The Monsters She Lost

by Lost Deep

Dive

May Showers, Ms. May to her friends, was fond of life at sea. The wind in her hair, the boat under her feet… it was hard work, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She managed the clouds and wind around the ship, controlling the weather to be sure that it worked for the ship instead of against it, on top of all the work that she did as a sailor. She found it rewarding, all said and done.

This morning, after making her morning weather round, May found herself examining the device that they had brought along with them. It was like a huge metal bell, but with windows around the sides, and one big window across the bottom of the bell. A hose was connected to the top, which was connected to a pump on the boat. There was also a thick cord that would let the bell be suspended from a crane on the ship. The ‘diving bell’ was a marvel of modern engineering, and would (in theory) permit a pair of ponies to venture into the depths of the ocean to examine the creatures down there.

“I don’t get why we brought the thing along,” a voice behind May said. She turned around to see Pearl Dive, a unicorn whose gift was undersea exploration. “I would think it’d be easier to make a spell to protect ponies from the pressure than making a big chunk of metal and throwing it down there, having to pump air down from the surface.” He shook his head slightly. “Or at least work some kind of spells into in to make it recycle air. I know they can do that.”

May shrugged. “I’m sure there’s a reason not to. You’d have to ask that professor, he’d likely be willing to give you an explanation.”
Dive shook his head stronger. “No, thank you. There’s a good chance that he’d start talking about the mating habits of manta rays halfway through. And I’m not so sure he does have an explanation. Between you and me, I think he’s on the mad side of science, you know?”

May rolled her eyes. “You say that about any eccentric that gets on the ship. Come on, not all geniuses are-”

“Pearl Dive!” Pearl Dive spun around and stood at attention, with May Showers joining him after a moment. They saw their captain, Captain Captain (for Captain was his family name) walking toward them. The grizzled grey earth pony has been at sea longer than the two of them put together, and if the rumors were true he was born and raised on a boat. As soon as he was sure he had the unicorn’s attention, he started giving orders. “Pearl Dive, I want you to go under and find a good place to use the professor’s diving bell. Take someone with you, of course, and this time try not to get distracted.”

Pearl Dive nodded. “Will do, Captain.” He tuned to May, smiling. “Want to come with me, Ms. May?”

May suppressed a giggle. “I’d love to, Dive!”

The pair jumped overboard quickly enough, and got good and wet before Dive cast the spell. They dove under the surface, and looked around. May stretched her wings out; she was used to swimming with them. Most pegasi hated water, or at least weren’t terribly fond of it, but once you got used to moving underwater wings were very useful.

“I still can’t get over how weird it feels to breathe water,” she admitted to Dive as they followed the anchor chain down, towards the ocean floor. “And my voice sounds so weird in water. It’s always nice to go down with you, though,” she admitted.

“Yeah, it’s nice to have someone to go down with,” Dive agreed, “a lot of people get squeamish over it, either having heard about all the dangers of the deep or getting worried about the bends. I mean, come on people! Lots of diving spells defend against the bends, I know mine does, and the creatures aren’t bad if you know what you’re doing. As long as you don’t dive near Austailia, that is. Those oceans are a nightmare.” He gave and exaggerated shudder and then came to a stop, grabbing onto the ship’s anchor’s chain. “Hey, look over there!” He pointed into the distance.

May came to a stop, and peered through the water. It wasn’t terribly murky, so she could just barely see… “Is that a reef?”

“I think it is!” Pearl Dive said, and started in that direction. May followed, eager to see the kinds of creatures that lived in this coral reef. Each one was a bit different, owning to the currents, the temperature, and the magic in the area. The captain’s order to not get distracted was quickly forgotten, as the pair rushed forward to see what wonders awaited them.

They were not disappointed. The found giant fishes, as large as ponies, with reflective scales on the side that made it like a living mirror. A school of fish that moved together, their scales glistening in the light, looking like a rainbow swimming through the ocean. One section of coal actually got up and moved around; it turned out to be growing on the back of a giant crab! They saw several small sharks, a giant jellyfish that appeared to be living in harmony with a group of very small fish… it was all so amazing. Corals fanned the seawater, plucked at the currents, and filtered the water. Lobsters met, fought, made up, and then signed up for wrestling tournaments.

