The undertrolley shook and rattled a few times before hitting the water. After the initial jolt, the rest of the ride became smooth, with the cabin gently swaying every half-minute or so. Rainbow Dash looked out the porthole in time to see splashing waves of water rippling over the hull. Then all was bubbles and liquid obscurity.
“The trolley spans nearly three miles' worth of cables,” Theanim Mane explained. Electric lights dimmed and flickered overhead as the vessel hummed along. “Initially descending at a gentle forty-five degrees, then sharpening into a twenty degree plummet as we reach the—”
“Reckon we get the picture, Doc,” Bard said. “Besides, things ain't getting' turbulent until we get into Shoggoth proper.”
“Remember, Mr. Bard, that fighting is a last resort,” Theanim said with a glare. “Our goal is to win the approval of the Syndicate for entrance.”
Bard smirked. “I thought our goal was to lay the smackdown on the Auction House place.”
“Well... yes,” Theanim said, squirming slightly. “That is part of the end goal, indeed, but up until our hoof is dealt we need to lay low. 'Play it cool, as t'were.'”
Rarity giggled while Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.
“Well, shouldn't be too dayum hard,” Bard said, smirking. “So long as we've got friends in invisible places.” He looked over at Rainbow. “Right, Missy?”
Rainbow sighed. “...let it rest.”
“Now, no reason to be rude-like to yer fine companions.”
With a frown, Rainbow said, “I still don't get why Theanim even told you about... about...”
The Doctor cleared his throat. “Once more, I felt that—given our current circumstances—it'd be helpful if the entire team knew what we were facing as well as what we had at our disposal.”
“Also, yer scientist buddy was a tad bit hysterical at the sight of you bein' all seizure-like,” Bard said with a wink and a smirk.
“Awwwwwww...” Twilight cooed. Rainbow looked at her and the unicorn shrugged. “Sorry. I just think it's sweet.”
“Trust me, Miss Dash,” Theanim spoke. “I had no intention of sullying your reputation with crazy proclamations.”
“Though they are pretty crazy,” Echo muttered from the floor.
“Hey!” Bard swatted the sarosian with his hoof. “Dun be cruel!” Clearing his throat, he looked across the way at Rainbow, smiling. “So, what are the names of yer crazy hallucinations?”
Wildcard nodded with a curious glint of his goggles.
Frowning, Rainbow said, “They're not hallucinations.” With a shudder, she hugged herself and gazed out the dark blue porthole. “And I don't see why I should tell you what their names are.”
“Rainbow, honestly.” Rarity smiled. “Haven't they helped us enough as it is?”
“And haven't we helped them?” Twilight added.
Rainbow muttered in a quiet voice: “If I tell everypony that I have literal invisible friends helping me around, then I'm gonna get lynched before I even cross Rohbredden.”
“Well, good timing, darling!” Rarity suppressed a giggle. “Down here, your body would float off the noose!”
“Unnngh...” Twilight face-hoofed. “Rarity...”
Before Rainbow could say anything, Bard spoke: “Reckon I understand why you'd wanna be closed off.” He leaned back, stretching his legs. “Mmmf... lots of crazy magical shiet happens in this world, and at least half of them are pretty embarrassing-like. It's hard enough keepin' track of one friend, much less multiple invisible buddies that I can't shake loose worth a dayum.” He stifled a yawn. “Hell, some of the Desperadoes' bounties in the past have been no-good varmints who done stole accursed treasures from locations that had to be brought back in order to stop an evil spell from houndin' villages. Half the time, we can't make sense of it, but it means a lot to the ponies involved. So we're happy to be of service.”
Wildcard rubbed two talons together.
“Oh, and get paid, of course.”
Wildcard nodded.
“So... uhm...” Rainbow squirmed where she sat. “If... if I t-told you that I've been haunted by the spirits of dead friends because I'm a living flux between Harmony and Chaos... you'd believe me?”
“... … ...probably not,” Bard said.
Wildcard let loose a breathy snicker and continued whittling away at the wood.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and slumped down, resting a grumpy chin on her forelimbs.
“Heh...” Bard tipped his hat back. “But, let's face it. Stranger thangs have happened in this world. And—hell—you havin' ghost buddies would explain how you was able to help us do the heist so expert-like. I mean... considerin' you never done heist'd before.”
“Let's just stop talking, please,” Rainbow grumbled.
“Rainbow...” Twilight sighed.
“Have it yer way.” Bard shrugged. “Invisible friends are one thang. But flesh and blood buddies? Them ain't easy to make. And trust me, lil' Missy, you've done made good pals with the Desperadoes.”
