> A Day at Sea
>  by Mystic Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Return To the Sea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset sighed as Twilight finished packing her bag. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Twilight? School starts on Monday."

Twilight nodded as she stood up. "I have to know, Sunset. And there won't be enough time to find out once school starts. Ever since Kohaku's birthday, when Kiyoko turned Twily back into a pony, it's been eating at me. Don't tell me you're not curious?"

Sunset rolled her eyes, conceding the point. "You got me there. It's been on my mind since you first came back from Equestria actually. Why can't we all go with you though? What if something happens?"

Twilight's look softened. "I can handle myself, Sunset. You know that. I'm not like I was before the Friendship Games. If there's one thing that I've learned since I moved to Canterlot High. It's that I'm stronger than I thought I was." She paused a moment before looking down at what was around her neck. "And this is something that I have to do myself. I don't know what might happen with a group. It worked for me. But that wasn't in this world."

Sunset frowned. She knew there was truth to all of that. That didn't mean she had to like it though. "And your parents are okay with this? Being by yourself all weekend? This isn't like going to Equestria, where you have friends and someone there to help you. This is by yourself. And you're going to be a long way from anywhere."

Twilight nodded. "Mom and dad know a place that only a few people know of. We have a cabin there. I'll be staying there. It's not too far from a grocery store, and I have enough money to buy whatever I need. Dad already gave me the keys."

To prove it, she held up a keychain with several keys on the loop. "Fluttershy is taking care of Spike. He didn't want to come for some reason. I don't know why though. He's been there plenty of times."

Sunset rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Can't imagine why." She sighed as she could see that her friend wasn't going to be dissuaded. "Alright. I know when I'm beaten. I can't talk you out of this, Twilight. Just promise me that you'll be fine? Call me or any of the girls if you need help. We'll be there in a flash."

Twilight's gaze softened. "I know, and I promise I will." Her smile grew as she and Sunset left her room and headed for the front door. "But if I'm being super honest, I can't wait to get started!" She all but squeed.

Sunset couldn't help but giggle at the adorable sight, as the two left the house.





Twilight sighed as she deposited her backpack on her bed and sat down next to it. Looking around her room, she smiled at all the memories she had made here with her family. Good and bad. It had been a while since she had last been here. Let alone by herself.

And she would be lying if she said she wasn't just a little bit worried. Cliche as it may have been, but there was always a chance that something could happen to her, and her friends couldn't get to her in time. She hoped nothing would happen.

Shaking her head, Twilight opened her bag and began to pull out all that was inside. Some books, several of which were newly arrived from Equestria, a change of clothes, and at the bottom of the bag?

Twilight pulled out the last item that she had brought with her. It was partly the whole reason she was even here in the first place. Looking out a nearby window, she smiled as she saw that the sun was nowhere near to setting just yet. Plenty of time.

Giggling, she began undressing, already making plans for how she planned to do this.





A short time later, Twilight walked to the end of the cabin's dock, now in her favorite blue swimsuit. She had left her Geode behind in her room. If this didn't work, then she really didn't want to go hunting for it if flew off of her neck. So now, all she wore was her Pearl Necklace.

Coming to the edge of the dock, she looked down. The water was deep enough here for her to dive in and not have to worry about hitting anything. Which was a weight off of her shoulders. Beyond her stretched the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean. A sight that never failed to take her breath away.

But now came why she had come out here in the first place, and by herself. It was time to put to the test a question that had been burning in her mind since that fateful day in the waters around Mount Aris.

Closing her eyes, she touched the Pearl. "Please. Let this work," she whispered to whoever or whatever might be listening. Maybe it wouldn't help her in the slightest. But right now, Twilight didn't care.

Letting go of the Pearl, Twilight opened her eyes and sighed, letting her body relax. Holding her breath, she looked out toward the horizon. Closing her eyes once more, she concentrated on a specific image in her mind, holding it firmly in her grasp, searing it into her mind's eye.

And then. She jumped. Swan diving into the ocean below.

The moment her body touched the water, Twilight knew for sure that this had been worth it.

Opening her eyes, she looked back and smiled widely as she saw her powerful tail propelling her forward, her hair flowing behind her as if in a wind only it could feel. Her swimsuit had been replaced by her familiar blue seashell bra. Her glasses had vanished from her face, and Twilight could see that they had not floated off. Her necklace had been absorbed into her as well.

