//------------------------------//
// Kiss of the Sea Queen (Unfinished) 
// Story: Future Progressive: The Speedfics and Drabbles of Present Perfect 
// by PresentPerfect 
//------------------------------//

Kiss of the Sea Queen
by Present Perfect

Chapter 1: The Magic Lesson

"...So while this starfish is simply the most striking shade of lavender, it's these sea anemones that really stand out to me."  Rarity's pencil made a soft scratching noise as it moved across her sketchpad.  "Their lacy tentacles just ooze texture.  It's precisely the sort of thing that will give my couture that extra... hmm, panache."

Twilight looked up from her copy of Rare Remedies and Baffling Brews and gave the other unicorn a look.  "Rarity, y'mind?  I am kind of trying to read here."

Rarity laughed gently, her sketching continuing unabated.  "Twilight, dear, only you would think of bringing a stack of books to the beach.  It's so sunny!  You should be out in the sand, or the surf, or whatever it is one does at a beach." She leaned over and kissed Twilight on the cheek, turning the purple unicorn's face just the slightest shade of pink.

"The sun hurts my eyes," Twilight mumbled.  Luckily, Rarity had packed a large umbrella for the trip. They were both sitting beneath it, flank to flank on a large beach towel, in front of a small tidal pool.  It was Rarity's current source of fashion inspirations.

Rainbow Dash, Twilight noticed with some amusement, had been sunning herself a few feet away from them, but had since fallen asleep with her reflector board covering her face.  At least she didn't have to worry about getting sunburned.  Applejack was playing with Pinkie Pie, tossing a ball back and forth across a large stretch of sand, while Fluttershy...

Twilight felt a momentary pang of worry.  "Where's Fluttershy?"

"Umm, Twilight..."

Before she even had a chance to look around, Fluttershy's quiet voice scared the oats out of her.  She leaped to all fours and spun around, heart pounding.  Fluttershy did not seem to notice her distress.

"Uh, I was wondering, that is, if you aren't busy..."

"What's up, Fluttershy?" Twilight grinned at her friend, doing her best to breathe.

"Well, you see... There are a lot of adorable fishies around the reef today, and I thought... Well, I'm not a very strong swimmer, and my snorkel doesn't work too far from shore, so I thought... Well, if you knew a spell for walking on clouds, maybe..."

Twilight gave Rarity another look.  "Maybe I know a spell for breathing underwater?"

Fluttershy's face lit up.  "Oh, yes.  If it isn't too much trouble, I mean."

"No trouble at all, Fluttershy.  Let me see if I can find the book..." The stack of books she'd spread out on the towel quickly shuffled themselves.  "Ahh, here it is.  Tabernacle's Terrific Transmogrifications.  The cloud-walking spell is in here, so the water-breathing spell should be...  Ah-hah!  'Bathysphere's Bountiful Bubble Breather'.  Rarity, do you want to give it a try?"

Rarity's pencil and pad dropped to the sand.  "Me?  Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure!  You're still trying to hone your magic, and this spell doesn't look too complicated.  I think it would be a perfect opportunity for you to practice in an unusual location.  A studious magic learner is always prepared, and learning how to block out strange sights or sounds is important." She nuzzled Rarity gently, and lifted her sketching materials out of the sand, stacking them neatly against the rocks.  "Plus, I know you can do it."

Rarity smiled.  "All right, then, I'll try.  Fluttershy, please stand over there, and Twilight, dear, if you would hold the book for me?  Thank you.  All right, hmm, hmm..."

She studied the spell for a few moments, then nodded.  "Are you ready, Fluttershy?  Good, now close your eyes..."

"Remember what we've studied," Twilight said softly.  "Isolate your senses, focus your will, let the spell take shape."

Rarity was already sliding into a trance and missed Twilight's instructions.  She drew upon the powers the spell indicated, her horn flaring gently, and letting off a few sparks as she misstepped.  With a gentle effort of will, she refocused and felt the spell build.

"Gang way, everypony!"

A thud in the sand next to her caused Rarity to open her eyes.  Drawn as they were to the ball that had landed just inches away, she completely missed the pony following behind it until Applejack crashed headlong into her.  Rarity felt the magic leave her horn, but rather than dissipate, the spell twisted, escaping the bonds of her willpower and drawing off her own magic.  She'd never before felt such power in herself; it lasted but a moment, flaring outward from her horn and dazzling her.

She shook her head to clear the light ringing in her ears, and as both sight and hearing returned to her, her heart sank.

Surrounding her were her four friends, changed.  Gone were wings and horn.  Their rear legs and tails had fused together into large flukes, like the back half of a dolphin.  Worse, they were all gasping for breath, digging at the sand as they tried desperately to do something to help themselves.

"Oh my goodness, Twilight, Applejack... I'm so sorry!" Rarity felt panic seize control of her, fought to push it down, trying desperately to think of something, anything, that could remedy this situation.

Fluttershy was trying to drag herself toward the water, and having no luck whatsoever.  She pointed frantically with a hoof.

