Sunless Sea · 6:19am Feb 2nd, 2018
It was the 877th year of Nightmare Moon’s banishment when Canterlot fell.
Few survived to give firsthand accounts, but those who did recalled that the ground began to shake. At first, it seemed no more than a tremor—the aftershocks of some cavern collapse within the mountain. But the shaking grew worse, and there was a terrible sound like thunder within the mountain. The stone itself split open, and the entire city slid to a terrible angle on the mountainside.
Pegasi fled the panicked streets, carrying as many of their friends and loved ones as they could. Even Princess Celestia fled her palace, the foals of her retainers and the nobility clinging to her back. She could only watch as the world flung itself to pieces, a seizure of the earth so violent the mountain itself cracked in half. Hills were wiped away in an instant, new valleys and chasms formed in seconds, and the terrain rewritten as millions of tons of stone were hurled into the sky only to swiftly return to earth.
Canterlot hung on slightly longer than the rest, but in the end, it was only another form of mountain stone. The supports under it shattered, it teetered, cracked down the middle, and then slid off the mountain entirely. The last anypony saw of it was a glimmer of white and gold in the depths of the broken earth, visible only for a moment before the rest of the mountain came down on top of it.
In the years that followed, many ponies dug to find the remains of the great city. Some were relatives looking to pay their last respects to the deceased, others were historians or treasure hunters, but none were successful. It was another one hundred years before the Equestrian Archeological Society launched the first major expedition to find the city’s resting place. Setting out with a vast host of miners, they cut into the mountain, and cut deep. They dug for nearly two miles, until suddenly, their drills broke into empty air.
They had found something. A cavern, the size of Equestria. A world filled with water. A realm of sweltering darkness, where heat bubbles from within the earth. A sea that had never known the touch of the sun. A city of white stone and gold leaf.
Fallen Canterlot.
From her vantage point in the high balcony, Twilight watched dinner struggle for its life.
It was crab. Specifically, it was an Auroral Megalops, one of the many species of giant crab that were common in the Unterzee. At just over twenty feet in length, it probably weighed close to ten tons and had pincers the size of a pony. It was differentiated from a surface crab not just by its size, but also by the gently glowing, luminescent threads that covered its back, and the large red eyes that sparkled like rubies. Its shell was dark and grey, resembling nothing so much as a suit of steel plate.
But it wasn’t steel. That much became clear when it met the powered saws and water-jet cutters of the fishers down on the way. They had the creature suspended in the air—the harpoon cable that stuck out of its back running up over a harbor crane. Its legs were bound up in wire nets, as earth ponies carrying heavy industrial tools went at its shell and joints. Electrical cables and pressurized hoses surrounded the creature, powering the machines that so cleanly cut through its shell. It struggled, and flailed, but could do nothing before one of its legs neatly fell away. Then, a second. Then its left claw.
Abruptly, its right claw lashed out at one of the fishers, who dropped his saw and leapt away. Shouts of alarm rang out on the dock as the creature snapped, twisting in its restraints to bring its claw closer. One of the creature’s remaining legs touched the dock stone, and it pulled itself forward on its swinging tether.
Twilight jumped in place as a thunderclap rang out around her. The creature’s head twisted violently, and its entire body seized up. Its claw diverted at the last moment, missing the fisher by inches, and he scrambled away as it swung limp on its tether. Looking sharply around for the source of the noise, Twilight spotted a unicorn mare at the end of the dock, lowering her heavy dock rifle. She looked up, and waved at the crowd in the balcony. Polite applause answered, as the ponies around Twilight nickered and stamped their hooves on the floor.
“An excellent shot,” the pony beside Twilight affirmed, gesturing at the dock with an immaculately polished hoof. “That’s the issue with hunting Megalops you see,” he explained, glancing at her and nodding before returning his gaze to the dock, “Not only does the meat spoil quickly, but their shells have a tendency to badly fragment incoming projectiles. Doesn’t matter how much the chef tries to pick them all out—one shot to the torso...” The Factor made a broad, sweeping gesture. “Back in my father’s time they just ate around it, but these days we get to enjoy little luxuries like not having lead in our food.”