"Yes!" She squeed, doing a few loops in her excitement and joy. "This is amazing. It does work! It's like I never left Mount Aris."

She giggled as she sawm down and glided above the ocean floor below. The fish and other undersea life scattered first at her approach. But soon they seemed to grow used to her presence, even swimming alongside and with her.

And with that, Twilight let go of all her worries and concerns. With nothing else to worry about, she let go of herself, not caring who might see her like this. Down here, under the sea? She was free.

With an exuberant laugh, Twilight let go.

She swam with large schools of fish, played among the coral reefs, and swam farther and farther away from shore. She didn't care though. The world was her oyster and she was the pearl at the center of it.

She giggled at the thought, even as a dolphin swam up to her. Behind her, she could see its whole pod. Twilight wasn't sure how she knew, but she knew the dolphin before her was female. As if reading Twilight's mind, it emitted a series of clicks and vocalizations.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she bowed her head. "Okay, okay. You're a girl. I never thought I'd be chewed out by a dolphin. But I used to say that about a lot of things. I've learned that not everything is as simple as I used to think it was."

The female smiled, Twilight knew she did, and swam closer to the girl, rubbing up against her. It was an incredible feeling, and Twilight giggled as she did so. She watched as the dolphin swam a short distance, before looking back at her. It didn't take long for it to click for the mermaid, and Twilight soon swam after her.

Her friend swam off again though, as Twilight caught up to her. A smile came to her face as she swam after her again, and again her friend swam off. She giggled as swam after her again. This went on for hours, the two playing tag in and amongst the coral reefs. At other times, they just swam together or floated serenely on the surface, neither caring it seemed. Once in a while, another of the pod would join them, and then the fun would really ramp up.





"I wish you were here, Twily," she thought, as she floated serenely on the surface once more, the sun now beginning to go down in the west. Her dolphin friend had finally swum off with her pod a few minutes earlier. While she was sad to see her go, Twilight knew that it was meant to be. She wasn't going to take away her new friend from those she knew. It wasn't fair to either of them.

But who she really wanted with her at that moment, was the girl. No. The goddess, that had stolen her heart, and all of her love. The one she would love until the end of time itself. Magical disasters and different universes be damned.

But the princess was busy with the Friendship Festival that was due to start in Canterlot next week. So much so that Sunset had said that she didn't write back as often or as quickly as she usually did, so engrossed was she in the preparations.

It was something that sounded exciting, and it would have been a great chance for the Rainbooms as a whole to finally go to Equestria and meet their counterparts. But with the school about to start up again on Monday, that wasn't going to be possible. And with this being their final year at Canterlot High, their chances to do so were running out.

Speaking of Sunset, Twilight sighed as she righted herself. It was time for her to head home. No matter what she wanted otherwise, she couldn't stay out here all night. Without her geode, she couldn't defend herself if something decided she looked like something that was worth snacking on.

Looking to the east, she could just make out the coastline. If she hurried, she should be able to get back before the sun went down. Dipping back below the waves, Twilight turned her tail toward home and began the long swim there.





By the time the dock came into view, the sun was setting below the horizon, as Twilight popped back above the waves. She might have been here sooner. But she had gotten lost on the way back, and she had gone further north than she had realized in her playtime, and further out to sea than she had expected.

But it had been worth it in the end, she giggled as she swam over to the ladder at the side of the dock. Reaching down, she touched where her Pearl would normally be, and concentrated. Her body glowed for a moment, before fading away. Looking down, Twilight grinned to see that, not only had she changed back into a human. But she was also still wearing her swimsuit from when she had come out earlier in the day.

"I believe that answers that question," Twilight said, as she pulled herself out of the water. She shivered as a breeze hit her. And of course, she didn't think to leave some towels on the dock for whenever she got back. Just her luck. "A warm bath sounds great," she grumbled, as she quickly headed for the cabin and warmth.





Twilight sighed in relief as she exited the bathroom, redoing her hair into her favorite shape. A nice long bath after the day she'd had was just what she needed. Now she could relax.

At that moment, her phone buzzed, Smiling, she picked it up to see that it was a text from Sunset. 'Hey. You back yet, Twilight?'

