Kaelynn swam endless circles around her prison. She searched the rock in every corner, checked every seal, and ran her hooves along every scratch and deformation in the carving. Finding her way out wouldn't be that different to getting into one of the places her group liked to film: even an attentive and responsible government body could only leave so much to defend a place. Static defenses were a monument to the hubris of man.
But the one who made these defenses wasn't a man by either definition. It seemed that Morningtide had done a pretty thorough job sealing things up. She had an unfair advantage here, since any large openings would have swiftly drained the aquarium. How could Kaelynn compete, particularly when she didn't have her songbook?
She hummed the song of illumination as she went, finding its emotional requirements came easily to her now. If ever a creature needed a little extra light, it was her.
Tellin followed her as she investigated. At first she wasn't sure what he was up to—whether gawking at her, or considering whether or not to report her desire to escape to their captor. It made no difference—the pony already knew that Kaelynn wasn't going to go quietly. She was no helpless child, complacent in their captivity.
My friends should know I'm gone by now. But how will Blake find me? Kaelynn didn't know their leader as well as she knew some of the others. But she knew one thing with confidence: Blake would not let one of them get kidnapped. He would look for her, using every tool they had.
The real problem was that her friends didn't have many tools. She would have to hope that Morningtide had made some mistake, large enough for them to follow. Either that, or she'd have to somehow lead them here.
Unless I can recite the song of transformation from memory and walk out on my own. She could no longer deny Ryan had been right about that form—she needed to take breaks from it, or else she grew weaker on land. But that initial burst of power would be more than enough to get her out of this place, and safely back to the Bright Hawk.
Her fruitless search was interrupted by a sound from behind her, one that drew her ears as swiftly as a pivoting spotlight might attract her eyes. Shortly after there was a light, and she turned to look.
Tellin sung along with her melody, and had conjured himself a little light. It was orange instead of green, matching his eyes. Or maybe singing the song just made a pony's eyes glow?
It didn't take him long to pick up on her little spell. Maybe an hour following her around? But the light song was one of the simplest in the entire songbook, so it made sense.
She slowed, spinning in the water to face him. "You learned that just by listening?"
He trailed off. The light didn't go out immediately, but lingered around him. Even so, she could see its strength fading. Like a glowstick, slowly dying as its chemicals mixed. "Sure. It's a nice song. Did you bring any more from the sea, before Morningtide rescued you?"
She winced at the question, and all it implied. Kid still didn't seem to realize that he was a captive. Telling him she was from another world hadn't really stuck either—he didn't even know one world. "I got one other to work for me, but that was the only one I memorized. I had a whole songbook from the hippogriffs. I think every single one did something useful."
It made sense, turning musical culture into the method for the preservation of knowledge. So long as the tunes were catchy enough, children could learn their spells without even needing to go to school.
"Can you try now? It feels so... feels like it's something I've been missing for a long time. I need something harder!"
"The other song let us walk around in the air, with other ponies. We can't practice it here—if we get it to work, we'll drown. I never managed to reverse it." Granted, I didn't try that hard. I might not be able to get my legs back if I lost them.
Something rang in the water, loud enough to attract Tellin's notice. She followed his gaze to the opposite side of their cell, and the tunnel leading away. Something was trying to get their attention.
"It's her," Tellin whispered, darting away from her in a flick of his tail. He cut a straight line to the tunnel, like a dog seeing its owner after weeks alone. The persistent bell did remind her a little of a dog whistle, though of course it sounded nothing alike with the water to mute it.
Kaelynn did not rush to the call. Part of her wanted to find the darkest corner to curl up in and hide, even if that meant no food. But rationality prevailed—she needed information, and she needed to keep her strength up if she wanted to have the magical power to sing another spell when the time arrived. If her friends came to rescue her, they probably wouldn't be able to carefully wheel a tank around. She'd need to escape on her own four feet.
And probably take Tellin with us. We can't just leave him trapped here as a slave. Maybe I should practice that song with him.
By the time she reached the tunnel, Tellin emerged from the privacy cloth, clutching a box of food in his forelegs. Fresh fish fillets, by the smell it left in the water. Not much, though—that wasn't meant for her.