“That was…” Twilight swallowed, and awkwardly shifted her hooves on the floor. “Uh. Very interesting. Wayfinder’s Guide mentioned that crab was a staple dish in the city. But he didn’t say anything about hunting them.”
“Well, normally it’s not this much of a show, but I thought you might like the chance to see the dock, and the meat’s a lot better when it’s fresh.” The Factor smiled. It was a tight-lipped smile, and showed not so much of a glint of his teeth. “We do try to impress our cousins from above.”
“Uh…” Twilight licked her lips once, and looked back to the dock. “Well, I’m certainly very… impressed. Um. What happens now?”
“Now we sit down. The chef will have it prepared shortly.” The Factor gestured towards the interior of the restaurant, and once he saw Twilight’s eyes follow, started that way himself.
Twilight paused a moment, and then followed her host through the restaurant, her eyes looking this way and that as she moved. Ponies stared as she passed, and conversations stilled in her wake, the glim-lamp that hung from her saddle casting long shadows over the dining area, large milky eyes following every step of her journey. Twilight’s ears perked up, her head lowered, and her pace quickened. By the time she and her host reached their table, she was almost running, and a powerful heat burned in her cheeks.
“Careful now, young mare,” the Factor chuckled slightly, as Twilight came to a halt at the table side. “There’s no need to rush.” A shadow seemed to envelop his horn, and Twilight’s divan pulled itself a few degrees out from the table. He gestured her in, and she awkwardly took her place, sitting lengthwise on the long bench and facing the table.
“Sorry,” she said, pulling her tail in tight and looking away. “It’s just weird to have so many ponies whispering about me.”
He tucked her divan back in, and took the place opposite her. “I assure you,” he said with a polite nod, “to my ears, they’re talking normally.” He lifted his angular muzzle a few degrees, and smiled another tight-lipped smile. “You’re the one who's shouting,” he added, with a gentle friendly nudge.
Slowly, Twilight lifted her head, and forced herself to make polite eye-contact. “Well,” she says, with an air of humor that was more stiff than genuine, “your ears are larger than mine.”
“It is true,” the Factor agreed, laughing gently and reaching for his glass of water. He was a unicorn, but not a unicorn like Twilight. His ears were noticeably larger than those of any Equestrian pony, as were his eyes, making his head seem outsized for his body. His horn was shorter than hers, but wider at the base, lacking in a spiral groove and coming to a pointed tip. He was tall by the standards of the locals, but barely looked Twilight in the eye. His muzzle was more angular than Twilight’s, and when he sipped his water, his outsized canines became briefly visible. Wayfarer’s guide had made it clear the locals did not appreciate hearing them referred to as fangs, but that was what they were.
“Wait,” Twilight said suddenly, refocusing her gaze on the pony across from her. “I sound like I’m shouting to you?”
“Perhaps not quite shouting, but uncomfortably loud, yes,” the Factor admitted. “Just like that glim lamp of yours.”
Instinctively, Twilight reached up to touch the lamp that hung from her saddle, as though to remind herself that it was there. It had been a gift from Celestia, and with it, a warning. “If the darkness touches you, you will die.”
Is this a thing there might reasonably be more of sometime? Because I like it.
Fantastic. I haven't played too deeply into Fallen London or played Sunless Sea (yet), but clearly they'd make for an excellent background to a dark, dramatic adventure. Are you testing the waters, or is this something you're working on?
This needs to be a full fic.
Now.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Is this a promise or are you just teasing us?
I recently started replaying Sunless Sea and Fallen London and I would love if this was expanded.
