The Admiral raised a hoof, indicating that everypony on the bridge should be silent. Tirek. The name made her uneasy, but she hadn’t the foggiest idea why. She had no reference for the name aside from his voice, and the voice reaching her through the radio was weak. Old, decrepit, but not hopeless. Like many older ponies, he had that determined ire to him, not unlike the Captain.
“I am the Admiral of Algol’s Shadow.” She focused intently on the speaker. “What are you doing here?”
“I sit here in a cell, awaiting the day I may be released of my… extended imprisonment.” The Admiral heard some shuffling, and something scraping against metal. “I have been locked in here far beyond my sentence.”
“You are a prisoner.”
“Unrightly so. There may have been cause to lock me away when Equestria was still around, but I’ve sat here, wasting away ever since the waters came.”
Definitely not a pony. Far too old. The Admiral re-adjusted her mental image to that of a dragon. In her entire life, she had only seen one, and that was from a distance. It had been flying across the sky and nobody had been able to catch up with it. She’d heard of others, but no meetings had occurred. The prospect of talking to one was both concerning and exciting.
But the Admiral wasn’t going to let that excitement distract her.
“What was your crime?”
“I stole the magic from a few ponies. It was not a spell they… respected.”
Can dragons use direct magic? “Do you still know this spell?”
“My dear, that curse you have never entered this place. All the creatures in here who still live have all their magic, including me.”
The Admiral didn’t need to be told how big this was. If there was a spell to take magic away from one source and give it to another, perhaps the Gift could be controlled. No longer would it be random, it could be given to those who deserve it.
The Admiral glanced at her blank flank.
Don’t get sidetracked, this is fishy.
“How do you know about the curse if you’ve been stuck down here for a thousand years?”
“Is that really how long it’s been?” Tirek chuckled. “I have my magic, and even if it is weak without a source, communication spells are no hassle. I have a ‘pen pal’, if you will. What do you call her? Rook?”
The Admiral heard Rook let out a gurgle that might have been happy.
“Yes, Rook. She has been in contact with me on and off for quite some time. She was the only active mind close enough to the Gates of Tartarus I could connect with, so I did. That was quite some time ago. It wasn’t until she found your impressive ship that there was finally a way to free me.”
“...Were you controlling her?”
“No, I have no mind control spells at my disposal. Though I understand if you’re paranoid. I fully expect to be treated like a dangerous prisoner until we return to Sanctaphrax, at which point I will likely be locked away and studied until I earn your trust. I am willing to accept these terms. Anything is better than this doomed prison.”
The Admiral had used the storage containers for magic artifacts as cells before; this would not be the first time a magic creature needed somewhere to be held. The coats at Sanctaphrax had a thing for live specimens. Even so, the Admiral didn’t like how this Tirek seemed to have everything planned out ahead of time. “What do you want besides your freedom?”
“Why, a chance to practice my magic craft once again. Rook tells me you have all sorts of interesting projects on that floating rock of yours. The maps, the rockets, escape from the falling islands… a cure for the corruption.”
The Admiral tried not to act too interested in the rockets. “You can cure corruption?”
“It is magic, and I can remove all magic from anything not protected. It would be a simple matter of taking it all out and putting it somewhere else. I would perform the service on Rook, but she is rather attached to the thing in her head. They’ve lived together for centuries, I’m sure you can understand.”
The Admiral paused. That… what? She turned around to check the faces of her crew, getting looks of confusion alongside that makes a lot of sense. “She has a… thing in her head?”
“The curse, Admiral, she has the curse. The corruption, the wyrdness. It festers in your mind and seeks to take complete control, like a ravenous predator. Which is what the beasts you face are.”
The Admiral took a sharp breath. While this information wasn’t exactly… surprising, it was still horrifying. Was it possible that every wyrd they encountered wasn’t a complete monster, but really had a trapped pony somewhere in there? Did they want to die?
