Author's Note

Here's chapter 2, I hope you all enjoy this. I'll still welcome the constructive critisism

Descending To Seaquestria

Three weeks have passed since you ended up on Mount Aris and you still had no intention of getting close to the hippogriffs. You spent most of your time on the beach outside the kingdom, collecting your own food and sometimes sleeping outside.

Whenever you did wonder around the hippogriffs’ kingdom, Princess Skystar was one of the few who you made conversation with. Queen Novo on the other hand, kept an annoyingly close watch on you when you were inside the castle. Though, you were grateful that she had her designers make you some brand new clothes and prepared delicious meals when you chose to eat at the royal table.

You still haven’t had the presence of mind to ask Novo about her husband, who apparently was no longer with her. For all you know, she might refuse to tell you anything just as the guards kept their mouths shut when you brought it up.

At the moment, you were relaxing in the the luxurious private bathhouse to freshen up after today’s training session. Baths on the navy ships weren’t nearly as luxurious as the one you were taking now. Sinking into the hot water until only your head was above the surface, you pushed everything else aside and relaxed.

The warmth of the water felt so good, it was almost enough to take away the stinging feeling in your chest. You placed your hand over your chest where you got shot and felt more at ease, thinking about whether or not the family you saved was doing okay. You let out a relaxed sigh and scooped some of the water from the rub. Staring at small, rippling water for a few seconds, you let the water fall out of your hand and watch the ripples extend.

Observing the water around you, you suddenly remembered of how Skystar had told you how the hippogriffs had escaped from the Storm King’s forces. You were still unsure how they did it, but apparently they used some sort of magic to transform and hide underwater as seaponies.

Splashing some water into your face, you decided you’ve soaked in the bath long enough and got out. Many well crafted towels lined up on the nearby shelves and every time you took your bath, you were always amazed how they were so soft. After taking your time to dry off, you tossed the towel into the laundry basket and got dressed.

Exiting the bathroom, you looked to see two hippogriff guards who had been guarding the door. This didn’t surprise you, as this is where the royal family bathes, Novo was kind enough to make an exception for you.

“Did you enjoy your bath?” one of them asked with a short bow of his head. You nodded with a faint smile.

“Very much so. Thank you for asking,” you replied as you prepared to walk away. However the guard stopped you before you could even take a single step down the hall.

“Queen Novo has requested your presence on the balcony,” he said causing you to arch an eyebrow.

“Why would she want to see me?” you asked, but neither of the soldiers had the answer. Since you’ve never been to the castle balcony before allowed, you allowed them to escort you. You were curious of what the queen wanted to see you for.

It wasn’t long before you had arrived at the castle balcony where Novo was staring at the sea with Skystar by her side. The energetic princess of course was the first to notice that you had arrived.

“Mother, he’s here!” she shouted shaking Novo’s arm.

“Yes, I know, sweetie. I was able to hear him,” she replied, turning around to face you. She then told the guards that they could leave and they went back downstairs after bowing to their ruler.

“Tell me human, do you know why I summoned you up here?” Novo asked.

“No,” you answered flatly. “I was never specified of why you called for me.”

“Then, let me tell you right now. I don’t exactly like how you’ve been avoiding my subjects, even though they’re not a threat to you, so let me ask you: Why can’t you just let your shield down and relax for a change? This whole “staying cautious” thing is starting to get old and I am starting to run out of patience!” she said, almost about to blow her top off.

“Look, I have my reasons, okay? When you serve 15 years in the United States Navy, you tend to think you’re still on the battlefield. That’s just how I am,” you replied managing to keep your cool unlike Novo.

“Well get this through your thick skull, soldier boy, the war... is... OVER! Wherever you came from, you’ve done your job, served your country and now it’s time to move on! Do I make myself crystal clear?” she asked.

“Don’t talk to me about moving on, the war isn’t the only thing that traumatized me...” you said as you were starting to grow angry. “I practically lost everything! My job, my wife and my daughter, it was all taken away from me! You’ll NEVER understand what it’s like to lose a loved one, your highness!”

Once you finished, Novo was left in shock and was no longer angry at you. Observing her change in attitude, your expression softened.

