Effect
The soreness in her back made Sweetie Belle cringe. She groggily wondered why her bed was so stiff and tried to flop over on her stomach to grab her pillows. But, rather than the cushiony softness she was used to, her elbow thunked against a hard wood floor.
Sweetie shot up in her indigo sleeping bag and rubbed her elbow while biting back a curse. She was well aware of what her mother thought of Rarity’s ‘sewing incident’ words and wasn’t eager to have soap for breakfast. Again.
Her stomach grumbled as she thought of breakfast, pushing the banged elbow out of her mind. A few blinks and one yawn later, she’d swept aside the last bits of sleep from her eyes and looked around the dim room. Memories of the previous day slowly came back to her. She remembered she was spending the weekend at Apple Bloom’s house; her elbow had been enough of a jog to her memory of that. Then there had been dinner… some role playing… and then a bit of an argument. She winced at that last memory.
Apple Bloom’s brother, Big Macintosh, had stormed into the room to see what all the noise was about and had told them that if they didn’t quiet down and turn in for the night he would be happy to escort them home. That had ended the argument pretty quickly.
Sweetie Belle frowned. If it hadn’t been for Scootaloo walking us right into that trap… She reached up and pushed her frazzled pink-and-purple mane out of her eyes so she could glare at the lumpy cerulean sleeping bag across the room. In one fluid motion she twisted around, grabbed her pillow in her teeth, and flung it at her sleeping friend. Sweetie watched, smirking, as the pillow hit the largest lump. The sleeping bag squirmed around until Scootaloo’s head popped out of the opening.
“Ugh. I’m up, I’m up.” Scootaloo stuck her forelegs out to stretch but curled back up quickly, grabbing her side and grimacing.
Sweetie Belle bit her lip and glanced between her pillow and the curled up pegasus across the room. She pulled herself out of her sleeping bag and trotted over. “Um… sorry, Scoots. I didn’t think I threw it that hard.”
Scootaloo turned and blinked up at the unicorn standing beside her. “Huh?” She looked at the pillow by her before curling up again, sucking air between her teeth. “Why did you… Oh, forget it. No, this isn’t anything you did.” Scootaloo grunted and wrapped her forelegs around her chest. “Wing cramp. Rainbow says this is something that happens to young pegasi.”
“Well, uh, is there anything I can do to help?” Sweetie whispered. She leaned in a moment later, speaking even quieter, “And we need to keep it down. Apple Bloom’s still asleep.”
“Sure, actually that would be awesome. Just…” Scootaloo tilted her head towards her back and lifted her right wing. “Just put the tip of your hoof in the muscle there behind the wing joint. When you feel a knot just push down on it and rub it in a circle.”
Sweetie shrugged and placed her hoof there.
“Ngh, you need to press harder, Sweetie, otherwise it won’t work loose.”
“Shh!” Sweetie hissed. “Don’t wake up Apple Bloom!”
“I ain’t asleep no more. Uh, ya two need a moment?”
Sweetie gasped and looked up. Apple Bloom was sitting up in her bed, smirking down at them. Sweetie could feel herself starting to blush. “I’m just helping out as asked! And, you know…” she frowned and turned back to massaging Scootaloo’s flight muscle, “to make up for last night.”
Scootaloo turned to look directly at the pillow by her sleeping bag.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “And to make up for the pillow thing, too. I hope you don’t get into any trouble because of me, Apple Bloom.”
“Same here, AB. We were kinda out of line.”
Apple Bloom waved a hoof and yawned. “Nah, it ain’t no big deal. Big Mac will probably talk with me about it, but if y’all apologize first that probably wouldn’t hurt.” She sniffed the air. “Look, you two finish what you’re doin’ and come on downstairs. I’m gonna freshen up and head on down for some breakfast. I can already smell Granny’s pancakes.”
The other two sniffed as well. The scent of fruit and batter hung in the air. Sweetie’s stomach growled like a timber wolf.
