Novo gave Skystar a shocked look. "You want to take her where?"

Her daughter was unapologetic. "I wanna show Twilight the Kraken's Trench. She's been begging me to show her around the island."

Novo rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "Does she know how dangerous it is for anyone to go near it? Even I haven't in a long time."

Skystar smiled. "You know that they won't hurt me."

Novo sighed. "It's not you that I'm worried about. No other being has ever gotten close to them and not roused them to wrath."

Skystar bit her lip. She knew all too well what happened to those who got too close. The seabed around the Trench was littered with countless wrecks of ships and zeppelins.

More proof, if it was needed, as to why Seaquestria had never been conquered, and many had tried. The last had been just before she had been born.

Novo though saw the honest desire in Skystar's eyes. She knew she wouldn't place Twilight in danger on purpose, and she trusted the Deep Ones to not harm her. Twilight on the other fin?

But then she remembered the spark that had passed between them a few days earlier, and it got her thinking something she had never considered before now.

If the spark meant what she thought it had, then there was a good chance that the Deep Ones wouldn't attack at all. In fact, the opposite could happen.

Queen Novo wasn't sure how she felt about that possibility, but if it was coming, then she had best begin laying the groundwork for what was to come now. And if it turned out to be nothing, then so be it.

"Alright Skystar, you can take Twilight to the Trench," she finally said, before holding up a fin as Skystar's eyes lit up. "But if they do anything threatening, then get out of there as fast as you can."

Skystar squeed before swimming over and giving Novo a big hug. "Thanks, mom. You're the best!"

Novo chuckled as she returned the hug. "Yes dear. Now hurry up. Twilight doesn't seem like the patient type of pony."

Skystar nodded before swimming off to find Twilight, leaving her mother alone with her thoughts of what might happen when the two of them reached the Trench.

And what it could mean for all their futures.

***

"So how far is it?" Twilight asked as she and Skystar swam away from the base of Mount Aris and out into the deeper waters. From here they could just barely see the lights of Seaquestria.

"Not that far now," Skystar replied. "No one comes out here unless they have a good reason. Or they happen to be my mom."

Twilight was confused. "Why's that? It's beautiful out here."

Skystar nodded. "Yeah, but they fear what's out here. Even mom hasn't been out here in years, and she doesn't scare easy Twilight."

There was that name again. Twilight. Queen Novo had said that it was her name and that by telling her they might be able to jog her memories. So far nothing, not even a glimpse of her old life.

Twilight was more than happy with her name. It wasn't much, but anything that connected her to her old life was something she wanted to hold onto.

She had lost so much. She didn't want to lose what might've been her last tie to her past.

Her cutie mark, as the symbol on her flanks, was called, was another possible tie to the pony she once was. But what good was it if she couldn't remember what it represented?

And by now, her hopes of ever remembering her past were beginning to dim. But even more so, Twilight wasn't sure if she even wanted to remember now. Her life here was too nice. Aside from an odd look or two everyone was friendly. She'd even made a new friend with Skystar's cousin Silverstream.

Twilight was jolted from her thoughts when she felt Skystar poke her shoulder. Looking over, she found her pointing down. "Look," she whispered. Twilight did and was shocked at what she saw.

All along the sea floor for as far as she could see lay the broken, rotting, and rusting remains of countless ships and zeppelins. Some of the smallest could fit inside the Throne Room, while the largest could hold all of Seaquestria and still have room for more.

As they swam over the graveyard, Twilight noticed that some of the wrecks looked recent while many more looked ancient. Just pieces of rotting wood and rusting metal. Others were just broken spars and rigging in ship shapes.

But it was the largest that made her blood run cold. It had been cleaved clean in two, the two broken halves now resting next to each other. They dwarfed everything around them by a large margin. Eight or nine Seaquesrtias could fit in them and still have room for more.

"What is all this?" Twilight whispered, afraid of rousing whatever had done all this.

"The Graveyard of Ships, or the Graveyard of Fools," Skystar replied. "This is all that remains of everyone who tried to conquer us."

Twilight gulped. The sudden change in Skystar's tone was shocking. She was always so bubbly and friendly, but now there was no love or tolerance in her voice.

