This story is a sequel to Across the Sea of Time
[First Person] [Alternating Perspectives] [Science Fantasy]
The Sea Series: Book Two (Alpha)
NOTE: You do not need to read the previous book to fully enjoy Beneath the Sea of Sand.
The changelings of the Emerald Hive are known mostly as a highly reclusive bunch of people squatting under a hill in the Equestrian Badlands. Ponies living near their hive have reported strange happenings more often than not, weird lights in the sky at night, strange sounds, and the fact no pony who has visited has ever said more then a few words about their hive at all have made many ponies uneasy over the years.
After an attack on a Diamond Dog mine to seize a large amount of Arcaneite, the Emeralds Queen is revealed to be Phoenix, the AI of an alien starship changeling hive spent generations repairing. To many ponies amazement, Phoenix quickly made an offer of mutual assistance and advanced technology in exchange for food for her changelings.
Celestia decides to accept Queen Phoenix offer, but with one condition: Twilight, her friends, and their immediate families must first live within the Emerald's hive for a year to learn if their cultures are compatible, and what dangers her technology might present.
Beneath the Sea of Sand is a work of Science Fiction, specifically the Science Fantasy genera, which combines tropes and elements from both science fiction and fantasy. You can expect to see magic and all things FiM (made a bit more Swords and Sorcery), and also crashed alien space craft, AIs, high technology, and themes meant to explore the human condition.
Beneath the Sea of Sand is inspired by FiM, my old D&D games, the works of Isaac Asimov, Clive Cussler, and Douglas Adams. While there is a running joke and plot point involving Star Trek, you do not need any knowledge of Trek to enjoy Beneath the Sea of Sand.
Proofread by the Amazing Timuri
Dedicated to NFire, Bringer of Good Fiction, Architect of Legacy.
Meanwhile in a warehouse in downtown Canterlot, a secret meeting of the Church of Lunar Consciousness is just getting started.
Okay, I'll bite. How did you go about ponifying Latin in to Latigo? Was it random, or was there a process to it?
Space is truly amazing. A planet that orbits a star that orbits a star.
----
double space
had
Beautiful chapter. I look forward to more
6027640
Shhh! Don't give away the plot!
Well, I looked up a glossary of equestrian (real world horse stuff) terms. A latigo is a leather strap with punched holes, permanently attached in sets of two or three on each side of the tree of a saddle, used to hold and adjust the girth that holds on most types of saddle. Since it is very close to the word Latin, and a horse word, I used it.
I know right? Oh and there is another star that orbits Alpha Centari A called Proxima Centari. So that's a planet that orbits a star with another star, that orbits a third star.
And so it begins, as a famous poet once said...
media.giphy.com/media/x5rqM6KWJ07sc/giphy.gif
6027815 "the Great and Powerful Trixie appreciates your enthusiasm for her story... that she must share with others. Humph."
I'll give it an I-Liked-It/10.
Once the mining is finished, Heinleins Green Hills Of Earth I think would be appropiate.
What to call the new city of Changelings?
Diaspar.
What to play while mining?
Its cold outside, theres no kind of atmosphere, Im all alone, more or less.
would be a dream come true....
6028280 Crap I do need a name for it. Um... Somewhereia! No that's stupid...
6029725 We'll have it in 50 years tops. Don't you worry!
Discord is Q, remember this.
Am I the only one who kept hearing the theme from STXI in my head during the take off scene, eh?
*sees everyone scowling and walking towards me with torches and runs to hide behind ant-flame shield to protect self from rage that will surely come from me mentioning that movie*, eh.
6031531 It's ok you can hide in my Fort of Geekdom. That theme song is on my writing playlist.
6031593
*runs into Fortress of Geekdom, incredibly slowly mind you, as I must save as much of my collection as possible*, eh.
I managed to save the Mass Effect pony art before the shields failed, eh.
th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/101/0/4/my_little_mass_effect_wallpaper_by_thelastadvacado-d4vtqay.jpg
6031821 It's good you ran slowly, it increases dramatic tension. God art by the way! Though... AJ is more like Wrex then Dash and Dash is more like Garrus. Mostly because Garrus is loyal as all hell to Sheppard. Amazingly well done vectors though I couldn't do better myself.