Ms. May laughed as she saw the wonders around her. This never got old. It was all so beautiful. “You know,” she said to the nearby Pearl Dive, “I keep expecting to come down here and see Sea Ponies. I know they’re only a legend, but with what I’ve seen down here I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Pearl Dive nodded at her, before turning to watch a long eel swim by, its scales back as night with starlike specks on them. “I sometimes wonder if sea ponies are too mundane for the ocean. They’d actually be one of the less fantastic things I’ve seen down here. Watch yourself,” he said as he pointed at Ms. May’s hoof. She looked down to see some kind of blue tentacle poking out of a hole in the reef, moving toward her right back hoof.

“Good eyes, thanks,” she said, carefully moving her hoof out of the way. The tentacle didn’t take well to that, as it lashed out suddenly to wrap around Ms. May’s leg. May frowned at it, and tugged against it. “Hey! Let go!” She pulled, but couldn’t convince it to let go so easily. Five more tentacles reached out of the hole, and joined the first around her hoof, making sure the creature had a good grip. As May pulled, she pulled the creature closer to the opening of the hole… close enough that she could see a pointed beak and a pair of black, glassy eyes. That was enough for her, she panicked. Her wings flapped, pushing her away from the reef, pulling the creature out of its hole. It had a snail shell, but she didn’t see much more than that as she swung her leg around trying to get it off.

“Hold still! Let me get it,” Pearl Dive said, catching the creature in his magic. When it realized that it was being pulled on, it let go of Ms. May and retreated into its shell. Pearl frowned at it. “That’s enough of you,” he said, throwing it over a small hill in the reef.

May took a minute to catch her breath. “You know,” She said, pointing off one way away from the reef. “I think that drop-off over there would be a good place to test the bell. It’s deep, there are animals to see, all that good stuff.”

Pearl Dive nodded “That sounds good. Let’s head back up and let them know we’ve found a place.”

Together, the pair swam back to the boat. The boat, like many pony boats, had a simple ladder built into the back, so that they could climb up without needing anyone to throw them lines. Once up there, Ms. May took a minute to wring out her wings and mane, as she didn’t want to leave too much water in them. When sea water dried it left a layer of salt, and that could gunk up a mane or a pair of wings fast. Of course, even after managing herself that she’d have to have Doc run a cleaning spell over her to make sure she was in top flying shape next time she needed to manage the weather. That was one thing that Pearl Dive hadn’t made a spell for. May looked over at Dive, still sopping wet, telling the captain when they had found. Pearl Dive was a swell guy, but he could afford to take better care of his coat, Ms. May thought to herself.

“You have found a suitable place to test my creation?” a voice next to her said. Ms. May, slightly surprised, turned to face the speaker. Professor Perciforme was tall, gangly pegasus, and almost thin to the point of being unhealthy. Ms. May thought that he looked a bit like a fish himself, but never said that out loud. His wings were rather long on the big feathers and short on the small ones, and his mottled white coat kept him from standing out. Of course, when it came to the creatures of the sea, especially the really weird ones, there was no one more knowledgeable.

Ms. May nodded. “Yeah, found a spot off of a reef. It’s very nice, lots of fish I don’t recognize. There was a species of mirrorfish, a kind of schooling fish that formed a rainbow, at least one large reef crab, and a kind of creature with tentacles and a spiral shell, like a land snail.”

Professor Perciforme raised his eyebrows and smiled. “A nautilus? Those are very rare. A good find!”

“It tried to eat my hoof,” Ms. May grumbled. Truth be told, she couldn’t hold that against it; it was likely just curious what she was.

“Say,” the Professor said, touching a hoof to his chin, “You two were under for a while. Pearl Dive has underwater survival spells, does he not?”