Twilight's smile grew as she typed back. 'Yeah, I'm back. It worked, Sunset! I can change into whatever I want to in this world! The Pearl's magic isn't affected with me being in this world and not in Equestria.'

'That's great, Twilight! So why didn't you say something earlier?'

Twilight rolled her eyes. 'Are you kidding me? I've been playing and having fun all day! There was no way I was coming back here early when I had the whole ocean to myself.'

'Can't argue with that. Are you coming back tonight? Me and the girls can meet you at Sugarcube Corner to celebrate.'

Twilight snorted before replying. 'As if. I've got all weekend! I'm not going to waste this chance when I've got it. Who knows when I can do this again? I'll be home again Sunday night. Pinkie Promise.'

There was a short pause before Sunset replied. 'Well. I can't argue with a Pinkie Promise. I know how seriously Pinkie takes them. I don't think I want to know what she would do if someone broke one. I'll be sure to tell the girls the good news. And I know Princess Twily will be happy to hear about this.'

Twilight groaned. 'Hey. That's my pet name for her. Only I get to call her that.'

'Whatever you say. Your highness.'

Twilight groaned again as Sunset logged out of their conversation. She knew her friends would soon be calling or texting her to congratulate her. And as she lay down on her bed, picking one of her books at random, she had only one thought.

Today had been worth it, and everything was going to be just fine.
> Relics Of the Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Twilight sat on the edge of the dock, finishing off the last of her breakfast. Luckily, there was a Taco Bell not too far from the cabin that she had been to before, so going hungry was not something she had to worry about.

With the worries about if she could transform or not put to rest, she was anxious to see what else there was to see down there under the sea. Yesterday had been all about fun, and she wouldn't change anything about it. Today, however, she wanted to go exploring. There was a whole world out there just waiting for her.

If her brother was to be believed, there was an old shipwreck not too far away from here. She had forgotten about it yesterday, so today she was planning to make up for it, and to see if there was anything else to see.

Her phone buzzed. Looking down, Twilight saw that it was from Sunset. Rolling her eyes, she opened to see what the fiery-haired girl had sent her this time.

'So since you know that you can transform now, what do you plan to do for the rest of the weekend? Stay inside, high and dry?'

Twilight giggled, as she typed. 'As if. I plan to go exploring. There's supposed to be an old shipwreck around here. I want to see if I can find it. And anything else down there that I can find. I was so busy having fun yesterday that I totally forgot about it. I'll be gone all afternoon. I might even stay out after dark. See what that's like.'

'Well be careful if you do. Who knows what you might meet down there. We can get to you fast enough if something happens.'

Twilight groaned. 'Yes, mom. I'll be careful. I'm a big girl, Sunset. I think I can take care of myself.' She could almost hear Sunset's eye roll from here. But it did make her think of something from the night before. 'Before I go. Have you heard back from Pinkie yet? She got off the line really fast last night.'

'No. I called her family. They said she's fine, but that's all they could say. I tried asking the girls if they knew anything. They haven't called or texted me back yet. Pinkie's a big girl though. I don't think we need to worry about her.'

There was a short pause. 'Oh, horseapples. Someone's knocking rather incessantly on my door, Twilight. I gotta run. But I want to hear all about it when you get back, and I know the others will too. Bring us back some Dubloons.'

Twilight giggled as Sunset logged off. She didn't think it was a Spanish Galleon out there. It was far too north of the old trading route from Manila in the Phillippines to Acapulco in Mexico But it would be cool if she did find a treasure of some kind. She could always hope so anyway.

Finishing off the last of her burrito, she stood and stretched. It was a rather cloudy day today. She hoped it wouldn't affect what she could see under the waves. It wasn't something she had thought to look up before coming out here. But it was too late now.

Touching her Pearl, Twilight smiled, before she dove into the water, her body changing shape as it made contact with the water. Her smile grew as she propelled herself forward into deeper water. She hadn't even really thought of what she wanted to be. The Pearl had reacted on its own.

For now, though, she put it from her mind. Something to think about later. She had other things on her mind, and with a grin, Twilight tried to focus on something else.

Diving down to glide just above the seabed, she allowed the currents to take her wherever they wished. The fish and other sea life didn't even seem to mind her intrusion into their world, swimming alongside and all around her.

