Chapter 18: Recovery and Revelations
“Princess Alternia, it’s Harlequin. Do you have a moment?”
When there was no answer to his call, Harlequin raised his hoof and knocked thrice on the oak-panelled door, but there was no answer. He glanced to the left and noticed an empty breakfast tray. Well, at least his queen had been eating, but she needed to get out from her room.
Exhaling, Harlequin closed his eyes and focused on his link to the queen, something that was all too easy. What used to be a warm, comforting presence in the back of his mind now seemed to only emanate sadness.
Your highness, do you mind if I come in?
There was no response for a moment, and Harlequin thought for a moment he would need to resort to some more drastic measures.
Fortunately, he immediately heard his queen’s thoughts.
Harlequin… would you leave me alone a little longer?
Harlequin swallowed. The sadness in his queen’s thoughts was practically repelling him from entering, but he knew he needed to press on.
You’ve been locked in there for an entire day, your highness. Don’t you want to visit Diamondshell? She’s up and about… in a manner of speaking..
Alternia’s emotions brightened slightly. How is she? I sensed she was feeling sad, but she seems better now.
She is not taking the loss of her leg and wing lightly, your highness. I did talk with her, but I think it will really help if you spoke some words of encouragement to her. said Harlequin.
There was a short pause and for a moment, Harlequin was worried that he had pushed too hard.
Harlequin… I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t think I can help at this moment.
That confused Harlequin. What do you mean?
The door opened and Harlequin stepped back as he gazed upon his queen, and found himself only even more perplexed.
His queen looked by all parts, completely composed. She was wearing her regalia, her blue mane was combed nicely, and her eyes were wide and alert. Harlequin caught a whiff of his queen’s scent and the lavender scented shampoo and soap she normally used, which meant she had washed herself as well.
Yet, Harlequin had never sensed such turmoil in his queen. It was as if he was looking at a heavy lid sealing the top of a boiling cauldron. The biting bitterness of grief, the fire of anger, the dark, cold tang of self-loathing, the empty taste that was self-doubt, and the vomit-inducing sensation of fear… being so close to his queen, Harlequin could sense all of it, and despite that, Alternia’s features revealed nothing.
“Come in, Harlequin,” said Alternia smoothly, entering her stateroom.Harlequin followed cautiously, and shut the door behind him, his eyes watching his queen as she sat down on the cushions strewn in front of the fireplace.
“You can sense what is wrong, I can see it in your eyes,” said Alternia.
Harlequin frowned. “Your highness, why are you implying that something is wrong with you? Raven was your friend, so it’s natural to grieve for her.”
Alternia nodded and gestured for Harlequin to sit down. “Yes, but we have little time for that now, captain.” The queen closed her eyes. “There is too much to do and too much that relies on us all.”
Shaking his head, Harlequin kept standing. “Bottling up your emotions is not healthy, your highness.”
There was a crack in Alternia’s neutrality as her eyes narrowed at Harlequin. “My composure hangs by a thread, captain. If you are going to test it, I will ask that you leave. I only brought you here so that I may inform you of my condition, and so that you may let everybody know that I am fine. I just need some time to myself.”
Harlequin swallowed and was about to nod in agreement, but froze. His eyes wide, jaw locked into place.
“Captain, you are dismissed,” said Alternia.
“Your highness, with all due respect, I think you need to talk to someone about what you are feeling,” Harlequin said in a quiet, but firm tone.
Alternia sighed. “To whom?”
“Your sister, Celestia, Cyndra, Diamondshell, Luna, you have many friends you can trust,” said the chevalier, not budging an inch from his spot..
“And talking to them would let them know that I am in such a state,” pointed out Alternia.
“Is that such a terrible thing? You are not invincible, your highness,” said Harlequin.
“I’m not so arrogant as to think I am, but they cannot know. They can fend for themselves well enough, but they do rely on me for guidance and advice. I can’t show weakness now.”
Something clicked in Harlequin’s brain and he groaned as he had an epiphany. This was not going to be easy.
“Your highness, that’s not the reason you want to hide it.”
Alternia’s eyes narrowed and her voice took on a frosty edge. “I beg your pardon?”
“You’re trying to sink yourself back into your mask, you’re trying not to feel.”
“An interesting theory. Why do you say that?” asked Alternia.
“When my mother Sylvan Shadow died, I tried to do the same thing.” Harlequin swallowed, wetting his tongue before he continued. “I never knew my father, and as a result I was raised solely by my mother. She did this even though she had to give up her job as a full-time infiltrator.”Harlequin chuckled. “She was my everything. When other changelings would bully me for my lack of a father, she would go after them with a vengeance. She also taught me all I knew about infiltration… which made it all the worse when she went MIA on an infiltration mission on board of the last voyage of the Admiral Sky Titan.”
