//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: High Tide // Story: Rainbow is Magic S2: Treasures of the Deep Blue // by aceotaku //------------------------------// Rarity trotted along the sandy sea floor, her hooves feeling like they were forcing themselves through pudding as the water around her weighed her down, slowing her movements and make her feel weighted down from all sides. She looked around desperately for Bubble Burst, hoping she’d find her before the pirates hurt her. She was also finding it hard to breathe, as there was no magical air bubble around her. She didn’t really think about it when she left, and now kinda wished she knew some magic that’d help. Though the fact the magic air bubble couldn’t have broke off a piece for her head so she could travel freely also annoyed her. Suddenly, air greeted her and she open her mouth wide, gasping for air. She found she could also move at a much faster pace. She looked around herself in bewilderment, eyes widening as she found the ocean had vanished around her. “Well that’s convenient!” She exclaimd cheerfully and trotted off, then gasped as she saw a figure lying ahead. “Bubble Burst!” She cried out as she ran over to the figure. She blinked as she approached, the figure lying still and heavily injured. Rarity grabbed them in her hooves and started dragging them away, back towards the direction she remembered the seapony city being. “Don’t worry!” She assured them. “I’m gonna get you help!” --------------------------- Bubble Burt groaned, opening her eyes. “Ah, yer awake.” The old, bearded yak grinned. “Good on ye.” Bubble Burst gasped and jumped back, holding her trident out threateningly. “Stay back!” The yak held up his hooves, several other of the townsfolk or Shetland Shore with him, everyone standing upon the deck of a rather sizeable fishing vessel. “Whoah whoah, easy lass we mean ye no harm! We managed to drag you up from under the waves, we were worried ya drowned!” “You...I won’t do whatever you tell me to, pirates!” She declared harshly. A familiar mare frowned. “Who are you calling pirates!? We’re just fisherponies! We’ve lived here all our lives minding our business until you just came up and smashed our ships! My ship especially!” The yak patted the mare’s back. “Ey now, lass, sure she looks like the Slasher but we can’t just assume things...besides we couldn’t just leave her there, especially when...” Bubble Burst got up, standing threateningly with her weapon outstretched. “Enough of your lies, pirate scum! Where have you taken me!? What are your plans?” The yak shrugged. “Well we thought ya could be drownin’, plus well...” He pointed a hoof out past her. “Look fer yerself.” Bubble Burst turned to look, eyes widening under the visor of her armour. The ocean....was gone, the seafloor exposed to the air with numerous fish and previously sunken artefacts for all to see. No, the ocean wasn’t gone, she and the others were standing upon a boat which in turn floated upon the surface of the se, it was just that a significant portion had been removed, as if scooped out like icecream. In the distance she saw a large ball of water, drifting ahead. “W-what the heck!?” She exclaimed, shocked. “What is happening here!?” “We don’t rightly know...” The yak said. “We came out here to rescue some mares who were lost at sea, and then we fished you out...and then suddenly the sea moved from under us and we barely managed to sail to safety before we were scooped up into that ball there!” He shook his head gravely. “This is the strangest sight I’ve seen in all my years of fishin’.” The salvage mare tutted and trotted off, eyes grim with determination. “Where do you think you’re going?” Bubble Burst asked, still suspicious. “I’m not letting a single one of you pirates leave my sight without good reason. “be tough all you want,” the mare countered, “but if we don’t do something, those mares we’re looking for could be in a heap of trouble. There’ssomething in that...bubble or whatever, moving it around. I for one am not going to stand around while something is out there...STEALING the ocean!” She stomped her hoof. “Now you’re scared, you’re angry, you’re confused, but you can either stand around being angry and useless, or you could use those legs of yours and HELP so we can try to stop whatever it is doing anything bad!” “I don’t need anybody!” Bubble Burst retorted and turned to leave...only for her suit’s legs to buckle, the yak catching her. “Easy now, you’re still pretty banged up, lass.” He smiled. “Grabber there may be a lil rough, but she means well and more