6031828
i didn't actually make it, someone sent it to me on my birthday, it's a favorite of mine though, eh. I'm pretty sure Rarity is supposed to be Miranda, however she might be Liara, eh... I've been getting so obsessed with Stargate I haven't had much time for Mass Effect and Star Trek lately, Liara and Miranda wear very similar suits, if memory is fully functional, with great panic, I'm too young to be losing my memory, with annoyance at my own antics, must stop talking like elcor, talk in some other patern, must remedy as soon as possible, no time full sentences anymore, straight to point, saves time, Mordin was onto something with chosen speech patern, must study further, first go binge on DS9 marathon, eh.
With best impression of Burns from Simpsons, excellent, with barely contained humor,oh my Goddess, I'm horrible at doing impressions, eh.
Elcor speech interesting as well, eh. Further thought required on subject, eh.
6031843 You made me read that in an elcor's voice, with some peppy Canadian girl adding 'eh' to the end of his sentences. I needed that laugh so much! I thank you greatly.
Yaay, the Sagan has got an upgrade.
Can Phe work on the Hyperjets next?
Or will there just be a Cuisineart in the galley?
If the city is in a diamond shape, is that the old boundary of Phe, if so, given she launched, is she in a crafted cavern, or in geosynch orbit or where?
I ship it,
I am the force of adorable itself! MWAHAHAHAA!
still doesn't work that way....
I loled
Not a bad chapter but somehow I feel lost as it seems to have skipped somewhere. maybe its part of other stories I don't know. You suddenly have Twilight and Trixie together, the CMC had vanished for a number of years and they are packing for a trip. In the last chapter Celestia was just putting things together to let them know and Phee had taken the emerald hive into space
6033602 I'm glad you liked it!
6033619 That's just parts of my AU. Here's an overview of events.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-NOx54djM6cTOmCdUJ7EZJGq-0_Iv5nysjDEKzBPuuA/edit?usp=sharing
New at Taco Bell, the Skittles-flavored Pony Burrito. Don't ask what's in it. $1.99. Runs from the Border.
That will never stop being cute.
You tell her Trixie! Blanket stealing is tantamount to treason in my eyes. I wonder if this is why I'm frequently single...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVZ82SuWzTA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW5tVpSNg9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIawjhzvq0I
Totino's® WOW! Thanks Mom!
Words to live by.
Scoots, you are asking the wrong pony. You don't talk to relatives about that. Trust me when I tell you, there is at least one pony in your non-familial circle that can provide this information to you. For me, it was my best friend that I've known since 1st grade.
That explains so much. The crazy and willing-to-try-anything-once bri_chan is interested in this.
allmystery.de/i/t1c0324_1350688593976.jpg
Awwww!!!!
Neither can the Excited and Impatient bri_chan.
------
whined - unless she, you know... glug glug, wined.
powers
**character speaking - Ad’ika** Based on how Ad'ika spoke for the rest of that paragraph, I think this correction should stand but I could be wrong:
'are' not 'is'
6033629 helps some still feels like there is sudden gap or jump in time
Great, now I want pizza rolls... I like Gaia as a name though, oddly fitting.
6033695 I secretly think Meep is in cahoots with the pizza roll industry.
6033660
This is why my girl and I use sleeping bags.
Check the author's note. That was a real card trick.
Funnily enough, both the ponies she wants to do it with could tell her.
You get he same effect as normal, but there is no way to remove it. It's a mean trick plaid on pones in college.
Don't worry, she'll get better.
Good catch on the way Addy speaks! I fixdadid it.
6033695
6033722
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kILEaRxbF6g
6033742 Yeah yeah, I know, Dr. Orpheus, Master of Mysticism. Been a diehard Venture Bros. fan since the beginning. What would even be in an Equestrian pizza roll anyway. Normal pizza rolls are just pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara.
6033739
Oh, I've seen it before. I tend to do a back and forth when creating my comment, so sometimes when I get to the author's note I have to edit my comment. Othertimes, I leave it exactly as I wrote it.