Apple Bloom grinned as she stepped around her friends and out into the hall. “Well put, Sweetie Belle. Well put.”
Sweetie shook her head and sighed before returning her attention to Scootaloo.
The room lit up with orange light, giving Hale and Starbright a clear view of their captors. Twelve diamond dogs stood in the room, not counting the four sprawled across the netting, the pink one on the stool, and the familiar pile of grey fur and muscle that was Pewter. Standing by the stool, Pewter narrowed his eyes and shifted a rope slung over his back to his other shoulder. Each of the gang members wore a different style of vest or coat but only the seated one wore a hat: a black felt cap studded with uncut jewels that shook as he chuckled.
“Pewter, you almost had me worried.”
The gray diamond dog frowned and pushed his spectacles further up his nose. “Those two’re more powerful than they look, Gem.” He pointed a paw at the diamond dogs on the net. “You four! Keep yer mitts on that net if ya knows what’s good for ya.”
Hale struggled beneath the dog pile. “Nnngh, when I get free of your goons I’ll show you something to worry about!”
Gemcap chuckled. “You’ll get your chance, soon enough.” He gestured to the two gang members by the entrance. “Slate, Slag, why don’t you escort our… ‘friend’ in.”
Hale’s and Starbright’s eyes went wide as Sea Mist was lead into the room. Tears were streaming down her muzzle as two diamond dogs shoved her onto the ground in front of Gemcap’s stool.
Gemcap pulled the pipe out of his mouth and blew a stream of smoke at the green pegasus. “Be careful,” he said. He sat up straight in his stool and looked around the room. “Does it sound like we’ve got another hero on our paws here, fellows?” There were a few grunts and chuckles from the diamond dogs. Gemcap looked back down at the mare. “I’m tempted to let you stay and see how we dissuade heroes.” He sneered for a moment before turning to Pewter. “Go ahead and give her her kid back. A deal’s a deal, right?”
Pewter grunted in response and hefted the rope off his shoulder. A forest green pegasus filly, her hooves and wings bound, swung from the other end. Pewter gently set the pony down, untied the ropes, and nudged her towards her mother. The filly galloped, crying, into her mother’s waiting hooves.
Gemcap pointed at the door. “Now go. And tell everyone you can exactly what happens when you cross us.” He turned back to Hale and Starbright as Sea Mist fled with her filly. “As for you two…” He gestured at the diamond dogs pinning them down. “Bring them inside, it’s time we taught them a lesson.”
The net around Hale and Starbright went taut, squishing them into a ball as the diamond dogs formed a large chain bag out of the net. Hale tried to kick their captors but with so little room to move she could only graze one diamond dog’s shoulder. Pewter pushed open a door and the two were carried deeper into the warehouse.
Lanterns lit the large room they were taken into, the light glinting off chain mesh dangling from the walls and ceiling. Another group of diamond dogs who had been sitting on crates stood as the group came in. In the center of the floor was a huge metal and glass hatch over inky water below. On the left, between two of the larger gang members, stood a massive, bluish-black statue.
The statue towered above the diamond dogs. A long, smooth and coiled tail made up more than half of the form, with a dorsal fin studded with curved spines winding along its back. Large, flat scales ran along the underside of the tail. Larger, bony scales on the upper half glistened in the dim light. Its arms, each the width of a pony’s barrel, were folded across its chest. The head tapered to a rounded point with a crest for the end of its dorsal fin. Rather than the dark blue of its body, the eyes were a solid coal black. It wore a blank, disdainful scowl.
The diamond dogs hauled Hale and Starbright to the middle beneath the looming statue and were quickly surrounded as the gang formed up in a ring around the pair, cracking their knuckles and grinning toothily. Gemcap paced the inside of the ring until he reached the base of the statue and turned to face Hale and Starbright.
“You two,” he said, jabbing the stem of his pipe in their direction, “were given a friendly warning but you chose to ignore it. I admit we underestimated you. So, I guess we need to give a better lesson in meddling with the Gemcaps!”
