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// Nautilus 
// Story: Ponies of Legend 
// by Rennoc215 
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	The waves churned around the Solar Sea, and one particularly violent one sent Sheldon to the deck. A helping hoof came down and picked him back up, and a gruff voice saying “Are you sure about this? Nopony else will go, and I won't blame you if you choose not to either."
Nautilus turned back and looked at his captain. A gruff pony, Captain Stormy Waves had been in the ocean since he was born. On one of his few journeys inland, Stormy had met Sheldon, the best deep-sea explorer. Sheldon’s friends had always called him Nautilus, though, because he was as comfortable in the heavy metal shell of the dive suits. “Aye, captain.” He said with a nod.
"Celestia's speed then, Sheldon." The captain said, turning to the remaining crew. "Alright, ye maggots! This brave boy of ours is going in, when you all failed to do your duties. Let's help him out, ya' hear?"
The crew unanimously stomped their hooves. "Aye aye, captain!"
Sheldon smiled at the near-mechanical quality that the sailors had. It's a shame he didn't really know any of their names. He turned back to his dive suit, and apprehension filled him. There's a reason that it scares the other sailors... But I have a duty to help explore each part of this sea. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, and he stepped into the dive suit that had been his home for the past few months. The hissing and clicking of each part added just made him feel more and more secure.
He stepped up to the edge, now fully armored, seeing the black, tar like substance coating the waves. He turned to see the terrified crew behind him, and he smiled. "I'll show you that this is nothing more than a new adventure, waiting to be discovered!" He called with a wave, and the group chuckled nervously.
Smiling, Sheldon turned back to the seas, apprehension filling him again. But all that did was steel his resolve. He gingerly stepped down to the dive platform, and took a deep breath. For the understanding of all. He thought, hopping in.
Surprisingly, all was peaceful. The suit was heavy, but the buoyancy systems were working just fine, so he bobbed on the surface playfully. "See? nothing wrong." He called to the crew, fearfully looking over the edge. Then he felt something brush his hoof. Dismissing it as a fish, he took out his 
sample kit, and began to fill the vials, gathering the oily substance in different ways.
The crew was visibly relaxing, and Sheldon smiled. Just needed some positive reinforcement. He thought. Then, something grabbed his back hoof and pulled.
In a panic, he reached out and grabbed onto the side of the boat. The pulling didn't stop, and rapidly became more and more violent, rocking the entire boat. "Help me!" He called to his paralyzed peers. They could only watch in horror as the ship they were standing on was shaking harder and harder, threatening to throw them off. They turned to each other, seeing that they had all reached the same conclusion. The advanced on him, his calls becoming more frantic.
"Oh, thank Celestia! I was afraid you were going to let it pull me off! Here, help pull me up." He said, reaching an armored hoof out to them. But they brushed past it, to where his other hoof lay wrapped around the railing. One of them came up with a crowbar, and fear crossed Sheldon's face. "What are you doing? Please, help me up!" He asked in a panic.
The other one gazed at the faceplate, his resolve steeled. "I'm sorry, son. But it's you or the ship." he said, sliding the crowbar under his hoof.
The door to the bridge burst open, and Stormy Seas rushed out. "What is the meaning of this? Somepony, help the poor colt up!" He called, his commands falling upon deaf ears. One of those standing aside stopped the captain.
"I'm sorry, sir. But it's him or us. You understand." He said grimly, the Captain watching in dismay.
After a few moments deliberation, the captain lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, son. But they're right. Goodbye." He said, his face coated with a mixed layer of tears and sea spray. It was obvious this was his first time loosing a crewman. He looked like he was taking it hard.
There was an unfortunate sounding pop, and Sheldon was pulled from the railing. "Not me, not yet." He said through clenched teeth, grabbing the chain holding the anchor in place. There was a sickening screech, and then the shriek of tearing metal, and the chain fell loose. Sheldon watched in dismay as the outline of the ship slowly faded away, disappearing as he sunk deeper and deeper. He felt a stabbing sensation, and felt his buoyancy system fail, which caused him to sink faster. A bashing, and he could see the bubbles rising from him, showing his air supply had just gotten smashed. He could feel the water circling about him, inside his suit, and he breathed in his last breath.
If only I could see the sun. One last time, before I die. He wished, feeling a strange slithering sensation inside his lungs as he inhaled the sea water, accepting death.
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If only it was so easy. His eyes slammed open, to see a waterlogged interior of his suit. He was breathing heavily, yet the only thing around him was water. But how? He thought, deeply troubled. He tried to see if he remembered anything that had happened to him, but when he tried to remember what had happened the night before, he came up blank. Just the sudden impression, a still image, showing the crew restraining the captain as another crewman was prying him from the ship. Everything else was a blur. Even farther back, and his memories faded even more, even his name disappearing in the fog of uncertainty, until he found one particular scene in his memory.

"Hey! Are you going down again?" Called his best friend, the pegasus Seraph.
