诺沃女王从城堡楼上的窗口喊道：“天星！”她一直在城堡窗口那看着，盼着女儿和卫兵们能平安归来。她一看见他们街上出现后，就从窗口那消失了，然后下一秒她就在城堡门口了，她以自己最快速度朝他们游了过去。

“你们回来了！”她边说边伸出自己的鳍抱住天星，把脸靠在了她女儿的脖子那。“我真的很担心，我听见卫兵们在谈论沙龙，说他有多么凶残，还有——”

天星笑了。“其实，我觉得他只是有点饿怒，你懂吧？”

女王疑惑了一下：“饿怒？”

天星回道：“就是又饿又生气，妈，这只是个俚语！”

诺沃女王满脸困惑地点点头：“噢，这样啊。”

天星继续道：“但不管怎么说，我们消除而你误会，这要多亏了我的好朋友小蝶！”天星边说边冲过去给了她一个大大的拥抱。

小蝶试图微笑，但天星把她搂那么紧几乎让她没法呼吸了。“谢谢你…”她勉强挣脱出来。

“他没有伤害到你吧？”诺沃女王边问边绕着她女儿游来游去，看看有没有什么擦伤或是肿的地方。“我听到的那些故事都快把我吓坏了——”

“你很快就能见到他了，”天星说道：“你可以亲自去看看。”

“什么？”诺沃女王又困惑道：“天星？我亲自去看看？”

天星从诺沃女王头上看了看城堡门口的两个海马卫兵。“去告诉厨师们明天晚上准备好一顿丰盛的海藻大餐！我们要举办一场最盛大的舞会，纪念我们跟沙龙的友谊。不惜一切代价！”

诺沃女王眼睛都要瞪大了：“沙龙…要来我们这了？”

“他的名字叫格尼，他会成为我们最隆重的贵宾，”小蝶解释道：“他其实并不像大家说得那么坏，他有时候挺友善的。你知道他其实是那些布里蟹的朋友吗？”

天星指了指下面的广场，那些数以百计的蓝色小家伙还在街上乱爬。“好吧，看来他也会挺喜欢这里的！”他们都笑了，诺沃女王把执行任务归来的其他卫兵们也叫了回去。

海马们全涌进了城堡大厅，小蝶从来都没这么高兴能再次回到这里。这里和沙龙的洞穴那截然不同，有巨大又敞开的窗户，又有充足的光线从四面八方射进来，一只螃蟹正在弹奏竖琴，让整个城堡都充斥着宁静的音乐。

天星上下游动着，又来了几个飞速的旋转。“如果沙龙们要来参加舞会的话，那我需要弄件合适的礼服，还要搞清楚怎么打理我的鬃毛，我们还要从花栗地里去采些花来！”她捋了捋自己浅蓝色的鬃毛，把它上下撩了撩，然后又撩到一边。“高鬃还是盘发？又或是马尾辫？哈我实在决定不了！来吧，小蝶！我们也要去给你弄个完美造型！”

天星拉着小蝶，把她领向城堡大门。她们游过了湛蓝和海盐，在回到城堡的路上，海盐几乎没有说过一句话。但现在她看了看小蝶，好像想跟她说些什么。小蝶放慢了游的速度，拉着她的天星也停了下来。

“我想了想，”海盐气空谨慎地选择她的措辞。“天星公主说得对，我可以从这外面发生的这些事情中学到很多，我也可以从你身上学到很多，我不该像那样鲁莽地攻击格尼，我甚至都还没认识他！有时候我的坏脾气确实会冲昏我的头脑。”

小蝶承认道：“可以理解。”尽管大家都在谈论沙龙的事，但最可怕的时刻莫过于不了解情况的海盐直接冲进沙洞去攻击沙龙，这让小蝶感到很无助，因为她知道这只会让情况变得更糟。“但我很高兴你终于能在评判任何陌生生物之前学会倾听了。”小蝶笑了。“在这片海洋里的一切都变得不一样了！”

湛蓝轻轻推了推海盐，让她继续说下去。

“我还想跟你说，”海盐补充道：“我…我很抱歉，小蝶，谢谢你为了我们大家做的一切。”

小蝶伸出了她的蹄，跟海盐握了握。之前海盐对自己是那么自信，而小蝶也是一直觉得自己是错的，而她一直去怀疑小蝶只是另一个想来尝试毁掉海马国的叛徒，但现在海盐知晓了一切，也感受到一种如释重负的感觉，小蝶只是想来帮忙的。

小蝶再次伸出了她的蹄子问道：“好朋友？”

海盐也伸出鳍跟她握了握。“好朋友！”

“来吧！”天星喊着，往前面游了游。“商店那边很快就要关门了！”