Some of the diamond dogs let out barking laughs. Hale took the opportunity to lean closer and whisper to Starbright, “I saw your horn light up earlier but nothing happened. More magic problems?”
Starbright gritted her teeth and nodded. “I tried to teleport but it felt like slamming into a wall. While they’re holding something it seems I can’t affect it or pass through it.”
Gemcap raised a paw and the gang fell silent. “Alright, ponies, if one of us wasn’t enough to get the message across, let’s see how many it takes before it sinks in. When we’re done and we toss your sorry hides out of town we expect you to stay gone!”
Starbright took a deep breath as she prepared to shout her response.
“No,” a deep voice rumbled from above. “I have a more permanent sssolution. Open the hatch.”
The jaws of both ponies dropped as they looked up at the creature towering above Gemcap. The ‘statue’ had uncoiled, risen up on its serpentine body, and was pointing a claw at the middle of the room. “I allowed you to try and sssolve things your way and you failed.”
Gemcap spun around and looked up. “B-but Lord Strasyx! You said there would be no killing!”
Strasyx whipped the back of his claw across Gemcap’s side, knocking him onto the floor. “Insssolent dog!” the creature’s lips pulled back, revealing rows of needle-like teeth, as he roared. “Now follow my orders or it’ll be your family that goes under the waves!”
The diamond dogs had expressions varying from fear to rage as they stared up at the massive creature. Pewter knelt down to help Gemcap up but the diamond dog just waved him off and stood, clutching at the new red stripes on his side. He turned away from the ponies and pulled his hat further down his brow. “Alright, gang,” he muttered, “we have our orders.”
Pewter frowned, his sunken eyes staring up at the grinning Strasyx, as he motioned towards the gang members around the ponies. One of the diamond dogs holding the chains growled softly, but the four hefted Hale and Starbright back up. Hale and Starbright began to struggle again as they were raised but the netting held them too tightly.
Starbright whimpered and grasped at Hale as they were carried closer and closer to the hatch. “Hale… I-I can’t swim!”
Two gang members pulled open the hatch while the four carrying the ponies hauled Hale and Starbright over the opening.
Hale, with great difficulty, managed to work her forehooves up to hold Starbright’s head still while she stared into her eyes. “Listen. We’ll find a way out of this. What I need you to do is to take a deep breath and, most importantly, don’t panic.”
“What are you hounds waiting for?!” Strasyx bellowed, his voice loud and hissing. “Toss them in already! And hold down the hatch or the unicorn might get out.” He turned to Gemcap. “As for you, Gemcap, come; it is time to tell you the next phase of the plan.”
As Gemcap followed Strasyx out of the room the diamond dogs released their hold on the chain netting, dropping it and the two mares into the water below the hatch. Starbright’s cheeks puffed up as she inhaled deeply right before the two hit the water.
They could barely hear the hatch slamming down above their heads as they plunged into the water, bubbles streaming up to the surface. Hale wrapped a foreleg around Starbright’s torso and used the other to push the chain netting off of them. Starbright squeezed her eyes shut and shivered in her grasp as the netting slid off. Hale couldn’t blame her; the water was freezing. No longer being pulled down by the chains, Hale flared her wings and pulled Starbright with her to the surface.
The unicorn coughed and blew water out of her snout while Hale held her up. She clung tightly and tried to imitate her companion’s kicking. “This—” Starbright grumbled, whipping her head to get her fuchsia mane out of her eyes. “This is why ponies are not meant to swim!”
Hale looked around the room, wincing every time one of Starbright’s kicks hit her back legs. The space under the hatch was a cylinder about half the width of the room above. The water level was less than a meter below the hatch and glass walls ran down below but the darkness made it impossible to see beyond them. “Hey, Star.”
“—and it’s not like we have webbed hooves or anything! And our coats are all wrong for being in water: we soak it up like a sponge if we’re in too long and—”
“Star.” Hale shook the unicorn.
“—all this salt is just going to absolutely ruin my mane. I’ll be brushing it out forever! Not to mention—”
“Star!”