“Guys, please! Don’t argue like this!” Skystar intervened. “Listen, I’m sorry you lost your family, but I think I know something that will cheer you up!” she beamed before turning to Novo.

“Mother, can we show him how our pearl necklaces work? Can we?! Can we?! Can we?!” she asked over and over, bouncing up and down. This got your attention as along with many other things, Novo didn’t explain the necklaces that all of the hippogriffs wore.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Have you forgotten the time when Princess Twilight tried to steal our magic behind our backs?” Queen Novo asked.

“That’s all in the past! Please?! Please?!” she begged giving her mother the puppy dog eyes.

Queen Novo sighed, facepalming herself. “Alright, alright! We’ll show him the necklaces, but please, stop the begging,” she said.

“Yay!!! Thanks mom! You’re the best!” Skystar said, hugging her mother.

“Yes, yes I know,” she giggled as she returned her daughter’s embrace. Once Skystar released her, Novo turned her attention to your confused expression.
“All will be explained very soon,” she assured as she started to walk towards the door and gestured for you and Skystar to follow.

‘This should be interesting,’ you thought as you followed Novo and Skystar back downstairs.

You continued following Novo and Skystar until you were back on the beach surrounding Mount Aris. After she let out a deep breath, Novo began to walk into the water along with Skystar, but you stayed where you are.

“Hey, are you coming in or do I have to drag you in?” Queen Novo asked, annoyed. With a slight growl, you took your shirt and shoes off and joined them in the water. Both Skystar and Novo where shocked at the scars that decorated your muscular chest, wondering what you’ve gone through. However, Novo returned her attention to the task at hand and held her claws out.

Skystar took her mother’s left claw, and though you had many questions, you kept quiet and took Novo’s other claw. You noticed how the necklaces that the two hippogriffs wore suddenly began to glow.

“W-What is going...” you were cut off as the light engulfed all three of you. After the light faded, you felt yourself losing your footing and go underwater all of a sudden. You swam up to the surface quickly.

“What in blazes just happened?!” you asked, trying not to panic.

“Take a look at what’s happened to your feet, you’ll find out soon enough,” Queen Novo replied with a smirk. You quirked an eyebrow and lifted your feet out of the water, but you saw that your feet have been merged into a long tail.

“W-WHAT THE?!” you shouted as you looked at your new form. In addition to your tail, you saw webs had formed in between your fingers and as you touched your neck, you could feel that gills had formed. Deciding to take a risk, you dove under the water and discovered you were able to breathe perfectly.

“I can’t believe it. I’ve completely changed,” you said, even more surprised that you can also talk while still submerged underwater.

You felt a pair of arms wrap around you and turned to look at Skystar who had also changed form. Her beak had been replaced with a muzzle. The front of her hair had changed, forming a tip which was like an anglerfish’s esca.

“Isn’t it great to be able to roam freely underwater? I can never get enough of this!” Skystar exclaimed happily, swimming around all giddy.

“It’s always nice to go out for a swim every once in a while, but I prefer to rule my kingdom from dry land,” Novo said placing her hands behind her neck. “My sister, on the other hand, has decided to keep watch over Seaquestria, as well as look after her kids.”

You turned to Queen Novo with a calm, surprised look. “I didn’t know you had a sister,” you said.

“Ooh! Let’s pay them a visit mom!” Skystar squealed.

“We will, honey, we will. Just be patient,” Queen Novo said, patting her daughter’s head gently before looking at you. “Now, listen. I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully: The hippogriffs down in Seaquestria aren’t going to harm you, so be on your best behavior and show them and my sister some respect. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, I understand,” you replied. By now you have gotten the hang of swimming while in this form. It was actually easier than swimming as a human. The queen smiled and nodded before she guided you and Skystar further down into the water and swam through this underwater entrance, entering the underwater land of Seaquestria.

You looked all around and were amazed by how many seaponies were roaming around with smiles on their faces. Skystar giggled at your amazed expression and swam on ahead. Left and right, the seaponies were enjoying their lives down here. Some were conversing with fish, other were using shells as drums and dancing to the rhythm. Of course, the civilians made sure to bow to their queen as she swam by.