"She wants to see you, not me," he said, hesitating in the tunnel. "You should... talk to her. That's how we get her to feed us. We shouldn't share mine all the time, or we'll both be hungry."
Kaelynn nodded grimly. "I'm going. Don't worry about sharing, kid." The words were out before she knew what she was saying, and they instantly made her blush. Tellin wasn't actually younger. He'd just spent years trapped in a tank, so he acted stunted. If we can get him out, he might be able to heal from all this. Maybe the hippogriffs will take him.
She passed through the shade, then swam to the end, and the fishbowl waiting for her.
Well, it felt that way, even if it was only transparent on one side. There was the illuminated wall, the drains, and a little further away—several chairs. Strangely, Morningtide wasn't alone this time, but had the company of several ponies in the seats. Each of them were unicorns, with faces that bespoke the same wealth and privilege that Morningtide came from. Most were younger than she was.
They spoke in hushed voices, though that precaution was largely unnecessary. The barrier between water and air turned even loud conversations into a dull hum, words blending together to an indistinct mess.
At least until Morningtide lifted up the crystal on her side in a faint magical glow, and spoke into it. Her voice echoed through the water, perfectly clear. "How was your first night in my care, Kaelynn?"
There were half a dozen people here—should she make a scene? How much rebellion could she get away with, without provoking a violent response? I could cooperate, try to make her think I'm content to stay here. But that doesn't get me anything.
She swam up to the crystal mounted near the front. Speaking into it would require that she keep close to the front of the tank, where she was in clear spotlights. Not an accident of design—she was obviously meant for display. "Sleepless," Kaelynn answered honestly. "I have been stolen from the company of my lover, my friends, and my home. I am in a cage."
There was harsh muttering on the other side, but she caught very little. She thought she could make out a few words, like “another specimen” and “wasted opportunity”. Whatever it was, these creatures clearly weren't overly concerned about her kidnapping.
The reply took a few moments in coming. Finally, Morningtide said, "There is another seapony on that ship? I haven't heard of others."
"No, he's a—" But she stopped short, just in time. Admitting that the one most interested in finding her was a changeling probably wouldn't be good. Maybe Morningtide would think her previous threats were just desperate nonsense, so they wouldn't take precautions against changeling infiltration.
"You saw me outside this tank. I have the song to walk on four legs. We met on dry land."
Technically even that was a lie. She'd first met Ryan on a dive boat, when she was leading a tour for the exploration group vacationing together. But she wouldn’t lose sleep over lying to these people.
Morningtide said something to the others, though whether she was confirming Kaelynn's story or refuting it, she wouldn't know.
Then something glowed, lifting off the desk. Kaelynn gasped—her songbook! "You have it!" She shouldn't be so surprised—this pony had all the time she wanted, alone on the Bright Hawk. She could've searched through all Kaelynn's possessions.
The pony nodded, obviously satisfied with herself. "There are records of this spellcraft, from its time in prominence among seaponies. Very little of the specifics ever emerged above the water, until this." She flipped through it, holding the book vertically so there was no chance for Kaelynn to even get a glance inside it. "An interesting discipline. Some of this seems almost absurd, yet we know at least some of it must work. Can you demonstrate for us?"
She folded her forelegs, glaring out the tank at the assembled crowd. "Could you let me go?" she asked. "You have no idea what you've done kidnapping me. Whatever eyes-wide-shut illuminati bullshit this is, there's a reckoning coming."
She glared out the tank, as defiant as she could manage. Of course, referencing Earth movies probably wasn't the best way to get her message across. But the words were already out.
Morningtide took less time than she had before. "It's a simple arrangement, really. You can decide to act agreeable, and have a pleasant existence. You can have somewhere comfortable to live, plenty to eat, and knowledge that your children will want for nothing. Alternatively, you can resist. You may succeed at getting yourself killed. More likely, you will simply not be fed for a while. I'll let your water get stale and brackish, until you come to me begging for forgiveness."
She lowered her voice in a dangerous whisper, though it was just for effect. The crystal ensured everyone in the room would hear it. "Your friends left Canterlot this morning, seapony. The Bright Hawk sailed west for Los Pegasus, without you aboard. There is no rescue coming. There is no other life waiting for you."