小蝶也紧跟着她的朋友游向了外面。




诺沃女王在大厅里转来转去，仔细研究着每张桌子中央摆放的水花花束，反复检查餐具，确保餐巾纸都是干净的。然后她游过厨房，尝遍了厨师做的每一道菜。当她终于出来的时候，她正在用鳍擦嘴。

诺沃女王喊道：“他们刚刚拐了个弯，朝城堡来了！”

小蝶还以为她的耳朵听错了，女王看看是不是说有很多个沙龙们来了？“打扰一下陛下，你是说‘他们’来了吗？”

“没错！”天星也高兴地叫了起来，指向了窗外。果然能看到格尼正在穿过下面的街道往这来了，他后面还跟着五只巨大的沙龙。“看来格尼找到了他的朋友们了！他们就快到啦！”

诺沃女王喊道：“音乐起！”

房间角落那飘着一支小乐队，一只闪光鱼弹起了钢琴，三只河豚吹着大小号，吉他上有只斑点蟹，他数了几下数，大家都开始唱起了欢快的歌。

小蝶和天星探出了窗外，看了看外面的景象。数百个海马们都出来观望巨大的沙龙们。只是这回没有海马们对他们大喊大叫，而是静静地看着他们的一举一动。一些小海马们在朝他们微笑挥鳍，当沙龙们的脚步缓慢又沉重地踏过时，其它海马们都鼓鳍欢呼起来。布里蟹们在他们旁边排成一行，爪子里夹着小片海藻。诺沃女王之前命令十几个卫兵们去带他们领进来，都游在他们的两边，去保证他们的安全。

“那是谁？”诺沃女王指了指后面的沙龙问道：“看起来他确实为了这个场合好好打扮了一番。”

为了看得更清楚，小蝶游到窗口那。在那边沙龙队伍们的后面正是格尼，他肯定花了好几个小时来准备。他穿着三件套的海带西装，戴着一定海胆壳做的礼帽，他甚至还在前面的口袋里塞了块手帕！

“这真是格尼！”小蝶轻声笑着道：“哇哦，谁能想到他能打扮成这么棒的风格。”

天星也笑了：“好一件时髦西装啊！”

诺沃女王打开了城堡大门欢迎他们，一共来了六只沙龙，他们都穿着不同的礼服，其中一位女沙龙是穿着件长长的、袖子又大又松的海带长袍，她锋利的爪子上也涂了紫色的乌贼墨。

诺沃女王开口道：“欢迎你们来到海马国，快请进吧！”她指了指大厅里的大桌子，为了让沙龙们有更大的活动空间，他们清理走了很多家具。

“很高兴再次见到你们！”格尼边说边向天星公主微微鞠了一躬，“您一定是诺沃女王了。”

女王也深深鞠了一躬作为回礼。“当然！谢谢你们同意让我们来招待你们还有…不吃我们。”

瞬间整个城堡大厅都愣住了，甚至乐队都停止奏乐了。大家都在担心格尼会怎么回答，他们可不愿意看到沙龙们直接在城堡中央开始大发脾气。

过了不知多长时间，格尼只是笑了笑。“真搞笑！”他边说边用爪子拍了拍旁边的石头。“没想到你也会那么喜欢开玩笑。”

当音乐再次响起时，诺沃女王微笑着，给小蝶使了个眼神。这一晚的宴会才刚刚开始，其它海马们似乎都不确定格尼和他的朋友们会怎么做。会发脾气毁掉整个城堡？他们真的值得信任吗？

但随着这个夜晚逐渐过去，答案似乎已经很显而易见了。（他们才不会毁了城堡呢，他们当然是值得信任的。）在诺沃女王在夜晚接近尾声举起酒杯时，感觉就像沙龙们还有海马们已经结交了很长时间的友谊。格尼甚至还花了整整一个小时来依次介绍布里蟹们的名字还有头衔。

“为我们未来几个世纪的友谊干杯！”诺沃女王说起了祝酒词。

“为我们未来几个世纪的友谊干杯！”沙龙们也跟着喊道。

“还有我们大家都吃不完的海藻！”天星笑着补充道。“我真的超级期待！”

整个房间的生物们都开始互相碰杯，小蝶抿了抿她蹄中的酒，笑了笑。她很高兴自己能在这一切中扮演了一个小小的角色。



“这可真是我有史以来度过的最有趣的一天！”天星边说边又给她朋友一个大拥抱。

小蝶问道：“真的吗？”她能高兴这次来这能给她朋友带来了快乐。

“是啊！”天星回道：“只可惜这次我还没用贝壳去做件东西…”

“噢不，你还是想去做做吗？”小蝶边说边把天星从舞池里拉了出来。“因为现在还有时间，我们可以一起去——”

