Fear from the Heart

by Dragon Heart

Blood in the Water

Upon submersion, Hammerheart and the gang met the first of many sea creatures that inhabited the ocean. They were like dolphins in how they swam about and played with each other. Sixteen feet long with brown and grey skin. The only thing about them that was different was their heads. They were rather oddly shaped compared to today's porpoises. They approached and swam around Hammerheart. The mares gazed in awe at the majestic and prehistoric animals.

"What are they?" Fluttershy asked.

"Dolphins, silly." said Pinkie.

Twilight giggled. "No, Pinkie, though these creatures are of the same family. I believe they're called Dorudon."

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. "Heh, you sure know a lot about these dinosaurs and whatnot, Twilight."

Twilight gave a smug look to the Pegasus. "Maybe you should spend more time in the library if you wanna know more about them."

Rainbow Dash resumed her sightseeing. "Maybe I'll think about it."

A Dorudon swam up to Hammerheart's wing and gave it a little nip. Hammerheart winced and folded his wing in. "Why does everythin' always need ta take a bite outta me hide?" He thought. Getting himself back on track, Hammerheart turned towards open water, flapped his wings, and swam like he was flying. His method of swimming was rather slow, but at least he was moving.

"So, what do you suppose the monster that holds the first of eight powers looks like?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know." said Applejack. "Frankly, I ain't sure if I wanna know."

"You have a point there, AJ." said Twilight. "Zaurus said that the powers of the Dragon Gods are being held by predatory animals that apparently would try to eat us. I hope we can find it and make it out alive."

As they swam through the water, Hammerheart felt his chest getting tighter from holding his breath for long enough. He swam to the surface and took in a fresh breath of air.

"Whatever this monster is, I'll give it a taste of me hammer and flames." He said

"But you can't breathe fire underwater, silly." said Pinkie. Hammerheart cocked an eye to the Earth Pony, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What? It's true." Hammerheart sighed, took in another breath, and dove under.

"If anythin', this beast had better be somethin' of a good fight." Hammerheart thought. "Even though we're tryin' ta save the world from burnin', a challenge is worth the spare time."

The water became less visible all around. Hammerheart could only see five feet in front of him. Even the mares in Twilight's air barrier could barely see a puny distance. The rays of sunlight piercing through the water like blades were visible from a medium distance, but more solid things like fish could not be spotted until they came in real close.

"How are we supposed to find a sea monster if we can't see anything coming from far away?" Rainbow Dash complained.

"I'm not sure, but we're gonna have to be careful around here." said Twilight.

Hammerheart bubbled out his nostrils. "If we're lucky, er unlucky, the beast might come to us."

Then, a groan echoed all around in the water. Hammerheart squeezed his eyes shut from the noise. His sensitive hearing, plus the water's amplifying properties, made the sound loud. The mares had heard the sound as well, and it was spooky to them all.

"Wh-what was that?" said Fluttershy.

"I'm not sure." said Rarity.

Despite the painful groaning that pierced his ears, Hammerheart continued swimming onward. The groaning would stop for a few seconds, and then return to hurt and haunt them. The visibility slowly became clearer, and Hammerheart spotted rocks far ahead that went to the surface. He could feel his chest tighten again from not breathing. Before he could begin swimming to the surface, the groan came again loudly. Louder than before. Then, something bit on Hammerheart's tail. Hammerheart let out a roar of pain that was muffled by the water, and the last of his air bubbled out of his maw. He flapped his wings frantically to reach the surface, but the assailant was holding him in place.

"Hammerheart, what's wrong?!" said Fluttershy. Hammerheart looked back to see what had gotten a hold of him, and his eyes popped wide with shock. The mares turned to see what he was looking at, and they gasped in terror.

It was a prehistoric whale, much bigger than a Dorudon, and much more dangerous from the looks of it. It was sixty-five feet in length with blue skin and black spots on its back. It shook its head from side to side with Hammerheart's tail in its grip. The water near the monster's head began to turn red as it drew blood from where it bit.

Twilight knew what this creature was. "I-i-it's a Basilosaurus!" She said. "A meat-eating whale!" She turned and looked to Hammerheart. "Is this one of the monsters we're looking for?!"

Hammerheart's oxygen gauge was virtually running on empty, but he kept struggling to break free and surface for air. "I ain't sure, lassie, but if it is, I'm gonna beat him so hard, he'll have a twitch!" Hammerheart's tenacity was at its max as he continued to flap his wings with all of his draining might. Then, an ominous sensation sparked his nerves, and he ceased. "Wait. What's this I'm feelin'? It feels almost draconic. Could it be the power of Thalassia comin' to me?"