Someone stood up—a stallion, taller and fitter-looking than Morningtide. Like most of them, he wore a formal suit. But Kaelynn couldn't find pony clothing adorable today. He gestured, and Morningtide offered him the crystal.
"Seapony Kaelynn—I'm terribly sorry for the roughness with which you were brought here. I'm sure everybody here wishes it could have been different. But in desperate times, all creatures can be called to sacrifice for the good of their kin. For your species, this is the most desperate of times. Every individual who survives is inside that tank. Would it be moral for us to let you go extinct? An entirely new school of magic, the history and traditions of an entire civilization, extinguished in a heartbeat. There is nothing outside this tank more important for you than what you can do in there."
The weight of those words settled on her like a flurry of blows, each one heavier than the last. As if the use of the word children wasn't illustration enough. They want me to get together with Tellin. It wouldn't exactly take much pressure to make him comply, trapped in a stupid aquarium alone, having never even seen another of his own kind before.
Will he let me wait? The horror of her confinement grew an entirely new dimension. Rationality failed her, plotting and planning had led to nothing. "I just met him," she said. "I'm with someone else. You can't just expect me to—"
"Not today, not right now," the stallion said. "But consider the importance of your mission. Also consider most of the burden will be his, not yours. What records survive of your species suggest that males incubate your young beyond their initial gestation period."
I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this. Kaelynn wrapped her tail around herself, drifting to the bottom of the tank. That made it impossible for her to speak, but did nothing to let voices get in around her. She didn't watch anymore, but she could hear their muttering. Let them say what they wanted, she didn't care what they thought they could do.
I have to get out of here, way sooner than I thought.
"Kaelynn—you see I could be a much more demanding host. Cooperate with me, and I will allow the two of you to take as much time as you need. Resist me, and I will use spellcraft to compel you to act in your own best interest. Do we understand each other now?"
If she wasn't underwater, there would've been tears in Kaelynn's eyes. She nodded, fearful and desperate. Without going for the crystal, she started singing—and soon a light joined her in the water. It was faint, flickering with her emotional turmoil. But it was enough that several ponies outside gaped, some rushing close to the tank to study more closely.
Morningtide nodded her approval, then levitated something up towards the top of the tank—a little wooden box, filled with fish. She dropped it in through the opening, like a trainer throwing the dolphins a treat after performing.
This... is gonna get ugly, when the others find out. Scorched Earth sounds good to me about now.
Yep, their entire audience is nothing but the Cult of the Bourgeoisie Haute. Kate will get NO help from any of them! They all know they're committing the most severe criminal act in the land and are deluding and justifying themselves as "doing the greatest good through committing the vilest of atrocities". I can't wait to see what Celestia is going to do to them when they're finally caught--(probably give them over to Luna to come up with inventive punishments!)
Since Morningtide has threatened to torture Kate and Telliin through draining their tanks if they don't cooperate, one thing that Kate should do to mitigate that is to cover, stuff, and clog up the drains as much as possible to slow down any attempts to drain the water. Like Mr. Scott said, "the more they rework the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."
kill them all
We all knew this was meant to a breeding program. The fact that Kaelynn doesn't think of herself as a seapony won't get through their skulls besides those children would be stuck in an aquarium as well which doesn't bother Morningtide of course. I expect that the threat that Morningtide will force them together would be enough to get Blake to ignite and hopefully burn Morningtide to a crisp.
Edit: I'm surprised that Kaelynn didn't respond to Morningtide's obvious lie about the Bright Hawk since Kaelynn knows they wouldn't abandon her.
Well, it's certainly going to be interesting when Ryan hears about this. The whole crew will flip, of course, but a kirin-transformed Ryan would burn the entire place down to the ground.
Yep, this is just as fyayed up as I feared. I second the vote for scorched earth.
You can not repopulate a species with only two individuals without producing a bad case of genetic degeneration.
10975772
There is also the issue of Ethics. Their species went instinct for a REASON. Bringing them back won't CHANGE that reason. Even worse when they are a SENTIENT species and not an animal, meaning something dramatic happen where they couldn't get around the extinction through running, hiding, changing, evolving, or using magic.