importantly knows her way around machines. I can sail us and follow that...whatever it is while she fixes ya up.” He gave her astern look. “An’ no stabbin’ anyone, get me?” Bubble Burst glared but turned her head. She could fix her suit herself...except the only thing keeping her alive right now was the bubble of water inside her suit, and she had no idea if she could breathe on the surface, let alone survive long enough to fix her suit. The situation just...never came up. “Fine.” She sighed, glaring at the fisheryak. “But anything suspicious and you’re shish kebab.” “Very well lass.” The yak nodded, carrying her to the resting quarters as he called out to everyone aboard. “All hands on deck! Send word to the other ships and get to work! We’re followin’ that giant ball o’ water and makin’ sure those mares are alive! We’re the people of Shetland Shore! We leave no stone unturned, no pony behind!” ------------------------------ Twilight grunted as she set to work fixing up Bubble Burst’s home. She wondered to herself why she was going to so much trouble? That mare was crazy, not to mention violent! Twilight and Rarity wouldn’t be involved in this mess at all if it wasn’t for her! But. But this wasn’t about how Twilight felt about a single pony, or what said pony had done. This building held a lost history important to Equestria, but more than that...Twilight couldn’t bear to help somepony if she was able to help them, even if she DID dislike them right now. She heard noises approaching and she turned her head, seeing several seaponies swimming over. They looked worried and unsure, though a few were forcing smiles on their faces. “What brings you all over here?” The unicorn asked, a little more annoyed than she intended to sound. One of the seaponies swam over. “I-is it true Bubble Burst...left...?” Twilight sighed and nodded. “Yeah...she went to retrieve the Moonstone...” “But...but she’ll be back...right...?” One of the Seaponies asked hopefully. “I dunno...I have no idea how dangerous those pirates are...” Twilight said quietly.  “I don’t even know why I’m bothering to fox this place...it’s not like she’ll appreciate it or learn to I dunno care about anyone...” The other seaponies looked over the wreckage. “This...was her house?” “Yeah.” “Do you...do you think if she has a place to return to...she’ll come back?” One of the seaponies asked. “It can’t hurt to try!” Another affirmed. Twilight blinked as suddenly what seemed to be the entire city’s populaced swam over and started lifting up what they could. “Hey! Purple pony!” A seapony called out. “Just tell us where everything goes and we’ll do the rest!” Twilight blinked in surprise, nodding dumbfoundedly. “Yeah...sure I can do that...” “Great!” The seaponies cheered and set upon to their work. -------------------- Crabnasty remembered the Abyss. It was a dark mass leading to the depths of the ocean, but the area was filled with powerful, ambient magic for some strange reason. The magic had given form to the being that would become the pirate Crabnasty, giving him an unnatural form and thoughts he never had before. He was filled with a strong need to belong, to have someone to command him, otherwise an emptiness would be with him forever. He knew not why he felt this way, but it was too powerful to ignore, so he travelled from the Abyss across the vastness of the ocean, seeking a place to belong. He came across a town on the surface, and attempted to make contact. Maybe these creatures, these...ponies would give him a home. But that was not to be. They instead look upon him in fear and revulsion, and drove him away. He searched and searched, but now he was more wary...scared. And even worse, the emptiness within him became stronger, almost painful. And then he found the captain, or more appropriately the captain found him. Squirk was another creature born of the Abyss, and had built a family out of others of their kind to travel the seas and find treasure. Crabnasty gratefully accepted the name the Captain gave him and his placement in the crew. Finally, he belonged somewhere. But he had betrayed that same crew and misunderstood his Captain’s own motives, merely projecting his own desires onto the crew’s quest. And now, he was alone again. Crabnasty opened his eyes, gasping as he saw a white unicorn looking over him in concern. He attempted to jump back from her in surprise, but the mare held him down. “Hold still! You’re very injured! Let me finish up bandaging you up at least!” The pirate froze and looked down over himself. Scars lined his carapace from his former Captain’s brutal