“不了，小傻瓜！”天星咯咯地笑了起来。“有了最好的朋友去一起剪地毯，谁还有时间去一起捡贝壳啊？来吧！”公主又拉住了小蝶，一起冲回了舞池中央。

当乐队开始演奏起欢快节奏的歌曲时，她们又开始在水中开始旋转，在诺沃女王、巨大的沙龙们、还有布里蟹们和卫兵们之间跳起了舞蹈。在整个海马国的历史上，所有的海洋生灵们都首次聚在一起玩得特别开心——这一切都是因为他们全都在友谊的推动中一起前行。





英文版：
Skystar!” Queen Novo yelled from the upstairs window. She had been keeping lookout on the second floor of the castle, waiting for her daughter and the guards to return. As soon as she saw them coming up the street, she disappeared from her perch, then reappeared at the main gates. She swam as fast as she could toward them.
“You’re home,” she said, throwing her fins around Skystar. She buried her face in her daughter’s neck. “I was so worried. I heard the guards talking about the Sand Dragon, and how vicious it was, and—”
Skystar laughed. “Actually, I think he was just a little bit hangry, you know?”
“Hangry?” Queen Novo repeated.
“Like hungry and angry at the same time,” Skystar replied. “Moooom. It’s slang!”
Queen Novo nodded, looking confused. “Oh. Right.”
Skystar continued. “But anyway, we worked through the misunderstanding, thanks to my best friend Fluttershy!” Skystar said, darting over to Fluttershy and giving her the biggest hug.
Fluttershy tried to smile, but she could barely breathe. Skystar was squeezing her so tightly. “Thanks...” she barely got out.
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Queen Novo asked, swimming around her daughter to check for scrapes or bumps. “The stories I was hearing had me so scared—”
“You'll meet him soon enough,” Skystar said. ““And you can see for yourself.”
“What?” Queen Novo asked. “Skystar! What have you gone and done now?”
Skystar glanced over Queen Novo’s head to the two Seaponies at the castle gate. “Tell the cooks to prepare a seaweed feast for tomorrow night! We’re throwing one of the grandest balls Seaquestria has ever known, in honor of our new alliance with the Sand Dragon. Spare no expense!”
Queen Novo’s eyes went wide. “The Sand Dragon is coming...here?”
“His name is Gnash, and he’s going to be guest of honor,” Fluttershy explained. “He really isn’t as bad as everypony says. He’s kind of nice sometimes. Did you know he’s friends with the Beezlebugs?”
Skystar pointed to the square down below. Hundreds of the blue critters were still scrabbling around in the streets. “Well, then he should love it here!” They all laughed as Queen Novo called the rest of the guards from the mission back inside.
The Seaponies filed inside the great hall. Fluttershy had never been so happy to return somewhere. It was so different from the Sand Dragon’s lair, with huge, open windows and light streaming in from every direction. One of the castle crabs was playing the harp, filling the entire room with peaceful music.
Skystar swam up and down, doing a few quick spins. “If the Sand Dragon is coming here for a ball, then I need a new gown and have to figure out how to do my mane, and we need to bring in flowers from the water poppy field!” She grabbed her pale-blue mane and lifted it up and down, then she pulled it to the side.“Updo or down? Side braid? I can’t decide! Come on, Fluttershy, we have to find you the perfect look, too!”
Skystar grabbed Fluttershy’s fin and pulled her toward the castle gates. They swam past Cerulean and Salt Air. Salt Air had barely said a word the entire journey back to the castle. But now she looked directly at Fluttershy, as if she wanted to say something. Fluttershy slowed down and pulled Skystar to a stop.
“I thought about it,” Salt Air said, carefully choosing her words. “And Princess Skystar was right. I could learn a lot from what happened out there, and I could learn a lot from you. I shouldn’t have attacked Gnash like that. I didn’t even know him! My temper sometimes gets the better of me.”
“I could tell,” Fluttershy admitted. For everything everypony had said about the Sand Dragon, the scariest moment had been when Salt Air burst through the sand burrow without understanding the situation. Fluttershy felt helpless watching her charge at the Sand Dragon. She knew it was only making everything worse. “But I’m glad that you’re finally ready to listen before judging new creatures.”Fluttershy smiled. “It makes all the difference in the ocean!”
Cerulean nudged Salt Air in the side, urging her to say more.
“I also wanted to say,” Salt Air added, “that... I’m sorry. And thanks. For everything.”
Fluttershy reached out her fin, letting Salt Air take it. Salt Air had been so sure of herself and so sure Fluttershy was wrong. She’d acted as if Fluttershy was just another traitor coming to ruin Seaquestria. Fluttershy felt a sense of relief wash over her now that Salt Air knew the truth. She was only trying to help.
“Friends?” Fluttershy asked, reaching out her fin.
“Friends!” Salt Air agreed as she shook it.
“Come on!” Skystar yelled, swimming out ahead of her. “The shops are closing soon!”
With that, Fluttershy darted off, following her friend into the village.
