//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 - Psera, The Legend 
// Story: Twilight Daylight: Psera, The Legend of Legends 
// by thedarktome 
//------------------------------//

Silence. That was it. The one who saved all of the ponies and put them on boats in the middle of the sea was the same pony that was missing during all of this. Twilight Sparkle. But she looked a little different. Her mane was flowing like the other Princesses, and the biggest change was her wings. They draped over her back like a long cape that covered even her tail.

The only pony who had a physical reaction and wasn't frozen was Flurry Heart, who eagerly jumped past and into Twilight's hooves. "Aunt Twilight! You're so awesome! That monster was about to eat mom!"

Twilight nodded and ruffled her mane. "I know. But she never got the chance. I told Celestia that only my magic can hurt her. How's my favorite niece? Oh I can't believe how much you've grown! Ready to see your cousin? Oh my stars, you're so dirty, you need a bath." Oh! Before she forgets! Twilight raised a Comm Block and ordered, "Queen Bee to Admiral Star. Send a message back to the Senate Board that the package has been retrieved."

"Ten four."

Good. She focused on Flurry and repeated, "You need a bath!"

Before she could answer, Starlight hobbled over and sort of fell on Twilight with derpy eyes. Twilight pushed her back gently, but knew what she was requesting. While they hugged, Sunset laughed from the corner and explained, "Whatever made the ground move made everypony fall. And Starlight may have hit her head."

Arcadia gasped and pushed Starlight back to look her over. Her eyes were all wobbly. Moving everywhere and focusing on nothing. She probably had a concussion. 

"Oh! Guard!" One of the Arcadian Guards strode in and saluted. "Would you please take Starlight to the medical bay?" He nodded then scooped up her body like a bag of sand and made way for the open doors on the bridge.

Twilight took a second to watch then turned back and assured, "She'll be fine by the time we reach home. We should reach Psera in two and a half days at our speed which gives the ponies there time to get ready and prepare locations of temporary residence while I read on how to defeat Maheera." Twilight set Flurry Heart on her back so she could speak better. Talking with a filly in her hooves was one of the most struggling things she's ever been able to do as a mother.

Consort Snow raised a hoof and yelled, "Wait, you know who that is?! What just happened?!!"

Twilight nodded and answered, "Yes. Her name is Maheera Dark. Follow me please and I'll explain everything." Twilight levitated a catatonic Spike onto her back behind Flurry, then turned around and made way for the open steel door. Before they could follow along, Celestia held out a hoof to keep everyone back while Arcadia's wings twisted with her, dragging the ground like a long cape. Once they were far enough away, Celestia lowered her hoof and inched in with everyone else.

Shining followed her quickly down the wide staircase to flank her and asked, "So... You created more?" Then shared a nuzzle with his sister. He hasn't been able to be this intimate with her for a long time. It felt good to be close to family like this again.

Twilight pulled back and nodded proudly. "We have over two hundred of these. The Front Lawn is just the biggest out of all our Aquatas." She stepped off the stairs and made a few twisting turns. They passed various forms of Psera military who saluted when she moved past. Then finally after two minutes of silence, they arrived at an open steel door leading into a really high tech meeting room.

The lights were dimmed, shining down from a reflective glass ceiling and onto the pads in front of the many seats connected to the table. They displayed only the Crest of Psera and looked fragile enough Celestia was afraid she'd break it.

Twilight walked in first and headed for the purple seat beside the red one at the very end facing the front while everyone just stared in awe from the doorway. Everything was so... Not theirs. Futuristic. Strange.

"This... What is this?" President Manamar whispered. "This is amazing."

Arcadia hopped into the big violet chair at the very end of the table furthest from the door and put her large wings to the side. "Everyone take a seat," she ordered. Her friends took those on the right while Royalty took the left, eyes on the pads in front of their face connected to the table. The chairs were so soft, Novo was tempted to just catch up on her sleep right then and there.

Twilight got comfortable then leaned into the pad in front of her and made a few on screen adjustments by tapping her hoof rapidly against it. It was a wonder how it didn't crack yet.

"As you all know," she began. "The lands you called home have been taken over by a magic you can't fight against. Creatures of unknown origin come and infect friends and family, turning them into foe. And no magic can hurt them."

"Do you know what they are?" Ember asked from the very end of the line. "And... Where have you been? We've been requesting your presence and expertise in magic. Starswirl couldn't do anything."

