The weather of Palm Floats was warm and humid befitting the island’s tropical nature. Currently for the season it was pretty much perfect, not too hot and not too wet. Thus, the resort island, despite its relatively small size, was pretty crowded with ponies on vacation. The docks were overflowing and the beaches crowded while every hotel and bungalow on the island was booked. That, however, was just fine for the crew of the Heart of Azure. Since they weren’t planning on staying here and the large crowd made it easy to hide their ship and themselves in.
Rainbow Dash stood on one of the docks just a short ways away from a sandy beach and watched a conga line of ponies go up and down the beach while fire-spitters and jugglers dazzled the other ponies. “This place definitely fits that ‘party island’ name pretty well.”
“Told you,” Breakwater nodded from beside her.
“We’re not staying for that long though, are we?” Daylight Gleam asked. “I think we can save the partying for after we find Merlantis.”
Rainbow looked over at her and grinned. “You know normally I’d call you a spoilsport for not wanting to have any fun here, but this time I’m actually on the same page as you. Did we even really need to get off the boat?”
“Because I think it’s better if we wait until nightfall before we head out on the... The Breakwater,” Breakwater’s lip still curled whenever he said that name. “Under the cover of dark we can start heading down to Merlantis for real, and since this island still isn’t exactly close to where Merlantis should be according to Senax it’s going to be a decent trip in that cramped thing. So having some time to stretch our legs, eat, and relax for a minute will do us good.”
“That’s right,” Senax said. She wasn’t watching the beach like most of them had been, but was instead staring east towards the ocean. “From the visions I’ve been having... even Palm Floats is still only close relatively speaking. It’s like there’s a big circle in the middle of the ocean and Merlantis is down at the bottom of that. Nothing else exists around or above it.”
“So by the time we actually start to get down there it’ll be daytime?” Rainbow asked.
“From what Ballast told me about how fast that thing runs, yep,” Breakwater nodded.
“Works for me then, I guess,” Rainbow shrugged.
“So this is our last moment just relaxing as friends before we finally get on our way to Merlantis for real...” Daylight pondered. “It’s actually a little sad when I think about it that way.”
Rainbow sighed. “Yeah I get what you mean...”
“It’s not like this is the end of our journey together. Or the very end at least,” Senax said, trying to smile for the others.
“Nope, definitely not,” Rainbow managed to grin back at her. “And that means there’s no reason to get mopey or anything.”
“You’re all very good at keeping the mood light and upbeat...” Daylight said.
“And that’s a lesson I hope you learn and take with you after I’m gone,” Rainbow said to her.
Daylight glared at her for a moment—before it morphed into a small smirk. “I’ll try.”
“Hello! Hello everyone, we’re back!” The loud voice of Gilbert cut in.
The group looked down the dock towards the island where most ponies were going to actually get their party time at Palm Floats started. There, Gilbert and Ballast walked through the crowd towards them, each with a tray of drinks and snacks on their backs. When they had arrived here the two of them went out into the tourist trap welcoming area right off the docks of Palm Floats. No huge reason for it, just to find something to eat and drink and maybe a restaurant or social place they could sit down at without having to go too far.
“We’ve got drinks!” Ballast said.
“Alcohol?” Rainbow hopefully asked as she flew over to them.
“No, Rainbow Dash, nothing alcoholic. We can’t have you getting drunk before tonight,” Gilbert said.
Rainbow Dash snorted and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
“Looks like you found some good stuff at least,” Daylight said as she walked up.
“Lot of little restaurants and cafes once you get onto the island,” Ballast said. “Plenty of places to just relax and sit down too, lot of entertainment, and the water’s free if you just want to drink that. The ponies who manage Palm Floats say they want to make sure everyone is hydrated and happy.”
“Guess it’s time to find a place to sit down, watch the ponies having way more fun than us, and wait until dark?” Rainbow said while grabbing a drink from Gilbert’s tray.
“Yep,” Breakwater nodded and grabbed a drink of his own.
“I can think of worse ways to waste a few hours,” Rainbow shrugged. “Although... we could play a game of cards if-”
“No,” Daylight immediately said.
“Sore loser,” Rainbow snorted.
“Sore winner,” Daylight said right back to her.
“Let’s just walk, please,” Breakwater said.
When they left the dock and walked onto the actual island, they all got to see for themselves how crowded it was. And how many ponies were selling things like leis, tropical themed clothing, hats, suntan lotion, towels, shell-jewelry, and anything vacationing ponies liked to purchase as a souvenir when they visited somewhere tropical. The ground was just left as warm sand that was as white as snow while most of the buildings were made of grass with huge palm leaf tops. There were a few paths leading into the denser tropical jungle in the middle of the island where private resorts and bungalows and the larger hotels were while many more led to the various beaches on the coast of Palm Floats. Would’ve been a really nice place to visit just for fun, kind of reminiscent of the Sea Lion Reefs except a bit more civilized. And commercialized. A place like this had to get a steady stream of larger cargo ships coming in to resupply everything.
They had to push past and refuse quite a few locals trying to foist stuff on them, but they eventually made it to a slightly less crowded area around a large palm tree with some wooden benches built around it. Of course there were still families and couples there too, but there was at least room for the six of them to sit down. Now they could drink, eat, pony watch, and just reminisce with each other until the moment finally arrived.