There is also, another question. Sea Ponies were extinct for THOUSANDS of years, right? So then... Where did the Male come from? Where are his parents? Where was he born and how? As pointed out about the Genetic and Incest issue of Destroying DNA and deforming the children literally within 1 generation, so where did his parents come from, and each of their parents, and their parents, and their parents, and so on for 1000+ years?
Something isn't adding up. Either way, it is FUCKED UP that PONIES would trying this fucked up, cruel, and straight up evil and disharmonous shit. To the point of using MIND CONTROL, which most like is either DARK magic, or BANNED magic in general. HOW does this old lady know that kinda spell, and more over how does NO ONE good know what is going on?!
The species has been Extinct for 1000+ years, but the male has been there for like 15+ years! How did NO ONE outside the Cult know about them?! Not a Maid, Janitor, Guard, no one questioning her, a pony, able to or even wanting to source out MANY FISH at once, EVERY single day to feed the male? Seriously?
The thing is, this isn't even the best chance for their species, the hippogriffs have an army to protect her, an entire underwater civilization, hundreds of books in sea pony culture, and yet they have her trapped in a small cage, begging for food, stripped of her rights, they almost certainly have ulterior motives or else they would've handed them over to the Hippogriffs by now.
They see two options, resistance, or brainwashed compliance, but for a sentient creature in these conditions there's a third option, suicide, as dark as it may be this is cruelty of the highest degree and few could withstand these conditions on the long term without breaking one way or another.
Well, the solution is obvious. Ryan is going to turn into Kaelynn to lure the kidnapper out again and the changelings will track them. Pity Kaelynn is too plot conveniently unable to experiment with songs of curses.
If I was Kaelynn the Plan would be:
step 1: Cooperate as much as possible, to get more time. You don't care that they learn the magic.
1a: Learn as much magic as possible (the more tricks you have in your bag the better)
1b: If they get Tellin to show them magic instead and he refuses to teach you, you have to kill him :( but I don't think this is a likely scenario if you cooperate.
1c: waste time if possible, with logic or accidents.
1d: after a good amount of time to give the rescue team a chance, try to transform in front of Morningtide, she will not let you die and can dispel your transformation.
step 2: clog up the drains and the filters as much as possible to maybe get a chance to escape :)
2a: remember to be angry at Morningtide for breaking her word and letting your cell get dirty.
step 3: Either refuse to meet them when they are more than one or take 15 min before meeting them, to make the stakeholders feel like they are wasting time and be suspicious of each other. Don't worry about them monitoring the conversations, this is more about you talking with them one on one so there is less peer pressure.
step 4: if they start being too suspicious or show hints of mind magic, castrate or kill Tellin to buy yourself some more time.
Under no circumstances get children or anything close, your chances of survival will fall drastically.
This is mostly for fun so if you have any good ideas please come with them :D
10975830
I thought they went extinct (or at least, missing) recently due to a Storm-King involved disaster?
Welp, that whole misguided conservationist angle turned out to be a load of bull after all. This is seriously crossing a line.
10975724
"Knock knock! Who ordered the extra-large can of whoop-ass?"
derpicdn.net/img/2020/6/24/2382701/large.png
Can't say I didn't expect this sort of outcome, but this really did get a thousand times worse. Yikes.
Tellin is a different story. And if he has no one else, I doubt he'll have a happy ending.
A foster family they might be, but he'll have to come to grips that he is end of his kind.
Insane armchair extremist conservationists more like.
It wasn't moral to give Tellin false hope. Such a forced relationship would be impossible. The end result is someone ending up dead. Tellin, Kaelynn, or their forced offspring.
If he has no kin, I wonder if there are people beyond the Gates willing to live as sea ponies. Perhaps there is someone out there capable of sharing Tellin's burden. Someone who is willing. The Gates go beyond simply being exploration devices. They might provide new opportunities. Not just for those in Earth.
I wouldn't be surprised if the gang dragged her to the other side to become some sort of zoo exhibit.
10975719
I could imagine Ryan burning in Kirin form. Morningtide is the sort of pony that'll earn the full wrath and hatred of humanity.
10975832
Humanity and the Gates are probably the best shot the species have. There are plenty of humans willing to get a new start in life in Equestria. A number of those will become sea ponies. The culture might be lost and you won't technically have genuine sea ponies but this is probably the best alternative short of finding a hidden enclave of them.