"I have been at home, and yes I do. They're creations from an old foe of my ancestor, Narmeelah." Arcadia pressed a few things on her pad to begin her presentation. A depiction of Narmeelah was plastered onto their screens. Light green coat, ice blue eyes, and a fire red mane smiling at their faces.

Twilight leaned back into her seat and relaxed with an exhale. "Let's begin. Before the time of Celestia, Luna, or even Discord, and when Equus was very young and new, there was Narmeelah. The creator and founder of everything. Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. The main elements needed to create. She was a Pseratep who could harness magic and use it at her will. She created the mighty and great nation of Psera."

Twilight next presented an old painting of Psera, similar to something that would be seen in an Equestrian textbook, like the nightmare moon legend. "She founded it, and ruled for millions of years. Protected its people while they prospered and grew in knowledge. We learned of love, which give us our magic. Our land grew larger and larger, officially making Psera the biggest and strongest nation. Narmeelah created more lands, but always returned to Psera. She soon had a daughter named Saemool. Everything was well and Psera prospered. Until... She disappeared."

Singe was confused why Twilight kept saying "our" since she wasn't from whatever Psera was. But she ignored it, craned her neck and deadpanned, "Disappeared? How?"

"I'm getting to that. The country searched high and low for her. But she was never found. But we did find something. Three discarded notes around her room." Twilight pressed something on the pad, directing their attention to it. There were three black and white evidence photos of balls of paper. Then a photo after that of one unraveled. It showed a text in Old Pseratopian. "Two made no sense to us once we read them. But one clarified everything. It held two words that opened up a conspiracy and hope. Dear. Diary.

"Narmeelah was believed to have a Diary. A record of everything she had done in her life. Every secret, every truth. Everything. It was later confirmed by multiple credible sources that she did in fact have a Diary she carried around the castle. The entire nation abandoned the search for Narmeelah and instead searched for the diary. Because if we found the diary..."

"You'll know what happened to Narmeelah," Skystar assumed.

"Right. Unfortunately, we never found it. And it became a Legend, just like Narmeelah. We moved on for thousands of years afterwards, avoiding trouble and staying anonymous. Soon after thousands of years, a new king and family line took the throne." Arcadia put up a rather striking photo of King Madun next, earning a few naughty under-the-table comments from Skystar and Queen Novo. Even Luna and Celestia. And that bucking Singe. Cadance had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at Twilight's offended face.

"Er... But after a plague and disaster!" She yelled to silence the room. "Psera was given the choice to abandon their land and search for new land. They didn't have to." Twilight moved the photo to the side and replaced it with the famous one of her, dragging her face through the dirt and creating grass. "Psera never knew of magic. But after a... Disagreement with Equestria, I discovered they needed help, and showed them what I could do. I brought magic to them. And with a single horn and teamwork, restored Psera from this—" Twilight changed the view to a sky image of Psera without life. Brown and dead. "To this." She shifted the image to one with way more life full of green, clouds, and cities. She even put up a night time image of the striking light of Psera creating a pattern.

"The king refused to let me leave and offered legal residency after I refused payment. I was given the title as Secretary of Royalty once the country was restored. I did what the Royal Family of Psera needed to be done. I became a friend, an ally. And soon, a family member after I was asked on a date by the king of Psera."

She slid the photo to another image of the two of them dancing in front of the castle doors with a few more Pserateps, smiling with glee and pleasure. "We went on a few more dates and I discovered that I had been voted to be Queen of Psera after he proposed. And I said yes. And after an attempted assassination by a pony who shall remain unknown, I was married and had a foal." Twilight moved the image to the side, showing a press image of King Shimmering Madun and Lady in Waiting Twilight "Arcadia Nova" Sparkle walking out of the castle with their foal. "She's turning five soon. Later on, I was crowned as Queen and took my place on the throne beside my husband after we pushed the timing back."

She slid another photo to the side, showing the image of her inside the castle throne room, sitting on a big throne next to Madun's, holding his hoof with little Fresh Dawn in her lap. Grinning proudly while Fresh Dawn was sucking on her hoof, wearing a pretty little dress with long wings. Purple eyes full of innocence.

"With all due respect, why are you telling us this?" Novo asked. "No doubt, I am very happy for you—even if I do have some questions—but how is this relevant to now?"

