The line connecting Crankshaft to the vessel suddenly went slack.
“Take us out of here,” Madame Fog said. “Now.”
Minnow burst into tears. I pushed the throttle forward as far as I could, and we began to move upwards, towards the surface of the crevasse. I saw more pale figures on all sides of us. Countless numbers of the creatures swam alongside, and I knew with a sick feeling in my stomach where they had to be headed.
When we got out of the crevasse and could see the city, I knew that it was already too late. My mistress reached out a hoof to shield Minnow from the sight, bringing her into an uncharacteristic hug.
“Should we--”
“No,” Madame Fog said. “Take us away from here.”
She bent down to get to eye level with the little sharkfilly. “It’s going to be fine,” she said, in a softer voice than I had ever heard before. “But I need you to be strong, okay? Do you know a place that’s far away but safe? Where your family would go in an emergency?”
Sniffling, Minnow nodded. “Th-- there’s another place we go in the summers sometime. I can show you where.”
As we set off, the lonely submersible traveling through the wide and open sea, I couldn’t help but look back one last time at the burning city behind us, at the bottom of the ocean floor. It had been a strange place, a sight that few ponies would ever see. And as the dome of magic abruptly winked out and the ocean came crashing in to reclaim its place, I realized that I might be the last pony to have ever had that chance.
[ENDING H]