And Silly Twilight, the darkness isn't death. In the Underzee you can't die. Well unless you become a Drownie. You may become a Tomb Colonist, nd wish for death, but true death is impossible unless you go to the surface.
No Twilight....if the Darkness touches you....If you stay here long enough, Sunlight will burn you.
But, but so much knowledge awaits you Twilight. Rarity must see Frostfound, Anthe and the Carnlilian Coast for inspiration. Perhaps even the Dawn Machine. And the Tomb Colonies are CERTAINLY in need of her touch.
And Pinkie Pie needs to visit the Iron Republic and Nook to see the parties where everything goes.
And Fluttershy could go to Demeaux Island to see the Mushrooms or Pigmote to preach kindness. Or Polythreme. Lets keep her far FAR from The Chelonate though.
My biggest question is however.... why did the city fall. Celestia didn't make a deal with the Bazaar or she could not have fled. And its to early for Candance to do it for that which The Bazaaar seeks most.
So who sold the city out.
The unicorn mare with the dock rifle... that was the underworld Rarity, wasn't it?
I hadn't heard of these games, but if this excerpt is anything to go by I need to learn.
Ooooo I love Fallen London and Endless Sea! I loved this snippet, a whole story wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all!
I'm unfamiliar with the source material, but this still sounds amazing.
Don’t you also have a bioshock crossover?
This is why I wish we could upvote blogs
If CiG can sing too I'm going to be upset.
He's as much a better artist as he is a better writer than me... So, way better.
Keep it up man!
4787744 Source material is the exceptional Sunless Sea
Stop teasing these poor folks.
4787725
4787744
Fallen London and Sunless Sea are a set of games (soon to be joined by Sunless Skies) in the Fallen London Universe. They are heavily Narratively focused, and set in the Victorian era with Gothic overtones. The original game (Fallen London) mostly focuses on London, is almost entirely text based and could be described as a mystery game as you seek to find out why London fell, (or rather, specifically, what the Bazaar wants, for the fact that Queen Victoria, her Enduring Majesty, the Traitor Empress, sold the city to the Bazaar so that her husband would live is found out REALLY early.) and who the various people in the city are as you go from a Nobody to a serious Somebody.
Sunless Sea looses a little of the Mystery (but not all of it) and replaces it with Adventure and Rogue-lite elements, as you are now a captain of a boat on the Unterzee, trying to earn Fame/Wealth/Eternal Youth/Find you fathers bones, and are learning more about the world and your crew as you explore and try to keep your ship funded and functioning. It can be compared too FTL however its a longer game, far less stressful and you can go back to the start....and will need too for fuel, as the Admiralry will trade information for fuel.
However because of these factors, you get to explore a lot more of the world then Fallen London covers, although the reasons for certain particulars (most of the details of London for example) are not information you can find in this game. I don't think Sunless Sea ever explains WHAT the Bazaar wants.
Unlike Fallen London its not COMPLETELY free, but you can pick up the game and its expansion for around $10.
Finally I have to say, since I read this, my brain has ran off in an entirely different direction then before....Twilight searching for the Elements of Harmony before the initial Summer Sun Celebration as their families fell with London. (And finding no rocks, but friends)
We have Rainbow Dash, the Untersea Captain, "The best, of course I am the best. I'm Awesome. But more important then that....I can assure you I won't eat you to survive when we get lost, which isn't a promise the rest of these Zailors would make."
Rarity from Mount Palominostrum and her adopted half demon sister Sweetie Belle, who are sharing Rarity's soul so that Sweetie can see the Sunrise for the first time ever.
Applejack from Sweet Apple Isle, in the Apple Wash. The Apples spin many a tall tail to tourists of the most distant region to fall into the Unterzea, and often exaggerate about the dangers that come from the drowned Everfree Forest that still survives beneath the waves. And to a degree they have to. Apples don't grow so well underground, even with their Earth pony Magic (“Course,” the Bearded Watchpony tells you, “there are no actual apples on the Sweet Apple Isles. Not till Zap Apple Season anywho.") And yet Applejack stays true to her honesty, and leads Twilight and the rest of the crew away from diving into the Forest, "Sorry Sugarcube, but you won't find nothing but rocks and monsters down there. And Ah can't rightly let y'all become a bunch of Drownies for listening to one of Granny Smith's tall tales."
