//------------------------------// // Chapter Fifty-seven: The Pearl of Great Price // Story: A Rather Large Adventure // by BradyBunch //------------------------------// The table was long and made of stone. Bowls and plates were swamped with seaweed salads, salty shrimp scampi, and sliced sushi with sweet and sour seasoning. The thirteen seaponies around the table were picking out their food with suspicious stares before reluctantly crunching down and chewing. All except for Queen Novo and Princess Skystar, of course. Pinkie Pie pulled out a wiggling pink thing from a plate and poked it. She stared, then shrugged. “Bottoms up!” As she devoured it, Applejack was glancing uncomfortably at the ravenous Freedom Fighter. He was tearing fish apart with his sharpened teeth and swallowing pieces whole, and he was doing it without a break in stride. Rainbow Dash leaned in next to the farm girl, staring at the warrior as well. “You and me both, AJ.” “Shoot!” Firestorm shot out, stabbing his plate, and the food thereupon floated in the sea. “How do I get these... Nnnngh!” He finally impaled a shrimp on the end of a long stick and took a tentative bite. After chewing with an uncomfortable expression, he relaxed his face and shrugged before swallowing. “Hey! Freedom! I did it! I...” As he then looked past Rainbow and Applejack, and saw the dark warrior skewer half a dozen shrimp on the end of a stick and easily slide all of them into his awaiting mouth, he sighed and put a hoof to his forehead before taking another bite of his shrimp. “You don't... normally eat the tails,” Skystar offered Freedom Fighter hesitantly. He widened his eyes before swallowing with effort. “Some ponies like the tails,” he choked out. He took a fat shrimp and crunched down on the whole thing. As he narrowed his scarlet eyes, he chomped down with a restrained face. “Like me. I like eating the-” He swallowed and began to breathe heavily. “-the tails.” “I take it your race is unaccustomed to eating meat,” Queen Novo commented to Twilight, who was placed awkwardly next to the queen. “We can do it, all right,” Twilight relayed, prodding at the oyster floating an inch above her plate. “We just don't do it often.” “Hm.” Queen Novo took a bite of her seaweed wrap. “I am unfamiliar with pony customs. You could be quite the mine of information on what's happening on the surface.” “Did you know about us before Star Swirl came to you?” Twilight asked. “All the world was once interconnected. Now those ties have drifted apart. Yaks and griffons and dragons and changelings are cold and isolated.” “Actually, we're allies with all four of them,” Twilight blurted out. “Pinkie Pie opened a negotiations route with the yaks, as well as helping Rainbow Dash with the griffons. Spike-” She indicated the green blowfish who was gobbling up fish food from a bowl. “-over there, he helped instate the new ruler of the Dragonlands, who's much more open to negotiation than before. And Chrysalis's influence on the changelings was destroyed only a few months ago.” “You would ally yourselves with all four provinces?” Queen Novo asked in surprise. “Too many loyalties can break a nation.” “Or it can strengthen it,” Starlight Glimmer asserted, on the other side of the queen. “We’re lucky to have them all as allies in case trouble strikes. The Noxxa are rearing to make an attack against Equestria. Their spies are already embedded in little camps all across the land as a preparatory precaution.” Queen Novo's eyes darkened. “The Noxxa,” she growled. The tone at the table abruptly switched. All fell silent. Novo switched expressions immediately. “Don’t worry. Just something Star Swirl warned me about when he came here.” “Why'd he tell you about the Noxxa?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Are they suspicious about something you have?” Queen Novo looked unsettled. “Partly.” “Why did Star Swirl come to this place?” Twilight pressured. “None of yo’ business, child,” Novo patiently explained. “After that pearl is retrieved for us, I will explain everything.” When dinner was over and all of their stomachs were comfortably full for the first time in days, Queen Novo sent Princess Skystar to lead the Ten Souls to the expedition send-off. As they swam out of the palace and back into the massive underwater chamber, they took another look around. The other seaponies were still huddled near the walls, hidden amongst the seaweed. “Why are they so cautious of us?” Starlight Glimmer wondered. “It's easy,” the purple princess responded. “The monster that took the pearl left this mistrust of outsiders.” “Don't be silly!” Skystar objected, swimming in front of her. “It isn't you that's the problem!” “I think that’s just you talking,” Rainbow Dash shrewdly said. “Of course not!” Skystar insisted. She shot off to the side, and the group paused. A minute later, Skystar reappeared, dragging an old, wrinkly seapony behind her. “Hey, Carp,” Skystar said excitedly, pushing him so he met face-to-face with the eyes of the entire group. “Say hi to my new friends!” “B-but those aren't your shells!” he protested. “Who are they?” “My friends,” Skystar flatly replied. “Hiya, pardner!” Applejack called to him. “Ma name's Applejack. We're here ta help y'all.” Carp’s wide eyes darted from her to Twilight, and from her to Noble Blade. The armored knight gave a warm smile at his furtive look, which marginally eased his nerves. “So…” Pinkie said slowly. “That weather is sure nice today, huh?” “Pinkie, we're at the bottom of the ocean,” Fluttershy reminded her. “Ohhh,” Pinkie gasped in realization. “I'll pick a less awkward topic next time.” She then swam up next to Carp and nudged the old pony's shoulder with her elbow. “So... that darn economy, huh?” Carp swam away. Pinkie folded her arms. “Man, the economy's gotta be bad if he doesn't want to talk about it.” Skystar led all of them to the bottom of the cavern. As they swam deeper, the violet light from the palace above grew dimmer and dimmer. The sea got darker and inkier than before, and each of them felt disgusted at the way the water felt against their scales. As they descended, Twilight, Rarity, and Noble Blade lit their horns in bursts of blue and purple. Fluttershy clung to her boyfriend's hoof so tightly it began to hurt Noble's hoof even through his armor. Rainbow Dash held onto Firestorm's with equal force. And Freedom Fighter swam down right next to Twilight. He hesitantly reached out for her hoof, but upon seeing her glance at him once, he quickly shot his hoof back to his side and looked awkwardly away. Finally, they reached the bottom of the shaft. The inky darkness surrounding them was pierced by balls of pink light from luminescent bulbs that the seaponies carried. Those seaponies were dressed in bonemold armor and carried spears and swords made from the spines of bigger fish. The ground beneath them was dark brown and squishy, and flakes of it were drifting about all around them. “Hey, look! Who're the new guys?” Skystar whirled to the seapony who had spoken, a mare with armor covering her luscious white body, and had merging purple and red hair in long curls. “Oh, these guys? Pshaw, they're just, you know, new friends of mine!” “Skystar, your only friends are shells.” “Well, yeah,” Skystar hesitantly affirmed, her face heating up so it accentuated the freckles under her cheeks. “But this time I found new friends! These guys are really important ones, Brine. Trust me!” Brine turned loose her large pink eyes to wander over the additional seaponies. When she got to Noble Blade, she nodded approvingly, biting her lip. As she saw Freedom Fighter, she tilted her head inquisitively. “So you're the new arrivals. Who are you all?” “We're the ponies that are going to find that pearl!” Rainbow Dash declared with pride. “Brine, meet... um…” Skystar coughed embarrassedly; she couldn't remember their names. “Why don't I let you introduce yourselves?” After each of them had done so, Brine folded her armored flippers over each other. “Welcome to the 47th Seaquestrian Expedition.” “Thou art the captain?” Noble asked. “Indeed I am, sir knight,” Brine answered, giving a half-bow. When she finished, she gave a brilliant smile that stood out against even her pearly white body. “I look forward to working with you on the expedition.” “You in the plural, or you as in... me?” “All of you,” Brine answered, though she hesitated before she did. “I want to see what you're capable of. I know you’re more used to being above the surface. But I'm sure you can adjust to this rather... fish-out-of-water environment.” “Ooohhh,” Pinkie slyly acknowledged her. “I see what you did there.” Brine led the party into a side passage. This new corridor was