Ms. May raised her own eyebrow. “That’s right,” She said, looking over at Pearl Dive’s cutie mark. An oyster open, with a pearl inside; one of the few cases where the name and the cutie mark line up perfectly. Her own cutie mark was actually a grey storm cloud; something that she felt was misleading. “Dive’s diving spell gives water breathing, underwater talking, protection from the bends, neutral buoyancy, and some protection from cold and pressure. It can’t go super deep, but it lasts until you get dry so you don’t have to worry about it wearing off,” She explained. Pearl Dive was very proud of his spell, sometimes annoyingly so, and as a result Ms. May had its capabilities borderline memorized.

The Professor smiled. “Perfect. Captain?” He moved toward the captain, who immediately turned to face him.

“Professor, Pearl Dive found a place to use the diving bell,” the Captain said, “A crevasse with a nearby reef, it should make do for the preliminary tests.”

The Professor nodded. “In addition, I believe that I know who will go down in it. Pearl Dive and his friend, Ms. May, seem to be the ideal choice; they have experience working together underwater, and Pearl Dive has underwater survival spells that would be useful in case of emergency.”

Captain looked at Pearl Dive. “Are you up for that, Dive?” Dive nodded, surprised by the offer. Captain then looked over at May Showers “And you, Ms. May?” May nodded, too. The Captain smiled. “Excellent! Ms. May, get cleaned up and into the air, we’ll need some specialized winds to get into the proper location. Pearl Dive, you’ll have to give us directions from in the water.”

Ms. May went to find Doc. She didn’t actually know the doctor’s name, she had never heard it said, and everyone either called him “Doctor” or “Doc.” In addition to acting as the ship’s medical expert he had taken it upon himself to keep the ship clean. This was why he had a spell that was good for working salt out of a pony’s coat; between pearl dive, herself, and the occasional storm that washed sea water onto the deck, there was plenty of use for a spell like that.

As the magic ran through her feathers, Ms. May voiced one of her main concerns. “What do you think could go wrong with that bell, Doc?”

“The diving bell?” Doc pondered aloud, “I’m not sure. Engineering is not one of my stronger points. The bell is meant to defend you from all the things that the deep has to offer, if you listen to the Professor talk about it, but if I had to guess something to go wrong… likely either asphyxiation caused by the air hose failing or lacerations from a window breaking. If a window breaks, the pressure from the water outside of the bell will likely be enough to force the glass shards inward, into any pony near the window. However, the entire bell is supposedly enchanted to be durable, so such a fate shouldn’t happen.”

As the Doctor turned to step away, Ms. May sighed. “That worries me a bit. He’s not a unicorn, he couldn’t have cast the spells himself.”

“I think that’d be a good sign,” Doc countered, “As it means that he would have gone to experts in the kinds of spells needed instead of casting inferior versions himself. In addition, he is a pegasus: you of all ponies should know that pegasi can have a deep understanding of environmental hazards.”

Ms. May nodded at that. “I guess you’re right. I guess I’m just a bit nervous. Well, I have to go manage the wind. Later, Doc.”

---

Ms. May looked down through the glass bottom of the diving bell at the ocean below, creeping closer as the bell was lowered. Now, Ms. May wasn’t as prone to claustrophobia as some pegasi, living on a ship helped with that, but this bell was small enough to make her uncomfortable. She looked over at Pearl Dive, who was also looking down at the waves. “This is completely insane,” he said aloud.

“Well,” Ms. May said carefully, “That’s probably what people said when they first made pony-drawn carriages. Or cloud chariots. Come to think of it, sailing ships likely looked like a madman’s dream when they were first made.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dive said, leaning back as far as he could. The bell hit the water, and he watched as the waves slowly encircled them. “I suppose, if it does work, it’ll have its use. With cameras, ponies will be able to actually take pictures of some of the creatures under the water. Scientists will be able to take notes, all that good stuff.” He took a deep breath, and looked out one of the side windows up at the surface. “Okay, we’re submerged. Check for leaks.”