Twilight lightly waved a hoof at her and answered, "I created a life here in Psera. I knew its ins and outs. Where everything is. Every story, every legend. I rose up from the ranks and settled down. Until Celestia, Luna, and Cadance walked into my throne room and reminded me of IHT. Then everything came back to me. I completely forgot about the International House of Trade. It was in three days and I didn't even know. Thankfully, Celestia told me and I created a plan to attend. Our nation has an extremely strict secrecy policy that we just rendered partially void by saving you today. So to prevent any investigation in the past, I had to attend."

"That's why you were acting strange," Manamar commented.

Twilight didn't know what that meant, so she just moved on. "My husband watched over our daughter while I created a plan. I gathered my guards and attended. Now here is where everything ties in to now. Celestia and the rest of my family knows this. My daughter is thirty-three percent Equestrian and sixty-seven percent Pseratopian. But Pserateps don't get cutie marks. They just have talents. So it came as a surprise to me when I began to notice a few things. She's taken on a bit of Luna's role. Dreams."

Dictator Jim Sun, who has been silent most of this time raised his eyebrow and repeated, "Dreams?"

Twilight nodded and explained further, "She's able to interact with and remember her dreams. She'd tell them to us, and later on in life, maybe further down the road or even a few minutes after she does, they happen. I'm positive she'll get a cutie mark. Or if not, she'll still have her special talent by the age of seven. Recently, on the last day of IHT, I visited my family back home with a spell I created to travel between great distances out of body, using magic. She was really excited about something, saying 'Narmeepah' has been telling her a few things this week. But this time 'she finally made sense.'"

Celestia never thought she'd see the day when Madam Singe would grace them all with a smile. She fawned, "Aww, how cute."

"Yes, it was really adorable. Fresh Dawn told me that Narmeelah's Diary was currently in Equestria. She has no idea what Narmeelah's diary is yet, that's way down the line. So for her to tell me about it was a flag. Later on that day, during the trade agreement, after thousands of years... We finally found it. The Diary of Narmeelah. And it was given to me by a pony who couldn't open it." She directed her eyes to King Chancellor who had his mouth partly open.

"...it was a diary... by a God?" He whispered.

Arcadia shrugged and nodded. "Technically? Yes. You hoofed it right over to me. I had it carefully taken all the way back to Psera where it was sanitized and stored in a cold room. However, just like King Chancellor, they couldn't open it."

"Told you."

Arcadia rolled her eyes and continued. "They came to me for help, since they believed this to be a magic thing. And I called forth my daughter. On that day, she pointed at the book and said, 'It can only be opened by Narmeepah's descendant.'

"What that means is that the diary was coded to Narmeelah's magical signature, a move that is used in Psera with Royalty and higher ups to keep ponies and more away from precious items. Which can only be accessed by a specific point of the pony's body.

"During the family line, copies of the magical signature are passed down. The technicians believed that the book was a lost cause since there is no known living descendant of Narmeelah. Saemool never had any children. But Fresh Dawn insisted that I go ahead and lay my hoof on the cover. I did. And now..."

Arcadia reached under the table for a moment and pulled out the old dusty book that was not there a moment ago. This table was completely flat like a large "T". Celestia knew she was a mage. Arcadia placed the book on the table and placed her hoof on the cover. Just like before, it clicked and the flap flipped open. Just like King Chancellor's mouth immediately after.

Twilight sighed and explained, "What this means and implies is that I am a distant descendant of Narmeelah. Even though the Pserateps were created by her, she didn't exactly give birth to them. It was all magic that created and made life. Narmeelah found a soul mate, had sex, and had children somewhere that was not in Psera. That family line went down millions of years and created moi. And I also had a little foal. So now Fresh Dawn continues the line. And possibly others. After everyone went crazy in that throne room, I decided to read the diary. And discovered the things we expected and clarified to the public."

Arcadia locked the diary back and pushed it back under the desk, sending it back to wherever she got it from. "One of them was the talk of a battle between Narmeelah... And her opposite. Maheera Dark. While Narmeelah wanted everything nice and pretty, Maheera wanted dark and ugly. To her it was grand but to Narmeelah it was utterly vile, and vice versa. I visited Celestia one day to talk to her about it. And I thought Discord. The current god of Chaos. That was the day you all were worried about your lands and asking to seek refuge. I was nearby watching, listening."