well-lit with magical green flames in candle holders and with glowing emerald orbs gripped in the seapony's hooves. The green light was reflected in everyone's eyes and shone over their bodies. At the far end of the corridor was a small opening that led to the outside ocean, blank and blue. The wide corridor was full to bursting with over a hundred chatting seaponies, all dressed, armed, and waiting patiently for the expedition. Corralled to the walls were dozens of long-flippered, scaled, yellow beasts with elongated heads and rows of short teeth. Their slitted eyes were wide, but kind. Twilight assumed they were mounts. Twilight swiveled her head and saw one large, tough-looking seapony try to scrub the grime out of his bending beast's mane. He rubbed and growled furiously, and the yellow beast was whining, but he was apparently unsatisfied. Eventually, he threw his brush up and turned away, the brush floating near his head. “Stupid pora,” he grumbled. “There's always muck in your mane!” The so-called pora snorted and shook his head indignantly. Brine came to the front of the corridor and tossed her flowing purple and red curls behind her. “Attention!” The room full of chattering sounds died down at once. “Our company of a hundred will now be a hundred and eleven. The newcomers to Seaquestria are joining us to retake the pearl!” This sent the small room chattering. Apparently, the news about their sudden arrival traveled fast. “These ponies can be trusted! From orders by Queen Novo herself, they are on the same realm as warriors and angels, and they are to be treated equally to yourself.” Twilight squirmed uncomfortably at the obvious hyperbole she had used. Angels and warriors? They could barely survive the first stage of their journey! Twilight examined the party. Judging from the shy glances Fluttershy and Applejack were giving, they felt the same. “The expedition will depart within an hour. Prepare yourself to devote your life to the dangers of the outside ocean to retrieve the Pearl!” Brine finished with a flourish. Then she swam off to the side to saddle her own mount, which was pink. The large seapony who had been combing his pora swam over and jabbed Pinkie Pie in the side. “So. You're the arrivals.” Pinkie Pie squirmed. “Eeeheehee! That tickles!” The large seapony rolled his eyes and jabbed her again, sending her into another round of giggles. “Oh, for heaven's sake, stop it,” Rarity sighed. “Pinkie Pie is sensitive there.” “Listen here, Marshmallow,” a seedy voice squealed off to the side. Twilight noticed that they had been quickly encircled about by the soldiers, eager to get a closer look at the newcomers. “You’re a newbie. Let me explain how things work here. Newbies stay out of the way. We do the work around here. Got it?” “Fine by me,” Rarity flippantly said, tossing her mane. “If it means I get to stay far, far away from you, I am all for it!” The seedy voice faltered before responding. “Y-y'know... that's... not the effect I was looking for.” “Nothing surprising there, Sep,” came the reply. Sep’s voice grumbled before cutting off entirely. “The orange one looks kinda cute,” another voice commented. “You taken yet?” Applejack harrumphed and folded her arms. “Who wants to say that louder so Ah can sock ‘em if they git too close?” “It's the purple one I'm interested in,” came a very young voice. A short, whiplike-looking seapony elbowed his way to the girls, grey in color and with long red hair that reached his shoulders. His amber eyes shone brilliantly. “Name's Coral. And yours?” “Twilight Sparkle,” she replied. Twilight didn't like the look of him. “Who's that yellow one?” Coral asked, gesturing at the quivering Fluttershy with his bonemold knife. “She looks... nice.” Noble Blade swam up to Coral, large and imposing. He was easily taller than Coral. “I will tell you who she is. She is taken. And she is under my protection. She is not for you to sample like fruit from a basket.” Coral stared up at him for a second or two. Neither side made any change in expression. Then Coral smiled. “And the others?” “Stay away from them." “Or what?” Coral sneered. “I know a knight like you won't dare strike me if I accidentally slip a hoof across their shoulders. Knights like you are too polite and chivalrous. Bound so much by your morals that you can't protect anything without harming something.” He leaned forward with a gleam in his eye. “But for me? I’m different. Sliphorn and that little squeeze Brine ain't got nothin’ on me. I'm gonna enjoy turning you to jelly, and-” The speech was split apart by a sharp crack. Coral flew back, and the crowd of soldiers parted to allow him a route. A cloud of blood boiled from his nose; his faceplate had been cracked in half and was floating in the water. Freedom Fighter's outstretched hoof was curled. His body was leaning forward like a striking snake. Seeing him bleed, Freedom Fighter leaned back once again. “I'm no knight,” Freedom Fighter said aloud. His scarlet eyes gleamed in the green-tinted water. “Hearken,” Noble Blade said, only just loud enough to get the attention of all ears in the room. His voice was more confident and commanding as he slipped into the archaic tongue. “Brine was right. These mares are angels. So too are we also warriors. If thou desirest to have them, thou must go through us... before we go through thee.” “We're the biggest, baddest toughies in Equestria,” Firestorm boasted, cracking one hoof against the other. “Ain't no fishie gonna take that title away from us. We're the Elements of Harmony, ya sea whorses!” “Yeah!” came Rainbow Dash next. “Don't soil yourselves and create a warm spot in the ocean because you bite off more than you can chew!” Coral stared with hideous anger at Freedom Fighter. The Unforgiven was narrowing his eyes smugly, and he beckoned him forth to invite him back. “Coral,” came the deep-voiced pony who had poked Pinkie in the side. “Abide by the captain's orders for now.” The grey seapony narrowed his amber eyes above his bleeding nose, but slipped loose a curse and swam off. That was the cue for the rest of the regiment to swim away as well and return to their business. The large black one who had spoken stayed behind, outstretching his wide hoof in polite greeting. “Sorry about earlier. Pinkie Pie looked pokeable. Name’s Sweet. Coral says he's in charge, but the troops all think he's scum.” Twilight found herself able to shake his hoof with more ease than with any other seapony in the group. He was large, but he cared. He was... sweet. Pinkie Pie swam up to him and curled her body around his like a snake. “Are you called Sweet because you really, really, really like to eat cakes and candy and sprinkles?” Sweet rolled his eyes and easily pried the rock-hard Pinkie off of him, holding her at arm's length like a cat. “Because my parents expected me to act compassionately to all I met. Why are you called Pinkie Pie?” “Uh, duh! I'm pink and I like pies!” “Thou seemest easy to understand, friend,” Noble said, and Twilight could sense the understanding that came off of him. “Thou and I art ponies aspiring to become better versions of ourselves. The diff'rence in species mattereth not to the ideals we share. ‘Tis an observation I find most interesting.” “Why do you talk like that?” Sweet asked. Noble blinked. “Like what? Oh!” He nodded. “I just... talk on instinct.” “Me too,” Sweet replied. “Silence is so easy to hold while you're silent. But you get me to talk, and I can go on until the fish migrate.” “Which brings you in common with me as well!” Firestorm interjected. “You're such a sweetheart,” Fluttershy admired, patting the top of his head. Sweet didn't flinch in the slightest. “Why can't the rest of these seaponies act like you?” “Soldiers around the world act like that,” Freedom Fighter answered her. “At heart, we're all simply lonely, young, impassioned stallions. They learn to adapt quickly or get excluded. But we're the biggest, baddest ones right now, and they all know it.” “Conflict is so unnecessary,” Noble observed, shaking his head and making his long blue mane swish in the green water. “It's the stupidest way to solve a problem. Problem is, the only way to destroy conflict is through conflict with the conflict.” “I'm confused,” Fluttershy whispered. “It's okay if you are,” Noble allowed her, rubbing her shoulder. “I haven't figured it all out myself, actually.” The poras were saddled. The seaponies were mounted. An hour after the Ten Souls had been introduced to the army, the 47th Scouting Expedition was ready to start. Coral and Twilight were both far away from each other, which Twilight thanked Celestia for. Noble Blade, Firestorm, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were