"I sure am!" He called back.
"Awww... I was hoping we could do something like Hoofball. But, if you want to do that, that's cool. I do enjoy being your surface crew." Seraph said with a wink.
"You're the best, Seraph." He said with a smile. Turning, he saw an older dive suit, this one cloth with a metal dome helm.
"Every time you put that on, you remind me of those Nautilus that Miss Moss taught us about. You know, those sea creatures with the hard shell?" Seraph said, laughing slightly. "You know what, I think I'm gonna call you nautilus from here on. Nautilus, bravest diver in Equestria!" She said, hoof pumping in the air.
He could feel a smile cross his face, and then the memory blurred back into the fog.

"Nautilus. It's a good enough name." He said aloud, realizing nopony could hear him. For some reason, his unnaturally deep voice surprised him. So, I must have had a higher voice when I was among the living. Very well. I shall walk there again, see if I can learn anything of my history. He decided, turning off in a random direction and beginning the long walk.
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Like an endless dream, it was. Nautilus had no way to track the passage of time while he was under, and he never felt exhaustion or weakness seep into his muscles, so he kept on. That's when he heard it.
"HELP!" Called a strange voice. Nautilus turned towards it, seeing a merpony fleeing from a vicious Greater Seeker Shark. Nasty beasts, Nautilus remembered. Like meat, especially after a good chase. Generically evil. Smiling as some thoughts from before came back, his smile quickly turned to a frown. Merponies were majestic creatures, and deserved better.
Thinking of the anchor he had carried all this way, he smiled as a plan formulated in his mind. He drew a little arrow in the sand to mark his original path, and then he began to swing the anchor about his head. When it was spinning fast enough, he released it, the head flying fast and true towards the shark, the chain sagging behind it. It slammed into the shark, and coiled around the shark, catching on the chain. Nautilus yanked the chain, dragging the bound shark towards him, and pulling him from the sea floor. He dragged it down to the bottom of the ocean, beating the thing for attacking such an innocent creature.
Surprisingly, the massive shark whimpered in submission. "Find something noble to do in your life. Do good, and you won't need to fear me." The shark nodded, and quickly swam away when Nautilus released it. He turned to see the merpony, who smiled at him and waved.
"Thank you!" She called, and he smiled.
"It wasn't a problem. Merely a distraction from this never ending dream." He replied with a nod. She smiled again, before darting off into the shadows.
Nautilus turned, found his arrow, and began walking on the path again.
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Time meant nothing beneath the waves, but it already felt like a lifetime ago that he had met the merpony. He smiled at the pleasantly short conversation, and felt good at saving an innocent. But it still felt like centuries had passed. But something about the water had changed. What was it? A slight warmth, a feeling of content?
No, it was the color. It no longer looked like black ink, more like a blue ink. There was color. Color! A sensation unknown to Nautilus, a brave new world. A refuge, a sanctum, a terror. Color, to the blind. It was overwhelming. I must be nearing the surface. He thought with a smile. Soon, I can learn who I am.
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An old pegasus sat on the beach again, watching the sun set over the waves. It was her tradition, ever since the accident. The accident which left her alone for all these years, widowed. But there, out in the deeps, was a disturbance. It wasn't like that of a shark or dolphin fin, and was to precise to 
be a school of fish or a sea turtle. She watched with curiosity, having led a good long life.
The first thing to poke out was a small dome, followed shortly thereafter by a torso, and then the legs. An ancient metal behemoth, once new and shining, now lightly rusted and still walking. She smiled as it brought back memories of her lost husband, an avid diver in his time.

"Look here! It's the newest model, the one my ship will have on it. It can stay under for days at a time, keeping water out and it's equipped with sample collection gear, so I can work quickly while still inside!" Her husband rambled on, praising all the features that this new suit would have.
"That's nice, dear." She commented, before turning to the current captain of the ship. "You promise me my husband is coming home. Now."
He tipped his cap. "Captain's honor."

Of course, when the captain returned, he was still terribly shaken by the event, and apologized profusely over her loss. Thankfully he wasn't mechanical like the drill sergeant who told her her father wasn't coming home, but even so, losing him hurt.
The ancient dive suit came to a stop before her, and in a deep, booming voice, much like the sound of waves, he asked, "Where am I?"
She smiled at this newcomer, and politely answered. "You are in Bilgewater, my dear. Home of the best ocean explorers ever. My husband was one of the best divers in the world."
The glowing eyes of the suit flashed, bringing back the childhood memory. "Tell me, miss. What was your husband's name?"
She smiled, memories flooding back. "Sheldon. But I always called him Nautilus after those wonderful creatures."
His eyes flashed again, his life rushing before his eyes, reminding him of all his happy moments. The marriage, college, childhood, his parents. Everything came back in an instant, and he broke down crying. She sat there patiently, waiting for him to let it all out. What she didn't expect was what was coming.
The steel goliath walked forward, and embraced her in a big hug. "I'm home, Seraph. I'm home." He whispered.