The pair of ponies went over the inside of the bell, and found no leaks. Water tight and air-tight, it seemed solid and safe. The air was flowing in and out from the air hose properly, and the pair could see into the ocean through the windows. As they sunk downward, the light from the surface began to fade. They looked out the windows, and before long the reef came into view. Vibrant colors, beautiful fish.
“You know, I take it back. This is pretty good,” Pearl Dive admitted, “Being able to go underwater without ever needing to get wet? I think that this could be really good. Get some Canterlot nobles in something like this, drop them into a reef, and let them see what it’s like from the safety of a bell… I think it would be super popular.”

May smiled. “Maybe,” she said, inching closer to Pearl Dive. “I could see it being romantic, you know? They would have to make these bells a little more comfortable, but-” May was cut off by the bell coming to a sudden stop and tilting slightly.
The pair immediately looked down, at the glass bottom. Only yawning abyss met them. They then looked out the side windows, and saw the claws of a great crab, covered in corals.

“What?” May exclaimed, “Why are we being attacked by a reef crab?”

“Maybe it’s just curious,” Pearl said, “It will likely decide that the bell isn’t edible and then let go.” After about a half a minute, the bell began to make odd noises: the groan of metal and magic, fighting against great pressure. “Or,” Pearl dive said nervously, “It could decide that the bell is a giant shelled creature, and that there is food inside.”

May reached out and pulled the emergency cord. They were told to pull the cord when they needed to come up early, and that certainly seemed to be the case at the moment! After a minute had passed and the bell didn’t move, she began to assume the worst. “So,” she looked at Pearl Dive, “You think that a reef crab is strong enough to crush magically-reinforced metal?”

The Diving Bell groaned a bit more, and leaks started at the seams. The pair of ponies shared a look. “Get ready to get wet,” Pearl dive said, “As soon as we’re wet enough I’ll cast the spell, and then we just have to get out of the bell. Even if the door is stuck, we just need to wait for the bottom window to blow out, and swim out the bottom.”

The walls of the diving bell began to bow in, and more water began to gush into the bell. The pair found themselves back-to-back in the center of the rapidly shrinking bell. They looked out the bottom window, to see a pair of glowing eyes and a great, gnashing mouth.

And then a trio of spikes struck one of the crab’s arms. Two of them glanced off the crab’s shell, but one found purchase in a joint, and that claw let go. Suddenly, the bell lurched in the other direction, up and away from the crab. It took the pair a moment to figure out what was going on. “They are trying to pull us up!” Pearl Dive realized, “The crab is just strong enough to hold us down!”

Even with only one claw, the reef crab was able to keep them from getting any further away. The strength of the crab was being tested against the strength of the cable, and one or the other would have to give out sooner or later. Truth be told, the crab would have won that contest if it weren’t for an unusual surge of water into its relatively unprotected face. The crab let go, taking up a defensive stance. The pair of ponies did not have time to ponder that, as they were pulled upward toward the surface.

The next few minutes were hectic; breaking the surface, being swung out over the boat, strong ponies wailing on the large window to pop it open so they could get inside. Ms. May and Pearl Dive were drug out of the bell, sacred and wet but no worse for wear. Doc went over them, to be sure that they were just as healthy as they seemed. Professor Perciforme stood back, alternating between cursing the depths and thanking the princesses, for though his diving bell had failed the volunteers were safe!

In all the commotion, the Captain was the first to notice something was wrong. “Professor! What is that thing, there, clutching to the cable?”

Everypony turned to look at the bell’s cable, where a creature hung on. It had a spiral shell, with spikes down the center. Six long tentacles and four arms reached out around a beaked mouth, giving the animal a star-like appearance. A pair of eyes, black and distant, reflected some light from the sun. Or so it seemed, until it reached up and placed the back goggles on top of its shell, letting the world see its real, catlike eyes.

“Professor,” Captain asked nervously, “What is that?”

“That’s the thing from earlier,” May said, confused. “It… why is it wearing goggles?”

The professor shook his head. “I have never, ever, seen anything like this. It must be a new species. Look, it seems fine. It must be amphibious.”

“Wait, a new species?” Pearl dive looked up at it. “May Showers! You discovered a whole new species! That means you get to name it!”

“Why is it wearing goggles?” May countered, staring up at it. “Seriously, am I the only one who finds that odd? It’s wearing goggles for some reason! How does it know how to wear goggles? Where did it even get goggles? What’s up with that?”