in the front near Brine. Freedom Fighter was in the left corner. Starlight Glimmer was in the right corner. Twilight was in the rear, along with Spike, Sweet, and Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy and Rarity were in the center, the safest spot in the arrow formation. Twilight's violet pora, with long fangs and flowing flippers, was humming a low vibrato, shaking his head in anticipation. Her bone lance was sheathed at her spur, sticking up in the air like an antenna. Twilight gripped the reins harder, trying not to pull on the beast. Her head was wrapping itself around the possible outcomes of this expedition. Would they find the pearl and defeat the sea monster who had stolen it? And what risks would they face to achieve their goal? What sacrifices would they have to make this time? The corpses of Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack, kneeling over with long arrows sunk into their flesh, flashed in Twilight's head. Rarity was lying in a puddle of her own blood. Noble Blade was crying to the sky, holding Fluttershy in his arms. Sunset Shimmer was shining like an inferno, holding the Noxxa back. “Go!” she roared to her. Twilight gave a shout of terror at the flashback and almost fell off her pora. The soldiers near her gave the violet seapony questioning looks, but none of them said anything. Twilight gave them an awkward, toothy smile, and they shrugged and went back to their conversations, glancing back every once in a while. She cursed under her breath. Never again. Never again! If it comes down to me, I will make sure that none of these seaponies have to die for my sake like the human girls. I owe it to the world I live in. I owe it to my friends! And I will never let my hope die with them! A warm feeling spread in her chest like a candle had been lit inside her breast. She was trembling imperceptibly; not just because of the fear she felt for them, but also in anticipation. The danger wanted Twilight. Fine. But Twilight would give it a hard time dragging her down. Bring it. “The 47th Expedition will commence now!” Brine shouted from the front on her peppermint-colored pora. “My soldiers! We are!” “ONE!” shouted the soldiers around her. “We are!” “ONE!” “WE ARE!” “ONE!” they bellowed in unity, and with a furious snapping of reins, the poras in front raced through the tunnel towards the dim exit ahead. Row by row the soldiers shot forth, and when it came time for Twilight to go, she snapped the reins in her pora's mouth. Twilight almost fell off again; she was surprised at just how fast fish were. Water was pushing against her upright face, so she hid it behind the pora's head instead. The walls of the tunnel flew by in a blur. The hole at the end of the passage grew larger as she got closer. The poras ahead of her were spreading out as they emerged, and Twilight could see them readying their bone-tipped lances in one hoof. Twilight braced herself as she flew out of the small hole herself and joined the formation's rearguard. The water outside the miserable launch tunnel was pristine and light blue; almost clear enough to see for miles. Motes of miniscule dirt floated in the water. Twilight felt like she could breathe cooler, clearer, as if she was standing in a cool spring morning. The formation the seaponies were going to assume was in the shape of an arrow. Whereas Noble Blade, Firestorm, Rainbow, and Applejack were at the top tip of the arrow with Brine, Twilight was at the flat end of the bottom of the arrow to protect the rear. The entire thing was going to be widely spread out in clusters of three or four in a vague arrow shape. It would be a kilometer wide, covering a large search area. They had the numbers for it, but Twilight was concerned about her friends individually. They needed to come back unharmed. They needed to. Come to me. Twilight took a deep gasp, inhaling water, and her gills turned it into oxygen. It was that voice again, that disembodied voice that occasionally came into her mind. Only this time, it had this...twisted edge to it. Something subtle, something just not right. Before Twilight could respond, the voice's presence vanished from her mind. Twilight was left dizzy and exhausted from that encounter alone. Twilight reached down and gripped the handle of the lance with her hoof, and leveled it so it pointed forward. Putting her mind on high alert, she spurred her pora forward and joined the crowd of soldiers. Noble Blade stretched his arms out to the side, relieving his sores almost instantly, and readjusted his grip on his lance. Holding a long weapon at the ready for hours could take a toll on the body. The ocean around them was so empty. He had so often known that the ocean was crowded with sea life and plants that he almost forgot how there were spots of desolation. No life to be seen. Empty, bleak, foggy, dark. This was one of those spots. The only ponies he knew were there were the ones right next to him. The formation had spread horizontally across the ocean depths. Above him was dark blue. Beneath him was blackness. To his left was Applejack. To his right was Brine, and past her was Firestorm and Rainbow Dash. They had swum into the depths of the ocean in the same formation for so long now that Noble Blade's attention frequently wandered to the welfare of his girlfriend. He knew that the center rear of the formation was the safest place for her, but he knew that Fluttershy was frail. Horrible thoughts had crept into his head involving her. What more could he do for her? There must be something more he could- No. No, the best thing was to trust in his friends. He had already given his all by staying in the spot most likely to encounter danger. There he was, expecting too much of himself. That reoccurring problem that Fluttershy had found in him. The problem was, where was the cutoff between expecting too much and expecting just enough? He certainly wasn't expecting too little of himself. He glanced to the side and noticed Brine, her white body standing out in the dark ocean as her purple and red curled mane stood out in waves behind her head. Brine turned to the side as well, and, her cheeks rising in color, spurred her pora to ride closer to his. “Have ye any idea of what we must search for?” Noble asked when she got right next to him. “We’re looking for signs of the monster's habitation,” Brine answered, shifting on her mount to relieve the sores on her body. “Which is…” Noble asked plaintively, urging her with a hoof. “The monster that attacked Seaquestria was unlike anything you'd ever seen before,” Brine responded, and her soothing voice grew quiet as she reminisced on what had happened. “It was large and murky, and it had tentacles whipping in every direction. It looked like a black cloud of octopus ink. Nothing we could do could harm it. It was like slicing into a jelly that grew back in moments. It penetrated the castle and made a grab for the pearl. It got it after we all put up a massive fight. Queen Novo was the most distraught. It was as if something personal had been ripped from her.” “Did the monster have any weak spots, captain?” Noble asked. “No, sir knight,” Brine responded. “It was merely a black cloud.” “Like a storm cloud.” Brine looked confused. “What's that?” Noble reminded himself that these creatures lived underwater. “The source of storms on the surface.” “Oh! Those! They cause the surface water to heave and roll, right? Well, down here, it doesn't affect us as much. We know what's out there, but we can't go and reach it.” “Have you ever tried to?” “A few times. When I breached the surface, I felt like I was drowning. Being in the water is the safest place for me, I guess. It's a good thing we've adapted to enjoy the sea, right?” “You’ve adopted the sea, and you still want to reach the surface,” Noble observed. “Eh?” Brine gave a surprised mumble. “That's strange. We've adapted over thousands of years to live underwater, but we’re still curious about places we aren't supposed to go?” “All creatures are like that,” Noble hypothesized. “We all drive ourselves to push past our boundaries and into the unknown. It's what we did when we discovered in ancient days how versatile magic could be. And when the first pegasi explored the heavens, it opened a new path for intelligent life to go. It's what we're doing now in exploring the ocean bed.” “And how do you push yourself into the unknown, Noble Blade?” Brine asked, holding her reins loosely, letting her pora almost go on autopilot, as it were. “What boundaries do you break?” Noble had to think about that a moment. He had broken many boundaries before in his line of service. From his expectations living up to his father to his pledge to