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I
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If you are reading this, and I pray to all the world's watchful deities that you are not, it will mean that something terrible had happened to me and, despite my best attempts otherwise, it may soon happen to you and to all that is around you. I have written this in hopes that should I not see this to the end, there can be others who will take my place, and it is only with this precaution in place that my worries regarding the rate of success of my current venture can be alleviated. I should note, however, that as of the time I'm writing this sentence, my aforementioned warning remains uncertain, and as such may be negligible. In spite of that, I trust in the judgment of you, the reader, on whether my warning should be sternly heeded by the conclusion of this chronicle. I believe that by the very end of my account, you, the reader, will make the right decision.
I should preface this by explaining that all that you are and will be reading are a transcript of my thoughts, written out by a quill imbued with a spell that translates one's own cogitations and inner locutions onto paper. I had done so as there are circumstantial experiences that one may never truly capture following their passing, and for the sake of accuracy, I had concluded this to be the best and most feasible method to relay any information to fully translate any breakthroughs in my research into paper. I shall, however, apologize, should any of my future ruminations be clouded by my personal feelings within any of my future endeavors. It is on that note that I shall officially begin with how my current venture arose in the first place.
When ponies speak of the ocean, there always was an air of praise that came with it, whether it be endearing or terrifying. The great blue excites many a pony of Equestria, perhaps even extending to other races beyond its borders, particularly to those that already dwells within its waters. It coaxes from us a curious desire: the want to be amazed, to be marveled, to embrace the ebb and flow of the tides between our hooves, to bask in the echoes of its aquatic susurrations. It draws forth from our lips the dictions of wonder and merriment, tinged with a light hint of yearning, and it will make even the most stoic of ponies tremble in awe, without fail. Such is the ocean, breathtaking and blissful, this grandiose reverie. It was no surprise then that, with all its mystique, it had evoked a curious desire in the inquiring mind to understand it.
There had been many an inquiring mind. Many, who strove to understand the logic of the ocean, whose work built upon the knowledge of the ocean to where it was today. Nevertheless, despite abundant in the most exquisite depictions of its physics and mathematics, this bibliographical fortress bears no volumes that rationalized the majesty of this constant aberration within the axioms of the known universe. There remained only mere fragments of hypotheses, never a complete collection that justifies the ideals of admiration regarding the ocean. Many argued about the necessity, or lack thereof, of understanding its existence. Few had strived for understanding it within the boundaries of universal law, though those few could be construed as a rather silent bunch, forcibly so or otherwise.
Indeed, one would reasonably conclude then that the ocean has its own secrets to keep.
That occurred as a passing thought to me, the mare who calls herself Moondancer. Bespectacled and blessed with the bountiful bouquet that is friendship, the latter of which she had realized belatedly, I came upon that notion during a trip to the beach organized by my friends, and though I now sorely wished she had turned down the invitation, I just couldn't help myself upon realizing that I would be joined by a certain Princess of Friendship. She rarely finds the time to attend these functions of ours, as she would often be preoccupied with duties as royalty so often do, but when she does, it's always a little more of an exhilarating occasion, or at least for me personally. It was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss, for I had many a personal inquiry I had wished to broach with the princess, and it was with that in mind that I agreed to take up on that offer.
Looking back, I can say it's proof once again that Twilight Sparkle was always a pleasure to talk to.
Friendship, of course, came before anything else. Apart from her and me, there was everyone else: Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Drops and Lyra with her plus one— Bon Bon, I think her name was if I remembered it correctly. Suffice to say, with all the company, the hours of our first afternoon were spent away, vigorously so. I never minded the lost time, for we would be spending several days at the beach, after all. Time is in abundance, as are the opportunities flowering in its embrace. Nevertheless, though I had no doubt that I've enjoyed our activities wholeheartedly, I preferred something quieter, something less strenuous. Twilight, of course, was all too perceptive of that; you could imagine my surprise when, partway during our volleyball session, she swayed to my side with a smile, pleasant as ever despite being drenched in sweat and sea spray.
"Looks like we both could use a break or two," I remembered those sweet words singing in my ears. "Wanna talk?"
A lame nod from me sufficed. Resting beneath our parasols, we were soon deep in conversation, with topics ranging from our time back in magic school to the Canterlot Royal Society's hypotheses regarding the concepts of a grand, unified field of magic — a theory aiming to merge the inherent magic of every species into a single, unified force — involving recent experiments looking into a successful hybridization between unicorn magic and dragon fire. That topic, in particular, took up the bulk of our conversation, as I was a part of the aforementioned Royal Society and thus had the unfettered access to all the details regarding the findings of my colleagues' research. It was only until near the end of the day, when we're all lounging in the sand and stared at the constant horizon, that she pertained to the ocean.
"Breathtaking, isn't it?"
Figuratively and literally, as I would think. Celestia forbids anyone else shares my morbid perspective. Of course, I refrained from uttering it aloud before the princess, instead nodding silently in agreement. My eyes had long since trailed from the scenery and to the princess by my side, and for a moment most magnificent, they lingered. "It's wonderful," I remarked, quickly returning my gaze forward before Twilight could rear her head. "Then again, it always is, isn't it? No matter how you look at it, the ocean always seems so... majestic."
Her irises, pleasant and precious, fell towards me. A smile burst forth — one I had pined for and thus easily reciprocated — before she returned her violet eyes to the ocean once more.
"Can't argue with that."