---

“They’re calling it a spined nautilus,” Twilight said as Liz poured over the newspaper that Celestia sent, “It’s thought that it had previous contact with ponies, and they think it’s highly intelligent.”

“Highly intelligent is an understatement,” Liz countered, “Nemo is smarter than I am. There’s something of a funny story behind meeting him, but I’m worried that they’re going to treat him like an animal. He’s smart enough to pick locks, hack computers, and rig explosives; if he gets treated too roughly, there’s not a lot they can do to stop him from leaving.”

Twilight blinked in surprise. “Explosives? He… explosives!?! What?”

“It’s unlikely he’d try to escape, though,” Liz clarified, “He loves science. He’s always cooperating with Pokemon researchers and scientists, but if they decide to dissect him, he’ll probably disappear the night before and then there’s no way we’ll find him-”

“Liz!” Twilight placed a hoof on Liz’s shoulder to get her attention, “Explosives? This nautilus Pokemon knows how to make explosives!?”

“If he has access to the chemicals, yeah,” Liz said, “But only as a last resort. If he can lockpick and pickpocket his way out, he’d do that instead. And, again, he’s a huge fan of science! He’ll probably work right along with the researchers as long as they don’t do anything stupid.”

“And… is this Pokemon otherwise less dangerous than your other ones?” Twilight asked hopefully. Her heart sank when Liz shook her head.

“Nope,” Liz said, “He’s not good in melee, but from a distance he can cause serious damage. Scald, spike cannon, and brine as a finisher. It’s a nasty combo, especially if you can out-maneuver your opponent.”

Twilight shook her head. “Great. Smart and dangerously magical. Just what we need.”

Liz shrugged. “Let’s just be fast. Where is he… Baltimare? Why do all your city names have horse words in them? Anyway, going by train, how far is that? A few days?”

“I’m looking into taking a balloon instead,” Twilight stated. “I even have a balloon, it just may be a bit small. It can fit five ponies comfortably, and Rainbow Dash can fly ahead… or stay here. She might need to closely manage the weather for a while. Fluttershy should stay here, too, to keep track of the Pokemon we have found. That leaves you, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and me. Wait, without pegasi we have to pay attention to air currents. Do the winds blow toward Baltimare, or away from it?”

“Maybe we could take Cica with us?” Liz offered. “He’s not very strong, but he might be able to help some?”

Twilight, leafing through a weatherpony almanac, nodded. “How do humans usually travel by air? Do humans usually travel by air? I’d imagine they would have hot air balloons.”

“Ah, yes,” Liz said, “But those are mainly for hobbyists. Most people go in planes, which are-“

“Wait, aeroplanes?” Twilight looked up from her book, looking incredulous. “Aeroplanes? Unless you mean some other kind of planes? Aerooplanes seem too unstable and clumsy to be used on a regular basis.”

Liz blinked. “What kind of airplanes do ponies have? Like… made of wood, propelled by a propeller?”

“Yeah, and most of them need to be magically lightened to get off the ground at all. And unless the human world has some wood that is both very light and very sturdy, that’s going to have been an issue.” Twilight ponders that a bit more. “Well, I guess humans probably wouldn’t fly all that much. It’s probably just a few important or rich people and then the crazy hobbyists.”

“Um, actually, we make planes of metal, propel them by jet engines, and have planes that can fly a hundred people per trip. They’re really popular for continent jumping.”

Twilight blinked. “You put one hundred people… in metal planes… powered by rockets… oh.” A smile broke across her face, and Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’re messing with me. You had me going there for a minute. Do they have fixed wings, too?”

Liz frowned. “The ones that don’t fold up for storage, yes.”

“What? Why wouldn’t wings fold up for storage? A plane of that size, the wings would have to be monumental! And how would you make lift without flapping?”

“It has to do with the shape of the wing. It’s a funny shape, so that it makes a difference in air pressure.”

“Okay, then how do you steer? The wings would have to move to be able to steer.”