10976308
So she can go free after having sex for reasons other than love? Forgive me if that doesn't sound perfectly acceptable.
So far, this hasn't been one of those sorts of stories, but in this case, I'm willing to make an exception.
I hope they have to clean Morningtide up with Vacuum, by the time the crew are finished with her. This pony is EVIL. Not misguided, or doing the wrong things for the right reasons.
She is willing to torture a sapient creature for her own glory.
Because this is not about saving the Sea Pony species, or their History or Magic. This is for Morningtide to go "Look at this amazing thing that I have done, in saving these tragic creatures from themselves".
Blake, Burn Her.
Looks like calling them seahorses, instead of seaponies, is closer than I thought ...
As for the Bright Hawk moving outward, probably a ploy but could be used in reality after all, just because the ship left, it doesn't mean the crew did (it's also one less item to keep track of for both sides) ...
Seapony magic is all about song (sirens [hippocampii] may be a sub-branch of that family tree), could it be related to Equestrian heartsong? We know that emotions are part of the magic (see the sirens for another possibility, though that may be more curse than help) and song can amplify emotions.
Just hope the crew remembers their outside lanes of intell (well their earthside members plus Janet, Spark Gap, and Ponyville in general) ...
This ride is now really having a big highs, lows, and twists coming ...
10975914
Given that their goals are more focused in setting up an exhibit or dependency than actual conservation, they aren't exactly concerned with their survival. The drain failsafe threat is more than enough evidence for that. Rendering Tellin "useless" would very likely make Kaelynn useless to their purposes unless they have a backup stud immediately available. And if they do...
10976397
Considering they won't ever let her go (if she could do it once she could do it again) and the fact that Kaelynn's other goal is to avoid mating with this stranger, it's quite far from a win-win.
There’s a potential lever. Even without more spellsongs, the fact that he’s been denied entire chunks of his life could turn him against their captor...
The Bright Hawk’s departure seems like a lie to me. Anything to make Kaelynn think she’s abandoned.
And yeah, screw these guys in particular. I look forward to the group’s comeuppance. Especially if the princess get involved somehow.
10977395
The ponies have allowed this evil dark magic user to operate in the literal capital of their country, where the Royal Guards are based, kidnapping people in broad daylight, under the noses of the literally divine goddesses of the sun and moon... This is so incompetent, the royal guards in the actual MLP show are much more intelligent and wouldn't fuck up this bad... So yeah, if they end up causing a lot of damage, I'll encourage it.
10977436
I don't know about the guards in the show being more competent. "Evil magic user has a base under the city and kidnapping people from secure locations under the noses of the guardian demi-gods" was exactly the Finale of Season 2.
10976308
You are advocating for the protagonist to be raped. You realize that, right? You understand how morally repugnant what you're suggesting is?
Yeah, death is too good for Morningtide.
Proper response: Tell the story of a stallion named Julius, who was kidnapped by pirates as a boy. "He swam with them, befriended them, and suggested that they demand a bigger ransom for him. And he promised that whenever he got free, he would come back and give them a nice crucifixion." When they ask what that means, explain it.
10978377
hahahahahah
Ahh, this could be a good wedge issue to break his loyalty. Morningtide isn't going to want him learning magic, I suspect.
So much for any assistance from the indolent wealthy.
Oh my god, they're morons who have confused seahorses with sea ponies.
Well, never mind on the "no learning magic "idea.
You call this a life I'd rather let my species go extinct before I ever thought about having my descendants grow up in a sterile cage at the mercy of your cruelty.
Grrrrr
10976358
So you would bring life into this world knowing they would never know freedom
Not to mention it really feels like if they did breed successfully they would be separated from thier family as pets to all these interested ponies
10976229
So are mules
There's still joy to be found in life even without reproduction and you can always further yourself through how you impact others (fim)
10976229
Send her through the Buffalo's gate with one of their group on the other side to collect her.
Now that's a threat she really can't ignore. Talk about a traumatic experience
Again, if I were in Kaelynn's position, I would kill myself purely to spite these cunts. They need to be dismembered, subjected to Lingchi, gutted, and more.