Her smile grew. There was such a beauty down here that she hadn't expected. The water was clear, and she could see for miles in any direction. Corral of all kinds, shapes, and colors, stretched out before her. It was a different world to the one she knew above the waves. Unspoiled by the hand of man.

Speaking of man, though. As much as she admired the endless beauty around her, Twilight also kept an eye out for any divers or boats. There was no way she could explain this if she was caught, and she wasn't about to be some experiment in a government lab, thank you very much.

Shuddering at the thought, Twilight saw a glint in the corner of her eye. Curious, she swam over to take a look. It was a coin of some sort. Picking it up and turning it over, she couldn't make out what might be on it. It didn't seem recent that was for sure. 

"Just my luck that I didn't think to bring a bag if I found anything interesting," she grumbled. "Maybe I can ask Rarity if she could make me one? I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Looking around, all she could see was a rocky ledge. It wasn't much, but she could see better on it. Setting the coin down there, Twilight made a mental note to try and come back for it. It would be a nice souvenir if she didn't find anything else.

Swimming on, she looked to see if there were any other coins. But she couldn't find any. Which was strange. Why would it be out here all by itself like that? Unless it had fallen overboard somehow. But Twilight didn't think it was that easy.

As she swam along, the seabed began to drop away. Twilight concentrated more on that now. If what Shinning had told her was true, then the shipwreck would be found in deep water. How deep she didn't know, but it was a good sign. And it was also a chance to test her body's endurance. Just how deep could she go? 

She didn't have the time to swim all the way to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench or the Horizon Deep in the Tonga Trench, so this area of the coast would have to do for now. Who knew what she might find down here?

But as she swam on, all Twilight could see was the seabed stretching onto infinity. Nothing stood out against the sand and coral, and the occasional rock. Her only company was fish, stingrays, eels, and once or twice out of the corner of her eyes, a shark. None of which came too close to her.

The seabed continued to go down, the farther and farther away from the coast, Twilight swam. The gloom grew darker and darker the deeper she went. Fortunately, her eyes adjusted to the light conditions at a speed that surprised her. While it wasn't totally black, it was dark enough that normally she wouldn't have been able to see more than a few feet in front of herself. Yet she could see completely fine. Like it was the middle of a sunny day up on the surface.

"Where're my notes when I need them?" She grumbled, coming to a small rise. "I knew I should've brought something with me to write all of this down. It's bad enough I didn't think to write any of this down after coming back from Mount Aris."

And it was true. A fact that she could kick herself for. All the notes she had hoped to take when she had first gone to Equestria had gone out the window once she had been attracted to something more beautiful than knowledge. Just her luck.

Coming over the rise, however, Twilight's thoughts came away from what she could've and should've done, to look in awe at what was spread out before her.

Spread out before her was a shipwreck, but not like any ship she had ever seen before. Wood and metal seemed to blend together seamlessly, and ornate and intricate carvings covered every surface. What surprised her, however, was how intact the ship was.

Swimming over to the hull, Twilight could see that it looked almost brand new. No rot or rust anywhere. Doing a full circle around it, she saw that there was no sign of what had sunk it. It almost looked like it had been placed there on purpose. But that didn't make any sense.

Going up over the rail, Twilight saw that the decking was also intact, with only two holes leading down to the cargo hold. There were no mast stumps, or any sign of rigging anywhere as well, which only added to the mystery. There was also no wheel for which to steer the ship either.

"How did they move it then?" She asked herself, swimming over to the stern. She was no expert on seafaring, but there was something wrong about this ship. Having seen the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway, Twilight knew right off the bat that it wasn't Scandanavian. Nor had they ever come here as far as history could say. It might have been from Great Brittan or Russia. But where were the means for the ship to move?

Shaking her head, Twilight came to what she assumed was the Captain's Cabin. Opening the door slowly, she peeked inside. Just a desk and a window on the far wall that showed the ocean's depths beyond. At least there wasn't any skeleton. 

It was a tight fit, but Twilight managed to squeeze her tail between the door frame and swam over to the desk. Nothing was behind it, and the view outside didn't show her anything she hadn't seen already. There were, however, several drawers on the desk. None of which were open, and none of which seemed locked.