attacks, and bandages covered a decent portion of his body. “You...you are mending my wounds...?” He asked, uncertain. “Why...? I am your enemy...” The mare shook her head. “You’re injured and in need of help, and I was the only one around who could help you. I don’t see why we have to be enemies. Sure, you attacking the seaponies isn’t very cool but I don’t see that as any reason to leave you to die.” Crabnasty stared at her, tears falling from his eyes. Rarity gasped and started attempting to wipe the tears from his eyes. “Ah! W-what’s wrong!? D-did I hurt something!?” The crab creature chuckled. “No, no. I just...never met one of your people who was so kind...” He frowned, staring down at his claw. “I...I haven’t really known much kindness in my life, to be quite honest...I doubt I can just ask for forgiveness for my part in...well, in everything...” Rarity smiled and helped him up, carrying him on her back, the pair of them on the sandy bank of seafloor exposed to the air. “I’m sure if we just talk to the seaponies, they’ll forgive you, as long as you’re genuinely sorry.” “Right, the seaponies...” Crabnasty’s eyes widened as he jolted. “We must make haste! We don’t have much time!” Rarity blinked, tilting her head in confusion. “Huh?” “These injuries...even my remorse...they are all he product of my Captain!” He continued. “He plans to use the Moonstone to destroy the seaponies! He is mad, insane! If we can take the Moonstone from him though, we might be able to fix things, or at least stop him from harming too many innocents!” Rarity gasped and started trotting rapidly forth. “I don’t think we’re that far! If we warn everyone, I think we can do it!” Crabnasty looked ahead at the wall of ocean still standing in the distance. “I pray we haven’t wasted much time...I may have done some terrible things to them, but I NEVER wanted to take their homes and lives from them! Not a one!” ----------------------- Twilight smiled appreciatively at the seaponies as they set to work helping her rebuild Bubble Burst home. In fact, they had managed to make some decent progress, rebuilding one of the right most walls. She was positive they’d have least a day or two if they kept it up at a good pace. Her attention however was drawn to the dark shade sliding across the city. She was surprised the sun was setting already, though a lot DID happen. She looked upwards, eyes narrowing and frown deepening as she gazed up at a large object she could barely make out through the water above. She screamed out as a cannonball fired through the water and struck just inches away from her. She looked around to make sure everyone else was alright, only to gasp as the ground rumbled around them. “W-What the hay is happening!?” She exclaimed in disbelief and shock. One of the seaponies, a red one with a pink mane, stared up at the dark shadow above. “No way...it’s...it’s the pirates! A-and Bubble Burst isn’t here!!” “W-what do we do!?” Another, a blue seapony with a green mane, cried out. Another cannonball rocketed directly toward them, but it was stopped as Twilight erected a shield around herself and the group. “Well we ccan’t just let them have their way! I don’t really know or understand what’s going on here, not really, but I do know that unless you want these pirates to have their way, we gotta fight back! Or do you want Bubble Burst’s efforts to save you all go to waste, and in turn your attempts to pay her back!?” The seaponies looked uncertain, looking at each other in silent debate, yelping in fright as one of their homes is destroyed by errant cannonfire. “You better make a decision quickly!” Twilight yelled urgently. “I can’t keep this shield up forever, and your home is gonna be completely ruined at this rate!” “AND WHO SAID ANY OF YOU GOT A SAY IN THIS!?” Twilight looked up and gasped, barely managing to leap aside in time to dodge the massive jaws of a humongous angler fish chew into the ground she stood upon, the seaponies screaming in fright and scaterring to their homes. Angle Glow chuckled, smirking with his feminine lure as he gazed down at the unicorn. “It was a noble effort, trying to convince them to ‘save themselves’ rather than rely on some dingus all the time, but let’s be reallllll here, unicorn. Those seaponies are idiotic, cowardly layabouts. They would never do anything if there was no benefit to them.” The angler fish sneered with both of its faces. “It’s just how the sea works here: friendship, togetherness, compassion, all those nice, friendly, happy little words you...surface dwellers love spewing are trash here! All that matters