> Girls Day Out
>  by Mystic Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Back to Where It All Started
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun showed brightly on Mount Aris. The peaceful island seemed to exist in an eternal state of bliss, only broken by the wind in the trees and the waves crashing on its shores. No one would ever know that intelligent life had ever lived here.

With a pop of teleportation, Princess Twilight and Sci Twi appeared on the eastern side of the island. Having been here before, it had been much easier this time for the princess to get them where exactly they wanted to be.

Sci Twi swayed a little, blinking back the afterimages in her eyes. "Well. At least I knew what to expect this time. I still don't know how you can teleport so easily, Twily?"

Twilight giggled, nuzzling her companion. "I've had more chances to practice. I used to feel the same way. Spike can tell you how long it took me to get it mastered, and that was with me being the Element of Magic."

Twi rolled her eyes. That was true, she supposed. She looked around. "So. What should we do now? We have all week, and I trust Sunset to keep Rainbow Dash from doing anything stupid with Pearl. And if that doesn't work? I'll turn her into a newt."

Twilight smiled. "You tell me? You're the one who suggested we come out here. We don't need to worry about the Dance this time, so we have all the time in Equestria." She looked out to sea. "Unless you want to go back out there once more?"

Twi giggled. "Maybe, I want to go exploring. We spent so much time on the Dance the last time we were here that I never really got a chance to appreciate all that there is here. And we didn't even explore the island itself. Just around it."

Twilight nodded. "True." She poked at her Pearl. "And I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious. Ever since you told me that you can transform in the Human World, it's been on my mind."

Twi nodded, looking at her own Pearl. It seemed to be glowing in the light. "That's another thing as well. I know that I can change in both worlds now. But I wonder if I can become human in this world? I know they've never existed here. But if I can be a mermaid back home. Why can't I be in my usual body here?"

Twilight paused as she thought about that. She had never thought of that before. It was a good question though, and now she couldn't help but wonder the same thing. "Well. I can't see why you shouldn't be able to. Nopony knows everything there is to know about these." Her smile grew. "I say we have a golden chance to find out! It could change all we know about them if you. And if not? Then that is still something new that we never knew before."

Twi nodded. With the vote of confidence of her love, it was all she needed. Before she did anything, however, Twilight leaned forward and kissed her, earning a moan of delight from her counterpart. When they pulled apart, she had a dreamy look on her face.

Twilight giggled as she wrapped a wing around Twi. "For luck, my love."

Twi giggled helplessly as she placed a hoof over her Pearl while Twilight took several steps back, just in case.  Closing her eyes, she willed herself back into her human form. For a moment, though, nothing happened, and Twi felt her ears droop in disappointment. Darn it. 

In a flash, though, she suddenly felt herself stand upright and take on the shape she had known for most of her life. Opening her eyes, she looked down and grinned. She was human again. She threw her hands up in excitement. "Yes! It does work."

Twilight was taken aback by this. Honestly, she thought, she hadn't believed that this was possible. But she couldn't deny what her eyes were telling her. One thing she did notice, however, was the now massive size difference between the two of them.

Twi saw it as well, and her grin only grew. "So. Are you going to try it out as well? My-"

Twilight flew up to eye level and gave her love an annoyed look. "Don't you dare say it. I get it enough as it is."

Twi giggled as she booped Twilight's snout. "Whatever you say. My little pony."

Twilight went cross-eyed and groaned as Twi only giggled more. "You're going to pay for that. I just have to put up with it from Princess Celestia. Not with you, I don't."

Twi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. But will you try it as well? I feel kinda weird being like this by myself. There's nopony else anywhere around here. So it's safe for the both of us."

Twilight rolled her eyes, but Twi did have a point. If there was any place that was safe for this kind of thing, Mount Aris was it. Touching her Pearl, she willed herself into her human form. For a moment, nothing happened. In a flash, though, she quickly changed as well. Opening her eyes, she grinned at Twi, who just rolled her eyes. "This is still weird for me," she said with a sigh.