Opening them one by one, Twilight felt her disappointment rise. Each was either empty or contained only writing utensils, stacks of paper long since turned to mush or other things she didn't recognize. Her hope was running low that she would find anything interesting at this rate, as she closed each drawer after looking inside each.

"Maybe this was a fool's chase coming out here," she sighed sadly as she finally came to the last drawer. If there was nothing in here, then she was ready to call this a bust. She doubted there was anything in the hold worth looking for.

But as she opened the drawer, her eyes widened in surprise, and a smile came to her face. Inside was a rather thick book, engraved with the sun, moon, and stars. It had to be the Ship's Log. But why had it been left behind? Wouldn't the captain have taken it with them if the ship had gone down? More questions that she didn't have answers to.

Beneath the logbook, lay a golden locket. Very gently setting the book down on the desk, Twilight lifted it out of the drawer. Turning it around, she saw that it had no names on it. Opening it, Twilight found a picture of an older woman, and who could only have been her daughter. They had no names attached, but she could see the resemblance. 

Releasing a breath she hadn't known she had been holding, Twilight saw both were human. A sneaking suspicion had been growing in her mind since she had found the ship. No matter how improbable it was. But no. This ship was human-made and had not come from Equus. How or why it had sunk, or why it looked as it did, she did not know. But this was still something.

Looking at the log, Twilight couldn't wait to start reading it. Not only was it something new to read, which she was always looking for, maybe it could shed some light on this ship and where it had come from. 

Fastening the locket around her neck, Twilight held it up again. She would never think of keeping this. It wasn't hers to hold onto. If she could find the family to who it had once belonged. Maybe, just maybe, she could help them finally find some closure and peace for a lost love one. It was the most she could do.

But when she looked out the window again, she finally saw how dark it was becoming. She could barely see a few feet outside now. Her tail drooped at the sight. As much as she wanted to stay here longer, she was now worried that she wouldn't be able to find her way back home again if she did. It was time for her to go.

Picking up the logbook, Twilight closed the drawer and made for the door. She would leave this as she had found it. Who knew. She might come back out here again one day. There might be more that she hadn't found. For now, she had enough to keep her occupied.

Closing the door gently behind her, Twilight began to swim up to the surface. She didn't have an exact bearing on where she was. Seeing the sun would help with that.

Several minutes later, Twilight broke the surface and immediately had a wave crash over her. Thick black clouds roiled above her, and the rain came down in torrents. The sea was boiling, and Twilight had to fight to keep herself from being thrown around by the waves.

"Just my luck. I come up in a storm!" She fumed, fighting to keep the seawater out of her mouth. Mermaid or not, her physiology perfectly adapted for this kind of life, she hated saltwater. Her mother had washed her mouth out with it enough times to ram the point home.

Looking around, all she could see was the storm-tossed seas. Above her was nothing but black. Diving back down, she considered her options. There was no way she could navigate on the surface with this storm going on. She had a vague idea of which way the coastline was. If she followed the seabed, and it continued to rise, then she was going in the right direction. Swimming back down to the wreck, she tried to get her bearings.

On one side, the seabed dropped off into a black abyss a few feet from the hull. How it had missed going over the edge was beyond Twilight. But it did show her two things, however. One was which way she didn't need to go. Another was that, for as pitch dark as it was, she could see where she was going as clear as day. Strange. Was it something to do with being a mermaid?

She shook her head, as she swam to the other side of the ship, one that she soon recognized as where she had come from. "Not the time, Twilight. Get back home. And then worry about anything else."

Modding firmly, Twilight began to retrace her steps, hoping she hadn't swum too far off course. 

"Worst case? I'll say that I got lost while I was out swimming," she told herself, formulating a plan in case she came ashore someplace other than her cabin. She just hoped that if she did, whoever found her was nice and that they could point in the direction of home.

***

How long it took, Twilight didn't know. It felt like hours. There was no light for her to follow, and the few times she went to the surface, the storm still raged. All she knew was that the seabed continued to rise. She could only hope and pray that meant she was going in the right direction.

Finally, however, she broke the surface, and all but squeed as she saw the mainland in the distance. The storm had blown itself out it seemed, and now the sky was almost dark as the sunset beyond the horizon. She could see lights on the horizon, guiding her home. 