That was all that she imparted. My chest rumbled then, I remembered it clearly. There was a sting beneath it, inflaming. Disappointment, perhaps? Thinking back, perhaps it was so. Amid my excessive elation in the company of the princess, I failed to realize that my yearnings then were an aberration. I knew better than to harbor such silly expectations; I shouldn't need to fault her for anything. Nevertheless, I remained guilty of that disposition and, at the time, persisted with it. Stifling a sigh, I had slipped a hopeful glance back towards her, wishing she could delve into the loom of words that I had so carefully woven. Instead, she deviated.
"It's weird when you think about it," she murmured, drawn towards the spectacular clash of the distant waves. "It's common knowledge that Princess Celestia raises and lowers the sun, and Princess Luna with the moon. The sky had always abided by the whims and fancies of the pegasi, which in turn shapes the mountains and forests that fill the earth. However, where we understand the principles of these great bodies and the minds that dictate them, we still know nothing when it comes to the ocean. Even after all these years and years of arcane research and scientific innovations, there's nothing that we have to ascertain what defines the ocean as we know it today."
"Now that you've said it, yeah, that is weird." Once again, I had no hesitations nor qualms when it came to her suppositions. There was no need for pondering upon the queries of Twilight Sparkle, a mare whose mind of boundless knowledge and fastidious memorization excels most others, myself included. Her inquiry regarding the sovereignty of the ocean, or apparent lack thereof, remained fascinating to me now as it did then, and that's without mentioning her delivery of it! Seriously, I cannot imagine any other pony I know that could construct her thoughts together with such eloquence, such passion, such ease, such... such...
I'm sorry, I shouldn't digress any further.
"Wait, so there really isn't anything?" I asked.
Twilight shook her head, the grin she was wearing then could only be described as ecstatic. "It's strange. We know that the inner workings of the ocean are there — the underwater currents, the ecosystems, the subaquatic rock formations, we know everything! However, what's baffling is that even after all these centuries, we still don't know why they are there! Why is the ocean the way it is today, Moondancer? Why do you think that is?"
I had no answer, unfortunately, though I never needed one. With a chuckle and a wave of a hoof, Twilight soon dismissed the topic, once again stating that she might be going a little overboard, no pun intended. The rest of our days at the beach were like any other, with various activities keeping us light on our hooves followed by a long period of relaxation. We had many a conversation, of course, though none had ever come close to capturing the raw wonder that clenched her voice amid her musings of the ocean. Upon noticing its absence, I knew then that this was a breakthrough she wouldn't want to miss, even if she did not explicitly state it. With that in mind, I quickly took it upon myself to pursue further research into the matter— a decision that I had made known to Twilight in our hotel room in the dead of the last night of our little vacation.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked me.
"Sure I'm sure," was my response, of course. Still, Twilight clinched onto her quizzical stare, those violet crescents incandescent with concern before the full moon gracing me in the dark of the night from across the room. Her brows furrowed in contemplation, coaxing from me the uneasiness between my ribs. Nevertheless, she remained efficient, still ruthlessly signing away many a document she had brought along with her magic-laced quill like she had set out to do, albeit this time with a strained fervor. Her gaze strayed from mine and sank into the jaded umber swirls in the coffee mug clasped between her hooves, before drifting towards our sleeping friends splayed out in the mattresses around us, almost as if she was hoping to hear a second opinion, before she slipped out a sigh.
"Moondancer, you know this isn't anything minor, right? I'm pretty certain there's a good reason why we have no idea about it after all this time," she said. "I don't want it to take your spare time away. You know, with how tiring your lectures must be and everything."
"I can handle it just fine, Twilight. Plus, I spend my spare time doing my own research anyway! This isn't anything new."
"But it's just..." an ample sigh. "I don't want you to feel obligated for doing this, okay? I know I'm the one who said that I'm curious to know more about the ocean, but I didn't mean that I had to know about it immediately. It didn't have to be you either! If you ask me, I'd say it looks like you're only doing this for my sake."
"I'm not."
"You sure about that? I don't think you would've done it if I didn't mention it—"
"Twilight," I firmly cut in, putting forward my best smile. "I'm not. Trust me."
That was perhaps the worst singular mistake I had made. It was too easy, lying to her like that. It couldn't be that easy, it shouldn't be, but in the end, it is the way it is. Scrutiny came and went, this middling mayfly, passing away swiftly within a minute of unhindered silence. One last sigh followed it, before Twilight placed both mug and quill down, scrounging from within her a forced grin that could very well be a perfect replica of mine.
"If you say so," she muttered, chewing on her crooked lips, quivering perhaps from the cold. "Just don't... push yourself too hard, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
My reply was straight and simple. "Of course."
Once again, it was too easy.
It shouldn't be that easy, yet it was.
As such, with the end of our vacation came the beginning of my current venture: to identify the thalassic entity in governance, should there be one in our plane of existence, and understand the ratiocination behind the behavioral patterns displayed by the ocean. All of this — as I’ve already mentioned prior, though I shall place a reminder here once again — will be documented as my personal accounts regarding my research. Of course, I shall do my best to adhere to the Royal Society's guidelines regarding citations and references, albeit informally, for I intend to rewrite and publish a more objective and concise version to be published by myself or anyone else in the Society's official scientific journal, editing out any thoughts deemed inconclusive or irrelevant to the research on this matter. Knowing me, there shall be many a detail to omit, for which I apologize.
With these final words, I, Moondancer, shall begin my research.
May Celestia's sun light the way.