，然后海盐领着他们游过大厅，朝大门游去。大门一打开，一堆海马们全围了过来观看，小蝶能听到一旁的群众中流露出像波浪一样的窃窃私语声。卫兵们都要去哪？
当他们经过海马群时，有一位海马问道：“是要去对付沙龙吗？”
另一位海马喊道：“我们大家都会有危险吗？”
小蝶跟在卫兵们的后面，她一整天都没有这么紧张过，当大部队经过时，还有一些海马们从家里窗户那探出身子，举着他们的小海马看向这里，而其它海马们都站在街道两旁看着这里。海盐游在队列的最前面，面无表情并且态度坚决。
“各位请游到一边，”她边喊边把长矛举向空中。“这与你们无关！”
天星补充道：“祝你们一天愉快！”让这气氛听起来能友好一些。
当他们游向海马国以外海域时，小蝶看着建筑物外的那些水波，随着路灯柱越来越少，前方的海域逐渐变得漆黑，根本不可能看清。但她还是继续向前游着，跟在其他卫兵们的后面。
小蝶左右都看了看，她只能依稀辨认出在她前面的几个卫兵，她还听到不远处天星的声音：“小蝶！我在这里！快跟过来！”
唯一的问题是，她搞不清天星说的‘这里’是哪个地方，每当她向一个方向游，她都会注意到向相反方向游的海马卫兵。天星已经在她前面有一段时间了，现在小蝶根本搞不清她去哪了，漫天沙子和浮动的海草在她周围打转，根本分辨不清哪里是哪里。
小蝶向四周叫着：“海盐！珊瑚玫瑰！”她挥了挥自己的蹄子试图在水中找到一条出路。
“水晶潮！”另外一个海马的声音传了过来。“你在哪？这沙子让我什么都看不到！”
“全都跟紧点！”海盐的声音也传了过来，但这次似乎离小蝶更远了。
小蝶看了看四周，试图在黑暗中辨认声音的来源。现在她一个卫兵都看不到了，他们才刚刚出发不到一个小时，小蝶就已经在这海底沙尘暴中彻底迷失了方向。
然后再不远处的黑暗中，小蝶发现一道又长又明亮的橙色光芒，那光芒在水里游着S形，在她面前上下舞了舞。
“我来帮你！”一个陌生的声音朝她喊道：“顺着这道光往这边游，对，就是这样！让我们带你远离这沙尘暴！”
小蝶完全按照那声音说得做了，那道橙色光芒游出多远，小蝶也紧跟着它游了多远，它游的方向稍微往右偏了偏，小蝶也照做了。不到几分钟，小蝶就看到前面的几个卫兵了，周围的漫天沙子还有海藻几乎都不见了。
当她继续往前游的时候，水流也变得越来越清澈了，也能看到前面的海盐气空和天星了。当她靠近了那道光时，她发现那根本不是什么光，而是一种橙色鳗鱼，漂浮在一只有彩色条纹的海星身旁。
“大家都游出来没？”海盐看了看他们问道：“所有海马们都没事吧？”
其余的海马们都点点头，他们回头看了看，沙尘暴仍然在他们背后打转，那边的海水飞舞着漫天的沙子还有海草。
那只彩虹海星解释道：“那边的水流，你看到了吧——可是非常湍急的，一般生物会被困在里面好几天，这确实是个大难题，但没有什么是我不能解决的，先生们。自从我住在这里，这沙暴就一直在这肆虐。”
小蝶仔细看了看彩虹海星，他要比她在海马国那见到的大多数海星们都要矮，长着一双大眼睛，肚子圆圆胖胖，全身上下分布着从火红到深紫色的彩虹色条纹，就像云宝那样。
“呃…”天星边说边看了看四周。“我不想显得太没礼貌，请问你是谁？”
“他就是刚才救了你们队列尾巴的海星！”她弯弯曲曲地朝他们划了个S形，靠近了一点。她有着一张生气的小脸，头顶上还顶着一簇白发。她的嗓音要比小蝶听过的任何声音还要高三个八度。
“帮我个忙，哈利。”那条鳗鱼边说边游到海星这。“下次你需要我去救一些困在沙暴里的生物时，确保他们是那种会说‘谢谢’的。”
然后说完那条鳗鱼就迅速地往相反方向游走了。
小蝶朝她喊道：“谢谢你！”但那条鳗鱼已经游得很远了，逐渐变成了深海里的一个光点。
“我叫哈利，我想你应该已经知道了。”海星说道：“我一直都住在这，你们一定是海马吧，我能从你的小马脸还有尾蹼那能看出来，我听说过你们，对，我听说过好多关于你们的事。”
小蝶看到机会，赶紧游到海盐这，想和海星说说话。她现在最不希望的是海盐把哈利给气走了。
“我们正在找我们的朋友湛蓝，”她说道：“她也是个海马，你有见过她吗？”
“我可能不太清楚…但螃蟹可能知道。”海星想了一会儿，回道：“对，找到螃蟹就行。”
小蝶问道：“螃蟹？”一想到会见到更多的新生物，她不禁感到有点兴奋。“它是谁？”
“喋喋不休的螃蟹，总是能说个不停。”哈利说道：“叽里呱啦叽里呱啦地，跟我来吧。”
哈利快速向前游的时候，小蝶转过头看看其它海马卫兵们是什么反应，他们感觉都很高兴，可以找到了一个可以帮他们带路的生物，也许哈利说话有点奇怪，但毕竟是他救了他们，这就够了。
