//------------------------------//
// Part 12: Meet the Queen 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic The Movie: What If? 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

When the group of seven came to, they quickly discovered that their heads were all surrounded by bubbles of air. The bubbles enabled them to breath in the inky darkness that surrounded them, indicating that they were far below the surface of the water. Miraculously, their descent had stopped and they were in no danger of sinking further.

Applejack was quite certain she knew who it was that had saved the gang from a watery fate. Turning to the alicorn, she said with a smile. "Nice work, Twilight. That's why you're the leader."

But Twilight nervously replied. "I didn't do anything. This isn't one of my spells."

Now the others began to grow worried. "If you didn't do this, Twilight," Fluttershy wondered aloud and then gulped. "Who did?"

As if in response to the pegasus pony's question, a bright light roughly in the shape of a ball suddenly appeared. "That would be me." The ball spoke in what sounded like a soft, almost childish voice. But whoever was inside the ball said nothing more. And the ball itself began to fade, as if its occupant wanted nothing more to do with the ponies and dragon.

Twilight wasn't about to let the unknown life form get away! She desperately called out! "Wait! Don't go! We're not going to harm you, I promise."

The ball only replied. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers anymore. Not after what happened last time. You should all return to the surface, forget you ever saw me and tell no one how you found me."

"Please," Twilight pleaded with the unknown lifeform. "We just came here looking for the hippogriffs. We couldn't find them on Mount Aris."

And Rarity added. "We were told that Queen Novo might know something about how to defeat the Storm King."

As if a switch had been flipped, the ball of light grew brighter and approached the group. "The Storm King?" It inquired in a noticeably friendly and gentle tone of voice. "Did he come for your kingdom too?"

Applejack gave a firm nod. "He sure did. His army's been pursuin' us everywhere we go. We need all the help we can get if we're ever gonna defeat him and take back our country."

The ball of light faded rather suddenly in a brilliant flash! In its place materialized a seapony of medium build, and with a very light yellow coat. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of cyan and seemed playful. Her mane and tail were long and wavy, and a shade of bluish-green. Around her neck was a red colored collar of some kind, just like the wings on either side of her body, and the collar seemed to be protecting what looked like a small pearl. She had a pink flower of some kind just above her left eye. She quickly spoke up. "Well, why didn't you just say so?! I know where you can find the hippogriffs! Follow me!" Then she swam away.

Seeing as they had no other leads and no idea of where else to go, the ponies and dragon followed the seapony as she led them across the dimly light underwater area. Eventually, the light grew better and brighter, and it was possible to make out what looked like homes made from clams, sea anemones, and various underwater plants.

The seapony led her guests right to the very center of this location, and swam up through a small opening that led to a place decorated in royal shades of purple, pink, and green.

Upon entering this area, the ponies and dragon were immediately surrounded by seaponies brandishing spears! It seemed they had stumbled right into a trap!

"Princess Skystar!" A stern, female sounding voice sharply rapped. "What have I told you about bringing outsiders into our kingdom?! Don't you remember what happened the last time you did that?! Do you want us to lose this kingdom too?!" And within seconds, a much larger seapony appeared. She had a coat white as snow, eyes a strong shade of magenta, and a mane and tail consisting of two shades of light to medium purple. Atop her head was fixed a small, golden crown of sorts. And above the crown were three light blue bulb like tentacles.

The younger, smaller seapony spun around and locked eyes with the seapony who had just appeared. "Mother, it's not like that!" She desperately pleaded for the safety of her guests. "They're not like the previous outsiders. We can trust them, I think."

The older seapony was anything but convinced. "You disobeyed my orders and went up to the surface again, didn't you? How many times must you be told that we can't ever return to the surface: It's too dangerous! We must stay here where it's safe, where the Storm King can't reach us."

"But Mother!" Princess Skystar protested. "These... ponies and their dragon have been attacked by the Storm King too. We have to help them!"

The older seapony brushed off the princess with a fin, then swam over to her uninvited guests and eyed them suspiciously. "Is this true? Or are you just telling lies to my easily deceived daughter to make her trust you?"