Twi nodded. "I know that feeling. But at least we now know that we can do this. It's better than worrying about it." She looked around, her eyes falling on the central peak of the island. "I just hope that we won't need to fight anything. I'm still not all that good with magic in this form outside telekinesis. I haven't had to learn anything else."

Twilight pulled Twi close. "Hey. It's better that you haven't had to learn anything else. Let's hope that what happened at Camp Everfree was the last time you girls need to worry about rogue magic. And as the Princess of Friendship I know I should not be saying this. But after what happened? They deserved to be shut down. Even though you girls tried so hard to help keep them open."

Twi smiled. "I hope so too. School is hard enough without magic getting in the way. Which is why I'm glad we can come out here and just enjoy ourselves. We won't be able to do it for some time come the Fall."

Twilight nodded sadly, but quickly pushed the thought aside. "So. Where do you want to start? We've got all weekend here. I made sure to clear my schedule, and you're on Spring Break."

Looking back toward the peak, Twi's smile grew. "Well. I've always wanted to see what's up there for a start. If that's where the main Pearl came from, there must be something up there worth looking at."

Twilight smiled as she took Twi's hand in her own. "Works for me."

Giggling, the two walked to the tree line and began searching for a path that might lead them up there.





An hour later, the two finally came to the base of the cliff, scuffed up and dirty from their trek through the thick jungle. 

"This is why I'm not a nature person," Twi grumbled as they rested a moment. "Stupid no path for us to use. Was that asking for too much?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "This place has been abandoned for a thousand years at least. It's no surprise then that there wasn't a path for us to follow. At least nothing tried to eat us."

Twi conceded that point as she looked up. sheer-sided cliffs all the way to the top, if she was seeing things correctly. "There is no way we can climb this, and we don't even have the tools to try even if there were places we could hold onto. How did whoever live here get up there? Fly?"

Twilight looked up as well. She, too, could see no way to get to the top. Not even an eroded road or pathway. "Possibly. Or maybe whoever did live up there was so paranoid that they made sure that no one could get to them. But that wouldn't explain how they got up there."

Twi gave her a look. "So what now then? Give up and look around the island? We passed several houses on the way here, and I am curious to take a look at them."

Twilight smiled as put an arm around Twi's shoulder. "Not quite yet. So what if we can't walk up there? Who needs to walk when you can fly?" Touching her Pearl, she changed back into her alicorn self with a satisfied smirk. One that Twi was quick to return as she too changed back into her pony form. Together, they flew up toward the tip of the peak, letting the air currents carry them aloft.

Several minutes later, they alighted on the edge of the cliff face. Looking out across the island, Twi was taken in at how beautiful it was. Beautiful sandy beaches, untouched jungle, and not a pony in sight besides the two of them. It was the perfect vision of what a tropical paradise should be. Twi sighed as she leaned against her love, Twilight lovingly wrapping a wing around her.

They sat like this for what seemed like hours. Neither of them wanted this to end. It was just so peaceful and beautiful up here. And being with someone they loved only made it even better. They could forget that the rest of the universe even existed.

"I could sit like this forever," Twi sighed, leaning her head on Twilight's shoulders. "Just pretend that the rest of the world doesn't exist. That I don't have a ton of things that I need to worry about at home."

Twilight kissed her forehead. "I thought that you were doing well in school?"

Twi nodded. "I am. I'm expected to graduate at the top of our class if nothing changes." She gave the princess a look. "You are coming to Graduation aren't you? Pinkie already has plans for a massive party afterward. Most of the school will be there I think."

Twilight rolled her eyes. Of course, Pinkie had a party that big planned. What else had she expected? "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've already made my schedule for that weekend clear. No exceptions. If the princesses can't handle a weekend without me in Equestria? Then they seriously need to think about abdicating and giving the throne to somepony else."

Twi smirked as she booped Twilight's nose. "You?"

Twilight broke out laughing. "Me? Hardly. Even if I am the next in line for the succession, I am so not ready for that kind of responsibility. Not yet. Maybe in a few years, I will be. But not right now."

Twi nodded, as the pair stood and turned away from the cliff's edge. "Someponies might not see it that way."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Then someponies are idiots. I don't need to explain myself to everypony. If they don't like it? It's not my problem."