他们都紧跟着，几分钟后他们来到了一大丛珊瑚礁前，珊瑚礁上的彩色条纹跟哈利身上的一模一样，珊瑚玫瑰游到了小蝶旁边，“这些都是地图上还没探索过的，”她用她的鳍夹着地图道：“我一定把这些全都记下来，沙尘暴就在这，而我们现在所处的位置应该就在这。”她边说变指了指卷轴上两处不同的地方。
他们游到了珊瑚礁的深处，两边的珊瑚全都显露出来，哈利看了看四周笑着问道：“我这来了一些海马们在找会说话的螃蟹，有谁知道那些叽叽喳喳的螃蟹现在在哪吗？”
他一直看着那些珊瑚，小蝶很困惑。他是在自言自语吗？他是疯了吗？还是在觉得有谁会回答他的问题？
突然一个声音从一边的珊瑚丛出来：“往北边大约五十码！在谷地里！”
小蝶看到有一部分珊瑚在移动，给他们指明了正确的方向。当她仔细去看的时候，她的眼睛花了差不多一分钟才看清珊瑚上布满了像哈利一样，他们的身体都紧贴在珊瑚和礁石的两侧。
“你们都听到他们说的了吧。”哈利边说边拿他的一只触角指向那个方向，“螃蟹在那边！只要你们告诉他们去哪，他们就会帮你，不过你懂的，他们可能就会先跟你唠叨个没完。”
海盐气空懒得再跟哈利说什么，就开始往那个方向游去。她挥鳍示意其他卫兵们也都跟上，他们重新列好队形出发了。他们都游远后，只有小蝶回头看了看哈利。
“我们不会忘记你为我们做的一切，”她说道：“诺沃女王会知道你和你的朋友们都是拯救我们的英雄。”
自从他们见面以来，哈利第一次直视着她，他大大的眼睛开始湿润起来，充满了彩虹般的泪水。他笑了：“只是来帮忙，你懂得，这就是我，我很喜欢帮忙！”
小蝶也同意道：“没错，其实我也挺喜欢的！”并给了他一个能照亮整片海洋的微笑。但小蝶游向离去的大伙们时，她惊叹着她背后的这些美丽的彩虹海星，海洋生物们也是各自具有独特的魔力，但有一些魔力，比如善良还有感激，无论在任何地方任何生物都是会有的，如果海盐她也能意识到这点就好了。
英文版：
Is this the only map we have?” Fluttershy asked. She stared down at the scroll spread out on the table. It was a detailed map of the village, with every street and alley marked. There was The Aria and the square where she and Skystar had seen the octopuses perform. There were dozens of apartment buildings, two markets, and Seaquestria’s School for Stalwart Seaponies. Almost every lamppost and street sign was marked. But beyond the village, the map was mostly blank. There were two kelp forests and a Beezlebug field that Fluttershy had heard about, but not much else.
“This is the best map we’ve got.” Salt Air pointed to a blue X far out beyond the village. “This is where we think the Sand Dragon could be. Cerulean told us she was going to look beyond the kelp forest before she left.”
“There’s a tunnel somewhere close to this valley. We know that,” said Coral Rose, pointing to an area far beyond the city. “In the legend, the Sand Dragons bury themselves deep below the sand. Perhaps the tunnel is an old Sand Dragon burrow? It could be a good place to start.”