You’ve never seen life underwater as beautiful as what you were looking at. “I never thought I’d see the day when I’d discover a world that’s probably far greater than the those stories I’ve heard about the underwater city of Atlantis,” you ranted to yourself.

“Atlantis? What’s that?” Skystar asked, snapping you out of your trance.

“Oh, sorry, I got a little sidetracked by this beautiful kingdom, I reminisced about all the good times I spent out in the ocean. You see, back home, a couple of my fellow soldiers told me about this mythical underwater city known as Atlantis. It is said that one day, the ocean swallowed up the entire city and sank it down to the bottom of the sea. Some people say it’s only a myth while others believe it was very real,” you explained.

“Did you ever witness this happen?” Skystar asked.

“No,” you chuckled. “That happened a long time ago, probably several millennia ago. But if I had seen it then, I’d probably be too scared to go back into the water ever again. But whether it’s real or just part of a story, I still got to learn a little bit about it.”

“Wow, I had no idea,” Skystar said in amazement.

You nodded as you could understand the princess’ shock, and you turned to look at Novo. However she wasn’t paying attention, rather she had her back turned. Unknown to either you or Skystar, sad thoughts were playing in the queen’s mind and she soon began trembling.

Even though you and Novo haven’t always gotten along, you were still concerned. Though you couldn’t tell what she was thinking, it pained you to see the queen looking like this.

‘Perhaps I can try to ease to her pain when we get back to the castle. I can somehow feel that she’s hurting deep down,’ you thought.

“Mother are you alright?” Skystar asked, causing Novo to snap out of her thoughts. She coughed a few times and smiled reassuringly.

“Well of course I’m alright, why wouldn’t I be?” Queen Novo said, acting calm and composed. “Come on now, we best be off.”

“Oh okay then!” Skystar said relieved

While the facade was enough to fool her daughter, you were able to see through Novo’s lie. Something was definitely troubling her and somehow you just might know what it could be. Though you kept quiet and followed the two until you arrived at some sort of house.

Skystar rapidly knocked on the door with a huge smile on her face. In mere seconds, the door opened revealing a young seapony with white scales. He appeared to be around Skystar’s age, maybe a year or two younger. The moment he saw who was at the door, he began smiling.

“Skystar! Auntie Novo! It’s so nice to see you guys again!” he said as he hugged them both. After pulling away from Novo, he took notice of you.

“Who’s this?” he asked with a frown. After inviting you into the house, you introduced yourself to the seapony who then told you his name was Terramar.

Looking around you saw even though the house was a bit small, it was nicely furnished and comfortable. Terramar led the three of you into another room where another seapony was sitting. This one had pink hair as well as yellow scales.

“How marvelous of you to come down for a visit, Novo,” she smiled as she swam over to embrace Novo. “And I can see you brought Skystar and… is that a human?” the seapony asked, gesturing towards you. You swim up to her and introduce yourself.

“Oh, nice to meet you, my name is Ocean Flow. I’m Novo’s sister. I see you’ve met my handsome little son, Terramar as well,” she said, rubbing his head.

“Mom!” he complained feeling embarrassed. This sensitivity made both Ocean Flow and Novo giggle.

“Anyway, what brings you to Seaquestria on such short notice?” Ocean asked as she served some snacks.

“Well, my daughter here insisted on showing our new guest around Seaquestria since he’s never seen it before. He’s a bit of a... loose cannon when he runs his mouth all over the place,” she said giving you a nod.

“He was just confused and scared because he was brought to our world after he got into some kind of accident back where he lives. He’s kinda going through a phase ever since he lost his wife and daughter,” Skystar said.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Ocean Flow said and then offered you some fish oil tea. You accepted it gratefully and took a sip of your tea.

“Thanks, this tea is… quite good,” you said, smiling at the taste.

“You’re welcome, deary. I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through,” she said.

You were in no hurry to go back up to the surface. While there are things you want to clear up with Novo, it’s best to enjoy Terramar and Ocean Flow’s hospitality. Allowing Ocean to pour you so more tea, you could still feel the pain that Novo might be feeling. You can see it in her eyes and her soul as you took another sip out of your tea.