The two shared a laugh at that before they turned their attention to the bowl before them. What they saw took their breath away.

the bowl was wide and seemed to go on for quite some distance. It was thickly covered in jungle, but a path of some description led down the middle, almost like an old street that had not been repaired in many years. Poking through the growth were massive structures that they could only guess the purpose of.

As they walked down the street, Twilight kept a careful eye out for danger, Who knew what could be lurking up here? The Explorer's Guild had not reported anything in their findings. But those reports were centuries old. But mostly, she took in all she could of what remained of the buildings around them.

Twi did the same as well. From below, they had already looked grand to her. Seeing them up close, however, she could see that they had once been magnificent towers, archways, domes, and all manner of other buildings. All were now ruined and falling apart, many of them having already collapsed centuries ago.

Twi paused at a crumbled section of wall, a doorway now leading to nowhere. There seemed to be faint writing on the lintel of the door, but she couldn't be sure. "Are there any records of anything living this far south?"

"No," Twilight called from across the way, examining a fallen archway. "Nothing that survived the Three Tribes Era at least. Records from the time before that are non-existent as far as I know. It's not called the Age of Myth for nothing." She paused a moment. "Are you seeing what looks like writing as well?"

"Yes. But hell if I understand any of it," Twi called back. "It almost looks like the writing I found in the journal from the shipwreck I told you about. But it's not. Or I'm seeing things."

Twilight groaned as she turned away from the arch, catching sight of a skull lying under a nearby rock before quickly looking away. "I don't get it. Why would they build up here? None of this looked as though it was quarried here. So how did they get it up here? Why is there no pathway up from the island?

Twi rubbed her snout irritably as she joined her. "None of this makes any sense. These don't look pony-made. I'd almost think this was human-made. But that's not possible. Minotaur maybe."

Twilight nodded, as they began walking toward the back end of the bowl. "Maybe. My friend Lyra is a well-known lover of their culture. She might know more."

Twi smirked. "You mean the unicorn who sits weirdly in Ponyville? I'd almost think she had a thing for humans."

Twilight giggled. "I wondered the same thing for years when we went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I always thought she was just weird. I finally asked her not long after I first moved to Ponyville. She's been a lover of the Minotaur Kingdom for years. She apparently finds sitting like that rather comfortable."

The two giggled helplessly at the thought as they rounded a corner, and came to a halt at what was before them. If the buildings before had been massive, this one put them all to shame. It towered over everything around them, the topmost turret sticking above the rim wall, even though it looked on the verge of collapsing any second. The rest of the building was as ruined and decrepit as the rest of those they had seen, but the ostentation was unmistakable.

As the pair walked under the ruined archway into an interior courtyard, they tried to take it all in. To the sides, doorways that once led off into side passages or rooms of unknown use now led nowhere. Broken window frames swung in the breeze, while rubble fell from a nearby wall.

Twi looked around with a critical. "You said this is where the Pearl was found?"

Twilight nodded, as they entered a doorway at the far end of the courtyard. "Yes. Our best guess is that this is where the ruler lived. Seeing it for myself? I can believe it." She paused a moment as she looked out a nearby window, one that showed only green. "There's something... Off about this place. I can't place it. But this feels wrong somehow."

Twi gave her a worried look. She didn't feel anything off or different. But she had to remember that she was still a newborn in the grand scheme of alicorn magic. Maybe there was something going on here that she couldn't feel.

They continued walking, passing several other doorways and hallways that now led nowhere. Several had writing above the door frame, but it was as indecipherable as what they had seen earlier. All were built to a high standard that remained even centuries after they had last been used.

After a time, they finally came to what appeared to be the back of the palace, coming out from underneath an archway that still stood in one piece. While that was a surprise for them, it was the room beyond that took their breath away.

It was a huge room, easily able to hold Twilight's own room three times over and still have room to spare. The roof had fallen away long ago, letting the natural light of the sun shine in. Above the entranceway were stylized images of the sun and moon. In the center of the room was a magnificent swimming pool, complete with a waterfall on the far side that, even after who knew how long, still sent a steady stream of water into the pool.