Fluttershy let out a deep breath. She knew it would be hard to negotiate with a mysterious mystical creature like a Sand Dragon, but she had no idea it would be just as hard to find it. They were leaving any minute, and they still had only a few clues about where they were headed.
“What about the Beezlebugs?” Fluttershy asked.
““Seaquestria is a young world,” Salt Air explained. “The Sand Dragons have been underwater for centuries, but we only left Mount Aris two moons ago. We’ve managed to do so much in that time, but there’s still so much we need to see and explore. We don’t know much about the rest of this world.”
‘“Nopony goes beyond the village, because we don’t have to,” Coral Rose explained. “But if Golden Fin and Cerulean can find the Sand Dragon’s lair, then we can, too.”
Just then they heard shouts and cries outside the castle. They bolted to the front windows, looking out at the castle gates below. A horde of Beezlebugs had overtaken the main square, darting into restaurants and every which way. Seaponies swam out of the way in disgust at the kingdom pests.
“What in Seaquestria are they all doing here?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s a really good question!” Skystar replied. She pointed to The Seaweed Shoppe in the distance, where a group of Beezlebugs had started gathering. “Maybe they came for the soft serve?”
Salt Air held up her coral spear. It was twice the size of the others, with a hooked tip decorated with fish teeth. “We don’t have time to float around, talking about such petty matters!” she cried. “We have to go find Cerulean—now!”
It took only a few seconds for Salt Air to rally the rest of the guards. She grabbed a seaweed sack that was filled with food and supplies and threw it over her shoulder. Fluttershy wanted to tell her to be careful. If the Seaquestrians out in the square saw them all leaving in such a rush, carrying spears, they might be frightened. Widespread panic was the last thing they needed on top of a random Beezlebug infestation.
But Salt Air didn’t look as if she wanted to be questioned. She swam past Fluttershy and Skystar, straight out of the room. “Line up!” she called out, and the Seaponies fell into line behind her. “Tonight we will defend our kingdom!”
The Seaponies all cheered. Then Salt Air led them through the great hall toward the main gate. As soon as the doors opened, the villagers began to gather and watch. Fluttershy could hear the whispers rushing through the crowd like a wave. Where were the guards going?
“Is it a Sand Dragon?!” one Seapony yelled as they passed.
“Are we in danger?” another called out.
Fluttershy followed along behind the army, more nervous than she’d been all day. More villagers were showing up by the minute. Some leaned out of their windows as the brigade passed, lifting up their Seafoals to watch the curious sight. Others lined the street. Through it all, Salt Air swam out in front of the guards, stone-faced and determined.
“Please swim aside!” she called, raising her spear in the air. “This is none of your concern!”
“Have a lovely day!” Skystar added, to make it all sound a bit friendlier.
As they got closer to the edge of the village, Fluttershy stared out at the water beyond the buildings. It grew dark and murky once the lampposts disappeared. It was impossible to know what was out there. She kept going, though, following behind the rest of the guards.
Fluttershy looked right, then looked left. She could make out only a few Seaponies in front of her. Somewhere in the distance, she heard Skystar’s voice.‘“Fluttershy! Over here! Follow me!”
The only problem was, she couldn’t figure out where “over here” was. Every time she swam one way, she’d notice a Seapony going in the opposite direction. Skystar had been in front of her for a while, but now Fluttershy didn’t know where she’d gone. The sand and seaweed swirled all around them. It was impossible to tell where anypony was.
“Salt Air! Coral Rose!” Fluttershy called out into the deep. She waved her fin in front of her, trying to find her way through the water.
“Crystal Tide!” another Seapony called out. “Where are you? I can’t see anything through the sand!”
“Stay in line!” Salt Air’s voice said, but this time it was farther away.
Fluttershy spun around, trying to make out anypony in the dark. But now she couldn’t see a single guard. They’d been traveling through the water for less than an hour, and they were already completely lost in the middle of a sandstorm.
Then, far out in the darkness, Fluttershy spotted a long, glowing orange light. It made S shapes in the water, moving up and down in front of her.
“Help is here!” an unfamiliar voice called. “Follow this light over this way, yup, just like that! We’re gonna lead you away from the sandstorm!”
Fluttershy did exactly what they said. The glowing orange light kept moving farther away, and Fluttershy kept following after it. It went a little to the right, and so did she. Within minutes she could see about a dozen Seaponies in front of her. The sand and seaweed in the water were mostly gone.
As she kept swimming forward, the water got clearer and clearer. Skystar and Salt Air emerged from the storm, too. When she swam closer to the light, she could see it wasn’t a light at all, but some sort of orange eel floating next to a starfish with rainbow stripes.