"We questioned him and he told us that Maheera was an old ancestor of his. The original God of Chaos. But unlike Discord, her skills are more ancient and evil. There is no chocolate rain, but blood rain. There is no barking plants that have legs and dance. There are screeching plants that grab and rip you apart. THAT is the kind of world Maheera wanted.

"In the past, Narmeelah was able to fight her and keep her under control with spells that I have no idea how to cast and must research back home. She was powerful. The last fight they had was over ten million years ago. I don't know what happened in that fight, but whatever it was made them both go to sleep. And recently, Maheera woke up. Narmeelah hasn't. So now the entire world is stuck with a Draconequus that is bigger than a mountain, has large teeth, and a thirst for pony magic. And the only one who can fight her is a pony with Pseratopian Magic, knows how to cast it, and be a descendant of Narmeelah. And that pony would be... Me."

Novo pointed at her and repeated, "You? You're the pony that saved us back there? And had us evacuate?"

"Yes. I am. And now she knows there's another pony out there that can hit her. I bet she is furious. If we didn't arrive, you would all be gone right now. They swooped in fast, taking Las Pegasus by storm. Everyone there lost and we didn't know it. That's why there were so many. We were too late there, so we reached over and grabbed who we could. Now we're rounding up everyone and taking them to Psera. Even... Changelings." Arcadia's shiver caught everyone's eye. A might of slight offended stares.

"Is there an issue with Changelings?" Shining asked. Twilight's deadpan look gave him his answer.

"Remember in the past? I dropped them off in Equestria? Remember?"

Celestia gasped and nodded, "Ahh, right. But what about Thorax? And the reformed?"

Arcadia closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not too sure. It's nothing personal. But I vowed on the day I took the throne that I'd put Psera and Pserateps first before any other creature. And there is some bad blood between Psera and the term Changeling. I can already feel the Guards watching every single move they make and a few looks from my ponies. Now, Cadance? Shining Armor? Since no one asked, we managed to secure the Crystal Heart. It's being held in Aquata Eight and will be secured in Lavender when we arrive."

Cadance gasped, then slumped in her chair. "Oh, I completely forgot about it. Thank you, Twilight."



While the Queen was speaking with the ponies in the middle of the ship, many ponies were being looked at in the areas below. As well as looking around. Sunset and Trixie were just one of those sitting on the edge of one of the Hangar Bays watching five other Aquatas in the distance, buzzing with activity. Bon Bon leaned over to Lyra and whispered, "Who's in charge again? An Admiral, right?"

Lyra shrugged and answered, "Don't know. Where are we going though?"

"Greetings, everyone." All conversations ceased and all eyes turned towards the relatively large display of Arcadia sitting high in the middle of the hangar floor. Smiling down at everyone inside every Aquata. But she was actually in the suite inside her bedroom, eyes closed and horn lit.

Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Flurry Heart were on the side. Listening and watching the LiVAMs over the door.

There were a total of eight displaying different readings they couldn't figure out. The other rulers had evacuated for the hangars to explain to those in there the matter.

Bulk Muscles was directly in Arcadia's holographic form in the Royal Aquata. He glanced around before darting out to somewhere that wasn't holding magic. Arcadia's kind violet eyes never wavered. "Firstly, I want to thank the Aqua Guard, Elite Guard, Aerial Guard, Force Guard, and Arcadian Elite Royal Guard for risking their lives and running into the flames of Infected. It was some tough work and I am very proud. Thank you.

"Next, I want to thank everyone for following procedure and listening to the captains in the midst of running. If you didn't, it would have been an utter disaster and plans would have gotten out of hoof with disastrous results. As you all know, a creature of Chaos walks among us and has taken over a majority of your homes."

The ponies in a different Aquata held their eyes on the display Arcadia was speaking from, not even whispering. Even the reformed changelings. "She is an ancient being of incredible power who cannot be stopped by magic. Equestrian magic. Myself and my experts are coming up with a plan to take her down, but have also offered you housing in a very distant land hundreds of miles away from Equestria and the others while we do so. As of this time, we should be docking in Psera after approximately fifty-two hours. And before anypony starts complaining, at least you're not with the Draconequus, who was going to eat you." That immediately ceased any retort before it began. Sunset held a hoof up to her mouth to stifle any laughter.