Walking over and looking down, Twi touched her hoof to the water. It was rather pleasant, and though she couldn't see the bottom, the pool looked almost brand new. "Well. Whoever or whatever lived here obviously had good taste. This looks almost brand new."

Twilight looked over as well. "I'll say. If I didn't know any better, I would say that this place is still inhabited." She squinted as she caught sight of a gleam near the center of the pool. "If I remember correctly, the Pearl was found at the bottom of this. They actually had to rescue the pony who first touched it. Apparently, it was booby-trapped. It sucked him all the way out to the waters around the island. It's how they found the ruins in them."

Twi gave her a look. "Why would it do that?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. He was lucky he wasn't hurt or worse when it happened. Apparently, the tunnel comes out in what used to be another palace down there. I think we explored it when were down there. But I could be wrong."

Twi giggled as she looked out toward the center of the pool. She grinned as a thought came to her. "You know what? Just seems like a waste to leave here without using this. Since we don't need to be anywhere, I say we take advantage of that."

Twilight smiled as she draped a wing over her. "That sounds lovely." 

Twi smirked as she touched her Pearl. A sudden thought came to her. Could she do more than just change into her human form? Time to find out. Willing herself to change, she made sure to add something more than just her body that she wanted different.

With a small lurch, she changed back into her usual body. But what surprised Twilight was that Twi's outfit wasn't her usual set of clothes. Instead, it was a blue one-piece swimsuit, with the straps going over Twi's shoulders. It bore the same colors as her Mermaid form in fact.

Twi sighed as she opened her eyes and looked at herself. "That's another weight off my shoulders." She saw the look she was getting and rolled her eyes. "What? I knew I could be human, but seeing this place? I wanted to see if I could change what I was wearing as well. Doesn't seem right to not have a swimsuit here. So here it is."

Twilight chuckled. She couldn't argue with that. "When did you get it? I forgot to ask back during Kohaku's birthday party," she asked, stroking the fabric, and getting a giggle from her girlfriend.

Twi smiled. "Not long after I first got back from Equestria. I didn't know if I ever could be a mermaid again, and I wanted something to remember her by. So mom and I had to do a lot of shopping to find a swimsuit that looked like her, or as close to her as I could get. We eventually found this."

Twilight smiled as well and touched her own Pearl. If her girlfriend could do it, then so could she. Of course, she didn't have a swimsuit in the human world, but she did have an idea of one that she could imagine up. Basing her idea on her outfit from birthday bash at Spectrum, she closed her eyes and willed the change.

Twi's smile grew as the princess changed back into her human form. Only this time, she was wearing a two-piece swimsuit in a dark purple color. Little stars covered the top and bottom, and a Fuschia bow hung on her right shoulder strap. "Good thing Rarity can't see this. You might not ever hear the end of it."

Twilight opened her eyes and smirked, putting a finger on Twi's lips. "Well to bad for her, but I have the Royal Prerogative to not give a flip. It's super effective as well. I've been using it since I got my wings. Rarity does know a thing or two about royalty. But she doesn't know everything. I could lecture her for hours on end on how unglamorous it really is."

Twi giggled as she sat down on the pool's edge, letting her feet dangle in the water. "It's not that bad, is it? You've never said anything about it before."

Twilight sighed as she sat down as well, laying her head on Twi's shoulders. "No, and I wouldn't change it for the world. But those who talk about how glamorous the life of a princess is, don't know the first thing about what really goes on behind closed doors, the decisions that need to be made."

Twi stroked her hair, letting the princess vent. "It can't all be that bad. Can it?"

Twilight shook her head. "No. I've done a lot of good for Ponyville. I basically am God Empress there in all but name."

Twi giggled. "That does have a nice ring to it. God Empress Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight groaned as she gave Twi a hurt look. "Don't you start as well. It's bad enough I hear it from Spike and Starlight."

Twi only smirked as she placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Whatever you say. My empress."