Not sure what to do with Fluttershy to prove Kindness in a place, or where to put her.
Fantastic writing, Jaxie. Maybe a little too dark for me personally. I can deal with stories where everypony dies as long as a moral choice is delineated, but I find it harder to read about things that are both awful and normal at the same time. That's my own weakness, of course.
4787805 Apparently there is no Windows or Linux version of Fallen London? Is there a way to run Android apps under Windods?
"she says, with an air of"
"she said, with an air of"?
I expect this to happen. And soon.
4787824
Yes, but before you do that, I suggest that you play it as the browser game unless you have something against browser based games. Android emulation is somewhat clunky, is quite slow, regardless of your hardware, and can be unstable. (Both the emulator and the app) After all, you are asking for the PC to run two operating systems at once, even if one is tinier then the other, and the app wasn't designed for the emulator...it was designed for Android.
So my recommendation is to go here, click sign up, and just play the whole thing in your browser with no downloads required. It will play just from basically any browser you choose to use, be it Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome.
HOWEVER, if you wish to emulate Android on your PC (and their are reasons to do so. Some games don't have a PC version after all), my suggestion is you download Bluestacks from here. Its about as close to "Plug in and Play" as Android emulators come and you can search the Google Play store on launch. Thus downloading and installing Fallen London to the emulator is quite simple.
Still, I will reiterate, your experience will be better in the browser.
Oh hell yes.
More Fallen London-style fics are always a plus in my book, would greatly appreciate it if this was expanded upon.
Also, what stats would Twi have at this point?
Also Also, what's up with that cutie mark on Flutterbat (or is it Fluttershy? The wings don't match up, so... Flutterby?)
4788040
Twilight is a young adventurer from Canterlot. Years ago her scientist parents left her and Shining in the care of Cadence for a month while they journeyed to the Unterzee to study its wildlife. They never returned. Twilight is on a quest to find her parents' bones.
As for Fluttershy, she's an Agent of Dawn!
HE SUN THE SUN THE SUN THE SUN THE SUN T
4787841
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment! Though I will do my best.
4787825
Bitten by a radioactive style guide, Reese was gifted with superhuman powers of perception!
Thank you.
4787824
Everypony in Canterlot survived the Fall. It was obviously a magical event, and despite tumbling two miles into the earth, the city landed light as a feather.
Of course, that is not to say that everypony survived the events immediately after the fall. Or as Rarity puts it a few chapters later:
"It is rude to call them fangs, Twilight."
"But why? Fangs are what they are."
"It is a polite fiction. Most ponies would rather not consider the reason their ancestors developed an adaptation for eating meat in an environment of powerful dark magic."
"But everypony knows your ancestors were the first ponies to regularly eat fish."
"Do they? Goodness. How would society function, were it not for what everypony knows?"
4787805
Rarity is the Unterzee captain, of the I&M cargo cruiser Harmony.
Applejack is her first mate, the scarred and ritualized priestess of Salt, Stone, and Storm, whose adherence to the traditions of the Zee Gods keeps the ship safe.
Rainbow Dash is their turret gunner, whose coat and skin are grey, for she sold her color to a wistful demoness to survive the war with hell.
Fluttershy is the Agent of Dawn, who sings sweet, hopeful music about the sun's light burning the earth and boiling the zee. Also she takes care of the bats.
Pinkie Pie is the ship's doctor, who is friends with everyone! Even people you really should not be friends with, like the Pentacostal Diamond Dogs or the pirates.
And Twilight is the poor, witless passenger, just looking for her parents' bones.