Wildcard nodded.
“Now there's a bucket kicked,” Echo slurred.
“I'm serious!” Bard smiled. “You'd make a great Desperado. You're tenacious, quick, lucrative. Basically, yer a big fuzzy blue bottle of luck.” He motioned with his head. “You even got us to take in new sights.”
“Hmmm?” Rainbow turned to look out the porthole. A bright eye darted around, affixed to a curious grin.
“Aaaaaiiiie!” Rarity jumped, clinging to Twilight.
“Guh! Rarity...!” Twilight seethed, her and the other spectre toppling over.
Rainbow blinked, muzzle agape. Outside the porthole, a pony swam backwards—only it wasn't a pony. An equine shape with blurring fins and a looping tail spun circles, grinning wildly. Two glistening bodies shot past her, trailing bubbles and liquid streams. They looked at one another, spun in twirling motions, and descended with whip-like thrashes of their long tails.
They weren't along. Soon, full herds... no... schools of the creatures descended from the higher ocean. A huge, elaborate formation dragged nets and cages behind them, trapping all manner of fish and crustaceans.
“Ah... a most glorious sight,” Theanim said, shuffling closer towards the porthole with a smile. “We're witnesses to a regular hunt.” He pointed. “No doubt they're taking advantage of the rich bounty that the latest stream has brought this way. Shoggoth is in a strategic location, after all.”
“They...” Rainbow's muzzle quivered. “...they have fins.” She gulped. “And... and...?”
“Gills? Yes.” Theanim nodded. “Quite different from you and me, and yet so very similar.” Rainbow jumped as a few more drifted close by. They looked at one another, their faces changing expressions though their muzzles didn't move. “Telepathic communication. It's quite necessary, you see, at least between individuals of the sea pony populace.”
“Seaponies?” Rainbow remarked. “You mean these aren't—?”
Theanim shook his head. “Sirens are rare specimens among the Underwater Tribe. They hold positions of power and authority—such as Camellia.” He pointed out the porthole. “Seaponies, for lack of a better term, make up the feudal peasantry.”
“They seem happy enough...” Rainbow muttered.
“Yes. A most glorious trait.” Theanim waved.
One seapony caught his motion through the corner of her eyes. She twirled around and waved a pink fin before smiling and bolting off with a trail of bubbles. She and her companions joined the rest of the hunt as they gathered in the nets and cages. The group headed collectively towards a promontory of coral, and that's how Rainbow Dash realized they were approaching the ocean floor.
“Ah... here we are...” Theanim remarked. “Shoggoth shouldn't be that far away.”
“We're getting' to the lower reaches?” Bard sat up straight, straightening his mane. “Whew doggy! Lemme know when we get to see some sizzlin' scrumptious mermares!”
“Ungh...” Echo smacked his skull against the trolley's bulkheads. “Somepony kill me now...”
Whoa...
Timing is on my side, apparently. I just refresh the page and BOOM- it's just been updated.
And I'm also the first one to read it. Thank you, universe. Now where's the other shoe? 'Cause I would like to avoid getting a concussion when it drops.
Shoo-be-do, Shoo-shoo-be-do.
Also, I would like to re-welcome the one behind it all...
Well, Seaponies, I mean we knew but it's nice to see them named as such.
I still can't believe you're going through with this.
I wonder if Theams still holds onto the photographs he's taken in the machine world. Or did he lost them? If he still has them, then they can be either very useful or very troublesome here.
Wait. What? Are we assuming horizontal or vertical is zero?
derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/1/23/1757.jpg
Whoa. What awakened Macabrarara all of a sudden?!
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/12/9/781355__safe_animated_screencap_g1_seapony_shoo+be+doo.gif
TIME FOR THE OBVIOUS JOKE.
CALL UPON THE SEA PONIES
AM I FUNNY YET
Yeah, Telepathy would be kinda handy. I imagine it'd be hard to talk underwater.
Wonder if they have the power to read minds to a certain degree. I get the feeling that once Revan catches up, Dash is gonna have to take a swim at some point. Being able to let the seaponies know she needs help by thinking at them would be a nice boon.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
So they're all telepathic, I just figured they could sing like whales or sounded really high potched like dolphins out of water. That's my headcanon.
But whatevs, bring on the aboleths, illithids and other psyonic creatures. Lets get cryptozoological down here.