“—and by the Moon Mare’s haunches it’s Starbright! One. Word. Not two!” Starbright’s eyes reflected a greenish light as she glared at Hale.
The pegasus blinked. “Um, huh? Wait, what? I was going to say we could probably use that light spell about now…” she trailed off as she looked around again. She could see further beyond the glass to stone walls of the flooded basement. The entire room was glowing with a pale green light. She cocked an eyebrow and looked around while Starbright continued to rant. Glancing down, she saw a glowing orb hanging from a long, thin spine attached above two glossy black eyes and a maw full of long, thin teeth rushing up from below.
“Starbright! Deep breath time!” Hale threw the unicorn away from her and dove in the opposite direction.
“That’s bet—” the unicorn shouted before hitting the water and sinking swiftly.
Hale felt the broad head of the giant angler fish ram into her haunch as she managed to barely curl her hind legs away from the fish’s jaws. Its teeth snagged on the hem of Hale’s cloak as it swam past, yanking hard at the cloth and pulling the pegasus down. Bubbles streamed out of her muzzle as the cloak’s clasp dug into her neck, choking her. Quickly her hooves reached up and hit the clip, releasing the cloak.
The fish thrashed for a moment before shaking the cloth free from its jaws. It flipped around in the water and dove towards the flailing unicorn.
Hale bared her teeth. She swam to the surface, took a deep breath, flipped over, and planted her back hooves on the ceiling. She kicked off the next instant, diving down at the fish. Her forehooves connected with its side and she flipped again. Hale grabbed Starbright and bucked downward, hitting the stunned fish. The two shot upward as the fish slammed into the stone below.
Starbright coughed out water as soon as they hit the surface. “Hale! Hale!” She clawed at the air.
Hale held her steady. “I’m right here. Calm down and breathe.” She looked down. The angler fish was swimming in a lopsided circle near the bottom.
“Every time I try to breathe I end up with a mouthful of ocean!” Star shouted, panting, before looking down herself. “And what the hay is that thing?!”
“Fish.”
Starbright stopped struggling and brushed her mane out of her eyes. “…You don’t say.”
“I think it’s stunned, though. Hey, do you think you could, you know, magic it away or something?”
The unicorn glanced up at the hatch. A pair of diamond dogs stood on the glass. “Two of them holding the hatch, I won’t be able to teleport anything outside of here.” She noticed something else. “They… seem to be arguing, though.”
Hale looked up as well. One of the diamond dogs was yelling at the other. He shook his head, pointed down at the hatch and then walked out of sight. “Huh, well, we’re down to one, now.” Hale glanced down and saw the fish starting to swim faster. “Okay, Fins down there seems to be waking up. Can you at least hold it down?”
“Foal’s play.” Starbright’s horn glowed even brighter than the fish’s orb. Strands of glowing kelp materialized from the stone floor and shot up to grab the fish but it just tore right through them. Silvery blue runes suddenly appeared on both sides of its dorsal fin as the magical kelp faded away. “No!” Starbright cried. “Well sod it all,” she growled. “I brought a backup plan anyway.”
Her horn glowed again and the straps holding her saddlebags closed slipped out of the open buckles. Four metal discs levitated out in the lilac glow of her telekinesis and began to rotate around her in the water. “As an instructor of mine once said, if you can’t entwine them—” one of the discs shot up to just above the surface of the water as she lifted a hoof “—beat them.” Starbright brought her hoof down.
The disc sliced through the water and shattered some of the angler’s scales as it crashed into it, knocking it into the opposite side of the enclosure. The disc bounced back and began drifting down to the floor. The fish, however, was not beaten and began thrashing as it looked up at the two.
Hale shook her head. “I think you’re just making it mad. Its hide is as tough as an old tire.”
Apple Bloom looked at the orange pegasus. “Uh, Scootaloo, they ain’t got tires. This here’s a fantasy settin’.”
Sweetie Belle giggled into her hoof.