Hammerheart then felt the whale's teeth slide off his tail with sudden force, and hear the mares scream in terror. He looked back to see that the Basilosaurus had been attacked from below by a giant, seventy foot long shark. The Basilosaurus groaned in agony as the shark began chewing on its flesh. Needing to take another breath, Hammerheart quickly flapped towards the surface. He bursted from the water, took in a deep breath of fresh air, and flew towards the small, rocky island before them. When he landed, Twilight cancelled her barrier, and they all disembarked onto the ground.

"Hammerheart, are you alright?" Fluttershy asked.

Hammerheart gave an annoyed sighed. "I'm fine." He looked at his tail. The spot where the Basilosaurus bit him was slightly torn after the giant shark pulled it off. "What in the Duwiau Ddraigs' name was that thing?" said Hammerheart as he looked at the ocean, which was reddening from where the shark was feasting on the Basilosaurus.

Twilight gave a nervous gulp. "That was... Megalodon." She said, "Biggest shark ever to swim the seas."

"I don't think I'll ever swim again after that." said Rainbow Dash.

"You an I both, sister." said Applejack.

Fluttershy approached Hammerheart while staring at the bloody water. "Hammerheart, we need to fly out of here, pronto."

"I'm goin' back in." said Hammerheart.

Fluttershy's eyes popped wide and she looked at the Wyvern. "What?"

Hammerheart could barely see the Megalodon swimming in a circle and eating the Basilosaurus. "That shark's emittin' a draconic essence, and it's most likely the power of Thalassia, so I'm goin' in and turnin' that bloody over-sized fish into mince meat." Hammerheart started walking to the water, but felt something pull on his tail. He looked back to see his tail glowing purple, and Twilight's horn glowing the same color.

"Okay, I know you can be reckless," She said calmly before raising her voice, "BUT SWIMMING WITH A MEGALODON IS STUPID, EVEN FOR YOU!"

Hammerheart waved a dismissive wing. "Don't lecture me now, lassie. This has ta be done." He neared the water's edge, but felt someone tug on his wing finger. He looked to see Fluttershy looking at him.

"Be careful." She said softly.

Hammerheart sighed through his nostrils. "Don't worry." And he jumped into the sea.

If visibility underwater was not unclear enough, the obscuring blood made things more difficult. Hammerheart struggled to keep his eyes open despite the blood getting in them. He found the whale carcass, which was already half devoured, but there was no sign of the Megalodon. It definitely was not completely gone, Hammerheart could still sense the draconic presence the monster was emitting. He could sense it swimming around somewhere deep. Then suddenly, a fierce current shot through the water and collided with Hammerheart, sending him tumbling. When he regained his balance, the Megalodon reappeared from out of the blue with jaws opened wide. Hammerheart arched forward and dived deeper to avoid getting caught. The Megalodon swam over and missed by mere feet.

Hammerheart turned to face the shark, which swam down deeper. "I need ta figure out how ta make this thing croak without gettin' caught, or drownin'." He thought. "What could its weakness be?"

The Megalodon returned and reattempted its previous attack. Hammerheart flapped his wings and tried to swim to the surface, but was not fast enough to avoid being rammed in the stomach by the shark's snout. The blow knocked the wind out of him. Hammerheart crawled onto the shark's back, and shot for the surface to refresh his held breath.

The mares heard Hammerheart's splashing and inhalation. "Hammerheart, what's going on?!" Fluttershy called.

"Everythin'!" Hammerheart shouted back before diving under again.

The Megalodon was out of sight again. Hammerheart slowly spun in a circle as he scanned his surroundings. The shark was still nearby. The water began to push Hammerheart like before, but Hammerheart swam against the unnatural current that threatened to throw him into the deep. The Megalodon came out of the blue from below and tried to swallow Hammerheart whole again. Hammerheart quickly regained his balance, and flipped forward and slammed his hammer into the shark's nose. The Megalodon stopped and shook its head from the nasty blow.

Believing to have an opening, Hammerheart swam in and bit on the shark's dorsal fin. He shook his head and tore off a bite of shark meat from the fin. With a quick swish of its tail, the Megalodon swam off towards the murk. Hammerheart had a pretty good taste of the beast's flesh, and it was a lot better than regular fish meat. He still does not know what the Megalodon's weakness is.

The Megalodon returned and faced off Hammerheart. It opened its massive jaws wide, and Hammerheart could see something shining deep inside of its body. Then he felt another current pushing him away. The force of water was coming from the shark's maw. Hammerheart was sent tumbling underwater, and flying out of the water. He flapped his wing and was airborne. The Megalodon sliced the surface with its wounded dorsal fin and swam around in big circles as it waited for its prey to return to the ocean. Hammerheart flew towards the rocks and landed to recuperate, and the mares came to his side.

"What happened?" Twilight asked.