So sirens are the royalty, and has telepathy to all living things. Sea ponies are the peasantry, and can only communicate telepathically with sea life. I wonder if that means that only sirens can communicate with land dwellers, as I don't think they would be able to breath or talk out of water, necessitating telepathy to talk. So the sea ponies in gen 1 were sirens, as they could sing CALL UPON THE SEA PONIES! to other creatures. Or, I'm just making this all up to make the sea pony joke.
I WANNA SEE, WANNA SEE 'EM DANCIIIIING...
Obligatory Shoo be do seems in place here
pre06.deviantart.net/e235/th/pre/f/2013/096/a/3/shoo_be_doo_by_arrkhal-d60p9kz.png
Seaponies and Sirens together sound like a hive mind. Using the Zerg as an analogy: Seaponies would the lesser zerg, Sirens would the overlords and overseers, and Princess Camellia would be Kerrigan.
So soon we'll find out that Bard's story about wyverns was a load of nonsense and Wildcard actually gave up his voice to become a gryphon?
except that he's really another avatar of Verlax, as is everyone with the possible exception of RD
Shoo-Be-Doo, motherfucker!!
Thirty push-ups, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Ahhh Sea ponies one of the few things just about everyone remembers from Gen 1.
You see, I would have said shoo-be-do, but then everybody else had exactly the same idea.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
6290591 Nobody cares.
6290636 Oh, you better believe it, mister. Ow! (Goddamn, that Photo Finish arc was freaking long...)
Underwater Nealanders? Wicked.
sigh... Do I have to?
Yes remnants, you do.
...Shoo be do.
Goddamnit, comments section. Just...goddamnit
6290860 OUTTA THE SEA, WISH I COULD BE, PART OF THAT WOOOOORRRRRLLLLLDDD!!!!!!!
RD now has that feeling that most of
LedomareLuxmare had with the idea of a pegasus. A species/race talked about but never believed to be around.Shoo be ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD.
So... I think that everybody has been dodging the real question here: Does Princess Camelia have a father who wields some mystical weapon to control the seas?
No
Rarity has a rather morbid sense of humor, doesn't she? I like it!
Also Seaponies are cute. No I am not going to say the thing. You can't make me! There is absolutely no chance you are going to get me to say sho-be-doo.............sunuvabitch.
Well, at least it's out of the way, now. Over and done with. Will totally, definitely, without a doubt never come up again...
...
...
...you're going to make Dash sing that at some point during this arc, aren’t you? Or Theamin. Or Bard.
Partially true. It is also the inevitable resort, especially in this story. After all, story is conflict. With thousands of words getting in the way.
Edit: Mandatory Shoo be doo. Do i get paid for this? No? Damn.
6291185 Ya know, I see that avatar pic, and i imagine it yelling that, and it feels right.
It's just as strange and crazy as horny-Pegasus-valley
Since everybody is doing it...
Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea
6291816 You just made me think. All the not-mythical knowledge Luxmare has of pegasi comes from Rainbow Dash. Imagine when the crater pegasi initiate first contact, Luxmarians see an entire flock of them and everybody thinks each one of them is of the level of Rainbow Dash. They would all surrender without even seeing if they are hostile.
Shoo-be-do! *Giggles.* I love seaponies so much.
Maybe they won't shoobedoo, since they're telepathic...aw hell, they'll just say it straight into their minds instead.
6292942 Almost certainly.
Either that, or they'll hum it at undersea concerts.
And it begins.
And here I was hoping that the way they got to Shoggoth would involve a mysterious lighthouse in the middle of the ocean... Also it seems that I'm a bit late on the whole "Call upon the Sea Ponies" joke, so I won't even bother.
Actually, I'm too late on both those jokes and no I'm not sorry!
Yes! YES! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!
6311406 Duk!
6290711 haha it doesn't quite sync. Or should I say, sink.
Haraharhar
Near-end-of-chapter weaponry confirmed for Feferi Peixes
Shoo be doo.
Dat chapter name. Not Surprised.
Under the sea
Wish I could be
Aus-tra-e-oh
Then all was bubbles
We've got no troubles
Under the sea
(I already got my shoo be doo reference in a few chapters ago, so...)
Under the sea....Under the sea
07/31/2017
18:35 UTC
Gallows humor is best humor.
media.giphy.com/media/l3q2K5jinAlChoCLS/giphy.gif
Oohs eb od!
6290711
I approve.
6291019
What a weird coincidence.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/e/e3/Silverstream_seapony_ID_S8E2.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20180329021515
Color palettes are almost alike.
...wow Rarity.