"P-please, whoever you are," Twilight stammered. "We come in peace. And what your daughter said is true: We've been attacked by the Storm King. We need help."

The older seapony was silent for a moment, then swam away and raised a fin. "Well, if you're sure, then I guess it can't hurt. You just have to promise you won't tell anycreature about how you found us. I went to great lengths to establish this secret kingdom, and as long as I'm in charge it's going to stay a secret," She then instructed to the guards. "Lower your spears, men. Let's at least hear these strangers out."

The guards obeyed without hesitation, and the group of seven now freely swam around what appeared to be a throne room of some kind. It was brightly light, but sparsely decorated. Aside from a throne made out of rocks, there didn't seem to be anything of note anywhere in their surroundings.





The seapony who had previously been hostile to the ponies and dragon now appeared to be relaxed. Princess Skystar, meanwhile, was a ways back from the older seapony and appeared to look quite guilty. Strangely though, the princess didn't seem to have regretted what she'd done, even if her mother thought otherwise.

Resting on the throne, the seapony with a crown quickly launched into an interrogation of sorts with the "outsiders" she had been suspicious of. "So, what can I do for you? You say you've been attacked by the Storm King?"

Twilight nodded as she slowly swam forward. "Yes, your majesty. We come from the land of Equestria, from Ponyville to be exact. And we were forced to flee from it due to an attack by the Storm King, or rather his army."

"And why have you come all this way?" The older seapony questioned. "What were you doing up on Mount Aris?"

The alicorn princess replied. "We were trying to find Novo, queen of the hippogriffs. Princess Celestia seemed to think you might know something about how to defeat the Storm King. She was planning to send her sister, but she got captured along with the other princesses, so I decided to search for Queen Novo instead."

The older seapony let out a gasp upon hearing the words "Princess Celestia"! "So she did remember me! And it sounds like she reunited with her sister, just as she said she'd been hoping to." She briefly adopted a guilty look.

"It sounds like you know Princess Celestia," Spike pointed out. "And you and your daughter seem to know about Mount Aris. So you must know what happened to the hippogriffs."

The crown wearing seapony frowned. "I don't know if I should tell you. I'm still not convinced you can be trusted. The last outsider who visited me was a pony too, and she turned out to be working for the Storm King."

Princess Skystar, however, chipperly swam over and exclaimed! "Don't worry, Mother! I can tell them!"

"Princess Skystar, there's no need for you to do that!" The crown wearing seapony groaned in frustration. "It's supposed to be a secret!"

Undeterred, the princess swam up towards the ceiling of the throne room. Suddenly, figures in large white lines began to take shape, depicting images on the ceiling. And the seapony explained. "Long ago, the hippogriffs lived on Mount Aris in peace. But then one day, the evil Storm King launched an attack. He had heard rumors that the hippogriffs were in possession of a great power, a power that could transform creatures into anything. And naturally, he felt that such power should be his and his alone," She swam from one illuminated ceiling to another, all the while continuing to tell her story. "The hippogriffs managed to fend off the Storm King temporarily, but he vowed to come back to finish the job. Luckily, Queen Novo knew the Storm King's one weakness: He can't swim. So, using the great power the Storm King had desired for himself, she transformed all her subjects into seaponies."

"And the seaponies came here to build a new kingdom," Twilight concluded. Then a gasp escaped her lips as she realized what this meant! Turning to the crown wearing seapony, she exclaimed with wide eyed wonder. "Then you must be Queen Novo!"

The crown wearing seapony sighed. "Well, I guess the pearl is out of the oyster now," She rose from her throne and gestured a fin to herself, proudly proclaiming. "Yes, I am Queen Novo."

And Princess Skystar pointed out! "Surprise! We were the hippogriffs all along!" She then turned to the queen. "See, Mother? I didn't tell them that even though I wanted to! Besides, some strangers can be trusted."

Queen Novo hmphed. "Some, but not all. When someday you take the throne, you'll understand. And I pray that someday will be long after the scourge of the Storm King has disappeared forever," She then turned to the ponies. "Apologies for not revealing myself sooner. But after all my subjects had to endure because of the Storm King and his forces, I'm sure you can understand why I'm hesitant to trust anyone else. Naturally, being underwater means you miss out on a lot."