"Now, I want to mention that Psera has a zero tolerance policy for visitors, and that by ancient law you should not be on your way to our nation. Those that do are usually captured and taken straight to me, where I send you straight back to where you came from after a little... digging and reorganizing." Madam Singe wasn't sure she liked what that was implying. "So I alone am doing you a massive favor. Next I want everyone to know that we may in fact experience a few bumps along the way if my theories are correct. Nothing to be worried about at this moment, the Guard and myself are on top of it, and are thoroughly prepared for encounters.

"Now I want to make it plain and clear that while aboard our Aquatas and nation that all rules are to be followed. ALL rules. Psera is a wonderful nation and friendly. But above all, behind the protective Obelisks, Psera is a military nation and will not tolerate any ignorance, bigotry, and definitely threats. Any creature who does so will not enjoy their stay. I want to make it very clear that even though Psera loves all creatures, you are still foreigners and military police have the right to make adjustments. Moving, transfers, all of that will be laid out in more detail by your rulers, who will be answering to the Fire Family once we dock.

"Now if you all behave and stay on your best behavior, no need to worry. Just enjoy your stay as best as you can. But for right now, we will be only watching and maintaining a clean and healthy atmosphere. If there are any questions, please refer to a nearby guard. That is all." The holograms of Twilight disintegrated into stars. Twinkling down to the ground in a show of brilliance.

Back in her bedroom, Twilight's aura faded from around her horn. Then she opened her eyes and blinked them to recognize her room. She took a deep breath and stood up before Luna commented, "Quite forward."

Twilight turned to her and responded, "I'd rather not beat around the bush. It's better to just come straight out the box and tell you. Now, Admiral Star is commandeering the fleet. It's eleven o' six, and I have to do a water check."

Rainbow raised a hoof to get her attention. Then recalled, "You said 'encounters?'"

Twilight nodded and clarified, "As you know, there are legendary ponies and creatures out there. Narmeelah, Maheera... myself."

"You're considered legendary?" Rarity repeated.

Twilight nodded and answered, "You'll see why. But there are also other creatures. Two of them are Sea Creatures. Like ponies of the sea that are definitely not Seaquestria's Sea Ponies. Narmeelah spoke of their appearance in the Diary. Mahloo and Marloo, the protectors of the sea. In the past they partnered with Narmeelah to keep ponies away from Psera in a violent matter. And we may encounter them."

"So they were guards," Celestia assumed. All of this was truly fascinating. The fact that there were creatures besides Discord and those held in Tartarus? She wanted to turn into Twilight and take notes.

"Yes. Sacred guards of the sea. But only when Maheera struck. It's been millions of years and they may be awake. Let it be known that when Maheera rises, all do. Before the twins, there is another around my size. But I'm prepared. Unfortunately, Narmeelah failed to clarify when. It could be now, it could be when we reach the obelisks. Now I want to make something else known here too."

"And what is that dear?" Rarity asked.

Twilight took a deep breath, leaned her head back then shouted, "I miss my babies!" Cadance jumped a little. Then held a hoof over her chest. She was just going through Mother's Longing. Sniffling, Twilight cried, "Little Dawn is going to leave school soon and she's going to come home and ask where's mommy and I'm at sea, baby-y-y!"

"Awwww!" Rarity strode forward and pulled her friend into a hug. "It's okay~! I'm sure she enjoys her father, darling."

Twilight took a deep and calming breath to calm her nerves. "You're right. My baby's with her father and the rest of the family. She'll be fine." She took one more calming breath then pulled off of Rarity and made way for the door. Next she stopped and asked, "Are mom and dad in Psera?"

Celestia nodded and answered, "They should be with Madun by now."



That same morning at nine after dropping his daughter off at school and a nuzzle in her mane, Madun soared all the way back to the castle with two Elite Guards by his side. A list of things were running through his head: Meet with Bold Shoulder to talk about defense, court, reading, lunch with his sister, and meeting with "Dusty's" mother to setup a playdate. This Maheera business screwed up a lot of plans.

The castle was quiet. No noise whatsoever. He could hear his hooves as well as his own thoughts for once. It was great.

"Oh, Maduuuun~!" It was. He stopped in the middle of an intersecting hallway and turned to the right in surprise. Twilight Velvet and Night Light were waving from down the hall. Then proceeded towards him. Oh no. Oh please no.