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But time is an evil mistress. Soon after his return, Seraph died of old age, and with her went his last connection to his past. He knew that he must find those who left him to rot, and he must do it soon, before they too died. So, he knew just where he needed to go. He walked, and walked, and walked towards the mountain in the distance. The capitol of Equestria, Canterlot rests on the top.
The trek was uneventful, yet unfortunately long. Yet he knew the leader would always be waiting for him. So he trudged on.
At the gates, he was delayed. Each individual was being screened for something, but nopony would say. So he went on his way, waiting in line like each other pony. But the guards didn't trust his truth.
"Name?" The guard asked.
"Nautilus." He patiently replied.
"Species?" The other one asked.
"What?"
"What species are you?"
"Is it that hard to tell?" He asked, which the two then looked at each other with narrowed eyes. "May I just go along and get on with my business?"
One turned back to him. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with us."
Nautilus shifted the anchor slung over his shoulder uncomfortably. "How long will this take? My business is time imperative."
"As long as it takes..." The other said ominously, before leading them away.
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"You will tell us exactly why you wanted to see the princess!" The interrogator slammed his hooves on the table, as Nautilus shifted his anchor again.
"I am looking for someponies. Someponies in particular." Nautilus answered nonchalantly.
"Then check the records. It'll tell you where somepony lives." The sergeant said threw clenched teeth.
"Yes, But I need their names."
The sergeant sighed. "We'll be watching." He said reluctantly as he walked out.
Nautilus could wait. After all, sixty years on the ocean floor will definitely make you patient. So he waited. After a few hours, Princess Celestia came in, a frown on her face. But when she saw him, she could hardly suppress a laugh. "I apologize, but I haven’t seen one of those in decades. Now, may I ask why you came looking for me specifically, when you could have easily gone through the public records?"
"I need names for something that you personally signed off on. I need to find the crew of a particular ship. Does the name 'Solar Storm' mean anything to you?" He asked, smiling behind his helmet.
Her smile disappeared, and she waved her horn like an artist, casting a spell about the entire room. "I've silenced, blinded, and locked this room. You may speak freely. Now tell me, what do you know about the Solar Sea?"
Nautilus sighed. "I served on it. That was, until the crew left me in the ocean to die." An eyebrow raised in suspicion, and he laughed. "Does the term strange black oil ring any bells?"
Her eyes widened in surprise, and then narrowed again. "Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Nautilus. But I used to be an earth pony named Sheldon." He said, his eyes flashing.
"I take it that the anchor isn't purely ornamental?" She said, a smile crossing her face, as she pointed a hoof towards the massive anchor resting on his shoulder.
"No. Sometimes, I feel like this anchor just weighs me down, but I like to think of it as a souvenir. Take it as a death-day present." He said grimly, and she broke out in a grin.
"I remember you. I hoof-picked you because you had something special in your field. But I can't tell you the names of the others. I can't officially." There was a slamming at the door, and shushed voices from outside. "However, I can tell you where you can find the one other survivor. He lives in Bilgewater, under the fake name of Soft Waters. Now go." She said, with a smile, as her horn activated. A flash of light later, the captain and sergeant burst into the room, to find the princess having tea.
"Where did he go? Are you hurt?" The Captain asked, worry crossing his face.
"No, I'm fine. As for Nautilus, I sent him on his way."
"What did he want?"
"I'm afraid that's confidential, captain."
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There was a light tapping from outside the door, and Nurse Longlife went to answer the door, leaving her elderly charge for a few moments. She was suspicious, however, as none of the old sailor's family said they would be coming by today. Must be one of those door to door salesponies. She thought, shaking her head as she opened the door. "Can I help yo..." She started, before looking up and seeing a steel monster. All she could do was scream and slam the door in its face.
The elderly pony stepped out of the kitchen with a knowing smile on his face. The knocking came again, and the nurse frantically shook her head no. "We have a visitor, my dear. It's impolite to keep them waiting." He said, walking slowly towards the door.
"Mr. Soft, don't open the door. There's a M-m-monster outside."
Soft Waters could only smile. "My dear, there's no such thing as monsters. Only in the sea do the nasty beasties live, and even then, they aren't monsters. Besides, monsters don't knock." He told her, opening the door and looking outside. Standing just as still as before was the steel colossus. "You've haunted my dreams, you know. But I always knew you would come back. Always. Good to see you again, my boy." He said with a smile.
"Captain?" Nautilus asked uncertainly. Age had not been kind on the old seafarer.
"Aye. I didn't want them to do it, you know. But I had no choice. I..." The captain began, before Nautilus put a steel hoof on the old pony's shoulder.
"Captain, I forgave you first. I'm happy to say that I got to see you again."
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Nautilus remained in Bilgewater for the remainder of Captain Stormy Sea's life, but once he died, there was nothing left for him in the realm of mortals. And so he decided to do the one thing that was his life.
He walked at the bottom of the ocean.