Twilight smiled and simply nodded. "Perfectly understandable, your majesty. My friends and I have learned our lesson about trusting strangers the hard way. Although, I suppose if your daughter hadn't saved us just recently, we wouldn't be here to talk to you now."

"Yes, my daughter simply loves to make new friends," Queen Novo replied. "Unforutnately, she has little understanding of how the outside world works. The outside world is not a friendly place, it's everycreature for themselves."

Fluttershy saw fit to protest. "I'm sure Princess Celestia would've gladly sent help if she'd know your kingdom was in danger."

The queen sighed. "There was no time to send word out. I did what I felt I had to do to protect my subjects. It's taken years to establish Seaquestria as a safe haven. You ponies are the first outsiders to ever lay eyes on it," Her eyes narrowed. "And you'll also be the last if I have anything to say about it."

Twilight desperately pleaded with the queen! "But what is this great power that the Storm King wanted so badly? What was it that allowed you to change all the hippogriffs into seaponies? Please, you must show it to us! I need to be able to study it!"

Queen Novo was silent for a moment, looking back behind herself. She appeared to be deep in contemplation. Then, after seeing what appeared to be a confirming nod from her daughter, she adopted a small smile and relaxed her eyebrows ever so slightly. "Oh, very well. I guess it can't hurt to let you see it. But you can't tell anyone else about it, not even Princess Celestia! She only heard rumors about this great power, though I doubt it would've been of much use to her if she had known about it."

"Oh goody! You're gonna show them the pearl!" Princess Skystar chiperly chirped!

The ponies and Spike all blinked and said in unison. "The pearl?"

The queen swam up to one of the bright purple colored anemones and gently tapped a fin against it. Emerging from the anemone's long tentacles was a bright and shiny pearl that simmered with energy. Spike and the ponies had never seen anything like it!

"This," Queen Novo said, beaming with pride. "Is the Pearl of Transformation. With its power, any creature can be transformed into anything your heart desires. But here, don't take my word for it: See for yourselves what it can do." As soon as she finished speaking those words, she brought the pearl before the group of seven. The pearl gave off a shimmer of light, and trendils of bright white magic surrounded the outsiders.

In the blink of an eye, the ponies were all transformed! Their hooves were turned into fins, and their bodies now had gills that allowed them to breath underwater without the need for air bubbles. Their cutie marks were no longer displayed on their flanks, but moved down towards their tails that were now extended and had fins on the end to help propel them through the water.

Spike too was transformed: Morphed into what could be best be described as some kind of sea dragon/seahorse hybrid. His body was long and narrow, and when he tried to breath fire it came out not even as smoke but as bubbles.

Everyone was most impressed by this display!





"Wow!" Twilight exclaimed as she beheld her new seapony body. "This is incredible!"

Queen Novo smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to change you all back to normal before you leave. Unless, of course, you'd like to stay with us."

Twilight shook her head from side to side. "No, we can't abandon our friends and our family back in Equestria," She then eyed the Pearl of Transformation. "But the pearl is just what we need! With its power, we could transform all of Equestria into creatures that could fight off the Storm King!"

"Or," Queen Novo protested as she clutched the pearl and held it close to her body. "It could just as easily end up in his greedy paws. And if a monster like him gets ahold of it, he will be unstoppable! His cruelty will know no limits! You've seen what he did to Mount Aris! Now imagine him doing that to kingdom after kingdom, nation after nation! Even Seaquestria wouldn't be safe, because he could transform into something that could swim!" She growled! "And I'll be darned if I let that monster take anything else away from me! He's already cost my subjects the kingdom they once called home, and taken my husband! I won't let him do the same to Seaquestria! Not if I can help it!"

Twilight was shocked and nearly rendered speechless by Queen Novo's refusal to help! "But... but... we came all the way here just for you! We need your help!"

"If it's my help you want, you're welcome to borrow some of my best soldiers," The queen sternly replied. "But the pearl is strictly off limits!" To emphasize this point, she brought the pearl back to the anemone it had emerged from and quickly returned it to its resting place.