"In-laws," Madun whispered to himself.

Twilight Velvet reached him first and pulled him into a loving hug. "Ooohhh, look at you! Still lugging those bulging muscles around in your body, I see. How are you? We haven't seen you in ages!"

Madun smiled innocently and responded, "Ohh, Still on the throne."

Twilight Velvet looked around and asked, "That's great dear, now where is little Fresh Dawn?"

"Yes, where is the little scamp?" Night Light added.

"She's in school."

Twilight Velvet gasped and asked, "Already? But she's only four! You know when I was her age..." Madun sighed and sat down. This was certainly going to take awhile.



Back on Aquata Zero, Twilight smiled and nodded in approval. "Excellent. You're free to explore. Rainbow Dash? Try not to boast. My Guards don't like that."

Ignoring her eye roll, Applejack wrapped a hoof around Rainbow's neck and assured, "I'll take care of her, Twi. Don't you worry."



While they were in Twiligh's bedroom, the rest of IHT's members stood around Aquata Zero's Hangars. Some deep within, others like Novo at the edge of the bay, staring out to the sea and the other Aquata's escorting them back. The steel floor was cool under Queen Novo's hooves as she treaded the crowded hangar. According to an "Elite" Guard and from Queen Twilight, they were aboard an Aquata. An aquatic vehicle. But... What's a vehicle?

Skystar asked from her immediate right, "So we're going to another land until all of this is handled?"

Novo nodded and answered, "Yes. A much more ancient part of society I think. According to Queen Twilight, this land was around before any of ours. Celestia calls them the true warriors. I have no idea what that means." The two moved through a few more ponies and sat at the edge of the hangar bays, watching an Aquata approach up next to them. At the helm was the crest of what must be Psera branded a light gray, moving past them. And all around them as far as they could see were deep blue water. Ocean. By now they would have arrived at North Neighton. Wherever they were headed it was very far. Not to mention... It seemed like most of these ponies from Equestria knew about them. Celestia herself didn't even hold a reaction.

"I can tell you are thinking." Novo looked to her left at Luna. She had taken a seat next to her drinking from a glass cup with her eyes on the sea. Where'd she get that?

Novo nodded and admitted, "These... 'aquatic vehicles' are big. Massive."

Luna followed her gaze towards even more ponies sitting on the edge of another ship directly across. Immediately everyone started shouting and waving, trying to get the others' attention. Luna merely smiled and waved among all the noise. "Yes, well... These are not their biggest."

"So you do know them."

Luna sighed and admitted herself, "Yes. Pserateps. Equestria... Had a tense relationship with Psera in the past, something you could easily get into if you do not watch where you poke your nose. After Twilight left with the Element of Magic, Equestria was put on lockdown and a search to find her was commenced. We never did. Although she made appearances, she always disappeared before we could grab her. We had a suspicion she had joined a different society, but we had no idea why. Well when we learned she was inviting a friend from Equestria over for a celebration, we quickly followed along through a portal and onto Psera.

"We were astounded when we arrived in Cop, their capital. When Arcadia says that Psera is a legendary and grand nation... She's not joking. It truly is a sight to behold. But we landed at the wrong time. Like she said, Psera is a military nation. Turns out, Arcadia has an extreme influence over them after she healed their land. Gained a level of respect from even Royalty. Next thing you know, since we were foreigners we were taken by her and thrown into the nearest holding facility where we learn that she is a Lady in Waiting. Which on their land means a pony about to be merged with the Royal Family. Whether through marriage or through vote as Queen. She got both.

"The rest of Psera didn't like us. At all. And Pserateps fly really fast. Arcadia isn't the fastest, but the second. She flies faster than Rainbow Dash on a bad day. All Pserateps except the foals can. The rest of it is history. But as you can see..." She gestured out with her hoof towards the ship. "They've been around for a very long time. And no creature knew about it."

Novo sighed and looked around. This was an apparent big deal. Whoever these ponies were... They were strong.



Twilight loved to sleep. She loved it so much. Fresh Dawn was her love and life, but sometimes she drives her up the wall. So getting a wondrous sleep inside the Royal Suite in the middle of the ship in the middle of the day was much appreciated. Her friends and the Guards were out doing everything they could to manage the ship and get everyone comfortable.