“Oh, yeah, right.” Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head. “What I meant was—”
“—as tough as iron.”
Starbright frowned and launched the remaining three at the fish, each one slamming it against the glass wall of the chamber. “Fine, then. Do you have any other ideas?”
“Hit it till it stops moving?”
Starbright rolled her eyes. “I’m afraid we’ll probably tire out before that monstrosity does.” She peered down at the fish; it’s swimming becoming steadier by the moment. “It seems to be recovering already, actually.”
Following her partner’s eyes, Hale looked at the fish as it rose more cautiously towards them and swore under her breath.
“And anyway,” Starbright continued, “it can actually breathe down there if it needs to rest.” Her eyes went wide. “Air! That’s it! Hale, would you mind keeping that thing busy for a few moments?”
Hale looked between the rising mass of fins and fangs and the grinning unicorn. “You can’t be serious. You’ll drown if I let you go for too long!”
“Then you’ll get to rescue me again. That’s what you soldier types get your kicks from anyway, right? Off I go!” Starbright kicked out of Hale’s grasp and immediately sunk into the water.
Hale dove in after her.
The fish lunged at Starbright but jerked away as her horn flared to life. A ring of bubbles formed around the unicorn and settled around her head, forming a sphere of air. She beamed at Hale as she continued to descend, horn glowing brighter.
Apple Bloom read the note Sweetie Belle had passed her again. “Y’all sure about this, Sweetie? I mean, ya can try but that’s gonna be a doozey of a roll.”
Sweetie already had her hoof over the top of her dice cup. She nodded and began to shake the cup.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “Alright, then. Give it a go.”
Hale used her wings like fins and banked out of the way of the angler’s charge. She tried to kick it as it went by but her hooves only grazed its tail. The angler fish flipped over and shot back at Hale. Pain exploded in her as it caught her wing in its mouth.
A stream of bubbles rushed out of her muzzle as she tried to scream. The fish dragged her down towards the bottom where the water was starting to glow. She flailed against its strength, struggling to pull herself free as she looked at Starbright for help, bubbles still rising from her muzzle.
The unicorn stood perfectly still on the floor of the cylinder. Bubbles were pouring out of the floor, walls, and straight from the water itself. Her glowing eyes and horn cast the entire room in brilliant lilac light. The bubble around her and the temperature of the water grew with each moment.
The angler opened its mouth in a gasping motion. The instant it did, Hale yanked her wing out and kicked off of the floor, rushing to the surface. She gasped down air before looking back down. The angler fish was right below her, unmoving, its mouth gulping again and again. Hale kicked her legs down, hitting the fish above its eyes and knocking it back down. It flailed around in the water, circled about, and bolted right back up towards her. Hale kicked again, pushing it down a second time. She dragged a hoof across her sweating brow. She blinked at the steaming water around her as she felt it growing hotter and hotter.
Hale tried looking down at Starbright but found she couldn’t stare directly at the glowing sphere below. However, she did notice the fish coming up a third time and pulled her hind legs back for another strike.
Suddenly, the fish stopped. It gulped two more times, turned sideways, and sank to the bottom of the cylinder.
As the light faded from Starlight’s magic an enormous air bubble rose up from the bottom. Hale found herself pinned to the ceiling for a moment as the compressed air broke the surface and rushed past her, blowing open the hatch. Hale flicked water from her wings with a grin and looked down for her companion.
Starbright lay beside the angler fish. Her body was limp – motionless in the depths.
Hale’s eyes went wide. With a cry, she dove back down. Her hooves and wings propelled her faster than they ever had before, yet it felt like an eternity while watching the unmoving body of Starbright. She scooped her up as fast as she could and kicked off the bottom, rushing towards the surface. Water erupted upwards as they launched straight out of the hatch.
The room was quiet and empty. The only light came through the door they had entered through. Gemcap had left the oil lamp burning.
Hale set Starbright down on her side and started the first aid techniques she had been taught in training.
“Come on, Star, breathe!”