Twilight's eye twitched. Oh, so that's how it was going to be was it? She smiled evilly as she placed a hand behind Twi's back. "Well then. As your empress, you won't mind if I do this then?"

Before Twi could ask what she meant, Twilight dumped her into the pool, a startled squawk the only sound she could make. Twilight giggled as the water flashed before Twi resurfaced in her Mermaid form a moment later.

"Oh. You'll pay for that, Twily," she grumbled.

Twilight only smiled. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

Twi smiled evilly as she swam up and took hold of Twilight's feet. "This." And pulled her into the pool with her, earning a startled squawk from the princess as she was pulled under, the water flashing a moment as disappeared underneath it.

Twi giggled and waited for her girlfriend to resurface. But when she didn't after a moment, she grew concerned. "Twily? Are you okay? Come on, it was just a joke." Before she could say more, however, she felt something grab hold of her tail, and pull her under. 

When her eyes adjusted, she found Twilight giggling at her expense, earning a groan from Twi. "Very funny, Twily."

Twilight's smile only grew. "Sorry. But you asked for it when you pulled me in. And for that little quip back on the beach." She looked down at her new body as her smile softened. "Now I understand why you like this form so much."

Twi looked down as well. To her surprise, the princess had not changed into her Seapony form but instead was a mermaid just like her as well. Only her deep purple tail and deep purple seashell bra set her apart.

Twilight saw the question in Twi's eyes. "I've wanted to try this form out since we first got back from Mount Aris. Until now, however, I never have. Since we now know we can be human in this world, though, I might try it out more often."

Twi only smiled gently as she drew her fellow mermaid close. "Well. You're still just as beautiful now as you were the day we danced."

Twilight's own smile softened as well, as she wrapped her arms around Twi. "And you're even more beautiful now than that day. Never forget that, my love. Things may change around us. But my love for you will never change."

Twi sighed as she rested her head on Twilight's shoulder. "And I will always love you. Our time together might be limited going forward. But that will never change. Damn what anyone might think of that. In this world or my own."

Twilight smiled as she lifted Twi's head with a hand, before the two shared a deeply passionate kiss, their hands intertwining, while their tails wrapped around each other.





"So. This is where the Pearl was found?" Twi asked, looking over the stone plinth in the middle of the pool.

Twilight nodded. It wasn't much to look at. Just a plain block of stone. "Yes. If I remember the expedition's journals right, it was just sitting here. Like it had just been left here by whoever lived here."

Twi looked around. There were no bodies anywhere she could see them. Sweeping her hands across the surface, she was surprised to find faint words carved into the stone. "'On the blood of the First Universe and the Prime Magic, we bequeath this pearl to this world. Let those who handle it be bound to the Omega Oath and the blood of those that came before,'" she read. "What the hell does that mean?"

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "It's an old creation myth. Ancient even before Equestria. The Omega Oath is supposedly something that all true rulers know and can use to speak to the supreme being of the multiverse. The world will pay a price, however, if it's ever used. What that price is we don't know. Nopony I know understands what this means. The First Universe is, supposedly, the first universe ever created, and the Prime Magic is the source from whence any and all magic flows, no matter what kind it might be."

Twi gave her a worried look. "So why would this be here then?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. Just another mystery about this place we don't have any answers to."

Twi sighed. That seemed to be a constant in both worlds. Earth had plenty of unexplained things to it. She ignited her magic, its glow enveloping her hands as she felt around the base of the plinth. With an effort, she pushed it aside, revealing a hole that led down into darkness. "I guess this was the trap."

Twilight looked down the hole. She rolled her eyes. "There's no way we can't fit down there. Our tails don't even fit." To prove it, she tried to slip her tail down it. It wouldn't fit, the fins being too wide. "I don't think this was made for ponies. Definitely not mermaids."

Twi looked at her. "I agree. But then. How did that stallion get down through it?"

Twilight shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe he was extra skinny? Either way, we can't use it. This means it's going to be harder to know where this comes out."

Twi rolled her eyes as she moved the plinth back into place. "Go figure, Why can't this ever be easy? I'm all for an adventure. But it can never be easy can it?"

