“Why in the fresh fish frick are there landmines down here?!” I nearly flipped my lid. These black, spiky balls of explosive death had no business down here. Something was up, and it was on us to figure it out.
Guttersnipe swam down towards the floor of the ocean, and beckoned me to come after her. “These are limpet mines. Powered by magnetism and set off either remotely or by a fuse. We should avoid them due to the fact that our blood contains very small traces of iron. We won’t be drawn in, but they’ll be set off if we get too close.”
Good points. I could always count on Guts to know what sorts of deadly weaponry that the enemy had at their disposal. But if I recalled correctly, these types of mines had been outlawed for a long time due to trade route issues and ships getting nuked out of the water. Why were they even here??
“Makes sense,” I replied as I swiveled my way through the water to meet her, “But who could have placed them here? These things are no longer being produced….right?” I looked at Gutsy for verification. She was the expert on these explosive things--not me.
Thankfully, she came through with an explanation. “That’s right. Ever since the wars of the previous centuries, explosives such as bombs and mines have become prohibited after they caused way too much destruction to surrounding areas like ports where pirates used to attack. That’s why everyone mostly focuses on magic instead of the grisly nature of history. It’s...easier to forget about things if we pretend they don’t exist.” She finished that sentence with air air of loss akin to missing a close friend.
Well damn. That wasn’t very good. But I could understand why to an extent. Ponies on the whole were very docile. (Almost too docile). And development of things such as that could lead to the creation of nuclear weapons. Something that none of us needed.
“Yeah, I understand. So do you think Grogar could have possibly started to develop these things with his magic?”
“It’s possible, yeah,” she replied and took a deep breath. We were finally out of that floating minefield and close to Seaquestria. “Whew. There we go. Hm…”
Her confusion piqued my interest, so I waded towards her. “What’s the matter, Guts?”
“I think it’s possible that this entire field has Seaquestria surrounded…”
I looked out into the distance, but the seawater didn’t allow me to see that far. It was all a blur with some rocky formations of coral. “But I don’t see anything.”
“Think about it, Quick. Seaponies are among some of the friendliest races in the world. They would have detected, and come out to see us by now.” She pointed a hoof at the black spikeballs, “But instead, these things have them all locked in here. Prisoners in their own home.”
I scowled, and grit my teeth. “Diabolical...but what advantage could he gain by locking this territory down. Gah...there must be something here that we’re missing.”
“Think Cozy might know?” she raised a brow at me. “Or could it have something to do with the curse you’ve been inflicted with?”
“...Completely plausible,” I mumbled and placed a hoof against my chest. I could feel my heart beat at an erratic pace. “Ngh...ack…” I coughed, which let out some air bubbles that floated to the surface.
Guts put a hoof on my shoulder. “Hey. You alright? If you’re not feeling well, we can head back.”
I stowed my pain, and shook my head. “Absolutely not. If there’s a way we can kill a flock of birds with a single stone, then we should take it. Besides, if there’s a way we can help the Seaponies/Hippogriffs, then we can get help in return.”
Guttersnipe’s eyes darted back and forth in a subtle, concerned way as she mulled over what I said. She knew as well as I that certain things had to be done for the good of others. She shut her eyes, nodded, and opened them with newfound gusto. “Alright, I’m with ya. But if things get hairy, then my contact on the surface will be ready to bail us out.”
I tilted my head. My tailfin wriggled with curiosity. “Eh? You had someone tail us and watch our backs? Dammit Guts...but that’s clever, girl.”
“I know it is.” She ‘reclined’ on her back while floating in the water, and folded her hooves with a snide grin on her face. “And you already know her, and she knows us pretty well so things are gonna go smoothly if we need her help.”
On the beach at the surface of the water, a certain somepony kept watch from a beach chair, a drink, and an umbrella to compliment her shades.
“Take a chill pill, Tavi. I promised that I’d be home before it gets dark,” the white unicorn DJ said over her earpiece. She had on a tropical blue and purple shirt with neon pink hibiscus flowers patterned all over. “I’m on a job for a work buddy! You know how it is...yes, I’ll bring you back some coconuts from the beach...aw, don’t make me say it...gah, fine. I love you. Now don’t call again! This line has to stay open for emergencies.” With the push of a button, she shut it off. “Jeebus, why does she gotta be so concerned? Then again, I can’t hate. I’d be all over her the same way. Anyhow, back to work…”
Back underwater…
I had no issue. Vinyl was a trustworthy companion to have on such an operation. “Sounds good to me. Now let’s get going.”
And so we swam deeper into the territory of the Seaponies until we were finally greeted by a pair of deep blue Seapony guardsmares who wielded tridents as weapons.
“State your business,” the first one called out to us.
I spoke up first. “We’re here to see your leader. Is he available?”
“Maybe,” the other Seapony mare replied with a hint of annoyance.
The doors to the underwater palace opened up, and we saw a large, muscular Seapony stallion who had a pearlescent white coat, and a mane that shone a hefty shade of cyan exit to greet us. “Stand down, you two. These are guests, and we shall treat them with respect, understood?”
The guards backed off, and replied in unison. “Yes, Lord Terramar.”
“Now then,” he took a bow, and flashed a rather inviting smile, “Welcome to the realm of Seaquestria. I’m Lord Terramar. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. And you both are?”
I couldn’t help but stare. The guy was a hunk, I had to be honest. Guttersnipe was equally awestruck. We both stood--er, floated there with forced smiles on our faces.
“...Why is he so hot?” Guts muttered to me without any lip movement.
“Shush-shush-shush!” I chastised her under my breath, also no lip movement, “We’re here on business here. Don’t screw it up.” I cleared my throat, and shook off my nerves to speak more clearly. “Thank you, Lord Terramar. We’re here to help, and we’re hoping that you can help us in return. Are you aware of the swarm of naval mines that surround your homeland’s borders?”
The large Seastallion sighed. “Ugh...we’ve been trying to deal with those for the past month. But they have been an endless thorn in our side. We can’t even leave our home for risk of causing damage to the surrounding area. It’s a miracle that you mares even made it down here.”
What?! They knew about this and haven’t been able to do anything?! Dammit...Grogar just gets more and more crafty with his nonsense.
But I had a plan.