You had spent a good amount of time in Seaquestria, as by the time Novo decided to bring you back to the surface, the sun was already beginning to set. Even Skystar, who is usually full of energy decided that she’s had enough fun for one day.

Using the pearl necklaces to change yourselves back, you saw that your shirt and shoes were still where you had left them. Taking a moment to dry off, you put your clothes back on with a yawn.

After getting yourself dressed up, you followed Novo and Skystar back up to the castle. As always, the walk up there proved to be a good exercise for you. The princess soon ran inside the castle, probably heading off to her room. This was your chance to talk to Queen Novo about her strange behavior.

“Novo wait!” you called out, making her stop in her tracks.

“What is it? Is there something you want to talk about?” she asked.

“Yes. It’s about your behavior when we were arriving in Seaquestria. You’ve been staring off into space, thinking about who-knows-what and quite frankly, I’m getting rather worried. Is there something bothering you that you want to talk about?”

Novo was quite surprised that you were openly showing concern for her, despite the many times the two of you ended up bickering. She averted her eyes, wondering if she should fill you in.

“I don’t think I should tell you,” Queen Novo said.

“Novo, if there’s anything troubling you and it’s tough to ignore, it’s not doing you any good if you keep it bottled up. Please let me help you,” you urged.

Many seconds of silence passed before Novo gestured for you to come with her. Following her down the hallway, you soon came to her chambers which was being guarded by two hippogriff soldiers. They quickly stepped aside when Novo gave the command, allowing the two of you to enter into the luxurious room.

As nice as the room was, your attention was completely towards Novo who sat down on her bed. You took a seat next to her, and with some reluctance she began her story. What you do next, catches her by surprise. You placed a hand on her shoulder. You were trying to help her boost her confidence and make her feel more comfortable.

“Before I had Skystar, I was happily married to my husband. He treated me like I was his whole world and even helped our subjects in their direst of need. When I told him I was pregnant with Skystar, he was overjoyed to finally become a father. We bought so much baby stuff to plan ahead for our daughter’s arrival. But then…” Queen Novo paused and clenched her claws up into a fist.

“What? What happened?” you asked

“One day, my husband contracted a fatal disease that began eating away at him from the inside. By the time he caught the disease, we had already conceived Skystar.” Novo began trembling again before she continued.
“Knowing his time was short, he took all kinds of medicines and treatments to keep himself alive long enough to watch our daughter be born. He was determined to never give up and he prevailed in the end. His last, dying wish was to give her the name Skystar. He died with a smile on his face,” Queen Novo finished. She could no longer prevent the tears that were falling down her face.

Watching her mourn, you felt so guilty for the way you yelled at her on the balcony. Turns out the two of you had more in common than you realized.

“Before we left for Seaquestria, I noticed how your expression changed after I yelled at you. I was wrong about what I said when I told you that you’d never understand what it means to lose a loved one, and I’m sorry.”

Queen Novo wiped her eyes and sobbed quietly to herself. You didn’t know what to do other than to give her a hug and rock her left and right. By then, her sobbing got louder. Your shoulder grew wet from her tears, but you didn’t mind it one bit. Your mind was wracked with guilt after the way you had treated her all this time.

After a good ten minutes or so, the sobbing began to go down and Novo gently pulled away from you. You gave her a sad smile and were about to stand up.

“W-Wait!” Novo exclaimed, grabbing your arm. You stopped and sat back down and looked at her with confusion.

“What is it?” you asked.

“Please, don’t leave. If it’s alright with you... would you please stay in my room for the night?”

You couldn’t possibly turn her down after knowing what she’s gone through. You nodded slowly, making the queen smile and pulled the covers, allowing the her to lay underneath them comfortably. You followed suit, joining Novo in the bed before reaching over to turn off the nearby lamp.

As darkness filled the room, you could feel Queen Novo snuggle closer to you. In order to thank you, she decided to plant a soft kiss on your cheek, making your eyes widen. Before you could question it however, she had fallen asleep in your embrace. You sighed and fell asleep with a peaceful smile on your face.