4787769
Oh thank goodness I'm not the only one who feels this way.
You know he does calligraphy?
4787757
Why yes, I do!
4787705
4787699
So much pressure.
4787708
Okay, real talk time.
You may recall some time ago I was working on a Sunless Sea crossover. I was really excited about it, and you offered a lot of good advice. Then you got really excited about it! Then you drew the awesome art above. I finished my outline and test chapters, it all felt amazing, and I set into writing what I was sure was going to be my next full-length pony novel after Siren Song.
And then...
pre14.deviantart.net/ab12/th/pre/i/2012/119/e/1/fluttershy_can_hardly_fly_by_friagram-d4xm8et.png
I have some general anxiety disorder. Just a little. I hardly ever hyperventilate and have panic attacks. But for some reason, I just couldn't focus on this story. It made me flip out. And the more I flipped out, the more stressed I felt that I wasn't making progress, which made me flip out harder, etc. It reached the point that I dreaded trying to write at all and was the pretty direct cause of my four-month writing dry spell at the time.
Also, to be honest, it didn't help that I promised you I'd write this story and then crashed and couldn't deliver. I hate disappointing people, and hate breaking my promises even more.
But lately, I've been in a better headspace. With a little help:
derpicdn.net/img/2012/10/20/128450/full.png
Or something like that. So I've been looking at old projects that I stepped away from because of anxiety and considering revisiting them.
I might take a swing at it.
4788126
I actually thought my other Sunless Sea art, the one with Twilight on the dock, was much better. The one with Fluttershy needs some fixes.
4788107
*swallows* As long as Fluttershy keeps those Mirrorcatch boxes away from me, she can preach The Sun as much as she wants. Although I imagine that an Agent of Dawn has an...interesting relationship with the personal student of Celestia. (If Twilight still manages to get that position in this Timeline.)
Also I like the idea of colour equally your soul for ponies. I had originally thought that it would be their Cutie Mark when my mind was churning through ideas, but the issue with that, is that the loss of your soul only cost in Fallen London and Sunless Sea is your inability to trade it again, and MAYBE a new bit of dialog here or there. So its not a big deal.
Where as a loss of your special talent would definitely fit into the "Big deal" Bucket.
And I must admit, when you were listing roles on the ship, I didn't expect Pinkie to be the Doctor. This is almost certainly better then her being the Cook though, given the various talents of the ships Doctor's verses the two cooks I know from the game. (Also I would prefer to avoid Mushroom Cupcakes.)
I hope you take a swing at it, after its all said and done, but no pressure. Anxiety sucks, and sliding backwards isn't worth the story if its going to cause that.
4788126
I heard that CiG beat Chuck Norris in a fight once.
4788218
Once, CiG was bitten by a rattlesnake. After 5 days of agonizing pain, the snake died.
4788235 I've heard that Stan Lee based all his superheroes on CiG.
Well, I'm hooked 100%. I usually wait for things to be fully published before reading, but if this hits for real I'll be devouring it in real-time. And make no mistake, I am already salivating.
I also like how we took a moment to give CiG a little wank, because Christ, is there anything he can't do? I'm getting a little bit of a complex over here.
Starvation walked the ship. We were merciful; our knives were sharp...
4788101
Hah! :D
You're welcome. :)
Who is the Traitor Princess here?
Celestia (due to Luna)? Cadence (due to Shining Armor)? Chrysalis?
I love everything about Sunless Sea except the game.
Seriously, they took a gorgeous world and hid it behind a dumb roguelike barrier that guarantees you spend 90% of your time repeating the same basic missions and restarting after the tiniest slip wipes out all your progress (and then made some discoveries so obscure that you might as well just read the wiki page). Even at the most forgiving difficulty setting which doesn't force permadeath, it's like they don't want you to discover how awesome the world is.
But cool to see this!
Perfect! I would fave this if it was a conventional story post.