is survival of the fittest! Only the strong, the smart and the ruthless survive and anything weaker is food!” Twilight frowned, ready to fight, only to stumble as the ground rumbled and shifted beneath her, and she gasped as she looked up and saw portions of the city being pulled out and dragged towards the dark mass above. Angle Glow laughed. “As our captain always said: what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is ALSO mine! Everything that so much as touches water belongs to us and our mighty captain! INCLUDING THIS STUPID LITTLE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS!” “Nopony has the right to say that, especially not about a group of innocent creatures!” Twilight cried out, firing a bolt of magic, but Angle Glow was much too vast underwater compared to her and simply dodged it, who then began swimming rapidly towards her, mouth open wide, much too close for her to dodge this time. “What did I say!?” Angle Glow spoke through his lure. “Anything that’s too weak is food, and GUESS WHAT THAT MAKES YOU!?” Suddenly he screamed out in pain and lurched back, squirming in the water as blood spilled from his eye and oozed out into the water around them. The angler fish snarled and looked around himself, seeing a figure swim near him. The figure was a crab-like vaguely bipedal creature, bandages covering its body, particularly around the stump at the end of its right arm. “No harm shall come to this city, or to its inhabitants!” Crabnasty called out. “Our captain does not own their lives!” “How DARE you continue to live, you TRAITOR!” Angle Glow roared, charging over at the crab. “If our captain wants it, then it’s HIS property! Gold, relics, ships, food, toys, clothes, cities, people, his own crew; it makes no difference what it is! As long as it exists, it belongs to the Captain and by extension his crew!” He opened his jaws wide, biting at his opponent. “Why!?” Crabnasty shouted, easily dodging past the attack. “Why do you serve him!? He doesn’t care about you, I can see that now! You’re just PROPERTY to him!” “I serve him because it’s fun, because HE’S fun, I don’t need a deeper reason!” The angler fish crowed with pride, slapping Crabnasty with his massive tail and flinging him back, charging after him to take another bite. That was when a massive claw fell upon him, squeezing into his back, causing him to scream out in pain, as unaccustomed to the sensation as he was. His lure falied around, eyes drawn to the figure that swam from the metal darted around him even more rapidly than Crabnasty had done before. “Get out of my city, pirate scum!” Bubble Burst cried out slashing at the angler fish’s side. As the battle raged above, Twiligth stared dumbfounded. “Wh-what they hay...?” Rarity ran up to her. “Hey Twi!” “R-rarity!?” Twilight gasped. “Where did you come from!?” “Outside the city!” Rarity answered, as if it was obvious. “I wanted to make sure Bubble Burst didn’t get hurt, so I went after her.” “W-WHAT!?” Twilight cried out in shock. “W-why!?” Rarity frowned, looking down. “You both were so mad at me, I wanted to make things right and help...” “Y-you could’ve been killed or drowned or something!” Twilight pointed out. The other unicorn blinked. “Well, when you put it like that, maybe you’re right...but why should that matter to you, you were so mad at me all day!” Twilight stared at her. “W...what is WRONG with you? Sure, I...I was not happy with you because you called my hardwork boring and pointless and then when we woke up here you acted like nothing happened! And then you helped that pirate and....but still! That doesn’t mean I want you hurt! You’re still Rainbow Dash’s friend!” Rarity frowned. “But not yours....” “Of course not!” Twilight cried out in exasperation. “We don’t share any common interests at all, and we don’t even do the same things or go the same places! Hay, I barely knew you before we befriended Rainbow Dash and only really hung together because of her!” “Exactly!” Rarity moved close to Twilight, placing her hooves on the farmer’s shoulders. “I barely know a thing about you except you work on a farm and your family were framed by Grand Heist for some crime! That’s why I came here with you in first place! I wanted to get to know you better, find out what drives you, what motivates you beyond your generosity and your farm! I wanted to help you out sure, but I also wanted us to be proper friends too!” Twilight stared, but frowned angrily. “You still belittled my work.” “yeah, I did, and I’m sorry about, but you called me lazy!” Rarity pointed out. “It might not seem much to you, but