Swimming on the surface for a few moments, Twilight finally made out the dock that lead to the cabin. By sheer dumb luck, or something else, she hadn't been blown too far north or south. But why did it look like there were people on it? No one was supposed to be there... Eh. Maybe she had been out to sea too long and she was seeing things.

Diving back down, not wanting to attract attention in case someone was watching the ocean from one of the neighboring houses, Twilight put on an extra burst of speed. Within moments, she saw the pilings of the dock ahead of her. When she was sure she had come to the front end of it, she came to the surface once more. With an effort, she was able to get the logbook up onto the wooden planking. It was a miracle she hadn't lost it in the storm.

Her hand went to the locket around her neck. She was glad she hadn't lost it as well. Only then did she remember the coin she had first found. She hadn't thought to look for it again, and she wasn't going back out tonight to look for it. Maybe she could find it the next day.

Shaking her head, Twilight swam around to the ladder, before touching her breast, willing herself to change back into her human form. She smiled as she did, before pulling herself up the ladder. Aside from the storm, today had been a good day. And with any luck, she might find out from the logbook what had happened to the ship and who it belonged to.

However, as she came to the top step of the ladder...

"SURPRISE!"
> Unexpected Guests
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight shrieked in shock, her arms flailing about as she tried to steady herself before she fell over backwards with a loud splash.

Pinkie Pie only smiled as she looked over the edge of the dock, as the water below flashed for a moment. "You think we surprised her?!" She giggled.

"Darling. I think we gave her a heart attack," Rarity sighed. "We just couldn't wait inside, could we?"

Pinkie's smile only grew. "Where's the fun in that, silly?" She replied as Twilight came back to the surface with an annoyed look.

"Pinkie! What have I said about sneaking up on people? What are you girls even doing here?" She fumed.

Sunset sighed as she sat down at the edge. "I told them you didn't want any company. But Pinkie insisted on us coming. I don't know why I bother."

Pinkie nodded happily. "Yep. We need to celebrate! Just as soon as you stop being a mermaid. Why are you a mermaid? Weren't you human just a second ago?"

Twilight blinked. "Pinkie. I'm not a mermaid at the moment. I don't need to be."

Applejack shook her head. "Ya might wanna look again, sugarcube. Cause ya don't look human from the waste down to us." The rest of the girls nodded, as confused as Applejack was.

Twilight sighed as she looked down, and was shocked to see what had happened to her. She was back in her Mermaid form again. But that wasn't possible. "How? I didn't change on purpose. I didn't even think about it."

Rainbow groaned. "Can we please do this inside? I'm freezing out here." She pointed at the locket around Twilight's neck. "And where did you get that from? Same with this old dingey book," she asked, holding up the log.

Twilight suddenly remember what she had been thinking of before she had been surprised. Touching her breast, she changed back into her human form. "Let me get refreshed and warm, and I'll tell you girls the full story. I've had a long day." An evil thought came to mind, as she swam back over to the ladder and Pinkie offered a hand. "And Pinkie?"

"Yes, Twilight?" The party girl replied. Before she could say more, however, Twilight pulled her over the edge and dropped with a loud splash into the water. Pinkie bobbed to the surface a moment later, surprised.

Twilight giggled. "That's for scaring me half to death. Again."

Everyone broke out into a fit of laughter, and even Pinkie joined in after a moment, conceding that Twilight had got her good.





Sometime later, after Twilight and Pinkie had both refreshed themselves, the girls met in Twilight's bedroom. With no of knowing that they had been coming, the girls had to split between sitting on the bed or on the floor. 

Sunset was busy looking over the logbook. "Where did you even get this from? This is older than any of us."

Twilight nodded. "I found that old shipwreck I told you about, Sunset. This was in the Captain's Cabin. Along with this," she added, holding up the locket. "It was all I could find though. I didn't look in the Cargo Hold."

"Where their any skeletons?" Fluttershy asked, unable to hold back a quiver in her voice.

Twilight shook her head. "No. In fact, aside from the desk I found these in, there was nothing else there. It was like nothing had ever been on board before then, and I was the first one there in a long time."

Sunset gave her a look. "So who built it?"

Twilight pulled herself close. "That's just it. I don't know. There weren't any identifying marks that I could see anywhere. From where I found it, it could come from either Great Brittain or Russia. It seemed too old for the United States."