Twilight chuckled, as they swam back to the surface. "Obviously not. At least we don't need to worry about anything Daring Do has to. There's nothing here worth stealing."

Twi rolled her eyes as they surfaced, and changed back into ponies. "That we know of. But I hope it stays that way. Mount Aris is too beautiful to despoil. I've seen what that looks like in my world. I don't want to see that here."

Twilight didn't respond, for it had given her something to think about.





The flight back down the mountain passed in relative quiet. Twilight seemed deep in thought about something, and Twi was concerned about what it could be about. She hadn't said or done anything wrong. Had she?

By the time they landed on a nearby beach, she couldn't take it any longer and she rounded on the princess. "Alright. What is going on? You've been awfully quiet since we left the ruins up there? Was it something I said? Did I do something wrong?"

Twilight's ears fell as she saw the despair in Twi's eyes, and quickly wrapped a wing around her. "No. Sweet Celestia, you didn't do anything wrong! It's just." She sighed. "I was thinking about what you said. About how you don't want to see this world despoiled like your own. And your right. Maybe Equus has been lucky so far in that we haven't seen the same sort of things you have."

Twi smiled a little. "For the better. But your world evolved differently. And I don't just mean species-wise. We don't have magic that makes so much work. Technology evolved differently. Everything evolved differently."

Twilight nodded. "There is so much that can be used for good though if it's brought here. Slowly. Just getting many things to work here is going to take a lot of work. Let alone make enough of them to make it worth it."

Twi nodded. That made sense. "Is that what you were worried about? What it might do to the world?"

Twilight nodded. "Sunset was right. I can't hide the human world forever. One day, sooner or later, it will come out. And the same goes for your world knowing about Equestria. Your lucky in some ways. The United States is possibly the best place for the portal to be. But not every country would care. You know that better than I do."

Twi nodded. It was true. China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and several more countries? They would do literally anything and everything to get their hands on magic, and wouldn't care how many bodies they stepped on to get it. The U.S. wasn't perfect. But the government had seen little but small-time mudslinging between parties since President Carter.

Twilight's smile grew as she looked out to sea. "But for now? That is in the future. I don't know what it holds or what might happen from here on out. But I believe that we can handle it."

Twi chuckled as she wrapped a wing around the princess. "You better. We can't always save your flank when you need it."

Twilight stuck her tongue out, earning another giggle. "So. Do you want to go explore the ruins down there?" Twilight asked. "I don't think we missed anything the first time we were here."

Twi nodded. "Of course. I was so caught up in the Dance last time, that I didn't really appreciate what's down there as I should. Maybe we won't find anything new. But who cares?"

Twilight rolled her eyes as they walked out into the surf. "Point." She smirked, as she changed back into her Mermaid form. "Last one down is a rotten egg!" And sped off into the depths, leaving Twi soaked from the tail splash.

She grinned. "Oh. So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Two can play at that game, Sparkle butt!" With a flash, she changed into something different and shot off after the retreating form of the princess.





Twilight grinned as she looked back and saw the seapony that was trying to catch up. She blew a raspberry at Twi, before putting on an extra burst of speed, forcing Twi to do the same. 

Just when she thought she had caught up, Twilight turned, smirked, and put on another burst of speed. That earned an annoyed look from Twi as she tried to keep up. Who knew she could be so fast?

Finally, though, the seabed came into view, and the two had to slow down enough they didn't run into it at breakneck speeds. Twilight floated serenely along with the current as Twi finally caught up, her face scrunched up in a pout.

"How are you so darn fast?" She huffed.

Twilight giggled. "Have you tried to keep up with Rainbow Dash for years? She's still faster. But I've learned how to put on an extra speed boost when I need to. It comes in handy in short races."

Twi crossed her hooves in an annoyed huff. "Cheater. Maybe I can get Dash to show me how to do the same. Would be nice."

Twilight giggled as they swam among the corral. Soon enough, the ruins of the city came into view. With nothing else on their mind, the two could now truly appreciate how large and grand the city must have once been. As they passed through what had once been the outer wall of the city, they saw that it was thick, showing that it was not just for show. Along the collapsed walls, broken watch towers and sentry posts stood every hundred feet, all well stocked with spears, tridents, and shields. All now rusted by the seawater.