Rarity understood.  "Pinkie Pie!  Help Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash!"  Taking care of her horn, she began shoving Twilight in the same direction.  Applejack seemed to get the hint and began to drag herself forward.  Pinkie rushed to Rainbow Dash's aid, and with a burst of energy pulled her over to Fluttershy.

"Hang on, Rainbow Dash, it's not too far!  Soon you'll be all safe and... something..." She grabbed Fluttershy's hoof and began to pull her towards the shoreline, Rainbow Dash clinging to her for dear life.

Little by little, punctuated by the sound of frantic gasping, they pushed and pulled and dragged the four ponies until they were able to dip their heads into the ocean.  They paused to catch their breaths, liquid as they might now be, and the salty water rejuvenated them.

Twilight brought her head up, feeling the water run out through slits in the side of her neck.  She looked to Rarity, who was nervously shifting back and forth, her eyes filled with tears.  She tried to speak, but it came out as a hoarse croak, and she began gasping for breath again.  Having gotten the hint, she and the other three dove into the water.

The sensation of breathing water was a very strange one.  Her instinct was to cough it out, but it never entered into her body, instead filtering through her new gills.  It was like a cool drink, only it refreshed her entire body at once.

"Twilight," said Fluttershy, who was just as surprised as the rest of them at the sound of her voice, distorted by the ocean but otherwise normal.  "Umm, I don't think the spell worked right."

"No, Fluttershy, it didn't.  Rarity!" She looked up through the water's surface, to see the white unicorn looking back at her.  Twilight broke through into air once more.  "Rarity, I aaghlbll..."  She ducked back into the water.  Sticking her head out, but leaving her neck -- and her gills -- beneath the surface, she found she could finally talk.  The other three followed suit.

"Rarity, are you okay?"

"No, dear, I'm not okay at all!  What have I done?"

"Don't blame yourself, Rarity, it was an accident."

"Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed.  "You're all fishy-fillies!"

"Thank you for the astute observation, Pinkie Pie."

"Ooh, ooh, what's it like?  Tell me, tell me!"

"Later, Pinkie.  Rarity, I've never heard of a spell that could do this before.  We can't leave the water, so it's up to you and Pinkie Pie to find a counterspell."

"Oh my goodness, Twilight, dear...  Where do we look?  What if we can't find it?"

"Don't worry.  Start in my library, that's the best place to search.  See if Spike can help you."

"But Spike's away, don't you remember?"

Twilight scratched her head.  "Away?"

"Twilight, weren't you payin' attention?" Applejack scolded.  "He said he was goin' to Canterlot to meet up with family!"

"Twilight, dear, you really were rather distracted at the time."

Twilight bit her lip.  "Family?  Did he mean dragons?  I thought I was the only family he had..."

"Twilight, that's not important," Rainbow Dash said, splashing at the water.  "What is important is getting' the hay out of this stupid water and getting my wings back!  And your horn!"

Twilight felt the spot on her forehead where her horn used to be.  "Uh-oh...  Rarity, you know what this means.  You're going to have to cast the spell once you find it."

Rarity shook her head.  "No, there's no way, Twilight.  I've already ruined things once.  I... I'll never cast another spell again, I swear!"

"Rarity..." Twilight maneuvered herself closer to shore, though she was crawling on her belly in order to keep her gills below water.  "Don't worry about anything right now.  Find the spell.  Go to Canterlot and ask Princess Celestia for help if you have to.  Who knows?  With any luck, this will wear off in a day anyway, and we'll be back to normal before you know it!" She smiled, but she wasn't so sure about that as she seemed.

Rarity drew in a long breath.  "All right, Twilight.  I'll do my best.  Ohh, but I never was very good at finding things, you know how I am."

"That's okay!" said Pinkie, hopping around Rarity in a circle.  "I'm great at finding things!  Leave it to me!"

"We'll stay right here, along this beach.  When you want to talk to us, place a ball of light in the water; we should be able to see it.  If it takes you a day, or a week... or a month..." Their ears all folded back at that thought.  "We'll be right here waiting.  I know you can do this.  I believe in you."

"Rarity, I don't blame you," said Fluttershy quietly.  "After all, now I can play with the fish for a while."

"Yeah, it'll be an adventure!" Rainbow Dash added.  "I can be the fastest pony in the sea and the sky!"

"Hey Pinkie," said Applejack, "take care o' my hat, would ya?  I'd be awful upset if anything happened to it.  Salt water'll ruin the leather though."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie zipped away, then zipped back, Applejack's hat perched snugly on her head.  "You can count on Pinkie Pie, hat protector extraordinaire!"

Rarity mustered her courage and smiled at Twilight.  "We won't spare a minute; I'll devote my every waking moment to finding a reversal for you.  For all of you." She leaned down and gave Twilight a long, deep kiss.  "I love you," she whispered.

Twilight blushed profusely.  Rarity had never made such a direct statement to her before, not in the short time of their relationship.  She found herself almost reeling at the statement; but she needed to respond.

"I love you too."

"Stay safe."

"We will, I promise."

The four watched as Pinkie and Rarity gathered their things, and with one last, longing look back, turned onto the path that led back to Ponyville.  Sighing, Twilight sank down into the water and looked to her friends.

"Well, I guess we're stuck here."