Senax was weirdly calm as she sat down. She thought her nerves would be frayed, her body shaking, and calm the furthest thing possible from her mind. Instead she really felt alright. Better even with her friends here. Having all of them beside her was all the reassurance anyone could ask for. How couldn’t she be calm knowing they were here to help her just like always?
Rainbow Dash watched as a family of four went straight to the nearest beach, lugging their towels and other stuff behind them. The two fillies looked ecstatic to be on vacation while their parents looked happy enough but still markedly more tired than their children. It had probably been a loud sail all the way here. But seeing stuff like that always made her feel good. Ponies just living their lives. Helping ponies do that, helping to make sure the world allowed for that, it was a big part of what kept her going.
Daylight Gleam was doing her best to think positive. There shouldn’t really be anything for her to worry about, she knew that getting to Merlantis, exploring it, confirming it existed, should actually be an easy trip relative to what they had done in the past. But dealing with the Trident that Godfrey had a direct path to... she didn’t exactly know how to broach the subject to Senax. There was also the fact she was a little worried about whether that submersible would actually work correctly or not.
Gilbert was being Gilbert and thus thoroughly absent-minded at the moment.
Breakwater was actually thinking about his Heart of Azure most of all. Palm Floats should be especially safe but he still always felt this way when he had to leave the ship somewhere like this for too long. That beauty was his pride and joy. And now when they went down to Merlantis he’d just have to sit back and let Ballast pilot the submersible. It’d be an odd feeling for sure. Still, he couldn’t believe they were actually going to see it, the most legendary of all tales on the Grand Ocean. A place he never really thought existed until recently.
Ballast was excited of course. He was out here on an adventure for the first time in his life instead of just working at his shop like he had been all of his adult life. When was the last time he had really been out on the ocean? It had been ages. He was getting to show off his life’s work, proving it could do what he designed it to, and he was getting to help out the pony he admired most. Nothing could be better.
They all sat together, drinking cool refreshing beverages and eating fruit while ponies continued to go by and the sun slowly crawled through the sky.
“I think maybe next time I’m here we can have a real vacation like this,” Rainbow Dash suddenly said.
“Next time?” Daylight turned to her.
“Yeah, next time I come to the Grand Ocean after my trip around the world is over,” Rainbow said. She glanced at her friend and raised an eyebrow. “Thought I’d never come back to see my pals or something?”
Daylight smiled. “No, just didn’t think you thought that far ahead when it came to anything.”
“Pff, good one,” Rainbow snorted.
“So will that next time be when I’ve got my people all relocated?” Senax asked.
“Uh-huh, definitely,” Rainbow nodded.
“Well Daylight and I won’t be here then, but the two of us already have plans to meet in Equestria later and I’m sure you’ll end up running across Daylight again at some point in the future,” Gilbert said.
“Yeah, but Breakwater and Ballast will still be here. Maybe we can finally go to the alcohol kingdom,” Rainbow said.
“Alth-Verika,” Breakwater shook his head.
“Right, that one.”
“You really plan on coming back to the ocean later?” Ballast asked her.
Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky, watching the sun drift by on the cloudless blue day. “I’ve got a lot of places I should visit again when I’ve got the time. A lot of ponies and old friends I need to see. Some promises to keep. So it may take a long while before I make my way back here, but yeah, one day I’d like to come back.”
“You know, I’ll be looking forward to that,” Breakwater said.
“Me too,” Ballast smiled.
“And me. I’ll enjoy introducing you to the rest of my tribe,” Senax said.
“And I’m sure Rainbow Dash will enjoy the hero worshiping that comes with that,” Daylight rolled her eyes.
“You bet I will,” Rainbow grinned.
“Maybe we should keep our minds focused on the here and now instead of the future though. There’s quite a lot coming up,” Daylight said.
“No one’s going to forget to head down to Merlantis tonight,” Rainbow said. “If we did, I’m sure Senax would never let it go.”
“I wouldn’t,” the merpony stated.
“See? Let’s just relax for now, talk about nothing, watch the ponies go by, and when it’s dark... when it’s dark we can finally go under the waves,” Rainbow said as she leaned back and closed her eyes. The warm air and the bustling crowd were relaxing to her, anyplace alive like this was relaxing. She liked her quiet naps up on the clouds too, but maybe after spending so much time in the True North and other places with barely anyone around she came to really cherish moments like this too.
The others, even Daylight, decided to take her advice and sit back with her. From then on, no one bothered to think of or talk about anything heavy. The afternoon was as light as if they were on a real vacation.
Hours passed by until the world around them started to grow dimmer. But the activity on Palm Floats didn’t slow down in the slightest, if anything the partying on the beach closest to them picked up the darker it got. Ponies came out twirling flaming batons, and a long limbo pole was set-up for ponies to try their best at. A large grill was brought out and the locals started to grill pineapples and other foods on it to pass out to the visitors, seemingly for free. And of course the alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. So much that Rainbow Dash could smell the mixed drinks from here.
She wondered if your first drink was free...
Eventually though it grew darker still until the stars twinkled in the sky and even most of the late night partiers were starting to turn in. Or be carried away by their friends. The moon was full over their heads, the sky still clear as ever, and a warm breeze carried over them. None of them were tired or sleepy. Not with what they had to do now.
Palm Floats grew quiet. The ships at the docks all rocked gently back and forth with the weak current.
The six of them shared a look with each other and Senax nodded.
She then stood up with the others following her. It was time.