She paused as she considered something. "And then there was the propulsion. Or the lack thereof any. No masts. no engine, or rowing benches. Or any sign that there had ever been any in the first place."

"So what's all that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, bored out of her mind already.

Twilight shrugged. "I am not sure. But there is something definitely strange about that ship. There was no sign of what had sunk it. It was like it had been placed there on purpose." She looked over at Sunset. "Any luck with that book?"

Sunset shook her head. "No. Whatever language this is, I don't have a stinking clue of how to read it. Language was never my thing anyway."

Twilight sighed. "Darn it. I was hoping someone would be able to read it. Though I guess I can try a local museum. How I can explain how I got it is another story though. I do not want to end up in some government lab somewhere. It's hard enough hiding my magic."

Everyone winced at the thought. It was something they all had in common. None of them wanted to be dissected, or worse, just so someone could learn about their magic. Maybe not every country was like that. But enough were and were more than willing to do anything and everything to get their hands on magic.

Rarity cleared her throat. "Moving onto something less deplorable, darling. What are you going to do with the locket you are wearing? Are you going to keep it?"

Twilight shook her head, as she held it up. "No. I'm going to try and find the family that it belongs to. It's not right that I hold onto it. Maybe. Just maybe. I can give them some closure on a lost loved one. It's the least I can do."

Fluttershy smiled. "That's so nice of you, Twilight."

Applejack could appreciate the gesture, but she could also see a problem in it. "What if ya can't find 'em?"

Twilight nodded, conceding that point. "I have all the time in the universe, Applejack. As much as I don't want to think about it, time will never be an issue for me. I'm not getting any younger. Or older for that matter."

The rest of the girls shared a look. It was something they also tried not to think about, but the signs were already beginning to show in their friend. For Sunset especially, though she kept what she thought of them to herself.

Pinkie, though, seemed excited about something. "So what are we going to do underwater next? We have all day to waste!"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm not going back out. I was tossed around like a rag doll in that damn storm earlier! Once was enough, thank you. And I don't see any need. More of us only increases the chance we get seen. And there's another problem. A bigger one I feel."

"What's that?" Sunset asked though she had a feeling that she knew what it was. 

Twilight held up her Pearl. "I don't even know if I can transform all of you at the same time. I've never tried that, and I don't know what could go wrong if I don't do something right."

"Didn't you and the princess do that?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight pinched her nose. "Yes, Rainbow. We did. Because there were only the two of us. And I had to completely and totally trust her when we did so. Somepony I still barely knew, and even calling us friends was pushing it at the time. If I'm being honest, I had more of a connection with Starlight than I did with the princess at that point, based on what each of us did."

Sunset winced at Starlight Glimmer's name, though no one paid it any mind. 

Twilight shook her head. "So no. I'm not taking that risk with all of you. Not yet. Maybe one day I will try it out. I can't see why it shouldn't work. But for now, I'm leaving it alone."

The girls sighed in defeat. "Well then. What are we supposed to do?" Rarity asked.

Twilight crossed her arms with a snort. "Don't look at me. I wasn't expecting guests, so I didn't bring anything we could do." She looked at Sunset. "You didn't bring the Journal, did you?"

Sunset shook her head. "I was going to. But I got a message from Spike. Princess Twilight isn't talking to anyone until the Friendship Festival is over. That includes us. From what he told me, she had a breakdown of some kind earlier and had to be put to sleep."

Fluttershy gasped in horror before Sunset rolled her eyes. "Not like that. Princess Celestia just used a Sleep spell on her. She won't wake up till Monday morning. Her friends are covering for her now. Apparently, she was running herself ragged with work and worry. No matter how much the others told her to take a break. Not even her family could get her to stop."

Twilight winced in sympathy. She knew that feeling well. At some points, she wished that she'd had a Sleep spell put on her when she was out in her lab. She had lost count of the number of times she had run herself hagged when she was busy working on something.

Pinkie grinned as she reached into her hair and pulled out some playing cards. "Anyone for Poker?!"

The girls groaned. But there was little else they could think of to do, so they gathered around Pinkie to play.

Twilight rolled her eyes as she joined them. This weekend hadn't gone quite as she had planned for it too. But in the end, it had been worth it.