Alternia blinked. The Admiral Sky Titan had been an airship built twenty years ago by Rex Blowfield, an industrialist who was going to sell Equestria out to one of their worst enemies, the rogue, or self-called ‘revolutionary’ Griffon warlord Nasty Bone-parter. Equestria’s REINS and the Cloudsdale Blues had killed Rex Blowfield after first trying to arrest him and had destroyed the monstrous airship, though they had never found the crash site as the Admiral Sky Titan had been lost in a northern storm.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be. We lost contact with her before the battle occurred and she was about to be captured…” Harlequin took another deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
“She immolated herself. It’s the standard practice for us infiltrators to prevent changelings from being discovered… Obviously, I did not take her death well. I tried to immerse myself in my job, tried to smile and just bear with it. I tried to do everything you’re trying to do right now, but it didn’t work. I nearly got myself killed after trying to infiltrate Griffonia, until my uncle Arlecchino slapped me out of it.”
“Did he say anything in particular?” asked Alternia quietly.
Harlequin grimaced. “Nope. He just told me I was an idiot and held me as I cried like a foal.” The chevalier smiled. “Look, you don’t have to tell me anything, your highness. Your sister is probably more qualified than I to listen to you. It’s just my opinion that you should try not to force yourself not to feel, and talk to somepony or changeling... I think you know this already though.”
Alternia sighed, heavily, her breath wheezing out like an old forge bellow.
“You’re right, captain. I should speak to my sister and Celestia about this.” Harlequin smiled, but before he could say anything, Alternia’s eyes fixated on him. “But before you leave, Harlequin. I must ask… do you think I should have killed those kelpie foals?”
Harlequin started. “Of course not!” he gasped.
Alternia didn’t move, she continued to meet Harlequin’s wide-eyed gaze, speaking in a neutral, solemn, tone. “In all likelihood, they will grow up to become our enemies. In all likelihood, they will attack your comrades, the ponies and changelings you trained, and strike at Equestria and all the changelings within. I know that Tethys’s wrath would have been incited should I have killed those foals, but if I could have done so without her knowing, do you think I should have killed them? Would you have fired?”
“Your highness, that’s a pointless line of questioning,” stammered Harlequin.
“Answer my question, captain,” ordered Alternia.
Harlequin grimaced and averted his gaze.
“I would have wanted to kill them too, your highness. I might have even shot.” Harlequin bit his lip, trying to swallow his anger… trying to forget Buzz’s laughter. “They’ve taken away friends… close friends… and they are our enemy… but it wouldn’t be right to kill foals.” Harlequin looked his queen in the eye. “I wouldn’t feel worthy of being your captain if I had done that. So no, I wouldn’t have fired and you were right not to have killed them.”
Alternia seemed to deflate as her neck lowered, her eyes dropping to the floor. “I know. I just feel so… angry, which I know is natural for me to be and is healthy. Anger helps me to focus… it drives me to protect all those I love, but it is so difficult to find a balance.”
“I can imagine,” said Harlequin with a wry chuckle.
Averting her eyes, Alternia sighed. “Perhaps, but I don’t think you grasp the full extent of it,” Alternia said in a slightly reproving tone.
Harlequin bit his lip and asked, hesitantly. “Would you like to share, your highness?”
Alternia turned back to Harlequin and grimaced. “The life I have chosen, Harlequin, the life of a Princess of Equestria is very much one big balancing act. All monarchs such as my sisters, Luna, and Celestia, know this all too well. For example, if I pardon too many wrongdoers, I undermine the rule of law, but if I am cruel against criminals and administer justice without mercy, I encourage crimes.”
“And I take it you’re feeling… out of balance?” Harlequin asked, trying to inject some humor into the situation
Alternia’s lips twitched in a ghost of a smile, before they were pressed into a thin line. “Harlequin, as you can tell I tend to err on the side of caution. I try to be optimistic, but anticipate the worst case scenario. I always play the “Devil’s Advocate,” and attempt to be the voice of restraint and reason. As useful as this can be though, there are times I am too reserved, times when I become the “voice of reason” instead of using it.”
