Castle in The Waves

I stayed up late that night, excited to depart on my trip. I quickly wrote a letter of apology to my friends. I considered telling them I was sick, but I thought they should know. Deceiving them would have led to trouble later on. I finished the letter, and slept fitfully through the night. I was really excited.

In the morning I grabbed a bag and packed a few things I thought I would need. I brought a notepad and pencil, so I might write some notes. I packed a few other things, like some reference books, as well as a single fiction.Even though I didn't read much of the stuff.

I hoisted my bag onto my back and left my dormitory. I dropped my letter in the mailbox on my way to the professor's classroom, where she told me where to meet her. I took a long look at the classroom, brightly lit by stained glass windows, depicting large sea serpents and other massive creatures. I looked at my usual desk, slightly worn from constant occupation. I felt a little sad, leaving the place behind, if only for a week.

The air outside was moist. Apparently it had rained heavily last night, leaving the grounds still damp, even though the sun was high in the sky, casting warm beams onto my coat. A smooth breeze wafted across the courtyard. It felt like it pulled me back, but I continued out of the cast iron gates of my precious university. Mistborough University was one of the more prestigious schools of the continent, though not well known, due to its exclusivity.

I cast my gaze down the road, into the town. The smallest, most nondescript town ever, by my standards. There were few shops, selling small trinkets of the local export, lobster. A grocer had the crustaceans displayed on ice. I had tried the local lobster before, and found it quite good. I stopped here at the grocer and bought an apple, since I was a bit peckish.

I passed through the rest of the town and on to my destination, Freepony docks. I cantered up and down the boardwalk, looking for the ship I was meant to ride. I found her a few moments later. The Aquarius was a medium sized fishing boat, but I noticed it was outfitted with some machines I had never seen before. I presumed these to be sets of oceanography equipment. I boarded the ship and was greeted by a rather stereotypical gruff sea earth pony, the captain, as indicated by his hat. Another pony, a unicorn, was also on board, presumably another crewmember. I grinned a sheepish grin to both of these working men, and took a place staring out at the ocean.

I heard a set of hooves climb the ladder on to the ship and the professor called out to me. I turned to greet him. He introduced me to Captain Crabclaw, and the other pony Lantern. The professor also introduced his equipment, experimental machines of his own design for scanning the ocean floor, using the same ultrasonic waves as dolphins. He also pointed out another machine, a pump. He told me that this was for diving. He said usually Lantern did the diving (It was what he was good at), but every once in a while, he would go down himself to see something Lantern claimed to be extraordinary.

The captain interrupted our chat, letting us know that we were leaving the land and heading out to see. My mind told me I was excited, but my heart suddenly was overcome with an immense sense of dread.