protect Freedom Fighter, and recently to love Fluttershy as best he could. “I always become stronger, faster, and braver,” he eventually decided. “It is how I best protect the lands and peoples I love.” He craned his head back as if to check on Fluttershy, but she was far too back for him to see. Brine followed his head turn. “Anyone back there you love the most?” “Fluttershy.” He felt his chest grow lighter as he pictured her once again. “It’s Fluttershy.” Brine's voice fell. “Huh. You're taken. That's, um…” She coughed. “Great job. Good for you.” Noble knew different. Her tone did not match her words. An eerie wail echoed in the water, making Noble's ears perk up. Behind him, half-concealed groans and snarls came from the experienced soldiers. “It's him,” Brine whispered. She lowered her lance, serrated on the tip. “Come and get it, calamari!” Noble’s body was on high alert. In front of him were several dark silhouettes in the water growing larger and larger. Instead of the whipping mass of tentacles, however, it was several large-bodied fish, pointed in the front and with tall fins on its tail and the sides. They were wiggling and jiggling up and down as they drew closer. “Oh, no,” Brine whispered in shock, lowering her tip as she saw what the small faint objects were. “Oh, no!” “SHARK!” Noble bellowed behind him, readying his weapon. The half-dozen faint sharks in front, however, paid no attention to the front line. Instead, they swam off to the side instead and made a bid to swim off to the left flank. “What are they doing?” Brine asked in confusion. “We're right here! Noble, signal to the left. Let them know it's heading their way.” Noble Blade drew out a glowing red ball of luminescent seaweed from a pouch on his pora and flashed it behind him by holding it high. Unseen to him, he knew nonetheless that the soldiers behind him were flashing their own scarlet lights until it reached the left flank. One of the sharks, though, broke off from their own formation swimming to the left flank and sped for Noble Blade. Brine took action first. Pointing her lance at the swimming shark, a bright purple bolt of energy zipped out from the serrated tip and struck the shark in the face. Blood erupted from its snout in a red cloud. Noble Blade, startled by the unexpected attack, sped for the massive shark and braced his own lance by leaning forward in his stirrups. The tip plunged into the shark's brain, and Noble tore through the skin on the top of its body before ripping it out again, throwing blood into the dark waters. The body of the shark limply drifted down and disappeared quickly. As Noble re-aligned himself into his position in the formation, he shot an incredulous glance at Brine. “Do all of our lances do that?” “Yes.” Brine shrugged, jostling her tight bonemold armor. “Every precaution must be taken.” “Sharks with laser beams are the one thing in the world that is non-negotiable,” Firestorm quipped, off to the side. “Who's in the left flank?” Applejack asked, off to Noble's left. “Freedom Fighter!” Noble cried in realization. He snapped the reins on his pora. “I'm going to him.” “No!” Brine’s hoof fired out to the side, stopping his action. “Keep the formation!” “Besides!” Rainbow Dash yelled from beside Firestorm, two spots over. “Have faith in him! He's gonna take ‘em down! He's Equestria's greatest soldier!” “Hey!” “Apart from you, Firestorm.” “And anyway, we need you on the front lines!” Brine added. “What if that monster attacks us from the front?” Noble felt ashamed almost immediately. “I'm sorry.” “Keep the bigger picture in mind,” Brine advised him. Noble nodded along. It was unlike him to think so irrationally. When he had been younger, he was all about following the rules. But now, when he had more friends to look after, he had almost broken protocol and rushed off to look after his friend. Maybe that was the problem. He had made many new bonds, but were those bonds really strong enough to place trust in them--to look after themselves without his protection? Maybe if- No. He was the Knight Protector. It was his duty to look after those he loved. Especially Freedom Fighter and Fluttershy, in addition to Twilight, who was a princess he was serving. But was there a balance between shielding them and allowing them the chance to fend for themselves? Especially when it came at his own cost? How far did the limits of protection go? Another high-pitched, eerie wail sang in the deep. Brine clenched her teeth again and readied her lance. The formation was approaching a sunken mountain in the hazy distance, hollowed out in the middle like a cavity. It was a small mound stuck at the bottom of the sea, like a disgusting open wound. “We're on the right track,” Brine said hopefully, though her grip on her weapon did not lessen. “This is new. And the wailing of that demon goes perfectly well with it. This might be his lair.” “Ha ha ha! Let's kick some flank!” Rainbow exclaimed, punching one hoof against the other. The mound trembled like it had been shaken by the earth itself. The front of the formation instantly, instinctively, slowed down. What they saw made the ponies confused... and uneasy. Out of the faraway mound were streaming columns of faint black animals. Small and large, weaving around each other, snapping at each other momentarily. “What are they doing?” Firestorm asked in a whisper. “Have they noticed us?” The broiling cloud of animals continued to surge out of the hollow mountain. It looked so much like smoke that Noble was actually partway convinced it was an active underwater volcano. “Those are going to make entering the mountain difficult,” he observed. “Oh, nelly!” “What, Applejack?” he asked quickly, turning to his left-side companion. “Those sharks that appeared earlier…” “Could they have come from that mountain?” Noble finished for her. “And if they could attack us…” Brine thought out loud. “...Then so could they!” Rainbow finished with a start. Freedom Fighter saw the red light flash from the group far in front of him. On the very left-most tip of the arrow-shaped formation, he knew it was meant for him. What had happened? Was there something going on that he had missed? Red lights meant to beware of imminent danger, as opposed to green lights meaning everything was okay. “Hey!” said a scratchy voice next to him. Freedom Fighter turned to see his closest companion, Aquarius, a turquoise seapony with brilliant purple eyes and a broken nose. “What do you think is coming?” “I just want to know where it's coming from,” Freedom Fighter said in response. “That's true,” Aquarius admitted, shrugging her slender shoulders. “Water is a 3D environment. It's why some of the center ranks are spread out vertically as well as horizontally. Problem is, a threat can come from any direction in the water. Even if the front spotted something moving, we still won't know where it is until it's right on top of us.” “What is it, anyway?” the nearby Coral asked, glancing warily past Aquarius to Freedom Fighter. He was still apprehensive of him, due to the smashing he had received in the launch bay. “Electric eels? Octopi? Gyruses? Venom Bass?” Freedom Fighter leveled his upright lance to point directly in front of him. “No matter what, it's dead.” Coral squinted. “Hey, look.” The group of three looked ahead to see the ponderous underwater mountain appear like a vision through the dark depths. “There's a hole in the bottom of the sea,” Aquarius gasped. “There's a hole in the bottom of the sea.” “There's a hole~there's a hole~there's a hole in the bottom of the sea,” Freedom Fighter finished. “Who was that?” Aquarius wondered. “Who was what?” “That deep voice. We're the only ones here.” “Oh! That was just me. Don't worry about it.” There you are. “Yes, Freedom, we know. We're all right here. But...That’s really you? You have different personalities?” “That... wasn't me,” Freedom Fighter admitted in his alternate voice. “Well then, who-” Aquarius cut herself off and fumbled for her lance. “Oh, no!” Freedom Fighter saw it just in time. A large shark with a white belly and glowing red eyes appeared in front of them in the murky water and opened its mouth, intent on having Aquarius for a meal. All three of them fired their lasers at the same time. Coral's blast disappeared down its gullet, Freedom Fighter's hit the dorsal fin, and Aquarius’s shot grazed its face. The shark's insides poofed up as Coral's laser exploded within, and the animal drifted down at the same speed it had been going at. “That's what the others must have warned us about!” Aquarius shouted. “Did you see my shot?” Coral asked with pride. “I just sniped him in the face! You owe me one, Aquarius!” “Keep an eye out!” Freedom Fighter