“They have wing flaps for that. That is, parts of the wings that move and mess with air drag…”

Spike resisted the urge to moan loudly. For being not a scientist, Liz seemed to know a lot about science. He had a sinking feeling that this was going to take a while, and fished up a weather almanac for himself. Someone was going to have to do the research into Equestria, and it looked like it was going to be him.

Comments

[zeusdemigod131]

Wait... an Omastar!? Well, was not expecting that one.

Edit: Also, good to see another chapter of this, I really enjoy this story

[PrincessOfTheEnd]

TFW a story you love to death updates:

[Raiku-Kawisa]

Lost Deep,
wonderful story, greatly enjoying it and looking forward to the next update.

5494091
Oh, Hiya Zeus. though I really shouldn't be surprised that you found this story as well. XD

[zeusdemigod131]

5494584
I've been following this story since it began actually.

[Raiku-Kawisa]

5494594

Again, not surprising. I'm happy i found it though, good read.

[Lost Deep]

Oh my, I forgot how responsive the community here is! Thank you all!
We'll see if I can get the next chapter out without vanishing for almost a year!
Thank you for 100 likes, and apparently being in the feature box at some point? Thank you! As usual, I am open to feedback and musings!

[Kyogen]

I was starting to worry you gave up on this story, good to see an update. For some reason, I was expecting Liz's water type to be a Lantum before this chapter came out.

[Lost Deep]

5495698
I am a stubborn man.
I did consider a Lanturn, I'm moderately fond of them, but then I looked at a picture of omastar and decided it would look nice in goggles!

[The Fiery Joker]

Praise Hel-shot-

[Lost Deep]

5496063
(I had this planned long before that happened, I swear!)

[IkioStar]

Way too much dialogue and little description or internal monologue. It messes up the pacing and generally makes it less interesting at times. I do like that you took effort to describe the Pokémon in question, if only briefly...you should do that more...only for the rest of the story. You also keep referencing events that we, the readers, have little insight into. When you just mention something and don't go over it in detail, it makes the scene less interesting and more forgettable.

Overall, I think your plot might be interesting, but it's lacking in the basics. You should try going over your story yourself, if you ever get a break from writing

ISA

[Lost Deep]

5499016
Thank you for your feedback! I'll take it into consideration.
(the first chapters in particular are bad, I know.)

[Lost Deep]

5566899
I know this is a theory among the Pokemon community. I don't follow the anime anymore, so I'm not sure what events you're referring to, but part of the fun of writing this story for me is getting the Pokemon world a little closer to sensible.

[kittinpaws]

had this playing wall I was reading

don't know if this is relevant or not

[Kyogen]

*Sigh...* I miss this story.

[Lost Deep]

6480110
So do I. I sneak around the writer's block whenever I can, and am making slow progress.

[Kyogen]

6481131 Glad to know to know you haven't given up on it, I really like this story.

[Flutters Is Shy]

Awwww, so this doesn't get updated often? Bummer. This was a good read, for what there was of it.

[ponylover2]

6481131 I love this story no need to make changes at all

[Prismmirror]

6481131

This really is a fantastic story. More than anything, it is your characters that shine in this. You have a believable and relateable OC protagonist, a cast of supporting characters that have unique personalities despite still fitting their canon personas, and your dialogue is intelligent and never superfluous. Really, Liz reminds me a lot of Erin from Project: Sunflower. Both are strong female leads with well-developed, 3D personalities, with natural enough dialogue to seem like real people.

If you never touch this again, know that I enjoyed it enough to not care if the plot is ever resolved. The dialogue and character interactions make these chapters strong enough to stand on their own. Nice work!

[cyberlord4444]

Was kinda hoping for a Wailord, but an Omastar Mythbuster is even better.

PS, moar plez

[JzanderN]

8344935
How the hell would you even use a Wailord? They're gigantic! Seriously, they're like the size of a boat! You could have a Pokémon battle on one!

[cyberlord4444]

8917021
Same way you can mate it with a Skitty

To be serious, you use it as intended, as a Water Type damage sponge/beatstick

[Thebobkiller]

Please continue this! It's really good!