all these injuries on my body are the result of hard work! I am TRYING to get enough skills to join the Wonderbolts, and if I used magic it would be cheating! It wouldn’t be fair if I could just....imagine up some wings while the ACTUAL PEGASI had to train their butts off!” “You still make like little gadgets and stuff...” the other unicorn replied. “Yeah, and you know how hard it is to work on that stuff, AND memorise what went wrong with them so I can make something else to fix that? And on top of taking on whatever available jobs there are in Ponyville so I can afford food for me and Sweetie Belle and pops AND build more flying contraptions!? Not to mention how I had to learn first aid and medical skills just so we didn’t have to pay medical bills all the time!?” “okay, maybe I misjudged you...” Twilight sighed, looking ashamed, only to look back up with a quizzical look. “But still! Isn’t your flying devices cheating too?” “The only difference is the system and methods used for flight, but when you boil it down it still comes down to the same things: knowledge, skill and strength.” Twilight blinked, lowering her head in shame. “I guess...I guess I never really thought about it, or about you...I...I really should’ve gotten to know you better...I feel like such a heel...” Rarity smiled. “Come now, you’re the most generous pony I know! You even stayed to help fix Bubble Burst’s house even though you were mad at her too!” “The seaponies mostly did the work, I just supervised. I was the only one who remembered the details of how it looked.” “Whoah really!?” Rarity grinned. “That’s amazing!” “well what about that crab guy!?” Twilight replied. “Don’t think I don’t recognise those bandages!” “He was hurt, he needed help.” Rarity grinned. “Even if he tried to hurt me, I still had to make sure he was alright, and look how it turned out! He saved your bacon!” Twilight smirked. “It IS impressive you were able to treat a creature’s injuries even though he had a completely different physiology from you.” “Physio what?” Rarity tiled her head in confusion. “I’m saying you did something surprisingly skilled.” Twilight chuckled at her friend’s foolishness. “Do you...forgive me?” “I didn’t pay our arguement any mind in the first place, it happens and I knewit wasn’t a big deal, so I just put it behind me...guess I should’ve made sure how you felt too...” Rarity gave her a hopeful look. “forgive me for messing up with the Moonstone?” “Hey that was my fault too, I shouldn’t have given in so easily either.” The pair shared a laugh together. “Did you two forget how grave the situation is!?” Crabnasty cried out in disbelief. The two unicorns blinked and looked up as the water around them spun into a large funnel leading towards the large bubble surrounding the pirate ship above. “I’ll kill you all!” Angle Glow screamed out twisting his body to wrap the chain connected to the claw on its back into a knot, pulled to break the chain to pieces. The angler fish still had a large hunk of metal in its back, but is was not able to move more freely. “I’ll eat you! I’ll tear you apart! I’ll listen to your screams for WEEKS!” The angler fish charged after the two ponies, only for a large anchor to fall upon its head and shatter most of its teeth. “there are some pi...fishermen above us.” Bubble Burst spoke as she swam over, trident outstretched. “Your size and speed is a problem, but with me signalling them while you’re distracted, your size and speed mean nothing!” She slashed at the angler fish’s lure, sending it drifting off as it was severed. Angle Glow roared as several large ships sank under the water, pushed along by Bubble Burst to bury themselves into the angler fish’s body, several anchores following as the pain was too much and pushed the monster down into unconsciousness. Bubble Burst panted, gazing down at her fallen foe, getting ready to strike a finishing blow...only to be pulled upwards, along with the ponies, Crabnasty and several buildings containing seaponies. Atop his ship, Captain Squirk grinned as he and his crew stood at attention, ready to fight. “What’s mine is mine!” The magically mutated cephalopod intoned, grinning wide. “And what’s yours is also mine! GURARARA!!” “Seriously, Captain,” his musician, Murray, said, “Pick a ‘signature laugh’ and stick with it!” “WHAT WAS THAT.” Squirk glared. “...is what a foolish mutineer would say, Captain, but I only said that as a way of boosting your anger at our enemies!” Murrary said hastily. “Good idea!” Squirk grinned. “Now men, let’s avenge our lookout and get the treasures of the world!”