ordered. “Sharks travel in packs!” A dull roar echoed in the water to their right, and the three of them quickly turned in that direction. A smaller shark, about the size of a pora, was shooting straight towards Coral. Aquarius was the one to jump into action this time. She lunged past Coral's face with her lance, missing his nose by an inch, and jammed it into the shark's glowing red eye. The shark roared again and wriggled around, tearing the wound in his face larger. Still swimming forward on their speeding poras, Aquarius held on, screaming in mindless battle rage. The shark was swimming along with the group, biting and lunging at the strong lance stuck in its eye. But because of the shark's mouth structure, it couldn’t get a good bite in. Freedom Fighter aimed for the shark’s snout and, jabbing hard, harpooned it with his own weapon. Now with two long, annoying things stuck in its face, the shark’s survival instincts took over. His thrashing redoubled, and after a hard jerk, Aquarius's lance was ripped from her grip. The end of the lance was swinging about as the shark jerked about, and barely missed Coral's head. Freedom took off one of his staves, doubled its length, and lunged across the other two warriors to slash it into the shark's face. Blood boiled in malignant scarlet clouds from the shark's open wounds. He plunged the steaming weapon into the shark again and again until the shark stopped struggling and was left behind. “My debt is repaid!” Aquarius yelled to Coral. Coral, instead of answering, snorted and rolled his eyes. “Keep your eyes out for more sharks!” Freedom Fighter advised. “They could pop up out of nowhere!” Coral and Aquarius obeyed. Not because Freedom Fighter ordered them to, but because it simply was the only logical thing to do. However, no more sharks sped for them. They appeared to have backed off for now. Freedom Fighter was confused. Sharks didn't operate like that, did they? Steeling his nerve, he kept his eyes forward and spotted a surprising thing. “They're coming from the mountain!” Freedom Fighter roared, gesturing in shock at the underwater crater. Aquarius and Coral swiveled their heads to see that indeed, there was a vast collection of underwater sea creatures erupting from the crater and moving closer to them. Freedom Fighter noticed bright flashes of violet and green light up ahead; had the front line of the formation already engaged with them? “I can't see the other groups ahead!” Coral shouted. “Could they have gotten lost in that murky water?” Freedom Fighter couldn't see the groups ahead of them either, but he had a much darker theory as to why they had disappeared. “Maybe the sharks wiped them out!” “They're whittling us down!” Aquarius realized in terror. “Wait a second!” Coral pointed out. “If they're just trying to wipe us out, how'd the upper groups have time to warn us beforehoof? They'd be too busy fighting the sharks! And the other groups behind them wouldn't have spotted them fighting because the water's too blurry!” “Were the sharks going after us instead?” Aquarius whimpered. “That's even worse than the complete annihilation of the left flank! They're... they're searching for something!” “The sharks? Don't be stupid!” Coral admonished. “They're just stupid sharks. They're not evil minions or something.” “I dunno,” Freedom Fighter said in his alternate voice. “What do you mean?” Freedom asked himself. “Look at their eyes. Sharks normally have black, beady eyes. These ones had glowing red eyes. I'm telling you, creatures with red eyes are not to be trusted. They're either insane or possessed by another alternate voice inside their heads.” Freedom Fighter glared over his shoulder with his scarlet irises. “Was that a subtle jab at me?” “Oh, what are you talking about?” Freedom Fighter innocently held up his hooves, letting go of his reins. “I have no idea what you mean.” “So these sharks could have been possessed by something else?” Aquarius asked nervously. “And who else could possess these creatures... but that sea monster who took the pe-!” Coral’s shocked voice was cut off by a surprise from up front. The steady stream of dark sea animals coming out of the crater suddenly changed course and headed directly for them all. It was hard to see at first, but they did grow slightly larger gradually. “They're on the warpath!” Aquarius panicked. “We can't survive this! We need to turn back!” “No!” Freedom Fighter sharply cut. “But-!” “We won’t turn back until Captain Brine gives the order!” “Screw Brine!” Coral refused. “I want to live!” “If you want to live, then fight!” Freedom roared. “You don't get an option in this! It's not always fair, but if you don't fight right here, right now, you will die!” “You threatening me?” Coral boldly demanded. “There is no future without your pearl,” Freedom Fighter answered. He took off the other staff from his other hip and joined both ends into one long, two-meter staff, glowing yellow in the baby blue water and turning the surrounding water green. “You want it? Then let's get it! If you die, you will live on in the memories of those sent out to avenge you! I know it better-” Freedom Fighter was hit by the memories of his ancient tribe, so many years past. His chiefly parents, his shaman, the mares he had eyed along with his other friends. All of them impaled and left to rot on the earth's surface. “-I know it better than anyone else!” Freedom Fighter raised his arm in high triumph and spurred his animal. “Advance!” His pora shot forward. Aquarius and Coral, desperate to keep up, instinctively spurred their own mounts. The water whooshed in front of him. He noticed from the corner of his eye that his two companions had followed him. Grinning, he raised the long yellow pole higher, as a standard to those he passed by. It happened so fast. A tremendous shark, awaiting the opportunity since the first attack on the left flank, appeared behind him out of nowhere and latched its sharp mouth around his outstretched arm, lifting him off his pora as the shark sped away. Coral screamed and reached for him. “Freedom Fighter!” “Advance!” Freedom Fighter roared in the water, his arm stuck in the wiggling shark's mouth. Coral opened his mouth in shock. He was being carried off, and he was still- “This is your chance!” He leveled his yellow staff in his right arm as the shark sped away, carrying his left arm in his mouth. “Advaaaaance!” The shark did not slow down. Freedom roared with his mouth, sending a trickle of blood to come out of his throat, and slashed across the shark's face with his other arm. The shark suddenly sported a long burnt wound across the length of its face and body. Its fin was completely shorn off as the staff finished its course. The shark drifted downwards, still holding Freedom Fighter's left arm in his mouth. “Oh,” he realized blankly, as the shark continued downward, tailing him with it. “Shoulda maybe... freed myself... before I killed the thing.” He tried to pry the mouth open, but rigor mortis had taken effect; the mouth would not budge open. And what was this? The shark was drifting towards the abysmal crater in the bottom of the ocean. Struggling for his life, straining against all odds, Freedom Fighter was pulled into the depths of the seabed. The front groups of the formation had already engaged with the rogue sea animals. Jets of boiling green and purple and turquoise light shot from the laser lances of the seaponies towards the possessed, infected fishes. The larger, carnivorous fish had snapped bites out of several poras already. One of those had been Noble Blade’s. As it happened and the pora squaled its death throes, he leaped off his doomed animal and flipped over the carnivore's head, drawing his sword as he did so. As he completed his flip he slashed his sword down and buzzed through the creature's skull. The animal relaxed immediately as the life departed from him. Noble swam away in search of his next target. As he did, he saw Brine on her pink pora swimming hard at him, reaching out with a hoof, inviting him to grab hold. He reached out and clasped his hoof around hers, and as they sped by, Noble was abruptly pulled up onto the pora's back and slammed into Brine. “Be my spotter!” Brine ordered him. Noble nodded and swiveled his head to the right. As three tuna shot straight for him with murder in their glowing eyes, he fired three blasts from his horn and fried them all in the water. All around him, the battle raged. Colored jets flew by and erupted on impact with their targets. Swordfish skewered poras and the seaponies on their backs before in turn getting speared by the lances of their vengeful comrades. Barracuda chomped on chinks in their armor, wiggling around to