"What were they so afraid of?" Twi asked as she looked in one.

"Leviathan attack, or maybe a Kraken?" Twilight replied. She looked out from the city wall. Just on the edge of sight, the seabed fell away into a black abyss, "Or maybe something else. Merwyrms are known to live in the deepest parts of Eternities Crossing, and they are known to attack coastal settlements without warning. One could have done so here."

Twilight considered that. It didn't seem likely just one caused this city to be abandoned, nor the island itself. Something just didn't feel right about that. Plus the wall and towers were too intact to show that something had attacked them. For now, though, they swam on.

Moving deeper into the city, Twilight noticed that all the buildings seemed to be radiating outwards from a central point. Even as ruinous as they all were, all seemed to follow that pattern. Strange. Looking inside one house, she could see that it was rather spacious, perhaps indicating a family of great wealth. Several other houses had been rather small, so it wasn't impossible.

Across the street, Twi looked into another house. This one was smaller than many others she had seen. Did that mean this family wasn't as wealthy? So many questions and yet no answers. Where was a time travel spell when you needed one?

She sighed as she pulled out. "Anything?" She called to Twilight, who only shook her head.

"Nothing. I don't get it. There's no rhyme or reason to this. There's no division between poor and rich. And where are the businesses? I haven't seen anything that looked like a shop or someplace to eat at all," she said, joining Twi in the street.

Twi nodded. She had thought the same thing. Looking toward the center of the city, she could see one structure that stood out amongst all the others. "That looks like a palace to me. Maybe there are answers in there?"

Twilight looked at it as well and nodded. It was as good a place to look as any. Swimming on, they went there next. As they came closer, they could see that the building resembled the ruins they had found on top of Mount Aris. Had the same ruler used both?

Swimming under an archway, they could make out eroded images of the sun and moon on the keystone. But it was the silence that worried them. The city was quiet in a way only the dead could be. But the palace was oppressive in its silence. As if it waited for something.

Swimming a little faster now, passing empty chamber after deserted corridor that led nowhere, Twilight felt Twi reach for her hand. She gladly took her hoof and swam on, neither one of them looking at the shadows that hid in the corners. 

Finally, though, they came to what must have once been the Throne Room. Only a few chunks of the roof were missing, long fronds of seaweed hung from the central portion of the roof, dead and discolored. A wide hole in the floor led down into darkness. At the far end of the room, a huge throne carved from a corral sat smashed and broken.

Coming over, Twi was surprised to find a crystal sitting on one of the larger pieces. She picked it up and looked it over. "Is this a diamond?"

Twilight took it in her hands. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt the magic contained within. "It's a Memory Diamond. Somepony could record anything they or anyone else they wished saw. But they are incredibly rare because they are so hard to craft. The last Diamond Crafter was over a century ago."

Twi gave her a look. "Then why would anypony leave it here?"

Twilight smiled as she changed into her Seapony form. "Let's find out." Touching her horn to the diamond, she let her magic flow. A moment later, an image of a gruff-looking stallion appeared, so large in fact that they had to back up to see it all. He spoke, not to them. But to anyone who might be listening it seemed.

"I am Steel Wing, Lord Ranger of the Explorers Guild. If you are seeing this, then you have found the Memory Diamond I left on the throne. I do not know what the journals will say about what we found here. But I pray to whatever might be listening that it will be enough."

He paused to collect himself, a haunted look coming to his eyes, earning a worried look from the duo. "Mount Aris is something that should have remained lost. Whoever built these cities unleashed a power beyond our comprehension. The Pearl was the capstone. I pray to the Sisters that I have not doomed Equestria by removing it. Now things move in the shadows of the dead cities. Nameless things that I will not sully the light of Celestia's sun and Luna's moon by describing. Whoever these builders were, they paid the price for building here."

His head turned to the side, looking at someone or something that they could not see. "Listen to my story. Know the truth of what we found here."