She blew air into the unicorn’s muzzle and continued compressions. Moments later Starbright shook and coughed up water.
Hale smiled and reached over to pull Starbright’s mane out of her eyes. “That’s better; get it all out.”
Starbright coughed out another mouthful of water. Her eyes opened and rolled around for a moment before finally settling on Hale’s face.
“H-Hale.” Starbright coughed, pulling her legs against her. She tried to stand only to have Hale gently push her back to the ground.
“Shh… shh… Just relax and breathe. Don’t try to talk yet. None of the Gemcaps have come back to check on the noise, or that, that thing, but I’m going to take a look around. Will you be alright for a bit?”
Starbright tried to nod but instead sputtered out more seawater, gasping for air afterwards.
Hale smiled and spread her wings. “Yeah, just keep doing that. I’ll be back shortly.”
Minutes passed as Starbright continued to get the water out of her lungs. Hale spent the time flying around the room and checking the rest of the building but no further trace of the gang could be found. She returned to Starbright. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’ve had better days,” Starbright croaked, scowling. “I hate the ocean. I hate fish. And I think I just hate water overall! I’m never setting hoof in so much as a puddle again!”
Hale frowned and stamped her hoof. “Wrong. Tomorrow I start teaching you how to swim.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes were wide as she stared at her character sheet. “I-I almost—”
Apple Bloom folded up the Quetzals & Caves screen and nodded. “I warned ya that if ya go over your magic pool y’all’d take physical damage.”
“Still! That was amazing!” Scootaloo reached over to hoofbump the unicorn filly. “Critical success! I think that should be our new battle cry. How’d you get the idea to pull the air out of the water, anyway?”
Sweetie returned the hoofbump and sighed. “I, um… I’m not allowed to have goldfish anymore.”
Apple Bloom chuckled. “Well, I’ll calculate y’all’s experience up tomorrow durin’ recess. Oh, go ahead and mark two points of weakness in Starbright’s hydrophobia flaw there, Sweetie.”
Sweetie sighed again and filled in the bubbles.
Scootaloo leaned back on her stool and rubbed her head. “So, um, the diamond dogs are still the bad guys, right?”
Apple Bloom glanced up. “What do ya mean, Scoots?”
“Well, that part where big whatshisname was, like—”
“Strasyx,” said Sweetie.
Scootaloo frowned and crossed her forelegs. “Yeah, him. It sounded like he was threatening them or something.”
“Well, what do y’all think about it? Maybe ‘good’ and ‘bad’ aren’t as cut n’ dry as ya might think.”
“Duh! We’re the good guys so our enemies are the bad guys.” Scootaloo sat up straight and tapped her hoof against the table with each word. “That’s how it works!”
“Um, Scootaloo, it’s not really a big deal, Apple Bloom’s only starting to get into things, I’m sure.”
The orange pegasus waved her hoof towards Sweetie Belle. “Fine. Whatever. So long as the bad guys get what’s coming to them.”
Apple Bloom grinned. “I’m just runnin’ the game, it’s y’all that make the decisions. We’ll see how things go from there. Now, I dunno about y’all but I’m starvin’. Anypony up for hittin’ Sugarcube Corner afore y’all gotta go home?”
“Count me in!” Sweetie smiled as she finished packing up her saddlebags. “I hear the Cakes are making some amazing lemon custard ice cream!”
Scootaloo’s dour expression melted into a wide grin. “As long as it comes in a milkshake I’ll give it a try!”
Apple Bloom helped her friends carry their things downstairs to Scootaloo’s wagon and in minutes the three were bouncing down the road to Ponyville.
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Great chapter! I always get excited to see an update on this story keep up the good writing.
that made me chuckle
Yay! I love this story, this update really cheered me up. Thanks.
I haven't played a Hero system game yet, but I get the feeling Quetzals and Caves is set up like that, rather than a standard d20 game. Even close to the mark?
Nothing in the world is quite as sweet as getting your first natural 20.
Makes me wish I knew how to play d&d.
It's that good