"You didn't get hurt, did you?" Fluttershy asked.

Hammerheart raised a brow to her. "Do I look like I'm dyin', lass?"

"Quit smart mouthing and tell us. What's going on?" said Rainbow Dash.

Hammerheart panted from such a battle. "That giant trout keeps blowin' water at me and makin' me roll around like a naked porcupine. I already took a bite out of its hide, but it's not enough." He looked to Twilight. "You're the smart one. What's that thing's weakness?"

Twilight blinked, looked to the sea, then back at Hammerheart. "Well, it's a shark. They have super sensitive senses like you. Have you tried, like, hitting it in the nose or something?"

Hammerheart scratched his chin. Now that he thought about it, the Megalodon did not seem to like taking a hammerhead to its snout. If it had super sensitive senses, then it has its weaknesses.

"I should mention more." said Twilight, "Most sharks have to keep swimming or else they'll drown, but I'm not sure if that'll help."

Hammerheart stood back up. "I've heard more than enough." And dove back into the water.

The blood had finally dissipated, making for a less obscured view of the water. Hammerheart could still sense the Megalodon's draconic presence. He went into deep thought on how to defeat this monster.

"This beast seems to have an unending taste fer blood." He thought. "Now I think I've got an idea." The wound on his tail from the Basilosaurus had scabbed over, but it was his ticket to winning this battle. He bit on the scab and reopened the wound. His blood leaked into the water, and would no doubt draw the shark to him. There was a sudden change in the water, and Hammerheart felt it. The Megalodon had picked up on the scent of his blood, and was coming in to kill. The shark was coming from below with jaws opened wide. Hammerheart flipped forward and landed a direct hit on its snout just as it got in close. The Megalodon turned and swam away to recover from the devastating blow, but Hammerheart was not done yet. He grabbed hold of its back and held on as it swam. He crawled up to its head, and held on to the tip of its nose. He then brandished his hammer and slammed on one of its eyes. The Megalodon shook its head violently from the inflicted hit, but Hammerheart dug his claws deep in its hide. He then slammed his hammer into its other eye, and the shark's head shaking grew in force.

Hammerheart grinned. "Oh, I've got ya on the ropes now, ya fell, wet-washin' bass!" The Megalodon then threw its head down, and Hammerheart flipped over its nose in front of its mouth. The shark then tried to bite Hammerheart, making loud, bone-crunching chomps with every bite, but could not grab hold of him. Hammerheart thrusted himself up and tried to swim to the surface to catch a breath, but the Megalodon was hot on his tail. With its mouth opened wide, the Megalodon swallowed Hammerheart whole just as he breached the surface. The mares cried in terror as their friend was devoured by the shark.

"HAMMERHEART!!!" Fluttershy cried before dropping to her flanks and crying in her hooves. The Megalodon crashed back into the sea with the Wyvern in its stomach.

---

Darkness was all around. It was a void that reeked of vomit and meat. The nauseating smell greatly irritated Hammerheart's nose, and his eyes shot open as he awoke. He could barely see his own snout in front of himself.

"I need a light." He said. He opened his mouth and held a burning flame within it. The light of his fire illuminated the area he was in. It was a place with fleshy walls. He stood in a liquid that burned against his hide. That was when realization came to him. He was inside the Megalodon's stomach, yet he was still alive. Though he probably would not last much longer while inside the shark's stomach.

"Dang it! If I don't git outta here, I'll be melted into mush and passed out as dung!" He growled.

Something was not making sense. Hammerheart was in a stomach that should be filled with water, yet there is an air pocket within. How was it possible? A blue light began to shine, and Hammerheart looked up towards the direction it was coming from. It was the same light he saw before, and it was close by. Hammerheart flew up towards the light to investigate.

It was some kind of aura that dripped water. It was the power of the Water Dragon Goddess, no doubt. Hammerheart tried to seize it, but a barrier forced him down to the bottom. It was not going to be obtained easily.

The fumes of the stomach acid was suffocating. Even Hammerheart's lungs were hurt by the deadly gas. "This is bad!" He started coughing. The fire held in his mouth fell out and exploded from mixing with the gas. Hammerheart had an idea, and he would have to hurry before the fumes asphyxiated him.

He flew up to the aura to try and take it, but the barrier rejected him again, and threw him to the floor. Hammerheart's skin was beginning to slowly melt from exposure to the acidic environment of the stomach. He flapped his wing, and rammed into the barrier head first. It was like hitting his head on a rock. The barrier pushed him back down to the floor. Hammerheart was not going to give up yet.