“I doubt there would be anything left if I took the curse away from a full seapony, if that’s what has you so quiet. There is such a thing as too far gone, Admiral.”
The Admiral shuddered, taking a moment to gain her composure. She jumped back to the focus of the conversation. “You will be under armed guard and you will answer all questions we think of.”
“So long as you release me and allow me a meal, I accept.”
“Granite? You may release Lord Tirek if you think you have enough firepower to contain him.”
“He’s just a frail old centaur,” Granite said. “We’ve got him.”
Centaur. Centaur. That was the last thing I would have thought of. What does a Centaur even look like? It’s a cross between a pony and a minotaur…
~~~
Tirek sat on one of the taller spires of Tartarus, looking down on the lava rivers below. Had the spell on Tartarus’ gates not held, the entire cavern would have either filled with water or had the air pressure increase to such an extent that eardrums would pop. It had certainly been a risk blowing that door down...
But he lived. That was all that mattered.
Granite was right, though; he was frail. Shriveled, bony, and covered in wrinkles that made him look as though he were at death’s door. He hated being like this and was eager for a remedy.
As Granite’s boys opened the lock on Tirek’s cage, Rook poked her head out of the tank greeted him with a friendly wave. Shaking, he stumbled out of his cage and met her hoof.
“Thank you for all this,” Tirek told her. The words felt like poison coming out of his mouth, but he had appearances to maintain. “I owe you much.”
Rook saluted and grinned.
“We’re going to tie you up,” Granite said. “Don’t resist.”
“I won’t, but I wish for my meal first.”
“...Food’s back on the Algol.”
“Not that kind of food.” Tirek pointed at a cage on a nearby spire with a still-living crystal crab inside. The crystals sparked with blue energy as the creature tried, in vain, to break free from its prison. Tirek opened his mouth, tapping into the power of his horns… A small red spark appeared above his head, focusing on the crystal crab.
A beam of energy shot from the crab into Tirek as all magic within was converted to his. The crab was barely able to sense what was happening before it fell to the ground, motionless. It was of a kind that could not live without magic.
Tirek himself grew slightly, gaining a healthy amount of red coloration and losing most of the wrinkles. With a grin, he placed his hands behind his back and sank to his knees. “Now that you know I’m telling the truth about my power, we may return to your submarine.”
Granite blinked. “Huh.” He took out a rope and began restraining the strange centaur. “Gonna keep you away from Sparkler. ...If she doesn't charge you herself.”
Tirek grinned, saying nothing. Oh, I hope the situation will change soon, foolish pony. You are lucky I need to be on your good side.
~~~
The Admiral stared at her “guest” from the other side of the empty storage container. The Algol had not been traveling long enough to stock up on resources or treasure, so the massive hold was devoid of everything but Tirek.
He was a centaur. Redder than she’d imagined, but not all that shocking.
Both of them stared at each other, not saying a word.
“...You know, there were not many thestrals in Equestria. I am surprised your line managed to perpetuate itself this long.”
“We had our ways. Good for survival. Not much else.”
“A sore subject?”
“Quite, as I’m sure you don’t wish to talk about your past.”
“Part of the deal was that I would answer any questions. Though, yes, I would prefer not to talk about my past.”
The Admiral nodded. She understood perfectly. Already, she had him judged as a cunning criminal who would probably lie the moment she touched something he didn’t want her to touch, so demanding he speak about his past was likely a fruitless endeavor anyway.
The awkward silence returned to them.
“Maybe you can tell me about Rook?”
“She was born as Cozy Glow, though for some reason I can’t fathom she’s attached herself to the name Rook, calling the voice of the wyrd Cozy instead. Yes, it is quite confusing, but I haven’t been able to convince her to be more reasonable.”
“The voice of the corruption you mentioned earlier? How… what exactly is it? And what makes Rook different?”
“I suspect all cursed creatures have the voice, at first. It’s just that any sane person would fight hoof and claw to get the voice out of their head, which drives them insane. Our mutual friend was not and never has been sane. Her special talent is not playing chess, but treating the world as a chessboard. She didn’t have the weakness the ponies of old had.”