Twilight hummed under the comforter and shifted her hooves, cuddling the pillow. Then stopped and sighed. These pillows were really soft. Oh the stars, so soft. She didn't want to get up. Or move. Or...

Twilight's eyes popped open. What was that? She felt something, and she still feels it. Something down below in the ocean. Slowly, she pulled herself up and looked around her room. Something was up. She could feel it. It was... Wrong. Unnatural.

Something was nagging at the back of Twilight's mind to check the Diary of Narmeelah. Page two hundred forty six. Twilight lit her horn and teleported the book to in front of her face. Then quickly flipped it open to the page. "Naanananana deep ocean... Oh my Psera!"

Twilight softly closed the book and set it down. Then quickly grabbed the Comm Block and slipped it on. "Admiral, stop the fleet!!" She ordered. "Stop them now!!" Then teleported out of the room and into the hallway where her Guard waited for her. Then walked quickly across the steel walkway with her towards the deck. She was quickly moving past the rest of the Guards on that floor, making her way to the deck.

From behind the wheel and with his eyes still on the ocean, Admiral Star lifted his Comm Block and repeated, "Stop the ships?"

"Yes, every last one of them!! Stop them now! Emergency Blowbacks!!"

"Yes, ma'am, all Aquatas hold!" Admiral Silver lowered his hoof and flipped a plastic cover on the control panel. He jammed a very bright yellow button underneath it, triggering an internal sequence of events.

While Twilight was coming to her senses, Rainbow Dash and everyone else were enjoying the sights of the ocean on the deck, feeling the wind blow through their manes while the Guard and military worked. Even Haakim and Amira were enjoying themselves, and they were land ponies. Very rarely went overseas.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance smiled at each other before a very loud siren blared, ringing their ears and forcing a jump out of every single creature. The ships around them blared the same siren before they activated their blowback systems. The ship they were on tilted forward and drastically slowed, almost causing the loss of footing from those on deck and blowing gallons of water out of the sea into the air. Then came to a stop, as quickly as it started. 

"Wh-what's happening?" Cadance quickly asked. The rest blared the same alarm and flashing bright red lights along the hull, coming to a complete stop. After a few seconds they were all at a halt. Humming, Celestia and the others made their way towards the bridge, meeting up with Twilight and her commanding officers before she could start climbing the stairs and barking orders. "What happened?"

She held a hoof up, signalling them to hold on a moment. Then shouted into her Comm Block, "I want all Aquatas to use a nine thousand depth scan now and tell me what you see! Put the Aqua Guard on Standby and have all weapons trained ahead!" The captains of the ship responded in kind While Arcadia walked to the edge still barking orders. "Captains of the Guard, I want you to reassure our guests that they are not in danger... At the moment."

Celestia didn't like that. She and everyone else shared a look while Twilight looked over the ship and into the deep blue sea below. After a few minutes, Admiral Star stated, "All ships are seeing fish, whales, and water, ma'am."

Arcadia nodded and responded, "Okay... Okay, Admiral bring me a history of the Depth scan to the deck, please, from leaving Equestria to now. All other Captains of the Aquatas meet me on the deck of Aquata Zero." She lowered her hoof and looked back to Celestia. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean?" She quickly approached Twilight and followed her gaze into the water. She didn't see anything amiss.

Without taking her eyes off the water, Twilight asked, "Have you ever heard of a Magical Aura, Celestia? Luna, Cadance, Shining? And whoever else has a horn?"

Celestia and Luna shared a look while Cadance responded, "I... Can't say I have, no. What is it?"

"A Magical Aura is the term used to describe the magical feedback coming from a magic-wielding pony's body. It's created because there is more magic than the body can hold. So the magic sort of stores itself outside, creating a body in itself. The more magic you have the bigger the aura. And just like any body, you can feel what happens to it. Celestia, Luna and Cadance may in fact have a Magical Aura and probably don't even realize it. Let alone know how to recognize it.

"I have a magical aura and know how to recognize it. It's five miles long and I can feel and sense whatever's happening around me, but the closer the better and more clarified. A good example is what happened years ago when I retrieved books from the castle and you all spotted me. Rainbow Dash flew forward to try and stop me, but I felt her in my Aura and slapped her back." Rainbow sighed in embarrassment while Applejack bit her lip with a smile. "I trained myself in it with my daughter by playing hide and seek. She thought I was cheating. The reason I've temporarily ceased our progress was because I didn't feel something that I've been feeling for quite awhile. And it's a red flag."