"Bloody brilliant! That thing's as tough as claws!" Hammerheart growled. He looked to his hammer. "Me tail's all I got left. If it fails me, I'm as good as fodder fer this leviathan." He swung his tail and decided to try and shatter the barrier with his hammer. He flew up, flipped forward, and slammed his hammer into the barrier. Both forces surged with power as they struggled. Hammerheart pushed on the barrier with all the might he could muster. The barrier still held back the Wyvern's strength. "I'm not gonna give up and drop dead in this pit of meaty puke!" Hammerheart thought. His determination was increasing his power as his adrenaline kicked in. The barrier began to crack, and it soon shattered. The hammer also hit the aura, and it was absorbed into Hammerheart's body.

Hammerheart's body grew weak, and he fell back down to the floor. "Finally, I got what I needed." Water began to slowly fill the stomach, and the acid was rising higher. Apparently that aura was what made the air pocket. "Time ta bust outta here!"

---

Everyone sat on the rocky island and silently mourned for the loss of their friend. Some were in tears while others tried to hold theirs back.

"What do we do now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know." said Twilight, "But with Hammerheart dead, the whole world is doomed."

"No! We can't give up!" Fluttershy cried. "Hammerheart can't be dead! He just can't!" Her lips quivered, and she dropped to her knees crying. Twilight and Rarity came to her side to comfort her, even though they, too, were in tears.

A spot in the ocean near the island began to bubble, and the mares looked towards it. The Megalodon's body broke the surface, but it was lying belly-up in the water.

"That's the Megalodon that ate him." said Twilight. "Why is it floating dead like that?"

The dead shark's belly began to glow, and exploded. The mares shielded their eyes from the explosion, and looked back to see both the remains of the shark scattered in the water, and Hammerheart in the sky, unconscious, and falling back into the sea.

Fluttershy jumped up and flew over the water. "That was Hammerheart! Was he still alive?"

"Fluttershy, what was that?!" Twilight called.

"That was Hammerheart!" Fluttershy replied, "He must still be alive!"

Meanwhile, underwater, Hammerheart sunk like a rock down deeper, unconscious and breathing.

"Wait. I still draw breath?" Hammerheart thought as he came to. He flailed until he was right side up and looked at himself. His skin had suffered from bad injuries while he was inside the Megalodon's stomach, but they were not severe. Then suddenly, the wounds began to miraculously heal by themselves. Hammerheart could barely believe his eyes. But his only question was why he was breathing underwater?

"You have done well to defeat me, young Wyvern." said a deep, echoing voice. Hammerheart swiftly spun around to see the Megalodon still in one piece and facing him, despite the fact that he had destroyed it from the inside-out. He swam back and took on a battle stance, though he had nothing to stand on.

"What the bloody frak is this?! I thought I blew ya up like a coal mine!" Hammerheart yelled, his voice not being warped by the water.

The Megalodon chuckled. "Fear not, Hammerheart. I am Shargresh, Keeper of the Power of Thalassia." the Megalodon said, though his mouth did not move as he spoke. "You have succeeded in obtaining the first of eight Duwiau Ddraig powers, but there are seven left. You have been gifted with the ability to manipulate water, as well as breathe it."

It made sense. Hammerheart recalled making contact with the aura, which was absorbed into his body. It had gifted him with Thalassia's control of water.

"So, are ya gonna try an' take it back from me?" Hammerheart grinned.

Shargresh chuckled. "No, the power has chosen you as its master. I was merely here to test your worth, and you prevailed. It was an honor to do battle with you. But be wary of the remaining seven beasts who also guard the powers of the Duwiau Ddraig, for each one will be more challenging than the last. They will push you to your limits, and take your life should you fail. I wish thee the best of luck."

With that, Hammerheart felt himself being pulled through and out of the water, and back onto dry land.

"Hammerheart!" The girls said in unison as they rushed up to him.

Hammerheart stood up and looked at his hands. He felt much different from before, much stronger, much more powerful. He could not wait to get his claws on the remaining powers that awaited him.

"Hammerheart, what happened?" Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie sniffed the Wyvern. "Phew! You smell worse than a bucket full of rotten apples. No offense." She smiled. Hammerheart lifted his talon, and lightly bonked Pinkie upside the head.

"Keep yer thoughts to yerself if it ain't worth blabberin' about." Hammerheart said sternly. They all heard splashing, and they looked up at the ocean to see the Megalodon swim away.

"Hold on. Didn't ya blow that thang ta smithereens?" Applejack asked.

Hammerheart chuckled. "Aye, but it looks like he's done with us." He lowered a wing. "We better git back to the mainland." The mares nodded. Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy embarked onto his back. When they were on tight, Hammerheart flapped his wings, got airborne, and grabbed Applejack and Pinkie. He flew towards the mainland with Rainbow Dash flying by his side.

Hammerheart grinned. "One down, seven ta go."

Author's Note:

Dun dun, dun dun, dun dun, dun dun...