“Which was?”
“Naivete,” Tirek snorted. “Had they been smarter, they could have seen the truth the ‘corruption’ offered them. But no, only a filly born different from the rest could do anything with the darkness, the rest fell to madness because they couldn't accept anything new.” He leaned in. “I would be very curious to see what happens if the wyrd curse resurged in this new era.”
The Admiral frowned, noting the centaur’s clear delusion. “I hope never to find out.”
Tirek shrugged. “I suppose that’s fair. Why take unnecessary risks? The world is already fragile enough as it is.”
“Was it not fragile before?”
“You’d be surprised how a bunch of idiots herding together can make the stupid seem strong,” Tirek grunted. “They had gotten it into their heads that the world was all sunshine and rainbows and, if they were friendly enough, all of their problems would be solved. It didn’t save them from the water.”
“...Did you know the Princesses?”
Tirek snorted. “Yes. I only met two of the three.”
“Three?” The Admiral’s eyes widened. “There were three?”
“Celestia, Luna, and Cadence.”
“Who in the deep blue is Cadence?”
Tirek cackled. “Forgotten by history, apparently. She was Celestia’s little pet project, a ‘Princess of Love,’ if you will. She’d only been around a decade or so before the disaster. I never met her. But the other two…” He scowled. “They were the ones who locked me away. Didn’t take too kindly to the magic of their ponies being stolen.”
“You don’t regret it.”
“Does it matter? What ponies would I steal magic from now? You’re all dead in that sense, save for that Sparkler and the rare Gifted. A few Gifted do not provide enough power. Harvesting artifacts is much more in my interest. I’m told you have a lot of those?”
“It appears it is useless to hide anything from you.”
“Rook told me everything. You were rather open with her.”
I didn’t feel like she could squash me with a laser spell. For all her tricks, she’s just a seapony. You’re something much, much more dangerous.
Something about the Admiral’s face made Tirek break out into a grin. “I assure you, Admiral, you won’t live to regret this. I have much to offer you and your city of scientists. I have lived for millenia, I have more magic knowledge than any pony who has ever lived. And with your help, I can shirk the bonds the ponies of old placed on the practice. You want to do something new? I have the means.”
“My current project does not require your assistance. We have all we need.”
“Aside from Silver’s Eye, but I see your point. But why stop there? Why not go… beyond?” Tirek lifted a hand, snapping his fingers. “The sky is not the limit, Admiral.”
The Admiral narrowed her eyes. He’s trying to get me on his side. Is it working?
Tirek scratched his chin. “We shouldn’t hammer out the details now, I’m sure I’ll have to contend with Iota and that eagar Vespid, bu—”
The Algol shook.
“Admiral to the bridge!” Sparkler shouted over the radio. “We’ve got a problem!”
“On my way! What kind of problem?”
“Big fish problem!”
Joy.
~~~
The beast wasn’t a wyrd.
It was a long, golden eel with numerous rows of teeth, deep purple eyes, and a glowing lure larger than most ponies protruding from its head.
It slapped the Algol’s Shadow with its tail, tossing the submarine to the side. The ballasts righted the submarine within a couple seconds, but at that point the eel had slapped it again.
“How did it sneak up on us!?” The Admiral shouted, falling into the bridge from the side.
“It didn’t, we were keeping tabs on it!” Sparkler called back—currently buckled into her chair so she wouldn’t be thrown around like the Admiral. “A lot of strange stuff was coming out of the Gates, but it wasn’t acting like an aggressive monster... until it was real close!”
“Wyrd are simpler,” the Captain grunted. “This… is something a bit smarter.”
“Get it with a torpedo!” the Admiral ordered.
“Can’t,” Orange said. “An explosion this close would damage the hull.”
It’s going to be too smart to use The Button on it… The Admiral scowled. “Ram it! We’re covered in spikes for a reason! Why haven’t we torn its tail off yet?”