She suddenly remembered that for all her flightiness and happy attitude, Skystar was a princess, a ruler, and one day she would be Queen Skystar. Here was one that would do anything to protect her people, no matter how much it hurt her inside.

Twilight was glad to be on her good side. She never wanted to see that.

Skystar suddenly stopped, forcing Twilight too as well as she pointed a fin further ahead. "We're here," she whispered. Twilight looked to see what she meant.

Ahead of them was a huge trench. Coming to the edge, Twilight couldn't see the other side. Below them was a darkness that was more than a lack of light. It was alive, eating up all light and sound in a way that wasn't natural.

Twilight jumped as something moved in the darkness, a shape her mind refused to make sense of. All she could make out was something vast. No other size could do it justice, but even that fell short of its size.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked after a moment as a cold sweat broke out. Just being here was taxing her nerves.

Skystar felt it too, and she had grown up hearing about the Deep Ones. She could only guess it was worse for Twilight. "The Kraken's Trench," she whispered.

Twilight nodded as whatever was down there seemed to turn in their direction. She couldn't be sure, but it felt like it new they were there and was deciding what to do with.

And then what looked like an eye opened in the darkness.

Twilight tried backing away from the sight. In that gaze, she could see an ancient, unfathomable, intelligence, one that had laid waste to countless mortals. In it she felt tiny and insignificant, and she knew without a doubt that it saw her.

Her retreat though was stopped by an outstretched fin. Looking over, Twilight found Skystar shaking her head. "Don't. You run, and they will attack. I can't guarantee that I could stop them," she whispered.

Twilight gulped back her fear as best she could. "What are is it doing? How many are down there?"

Skystar shrugged. "Looking at you, deciding whether you can stay or not. The only reason they haven't attacked is that I'm here. They won't attack a member of the Royal Family."

"Lucky you," Twilight grumbled.

Skystar giggled. "It's saved my tail a few times. As for how many? I'd say one, maybe two. Juveniles would be my guess."

Twilight's jaw dropped. "Juveniles?! These are just the young ones?"

Skystar giggled. "Oh yeah. They get way bigger than this. You saw what one of the Ancients did back there," she said, pointing back at the ruined leviathan.

If it was possible, Twilight's jaw dropped even further. She couldn't even imagine meeting one of those if that wreck was any indication.

Even as the thought crossed her mind, something began to rise from the trench. A shape her mind had trouble comprehending on every level. Living darkness in the shape of a giant squid.

Young or not it still dwarfed the two of them by a large margin. As it cleared the trench, the beast unfolded its many, many, tentacles. So many that Twilight couldn't count them all.

"Don't. Move," Skystar whispered. Not that Twilight had any intention of fleeing. Her limbs were frozen in fear at the sight before them.

The Kraken finally seemed to notice them as its eyes drifted downward. At that moment where their eyes met, Twilight felt something new blossom in her heart. What it was she had no idea, but it felt incredible.

As that thought crossed her mind, one of the smaller tentacles reached out to her. But it wasn't an attack, nor was it a threat.

Skystar could only watch in shock as it gently touched Twilight's forehead. Aside from a slight jump at the contact, Twilight felt only felt a warmth spread throughout her body. At that moment too, Skystar felt something blossom in her heart. Whatever it was, she never wanted it to go away.

After a moment, the tentacle was withdrawn and the Kraken slowly returned to the trench. Once it had vanished back into the darkness, Twilight finally found her voice. "What just happened?"

Skystar shook her head. "I have no idea. One's never done that before."

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Nope. But I think you got their seal of approval," Skystar replied with a grin, one Twilight was happy to return. She felt much better now that the danger seemed to have passed.

"So can we go home now?" Twilight asked.

Skystar felt her breath hitch. She had felt the weight Twilight had put behind one word, but she hid her excitement as she nodded. "Yeah. Let's go home."

Home Twilight thought. She found that word had new meaning to her now. Tomorrow was the day she would make her choice at the Heart of the Sea.

She now knew what her choice would be.

Author's Note

This is it. One decision next chapter will change everything for the fate of Equus. And there is no going back.