"Mother, how can you refuse to help them?! Isn't it time we stood up to that overgrown bully?!" Princess Skystar protested! "This could be the chance we've been waiting for for years and years!"

Alas, not even her own daughter could pursade Queen Novo to deter from her current path. "I will not gamble our futures on an uncertain outcome! As queen, I have to consider what's best for not only myself but for my subjects. We are safe here in Seaquestria. It would be foolish to scarifice it all now. We may not get another chance," She sighed, putting a fin to her forehead. "Listen, I'll think it over," To the outsiders she added. "I'm sorry about what happened to your kingdom. I truly am. But the Storm King is a creature without mercy. Anything he can't control, he destroys!"

"So help us! Together, we can totally kick the Storm King's butt!" Rainbow Dash insisted, and gestured a fin to her friends. "You can trust us. We have tons of experience dealing with bad guys. The Storm King will be no different!"

The queen only replied. "I said I'll think it over. Don't make me change my mind. It takes a lot for anyone to earn my trust, you are no different. You're welcome to stay here for a while and play with my daughter. But for now," She swam off. "It's time for my seaweed wrap." And just like that, she disappeared.

Princess Skystar swam over to her new friends, trying to put on a cheerful face. "Hey, she didn't say no. And so what if you can't use the pearl? I'm sure I can 'convince' Mother to spare more than just a few soldiers. Besides," She added with a nervous half smile. "Underwater isn't so bad once you get used to it. We can play with shells, and make necklaces out of shells, and do lots of other things with shells. Just ask Shelly and Sheldon." She held up two colored seashells with eyes that had been drawn onto them: One was pink and the other was blue. But as she too swam away, it was easy to see a very unhappy look upon her face.





Now alone in the throne room, the seven friends could only process the turn of events that had so swiftly dashed their hopes. Now it seemed they had come all the way to Mount Aris only to be turned away by the very creature they'd expected to help them.

None seemed more devestated and downtrodden than Twilight, however. She just stood there in silence, a forlorn look upon her face.

"Twilight?" Spike nervously reached out a fin to touch her and get her attention.

Twilight spun around, quickly seeing her friends and seeing how uneasy they seemed to be. They didn't need to say it outwardly, but they were all worried about her.

Fortunately for the friends, Twilight seemed to settle on a course of action as an idea came to her all of a sudden. "You know what, girls?" She said to them with an innocent smile. "You should all go and play with Princess Skystar. It looks like she could use a friend or two right now."

"Are you sure? We can't stay for very long." Pinkie Pie hesitantly spoke up.

Twilight chuckled. "Well, if there's anyone who can squeeze a lifetime of fun into just a few minutes, it's you, Pinkie. Just do what you do best. After all, you and Skystar have a lot in common."

Pinkie didn't need any further incentive! Her eyes lit up like stars as she excitedly exclaimed! "You're right, Twilight! I know just how to turn Skystar's frown upside down!" Turning to the others she declared. "But I can't do it alone! You're all gonna help me! Together, we'll show Princess Skystar and all those seaponies the best time of their lives!"

"Great! You all do that!" Twilight happily ushered them along.

Spike, however, was suddenly worried as he sensed that Twilight wasn't telling the others the whole truth. "What about you, Twilight? Aren't you gonna join us?"

"Maybe eventually," Came Twilight's swift reply. "But for right now, I want to hang around here and see if I can study the Pearl of Transformation just a little bit more. Maybe if I can figure out how it works, we won't need to convince Queen Novo to let us use it, I'll be able to use its powers myself."

"Well... okay then," Spike hesitantly responded. "Just please don't do anything that'll make Queen Novo mad with us. She already seems quite upset as it is."

Twilight firmly nodded. "Trust me, Spike. I can handle things on my own." And with that, she watched as her friends all swam out to go find Princess Skystar.

Now alone in the throne room, Twilight turned her attention back to the aneome that housed the Pearl of Transformation. "Sorry girls," She thought as a pang of guilt struck her. "But I see no other options. I just hope Queen Novo can forgive me."