Queen Novo flitted around the great hall, studying the bouquets of water poppies in the center of each table. She checked and double-checked the place settings and made sure the napkins were clean. Then she swam through the kitchens and sampled every dish the cooks had made. When she finally emerged, she was dabbing her mouth with her fin.
“They just turned the corner toward the castle!” Queen Novo shouted.
Fluttershy’s ears were playing tricks on her. Had the queen just seen multiple Sand Dragons? “Excuse me, Your Majesty? Did you say ‘they’?”
“She did!” Skystar squealed in delight. She pointed out the window. Sure enough, Gnash was making his way through the village, followed by five other massive Sand Dragons. “It looks as if Gnash found his friends! And they’re almost here!”
“Music, please!” Queen Novo called out.
A ten-piece band was floating in the comer of the room. A glitterfish was at the piano, and three blowfish were in the horn section, playing trumpets and tubas. A spotted crab was on the guitar. He counted the whole group off, and they burst into a lively song.
Fluttershy and Skystar leaned out the window, watching the scene outside. Hundreds of villagers had come out to see the huge Sand Dragons. Only this time, instead of yelling or chanting words against them, the Seaquestrians were quietly watching their every move. Some Seafoals smiled and waved. Others applauded as the Sand Dragons clomped by, their steps slow and heavy. The Beezlebugs fell in line beside them, carrying little pieces of seaweed in their claws. Queen Novo had ordered a dozen guards to bring them into the village, and they swam on either side of them, making sure they were safe.
“Who is that?” Queen Novo asked, pointing to the Sand Dragon in the back. “He certainly dressed up for the occasion.”
Fluttershy swam to the next window to get a better view. There, at the back of the line of Sand Dragons, was Gnash. He must’ve spent hours getting ready. He was wearing a three-piece kelp-tweed suit and a top hat made of urchin shells. He’d even tucked a kerchief in his front pocket!
“That’s Gnash!” Fluttershy said with a chuckle. “Wow, who would have guessed he had such great style?”
“That’s a snazzy suit, yes, it is!” Princess Skystar laughed.
Queen Novo threw open the front gates to welcome them. There were six Sand Dragons in all, and they were all in different outfits. One of the female Sand Dragons had on a long kelp gown with huge, poufy sleeves. Her sharp claws were painted with purple squid ink.
“Welcome to Seaquestria. Please, come in!” Queen Novo said. She gestured to the giant tables in the great hall. They’d cleared out a lot of the furniture so the huge Sand Dragons would have room to move around.
“Pleasure to see you again,” Gnash said, offering the princess a little bow. “And this must be Queen Novo.”
The queen gave a deep bow. “That’s me! Thank you for agreeing to let us host and for... not eating us.”
For a second, the entire great hall froze. Even the band stopped playing their music. Everypony was worried about what Gnash would do. They couldn’t have Sand Dragons losing their temper in the middle of the great hall.
After a long pause, Gnash just laughed. “Very funny!” he said, stomping his claw on the stone. “You’re funny.”
Queen Novo smiled, sharing a look with Fluttershy as the music began again. There were more moments like that throughout the night, when everypony seemed unsure about Gnash and his friends. Were they about to lose their tempers and destroy the whole castle? Could they really be trusted?
But those moments always passed, and the answers eventually seemed clear. (No, they wouldn’t destroy the castle. Yes, they could be trusted.) As Queen Novo held up her glass at the end of the night, it really did feel as if the Sand Dragons and Seaponies were becoming friends. Gnash had spent a good hour introducing each of the hundreds of Beezlebugs by name and title.
“To centuries of good will!” Queen Novo said, offering a toast.
“To centuries of good will!” the Sand Dragons called out.
“And to all the seaweed we can eat!” Skystar added, laughing. “I’m really looking forward to that!”
The whole room clinked glasses. Fluttershy smiled as she sipped her cider, happy she’d played some small part in it all.
“This was one of the most interesting days I’ve had in a loooooong time,” Skystar said, giving her friend a hug.
“Really?” Fluttershy asked, hoping that was a good thing.
“Yeah!” Skystar said. “For once, I didn’t make a single thing out of seashells...”
“Oh no, did you still want to do that?” Fluttershy said, pulling Skystar away from the dance floor.“Because there’s still time if we—”
“No, silly!” Skystar giggled. “Who has time for shells when they’ve got a best friend to cut a rug with?! Come on!” The princess grabbed Fluttershy’s fin, and they rushed back out into the middle of the floor.
When the band started a faster song, the two Seaponies twirled around in the water, dancing between the giant Sand Dragons, Queen Novo, the Beezlebugs, and the guards. For the first time in the history of Seaquestria, they were all together, and they were having fun—all because they were going with the flow of friendship.