"Twi, what in the hay are we supposed to do until they get back?  You said yourself it could be weeks!"

"I don't know, AJ, but I'm open to suggestions."

"We could explore!" Rainbow Dash experimented with completing a loop in deeper water, got halfway to the top and stalled.  "I'm sure we could have some adventures down here!"

"But we need to stay near shore in case Rarity signals us."

"So we'll stay close!  We'll check back once a day!  You can see light from a distance, Twilight." This time, Rainbow Dash finished her loop, successful if not necessarily graceful.

"Umm, Rainbow Dash..."

"Rainbow's right!  And we need to think about things like findin' shelter and food.  I don't even know what the hay we're supposed to eat, but I sure don't see nothin' here that looks like food."

"Applejack, umm, I..."

"All right, let's form two groups.  Rainbow Dash, you come with me, we'll look for food.  Applejack and Fluttershy, you two can..."

"Twilight!"

All heads turned toward Fluttershy, who was looking extremely embarrassed by her own outburst.

"Yes, Fluttershy?"

"Umm, I'm sorry to interrupt, I just thought you would want to know that, there's, well, coming this way..."

She held out a foreleg.  In the direction she indicated, they could just make out a dark shape moving towards them.  As they watched, they could make out fins adorning a long, sleek shape.  Twilight's eyes got huge.

"Sh-sh-sh-SHARK!"







So like, then they make friends with sea life because Fluttershy, and get arrested by seaponies for being "dirty trench-dwellers" and meanwhile Rarity and Pinkie are trying to tackle this mountain of books and this scene happens:







"Pinkie, have you begun the oceanomancy section yet?  Pinkie...?"

A gentle snore was her only reply.  She looked down to see fluffy fuchsia mane spilling out over a book on turtles.  Smiling, Rarity stifled a yawn.

"I suppose we should get some rest then, yes," she said quietly.  With effort, she was able to levitate her friend onto the couch and cover her with a blanket, before going back to wipe the drool off the pages of the tome which had so recently become a pillow.  Dousing the lights in the downstairs, Rarity yawned again, and then climbed the stairs to Twilight’s bedroom.





"Rarity?"

The quiet voice out of the still night was just enough to break through Rarity’s dreams and rouse her.  Blinking, she forced her eyes into focus and found Pinkie standing at the foot of the bed, a blanket draped over her shoulders.  She seemed limp -- sodden was the best way to describe it -- and her eyes slowly panned from the floor to Rarity and back down again.

"What’s the matter, dear?"

"Um, I know that that’s Twilight’s bed, and sometimes you sleep there with her...  You see, I kind of don’t sleep well in other ponies’ houses, and when I used to sleep over at my granny’s, sometimes she would..."

Rarity kept her expression neutral.  "You want to sleep with me?"

Pinkie tried to make a horrified face, but it came out more hang-dog than anything.  "N-not like how you two do it, I mean, uh, not that I know anything about your sleephugs, it’s just..." Her voice came out as a squeak.  "I had a bad dream."

Rarity scooted over and patted the bed next to herself, frowning.  "Ohh, Pinkie.  Come here and tell me about it, darling, that should make you feel better."

Pinkie shuffled over and sat on the edge of the bed, shivering.  Rarity reached up and stroked her mane gently as she spoke.

"I dreamed that we were all at the beach, just like we were a few days ago.  The sun was shining shinily, and the sky was full of not-clouds, and we were all having a good time.

Pinkie began gesturing animatedly as her usual exuberance ebbed into her narrative.  "Suddenly, there was a huuuuge earthquake!  It was all ‘brbrbrbrbrbrbr’!"  The bed creaked ominously as she vibrated to illustrate her point.  "And then everything got really really quiet and Rainbow Dash was all, ‘Wow, Pinkie, you gotta cut down on the tabasco,’ and I was just about crack a joke but then there was a big roar, like ‘whooooosh’!" She threw all four hooves in the air, causing herself to slide down onto the floor with a bump.

Pinkie spun around, gripping the edge of the bed and popping her head over the lip of the mattress.  "And then there was this bigbig tidal wave, and we all tried to grab onto the palm trees, but they all turned into ice cream except the one I had, and the wave came and melted all the trees and pulled you all out to sea." She cast her eyes to the side, sinking down slightly, her voice quieting.  "And I knew that I’d never see any of you again.

"Oh, Pinkie..."

"I know it’s just a dream, but it’s making me feel really icky down in my tummy, like we’ll never be able to help our friends or see them even again either."

"Don’t give up hope, Pinkie Pie," Rarity said, helping her friend up into the bed.  "They’re depending on us, after all.  So long as we remain vigilant, we’ll come up with a solution, I’m sure of it."  Rarity paused a moment, considering her sudden enthusiasm on the subject.  Hope had slowly been waning for her as well over the past few days, but now she found her words cheering herself as much as they were Pinkie Pie.  "But we will be no use to them if we’re too tired to search.  So come on, let’s get some sleep."

Pinkie nodded, yawning, and curled up next to her.  "Thanks, Rarity.  You’re a pal." By the time Rarity had covered her friend up with the blankets, she was already asleep.