get a chunk of flesh out. Bloody red clouds began to sustain themselves in the pristine blue water, clouding Noble's vision of the forces behind him. At this point, he knew that the formation was broken. Fighting had broken into individual groups in the formation as the sea animals swarmed their positions. What bothered him, more than the sores in his forelegs and chest and throbbing head, was the center of the formation. Fluttershy and Rarity--were they all right? Had Twilight or Freedom Fighter gotten to them before all Tartarus had broken loose? “Eels!” Brine shouted. Noble saw them. Five long, wriggling grey stripes with white electricity curling around their bodies were shooting right for them. Noble fired like a repeating crossbow. Two of his shots hit eels, but they were so small of a target that most of them missed. The eels collided into Brine's pora and let loose their secret weapon. Electricity buzzed around the pora's fins and head, frying the animal to a crisp. Brine had yanked Noble off as soon as possible so they were floating in the water, but the doomed animal was charred medium-rare. “If that touches your armor-!” Brine warned, drawing a sword made from a fish spine. She swung it at an eel, and it sawed the fish in half, releasing a cloud of blood. The two halves lazily drifted in the water, still sparking. Noble hadn't thought of that. Electricity and metal would go together far too well. Whirling his sword like a windmill, he cleaved an eel that had gotten too close for comfort in half. The blue sword made a trail in the water, and as he whirled it around him he was soon enveloped in a sphere of glowing energy. Aching and sore, and surrounded by growing hordes of eels and pufferfish, he cried in his mind, Fluttershy, please be safe! Twilight spotted the first swordfish when it was too late. It had sped across her axis and went straight for her companions, Sweet and Pinkie Pie. Sweet had managed to blast it out of the way, but its momentum carried the dead animal past Pinkie Pie, almost skewering her completely. “What?!” Spike yelled too late, right there on Twilight's lap. “What was that?” “The first of many!” Sweet warned, jabbing up ahead with his lance. Twilight saw it up ahead, appearing through the water in one collective mass. Swordfish, small dolphins, venomous fish of every order and size, jellyfish, octopi, and even the odd shark or two. “They've broken through the formation!” Twilight yelled, firing her horn and her lance at the same time. They struck separate animals, instantly singing them to a crisp. “Is everyone else all right?” Pinkie yelled over the sudden noises of battle. “How should I know?” Twilight bellowed back, keeping her course. Several small fish zipped by, with a red glow in their eyes. “Brace yourself, Twilight!” Spike warned, puffing up into a ball in her lap. Twilight saw it. A massive jellyfish had risen in front of her, awaiting her capture in its glowing tentacles. Twilight yanked hard on the reins, and the pora whinnied and skidded to a halt. Her lance jutted upward and struck the jellyfish right in the poofy underside. Electricity jumped down her lance and made Twilight's mane stand on end. Sweet fired his lance, and a stream of green laser fire shot out and struck the pulsating enemy. Twilight managed to get out of the way, and as she did, she turned around and saw a shape appear behind Sweet. “Behind you!” she cried, and fired her horn. Her bolt struck a ten-foot long sea barracuda, whose fangs were about to sink into Sweet's neck. Sweet uncharacteristically yelped and swerved on his pora. “We need reinforcements!” Pinkie squealed in a pitch so high it made several speeding eels cringe and speed away. “So does everyone else!” Spike commented in panic. “Where's Freedom Fighter?” Twilight hurriedly asked. He could protect them both. He was particularly protective of Twilight, for some reason. He could fight by her side, but where was he? As the dead animal drifted ever deeper into the crater from whence it came, Freedom Fighter struggled even harder. It felt so surreal. It was like drowning and furiously trying to escape the downward pull of the water pressure. The thing was, he could breathe underwater. Except it was hard to remember that when he was pulled into an infinite abyss at the bottom of the ocean. The light above him grew dimmer and dimmer. Freedom Fighter was surrounded by darkness. He was helpless. It was like descending into Tartarus, into an infinite pit of despair. He could already imagine demons at the edges of his blurring vision, pointing and laughing in scorn for thinking he could triumph. The bad news for the demons was, Freedom Fighter was used to that. He knew the demons were there, laughing at him getting dragged down into the abyss by a dead shark, but he also didn't care, so what harm could they really do? The further he descended, however, the harder it was to remember that. Freedom Fighter had been religious as a member of his tribe before getting kidnapped by the Noxxa. But from then on his actual reverence of Faust had diminished gradually until he had been left cold and bitter. Where was Faust when you needed her? The ride came to an abrupt end, and Freedom Fighter jolted and slammed against hard rock. Hard rock? He took a glance around. A dim red glow was all around him at the bottom of the pit. The shark carrying his left arm had finally collided into the surface of the earth, the very core, it felt like. It was lying there on its back with Freedom Fighter still trapped by its iron-hard clench. Freedom Fighter could now easily pry the shark's mouth open with his other arm and jolt the jaw upward. His mechanical arm had gotten stuck between the teeth of the beast, and he wrenched it this way and that before finally getting it unstuck. He caressed his arm lovingly, checking for damage, before realizing that it was a fake arm. He looked around. The bottom of the crater he had fallen into was actually very small. There was a small corridor off to the side, but apart from that, there was nothing. The red glow he had noticed earlier came from the dust and shards of crystals littering the bottom. As he looked up, he felt very, very small. All the way above him was a dim pinpoint of white that he assumed must be the opening into the real ocean. Freedom Fighter. He whipped around. That corridor leading horizontally into the abyss...had it come from there? Come to me. He looked up again. Then into the rocky corridor. Come to me. He sighed. And without another thought, he swam into the narrow opening. Wiggling his way through, he disappeared into the twisting depths of the ocean seabed. Come to me. He deftly maneuvered himself around the ridges and fixtures in the narrow corridor. He went up, down, and side to side, curving over and around the large rocks that created the labyrinth. Come to me. “I KNOW!” Freedom Fighter bellowed, wiggling past another tight fit between rocks. He popped out and swirled in place in the water helplessly for a second before righting himself. The tight passage had opened up into a large, spacious undersea cavern. The ceiling was low, but the cavern was long. In the distance was a faint gleam that shimmered in the water. It was hot. Freedom Fighter breathed heavily and pulled at his bodysuit. He had a headache, pounding and knocking inside of him. The cavern still had that red gleam to it, still as sinister and foreboding as before. Freedom Fighter swam onward. What shall you give in exchange for this pearl? Freedom Fighter gritted his teeth and tried to shut out the disembodied voice surrounding him. What more can be taken away from you? The dark warrior shook his head. It was a trick. This was all a trick, trying to worm inside his head and plague him with doubt of his mission. He had to get away from it. Now! I am here. Freedom Fighter squinted forward. There was nothing. He turned around. It had appeared directly behind him. Whatever it was, it was undulating and dark. It was a cloud of pitch black, like a spot of oil or ink in the water. Drifting tentacles wormed out of the inky spot, covered with barbs and razor-edged suckers. The darkness had no eyes or mouth, but it had spoken nonetheless. Freedom Fighter held his glowing yellow weapon near his head. The glare of the light made shadows across his covered face. We both know that won't hurt me. Freedom Fighter held it close nonetheless. I'm glad to see you. You're the one I'm anticipating. “You…” Freedom Fighter menacingly began. “You must be the one controlling the animals outside.” Correct. “Release your hold on them.” Or what? “We've come because of something you stole,” Freedom Fighter said, switching tack. The conversation