“It’s rolling when it hits,” the Captain answered, all the while turning the Algol according to the Admiral’s orders. “Engineering, I need more power to the forward engines! Everyone else, brace for impact!”
“Those must be some impressive scales…” Sparkler mused. “You’re on track… now!”
There was a rumble as the Captain smashed the Algol’s side into the monstrous fish. The roar it unleashed rang with pain and a tone the Admiral hadn’t ever heard in a sea monster: fear.
It really is just an animal.
“Pull us into a roll!” the Admiral ordered. The Captain pulled the Algol’s control to the left, initiating a controlled spin. The creature howled as the spikes tore through its flesh, opening massive wounds. The water outside began to take on a red tint.
The Algol shuddered backward. The ship’s metallic skeleton groaned, ringing like a massive bell as something punctured the hull with the sound of ripping metal.
All the red lights came on and a siren started blaring. Calls of panic came from the below decks.
“Breach!” Sparkler shouted. “It bit us!”
“Seal it!” the Captain ordered. “The surrounding decks too!”
“Sealing deck…” Orange said. “Sealed.”
“It’s running away,” Sparkler reported. “Running away fast. But the normal deepfish are moving in…”
“Keep torpedos armed and ready,” the Captain ordered. “Everypony else, hold on, I’m getting us out of here.”
The Admiral gripped her chair. “Orange, what’s the damage?”
“Section D7 is flooded,” Orange reported. “If something was strong enough to puncture that wall, that just burst our reserve oxygen tank.”
“...The one we haven’t been using.”
“Precisely.”
“Go assess the damage. I’m staying here in case any of those deepfish get too close. Sparkler, keep pinging. Captain, keep your hoof on that torpedo button, we might need it to distract them.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
~~~
Orange took the Quad out, alone, to assess the damage. Piloting a mini-sub while the Algol was moving at full throttle was difficult, to say the least, and would have been impossible if the Algol was operating at peak efficiency. Luckily, the Algol wasn’t, and Orange cared little for a comfortable ride. The currents wafting over the edge of the Algol jostled the Quad considerably, but Orange kept the craft pointed forward.
He passed the trouble area. Here, many of the Algol’s spikes were covered in bloody uncorrupted flesh, something the submarine had never seen before. Orange was more than a little fascinated by the signs of a living, non-wyrded monster, but that wasn’t what he was here to do, so he ignored it. Noting that one of the spikes was bent, he moved to the real damage.
One of the monster’s massive teeth had punctured the armor directly. Shards of bone littered the impact wound, indicating that the beast had bit off more than it could chew. But the damage was done: the hole was massive and clean, right through the reinforced metal that hid the oxygen tank. A better design would have kept the oxygen further in the Algol, but it was already an experimental craft; not everything was going to be optimized.
Shining a light in, Orange saw a dead earth pony pressed to the back wall. The pressure likely killed him long before he could drown. Orange saw no further signs of casualties aside from the blood of the creature itself.
In summary, the strike was both lucky and unlucky. One because very few ponies would have reason to hang out next to the secondary oxygen tank. The other because that was their secondary oxygen tank. It had been completely full. It was a miracle the thing hadn’t ignited.
Performing a quick calculation, Orange sighed. There probably wasn’t enough air to get back to Sanctaphrax, so they’d have to stop somewhere. The closest place equipped to deal with them was Baltimare, and the crew was not going to be happy about that. Even though it was the most logical course of action.
As Orange was contemplating how to explain the logic of stopping in Baltimare, a flash of pink startled him. Rook. She was swimming in and out of the hole nervously, examining the sharp edges and poking the hunks of eel flesh. The way she was gesturing, it was almost like she was talking to someone.
Tirek, possibly? Likely, even. He was the one she saved...
However, Orange found studying her to be of no use. She was just like him: there to report on damages and what had happened.
There were two bosses on the Algol now.