"And what was that?" Luna asked.

The Admirals and ship ponies landed on the deck and saluted, hooves filled with rolled up paper. Admiral Star saluted and hoofed over one, allowing her to read it. After unrolling it, she looked it over from the beginning and then to the end. She slowly shook her head and gave it back. Then read another one. This went on for a few minutes before Twilight shook her head angrily. "No, no, no, no, no!" She yelled. Then walked over to the edge and looked it over. "It's just a legend!"

"What's wrong, your highness?" Admiral Silver asked. He and the rest of the captains walked over and looked down. Nothing but water.

She pointed to the charts they were holding and asked, "What do you see as of the second most recent time point?"

They looked at it for a moment, reading the mass of scribbly lines that gave Rainbow Dash a headache just by staring at them. Admiral Silver nodded and answered, "Well... ten thousand depths."

"Right. Now what do you see as of the most recent time point?"

The admirals checked again and nodded. "Well... It goes off the chart," one answered slowly.

"Right. So..." Twilight turned around with a grave look on her face. "Where did the ground go?"

Admiral Silver widened his eyes and looked back at the graph. Then he shook his head and answered, "It's... gone."

"Exactly. I want all sonar equipment using two percent to scan. Now."

Admiral Silver raised his comm block to deliver the order while Twilight turned to the worried ponies behind her. Rainbow Dash zipped over and asked, "So what's happening? Are we in danger?"

Arcadia shook her head and answered, "Possibly, but I won't know for sure until we get those results back. Until then, we're staying put. Now about the Magical Aura. It's like an extension of your body. You can feel and hear everything. Someone make a movement behind me or something. Just do it." Arcadia squeezed her eyes shut and stood still.

Rarity looked to Applejack and shrugged. Why not? Then flapped her ears like PInkie PIe, who was behind Applejack eating a cupcake. "A Pinkie Pie move. Someone is moving their ears. Flapping them up and down." Celestia and the others with horns slowly opened their mouths in awe while Twilight opened her eyes. "I can feel and assess things within a five mile radius. The closer they are the more detailed it can be. I stopped the ships because I stopped feeling something. I stopped feeling the ground. The ground underneath us at the bottom of the ocean disappeared. There's some over there—" She pointed to the rear of the ship where they came from. "But not over here." She made a motion to where they were headed.

"So there's a dip in... Mud?" Rainbow deadpanned.

"Maybe. This is a Legend. Back when Psera was in a very violent time, we used to send Aquatas and more to sea to fight others and keep Psera safe. The Border Guard. However... None of them returned."

Celestia widened her eyes and repeated, "None?"

"Both sides lost every single ship, every single living creature in the battle with no explanation. Until one Pseratep returned. They floated into Merōl on a sheet of metal, telling tales of how he survived and what happened. Narmeelah made a record of it in her Diary. The pony said he was on the ship one second, next there was pink all around. Flesh. Then teeth. They were in a mouth. A very large and big mouth that was bigger than all of these ships. Whatever it was ate all of those ships.

"The soldier recalled escaping the ship when it was pulled very far underwater and looked down. He saw no land. No dirt. Just... Darkness. The lights of the Aquatas were still on, sinking further and further, and he saw the creature. He was really far down. Yet the creature continued going further and further out of view with those ships in its mouth.

"Narmeelah declared that no Pseratep were to go there ever again. She said she recognized the description. A Sea Monster that dwells deep in the ocean. So deep it's undetectable. And if something disturbs the light above it, they rise up out of the water with an open mouth, close it, then dart back under, taking whatever was inside with them. In the recent past, maybe a hundred and a half years ago, a group of Pserateps decided to disobey this law and went that way anyway for jokes. They were never heard or seen from again."

Cadance asked, "But how did you get to Psera in the past? Didn't you take a boat or something?"

Twilight pointed up to the sky and answered, "When I was in Equestria, I grabbed a cloud and used the cloud walking spell on what I had with me. I placed them on the cloud as well as my body, and flew that way. I was never on the water. I was in the air."

No one in front of her moved to process this legend. Arcadia turned around and made motion for the Admiral's findings. He shook his head and answered, "Nothing. One hundred thousand depths and nothing. And that's as far as we can scan on two percent."