I don't think I've ever had that level of prank played on me in college, but then I only play a pony on the internet.
*whew* I've been trying to be extra cautious on character speech corrections after that last time, hence the red-text and the justification.
6033763 Well some pegasi do eat fish. But in this case it's not actually food, it's shaped and flavored magical essence which vanishes after an hour as per the cantrip Prestidigitation, which Trixie simply casts with the presistant metamagic feat to be able to use the power for the entire day. Though Twilight and co think it was just cheezy maranarie cheesey rolls.
6033742
I'm familiar with Dr. Orpheus, but it also seems like you've caused at least a few readers to desire pizza rolls. Hence the comment.
6033763
They have hay bacon, so I'm sure there is some substitute for pepperoni involving hay.
6033770 Scoots is a bit derp. She assumes if she docent know something, her friends don't.
6033789 Well some pegasi do eat fish. But in this case it's not actually food, it's shaped and flavored magical essence which vanishes after an hour as per the cantrip Prestidigitation, which Trixie simply casts with the presistant metamagic feat to be able to use the power for the entire day. Though Twilight and co think it was just cheezy maranarie cheesey rolls.
6033789 Hayperoni
*Gets shot for terrible horse pun...*
6033628 I'm glad you wrote it!
6031855
*hugs*, eh. With affectionate joy, your welcome, eh.
6033804
Hours later and I'm still laughing at that. I want my pizza with hayperoni and extra cheese please.
6035398 Would that be Amareican cheese?
6035405 marezzarella
6035408 That's much better! Especially if you top it with Pamarezan cheese too.
Well now, mixing a little G1 in here I see.
I'm sure that will work out just fine.
Now that's appropriate.
They went all the way to Alpha Centauri just to mine an asteroid? That's kind of overkill, though it was worth it for the reference to the wreckage in orbit around the planet.
6035465
I've mixed in G1 since the first story I've written. Nopony's noticed yet besides you just now.
Nah, that's going to the coner store for a coke. Alpha Centauri is less then 5 LY distant. With her maximum velocity of her secondary FTL drive only of 150c, Phee covers 1,350 trillion kilometers per year at full speed, or 44,968,868,700 meters per second. That 4.3 something LY trip takes her ~18 hours. On her "space hopper" backup drive.
On the primary drive she can cover the distance as soon as she calculates the jump with about 5 minutes of travel time. Huzah for internal mass relay.
6035490
I believe that's because many of us (read: stallions) only know G4. I've read enough stories on here to recognize the name Megan Williams, but that's the extent of my non-G4 knowledge. Probably because if you were male and growing up in the 80's the absolute last thing you'd be interested in was My Little Pony. I'm certain if you told my 6 year-old self that, when I was older, I'd be watching My Little Pony I'd think you were nuts.
Oh, I also know that Rainbow Dash always dresses in style.
6035780 Do you have any skills? From what I understand the Emerald Hive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Service means Citizenship.
6035653 Heh heh heh... G1 facts dump! The Smooze is a G1 arcane disaster (gray goo nanite equivalent) created by three human witches because fuck those ponies. Triek and Scorpan are huge G1 villeins and Spike was their always fucks it up minion. Humans lived in "Equestria" in G1 but were very very rare and it was implied they were lost or trapped there. G1 plot summeries for episodes read like horrifying evil messages from a hell beast recalling the torments it put out that day
Oh and the orgional G1 version of the EoH was called the Rainbow of Light and basically blew motherfuckers to hell. Aside from the terribad music numbers and the occasional filler episode... it was dark and twisted as all hell!
Oh and, G1 episode 55
6036827 ...you know, for kids!
6036087 Funnily enough the city's anthem is:
Popular vote selection can be wierd.
6036858 Look, you don't have to try and sell me & Trixie more reasons to land the ship faster. We're sold already. It's not like I'm looking for reasons to visit the medbay.
Does a papercut count?
6036871 "Oh my! I feel under the weather. Perhapse i need to undergo a medical scan." "Huh? Oh! Yeah! Sure! Psst, size prefrences?"
6036914
With Phee's quirks, that's a loaded question. Around the same level as asking a djinn for a wish.