had been getting nowhere. “The pearl of the seaponies. They need it to live.” Let them die, then. Freedom Fighter angrily pointed the end of his powerful staff directly at the floating blob. “What do you have against them?!” They have escaped the world above them like cowards. All they have done for a thousand years is protect the pearl like it was as precious as their testicles. So I emasculated them. Freedom Fighter looked down at his own groin, then back up again. It had been an uncomfortable slap in the face. “Who are you?” The darkness vibrated like a sound wave. The cavern rumbled and shook, sending rocks afloat for an instant before settling down again. I am an agent of Solaris. Let me finish! he said; Freedom Fighter was drawing back his arm. I shall give the seaponies the pearl. On one condition. Freedom Fighter bared his teeth. “Name it!” You must stay here. Freedom Fighter felt his chest constrict. There had to be another way. “Why did you steal the pearl in the first place if you were planning on giving it back?” The mist of evil made a series of successive chortles. Oh, Unforgiven. Everything is done for a reason. The reason here and now is to prove your will. “Have I not proven my will before?!” Freedom Fighter bellowed in rageful response. “What more must I be tested on? What more must be done to me? Why? Why are my trials never ceasing?” You should know better, the darkness replied. Life is a trial, and it never ceases. But should you accept this final test, the trials shall be limited for the remainder of your life. “I refuse.” Then your friends shall die, and the world is doomed. My master will win. It's a shame, really. This was proving to be quite interesting. Freedom Fighter thought furiously. “There has to be another option.” The darkness shifted side to side, and Freedom had the assumption that it was shaking its head. Without a way to prove your eagerness to save the world, the pearl shall stay in my grip. There is no other way. Freedom Fighter had a nagging doubt in his mind. He knew what this test was. He wasn't stupid. “Oh, Faust,” he cursed. “Don't make me do this. Please, Faust, if you love me, if you care for the world you made, please, help me!” The dark blob made a deep gurgle. Freedom Fighter, after receiving no response, trembled. His arms were shivering; even his left one. “Does this mean... Faust, is my destiny really... to stay down here... forever…?” If you wish to save your friends. Freedom Fighter ignored the darkness. It was the light he was listening for. Accept it. Freedom Fighter didn't so much hear the two words as he felt it--a clenching in his chest, like the wind had been knocked out of him. He was suddenly so short of breath. And though he was so hot, in that stuffy underwater cavern, he felt a comfortable warmth spread throughout his body from the inside. Do you accept the offer? Freedom Fighter realized the darkness hadn't heard the bell-like words in his head. It was the first time he had heard so clearly what he had to do. So he gave a reluctant, heavy nod. His momentary hope had disintegrated. “If this sacrifice will save the world…” He gave a small gasp. “I'll…” He took a deeper breath to calm him, and his next thoughts were clear and loud. “I'll stay here!” he declared, feeling so exhausted all of a sudden. “If it means my friends will live to see another day... I'll do it! I mean, really…” He shook his head. “If not me, then who else? I'm the one that has the least to lose. I'm perfect for the Element of Sacrifice after all. It makes perfect sense now.” The tentacled darkness managed to be suitably impressed. You are a noble one. Freedom gave a sullen nod. This was Faust's plan? To have him stay in a crack in the ocean seabed forever? In exchange for a stupid rock? How much was he worth, anyway? And yet...he felt comfortable with the feeling of loss of worth. If he didn't mean much in the first place, then it made sense for Faust to sacrifice him for the greater good. Better him than someone who actually meant something to the world. Because after all, he truly was worthless. He was a crippled, neutered lapdog of Princess Celestia, the last of his kind, hated and reviled by the Noxxa and ponies alike. Beaten, scarred, eaten alive. Insane, unstable, murderous, evil. He was a scourge upon the peaceful land he had been brought to, and for the greater good, he would lose his own soul in exchange for the land he had grown to love. If it were anyone else, they would be missed. But not him. Not him. You have proven the lengths of your will, Unforgiven. I shall honor your deed. The darkness folded upon itself. From the center of its boiling mass came forth a bright yellow light, pulsating with violet and gold and white. The tentacles coming out from the mass of darkness reached in and pulled something out of its body. It held the precious object in an upright tentacle. The light from the priceless jewel shone brilliantly in the cavern, like a beacon in the cold, dark night. The pearl was like glass; inside the sphere was a small yellow nucleus throwing light all over. Sometimes it even pulsed a faint violet. “That's the pearl,” Freedom Fighter whispered in awe. It was so beautiful… Come to me. Freedom Fighter obeyed by drifting over to the darkness holding the pearl. He didn't see the barbed black tentacle rising behind him. Come to die. There was a titanic lurch and an explosion of sudden, blinding light. The darkness screeched and flailed. Freedom Fighter screamed and covered his eyes. AWAY FROM MY BELOVED SERVANT! The powerful voice was overpowering, tremendous, and startlingly contrast to its otherwise still, small voice. It caused the earth itself to rock back and forth like a ship upon the waters. The darkness, small and weak now, gasped and heaved and scrambled back. A thousand pardons, your majesty. I was- BEGONE! The demon screamed as the light in the cavern pulsated ever brighter. The shadowy form melted away in the sea of light like paper in a flame. Freedom Fighter closed his eyes again as the light incinerated his foe. This was a much more powerful newcomer, and Freedom Fighter did not want to take his chances. My son. Oh, my son! Freedom Fighter still did not open his eyes. Don't look, don't look, don't look! But the voice was so beautiful, so peaceful...no one had ever spoken to him like that before. Not even his own mother... Fear not. Freedom Fighter felt his desperation melt away. Relief flooded his body, made his arms limp. His mind was as clear as a crystal bell. Look! And rejoice! Your trial is past! Freedom Fighter opened his eyes once more. A featureless mass of light had replaced the darkness entirely. Whereas tentacles once were flailing about for the darkness, now beams of golden light streamed out in replacement, illuminating the cavern. Before, the water was stuffy and hot, but now it was both cool and warm, like a spring morning. Freedom Fighter slowly reached for the mass of light in astonishment. It was so gloriously pure-! Touch me not, said the voice, and Freedom Fighter quickly obeyed, retreating his hoof like he touched a hot stove. She continued: Your ascension is not yet come. But your fiery scars shall end! You have borne your load well, and I could not be any prouder of you. “F-faust?” he asked. “Is that really you?” he asked. The light beamed ever brighter, and Freedom Fighter felt himself grow lighter on the inside. “I-!” he began, suddenly very bashful and remorseful. “I-I'm sorry. F-for, for everything. I should have remembered you after I came to Equestria.” I have already forgiven you. Freedom Fighter felt something wet escape his eye and absorb into the water surrounding him. “But I'm still sorry...” You are a shining shaft in my quiver, Freedom Fighter. Remember me, and you shall be exalted on high. Do you remember what Star Swirl the Bearded told you? The memory surged back to the front of his mind. “Peace be unto me? If I endure this well, I will be exalted on high?” He was as prophetic as his name suggested. As are you, my son. You are Unforgiven, but not unforgiven by me. You are called the Unforgiven because you refused to join Solaris in the premortal life. And Solaris has not let go of his loss. You are a capable pony, surpassing all others. To have you join my ranks has cost him dearly. And Solaris hates you for it. You are one of his greatest threats. “Good to know.” He gave a knowing grin. “I love scaring the piss out of a god.” He is no god yet. But should he get his grip on the Elements, even one of them, he will become one, and all will be lost. “I figured that part already.” The light turned itself up just a notch, and Freedom Fighter blinked suddenly. Faust's next words were: Ah, you. You live in his brain as well, huh? Freedom Fighter, taken aback at first, replied, “Uh, yes, ma'am. He just made me up, though. Talking to myself requires a, uh, companion of sorts.” Well, try to keep yourself lying low. Freedom Fighter could do without your pessimism in the future. “But I-” “Oh, hush,” Freedom Fighter snapped. “A lady is talking here.” Glad to know. Now, then. I suppose you'd like a ride back to the surface? Freedom Fighter was instantly reminded of the battle above his head. “Yeah, that might be helpful.” Each of the fighting animals, from the tuna to the swordfish, from the jellyfish to the electric eels to the sharks, felt a change come over them. Their brains cleared, and their stomachs now felt normal instead of starving to death. Their eyes stopped glowing red. The influence of the devil over them had been lifted all of a sudden. It made no difference to Coral, who was still hacking and slashing and churning the water around him, filled with a desire to tear and kill. After Freedom Fighter had been dragged into the abyss, he had been inexplicably filled with a desire to destroy every last sea creature he saw. His bone-and-coral sword was out and bloody, and had chipped off on the edges until it was blunt. Aquarius grabbed him by the shoulders from behind after several minutes had passed of him doing this. “Coral!” Coral whipped around and almost beheaded the young mare with a wild swing. Aquarius had ducked at the last minute, and she reached out and shoved the weapon out of his hoof. “Coral! Enough! Can't you see?” “See what?” Coral demanded. “The animals aren't attacking us anymore! They're swimming away from us!” “I don't care!” Coral bellowed. “They took him! I gotta-” “Who's left here?” came a strong, calming voice. Noble Blade appeared out of the water on a soft white pora, restraining its reins with a gentle tug. His face was beleaguered, but anxious. “Is Freedom Fighter with you?” Aquarius scrunched up her face and looked away. “Well, uh,” Coral began, rubbing the back of his head. How could he explain this to him? “In the battle, Freedom Fighter was...” Noble's eyes grew significantly wider. “Tell me!” “He was carried off by a shark!” Aquarius bawled. “I am so sorry! I should have done more to help him! I know he probably meant a lot to you, and I should have watched out, but the shark came out of nowhere and he just-” “No!” Noble interrupted. His eyes glistened. “You did what you could. No one could have seen that coming. You were strong and brave in your own right. He was a good... a very good friend.” His voice grew strained near the end, and he snapped his reins. The pora shot off into the depths. “It's okay to move about now, darling. Come out.” Fluttershy peeked out her head from behind Rarity's shoulder. Though they had been at the center of the formation, they could see faint flashes of light all around them as laser lances were fired and blood was spilled in clots in the pristine blue water. A few times, their escort guards had spotted several swordfish racing right for them. Rarity’s magical shields had saved them, but their guards were the ones who had combated them. Two of the five guards had been skewered in the process, and Fluttershy was grateful the fighting had taken them away from their bodies. Fluttershy, Rarity, and their three remaining escorts were trying to get a bearing on their location relative to everypony else. The fight had broken their lines and scattered the soldiers. It was time to regroup. “Fluttershy!” “Rarity!” The respective voices of Twilight and Pinkie Pie reached their ears from the right. They emerged from the right on weary poras, accompanied by the ebony Sweet, Starlight Glimmer, Applejack, and Spike the pufferfish. “Where's Noble?” Fluttershy asked. A heavy weight began to press in her lungs. If Noble had died-! “He was with Brine,” Twilight remembered. “Firestorm and Rainbow Dash oughta know.” A multicolored flash appeared, and with it came a slightly-less-fast orange blur. Rainbow Dash and Firestorm had regrouped. Both of them had broken their lances early on and held their backup swords tightly in their hooves. “Aww, Fluttershy, were you really here the whole time?” Rainbow casually flicked her meter-long bone blade. “We were up front getting some awesome kills! I got forty-five alone!” “That'd be impressive if it was more than mine,” Firestorm replied, sheathing both of his trademark swords. “My record was fifty-five!” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Show-off.” “What's Noble's score?” Firestorm asked, looking around. “And where is he, anyway-ah! There he is!” Noble Blade emerged from the front on a war-weary white pora slowly, tiredly, with a weight to his gait. “You're okay!” Fluttershy exclaimed in joy, about to swim over to him. But she held herself. There was something about him that worried her. “Are...you okay?” Twilight cautiously asked. Noble Blade looked her in the eye. “Freedom Fighter’s dead.” It was so surreal, so strange to hear. No one was sure he even said those words at first. But very soon, reality hit them all in the gut, and the pain it left there began to bruise. “No.” Firestorm had grown terrifyingly serious. “No, he isn't.” “His mates saw him be carried off by a shark,” Noble explained. “He’s-” “He's not dead!” Firestorm repeated vehemently. “He's alive!” “There's no doubt of what happened!” Noble replied. “Most ponies become shark food at that point!” “Until I see his body, he's alive to me! Why are you so insistent on being that pessimistic?” “I am facing reality here, Storm! Reality is harsh when you receive news like this!” “Okay, look, we don't have any proof that he's dead yet,” Twilight said cautiously. “Maybe he's just far off and didn't get the message to regroup yet.” “Well, he should get here sooner or later,” Applejack said hopelessly. “Otherwise, Ah guess we jus’ gotta... really treat ‘im like he's... gone.” Twilight held a hoof to her heart. Her inhaling was short and ragged. “I can't handle this,” she breathed. “He can't be dead yet. He's gone through too much to die here!” “Don't worry, Twilight,” Pinkie reassured her, rubbing the small of her back. “I'm sure that he's having a lot of fun right n-” All of a sudden she froze up. Her face was fixed in a permanent expression of shock. The imposing Sweet looked concerned for her. “What is she doing?” Pinkie spun around like a top in the water, creating a miniature whirlpool. Then her tongue shot out of her mouth for a ridiculous distance. Finally, her mane curved itself into a big pink ball, and her flippers curled outward. Sweet leaned down to Twilight. “Should I be concerned about this?” He pointed a shaking hoof at Pinkie. “About... her?” “Pinkie, whatcha feelin’ now?” Rainbow asked incredulously. “The battle's already over!” “Something is about to shoot out of nowhere and startle us all!” Pinkie warned. “It’s a Deluxe Size Whopper! That's what I call the spinny-tongue-afro-mane combo. With a little bit of chocolate glaze on the top...” “What’s a whopper?” came the authoritative female voice, and Brine entered the consolidated force. She was picturesque; battle-worn, tattered, dirty, and with a scratched and dirty set of armor. Her face, however, still showed young beauty as she smiled at her soldiers. “You'll see,” Starlight Glimmer told her. “Where's your buddy Freedom Fighter?” Brine asked. When the ivory seapony searched out Noble Blade and saw his melancholy expression, she let out a small gasp of realization and put a hoof to her mouth. “No,” she murmured. “Is your friend really gone-?” A cracking sound, like the earth had been torn asunder in a single stroke, interrupted her, and each of the seaponies looked down. A large crevice had split in the surface of the ocean seabed, and something bright and shiny was rocketing out of it, growing louder and brighter in a few seconds. “It's another demon!” Sweet shouted. He pushed Coral and Aquarius out of the way. “Give ‘im some room! Now!” Each of the members had moved wisely out of harm's way before it erupted. Something, going very fast, popped out of the crack in the seabed, sailed upward, and came to a stop, floating in the center of the circle each of the troops had inadvertently created. That something was a seapony holding a magical object almost the size of a pony’s head. It pulsed with golden and violet light in the seapony's armored hooves. Freedom Fighter was caught looking directly at Noble Blade's astounded face. Noble's gaze came to Freedom Fighter, then the pearl, then to the crack deep in the earth, then back at the dark warrior. Freedom Fighter cleared his throat and twirled the gem like a basketball. “So, I, uh, got the pearl.”