“Is everypony out?” Salt Air said, glancing around at the group. “Is everypony safe?”
The rest of the Seaponies nodded. When they turned back, the storm was still swirling behind them. The water was a mess of sea plants and sand.
“The currents, you see—really bad currents,” the rainbow starfish explained. “Creatures get caught up in there for days. Really a bit of a problem, but not one I can solve, no sirree. That sandstorm has been raging for as long as I’ve lived out here, yes that’s right.”
Fluttershy studied the creature. He was shorter than most starfish she’d seen in the village, with huge eyes that never looked directly at them. His middle was round and plump, and he had long, colorful stripes down his entire body. They went from fiery red to a deep purple, just like the rainbow.
“Ummm...” Skystar said, glancing around. “I don’t mean to be rude, but who are you?”
“He’s the starfish who just saved your tails!” the orange eel said. She squiggled toward them in an S, moving closer. She had a small, angry face and a tuft of white hair on the front of her head. Her voice was three octaves higher than any Fluttershy had heard before.
“Do me a favor, Harry,” the eel said as she glided past Salt Air. “Next time you need me to save some creatures from the sandstorm, make sure they’re the type to say ‘thanks.’”
Then the eel shot out into the water, swimming fast in the opposite direction.
“Thank you!” Fluttershy called after her. But the eel was already far away, just a speck of light in the deep sea.
“I’m Harry, but I guess you already know that,” the starfish said. “Lived out here my whole life. You must be the Seaponies; I can tell by your pony faces and the fins and everything. I’ve heard about you, yes, definitely heard a lot about you.’
Seeing her chance, Fluttershy swam out in front of Salt Air to talk to the starfish. The last thing they needed was for Salt Air to scare Harry off, too.
‘“We’re on a quest to find our friend Cerulean,” she said. “She’s also a Seapony. Have you seen her?”
“Can’t say I have... but the crabs might know,” Harry replied. He thought about it for a second and echoed the statement. “Yes, find the crabs.”
“The crabs?” Fluttershy asked. She couldn’t help feeling a little excited at the prospect of meeting even more new creatures. “Who are they?”
“Chatty crabs, always yapping,” Harry said. “Yappity yap yap yap. Follow me.”
As Harry marched forward into the ocean, Fluttershy turned to see what the rest of the Seaponies thought. They all looked pleased that they’d found a creature who knew where they were and where they were going. Maybe Harry was a bit odd, but he had saved them. That counted for a lot.
They all followed. After a few minutes they came to a coral reef that was striped with the same rainbow pattern that covered Harry. Coral Rose swam beside Fluttershy. “None of this is on the map,” she said, holding it in her fins. “I’ll make sure I copy it down. The sandstorm was right here, and now I think we’re right here.” She pointed to two different places on the scroll.
They swam through the center of the reef, and the coral rose up on either side of them. Harry looked around and smiled. “Got some Seaponies here who are looking for the chatty crabs. Anyfish know where the chatty crabs have been hanging out, doing their yapping?”
He stared out at the coral. Fluttershy was confused. Was he talking to himself? Was he completely crazy? Who did he think would answer the question?
But suddenly a voice called out from the other side of the reef. “About fifty yards north! In the valley!”
Fluttershy watched as part of the coral moved, pointing them in the right direction. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but when she looked closely, she could see that the coral was covered with starfish just like Harry. They were all stuck to the sides of it, their bodies molded to the reef.
“You heard ’em,” Harry said, pointing one of his arms in the same direction. “The crabs are thataway! Just tell them where you’re going, and they’ll help you. But they may chat your ears off first, you know.”
Salt Air swam past, not bothering to say anything else to Harry. She waved the other Seaponies along behind her. They re-formed their line and started off. Fluttershy was the only one who turned back to Harry as they left.
“We won’t forget what you did for us,” she said. “Queen Novo will know that you and your friend are heroes.”
For the first time since they met, Harry looked directly at her. His eyes were big and watery, filled with rainbow tears. He smiled. “Just wanted to help out, you know, that’s me, like to help!”
“Well, you certainly did!” Fluttershy agreed, giving him a smile that could light up the whole ocean. As Fluttershy swam off to join the others, she marveled at the sight of the beautiful rainbow starfish retreating behind her. The ocean certainl had its own special magic. But some things, such as kindness and gratitude, meant the same thing everywhere. If only Salt Air could realize it, too.