Licking her dry lips, Alternia sighed. “All too often, Harlequin…and what almost happened right now, is that I become a mask, a shell of myself, and it feels really good. After all, everything hurts less when I am the perfect princess, when I feel less. Yet, the moment I drop that mask… all that pain returns tenfold along with regret… regret that I hadn’t acted upon my emotions.” A small, wry smile formed on Alternia’s tired features. “What’s more… ever since I was reunited with my sisters, ever since I stopped wearing Celestia’s appearance, I have never felt more free of that mask, which is ironic considering that I need it more than ever now.”
“Hence, you have to find a new balance…” said Harlequin slowly in realization.
“Precisely,” said Alternia, smiling more widely now, it was a tired, resigned smile, but sincere. She was still in turmoil, wondering what to do next. She would need to talk to Chrysalis, the sooner the better. But for now… her heart, despite how it throbbed with the grief of Raven’s death, did feel lighter.
Harlequin nodded and bowed, a solemn expression on his features. “Thank you for sharing this with me, your highness.”
“Thank you for listening, captain.” Alternia glanced at the clock. “You said Diamondshell was awake?”
“Yes your highness,” said Harlequin, smiling now as his queen rose to her hooves.
“I will visit her now, will you lead me to the infirmary?” asked Alternia looking at her captain with an expectant look in her eyes.
“It will be my pleasure.”
Diamondshell was reading a Daring Do book. Granted, she knew that what was written was embellished as she was fully aware that Daring Do existed, but the chevalier needed something to take her mind off of things. At least until Harlequin got their queen out of her funk and dragged her to the infirmary. Diamondshell was sure Harlequin would be up to the task, even if he was a goody-two-hooves.
Hearing her door open, Diamondshell looked up, sneering. “Took you long enough, Harlequin.”
Except, it wasn’t Harlequin who opened the door.
“Oh. Cyndra, what brings you here—oomph!”
Cyndra, tears of joy running down her features, had wrapped her hooves around Diamondshell, knocking the breath out of the changeling chevalier.
“You waking up obviously! I’m just so glad you’ve made it!”
“Okay, okay, I get it!” Diamondshell managed to wriggle her way out of her former-queen’s daughter’s grasp, her eyes narrowed at the teary-eyed scout. “You don’t need to be that overjoyed.”
“I want to. It’s…” Cyndra swallowed, and shut her eyes. “With Raven and Buzz dead… I just need to feel happy about… something.”
Diamondshell winced, shutting her eyes as she couldn’t help but recall Raven’s calm demeanor and Buzz’s crass humor.
Using her one leg, Diamondshell wrapped Cyndra in a one-legged hug, which was promptly returned by Cyndra with force. It was… nice.
“Glad to see you’re up, Diamondshell,” said Chrysalis, trotting into the room.
“Your majesty!” gasped Diamondshell, hastily releasing Cyndra.
“At ease, chevalier. I’m glad you’re alive. Andraste sends her regards as well,” said Chrysalis, smiling.
Diamondshell coughed and turned away from her former queen. “Oh… thanks.”
Cynda, loosening her hug, glanced between her mother, who stood calmly in the room, and Diamondshell, who refused to look at her. Neither said anything, and Cyndra didn’t feel as if it was her place to break the silence.
“Diamondshell, I’m sorry.”
“For what? It’s not like you did anything wrong. I screwed up. The fact that the hive ostracized me was only natural for them, and I deserved it.” Diamondshell sighed and bit back the bitterness in her heart. “Besides, if not for you, I would never have ended up serving Alternia as her captain… not that I can do so anymore.”
“I don’t quite agree with you, Diamondshell.”
Every changeling spun around as Alternia entered the hospital room, followed by a grinning Harlequin.
“Sister!”
“Auntie!”
Diamondshell swallowed. “Your highness.” She knew Harlequin would bring her here. She’d even prepared a resignation speech, but… now that her queen was here, her throat was strangely dry. She couldn’t say a word.
Alternia, sat down on her hindquarters, next to Diamondshell’s bed, and placed one gentle hoof on Diamondshell’s left shoulder.
“Diamondshell, I still trust no changeling other than you to watch me as I sleep.” Alternia chuckled. “The fact is, I’ve gotten so used to your presence that I had quite a bit of difficulty falling asleep last night.” Alternia nuzzled Diamondshell’s forehead, and pulled her chevalier into a hug, not caring as she felt a growing wetness against her shoulder. “You wouldn’t let your queen have another sleepless night, would you?”
“N-no... your h-highness. O-of course not.”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” whispered Alternia softly as she held her chevalier tightly.
“So, have there been any developments with Murmillar’s book, Chrysalis?” asked Alternia as they walked toward the dining room from Diamondshell’s room.
“Yes, but first, how are you, Alternia?” asked Chrysalis meaningfully.
Alternia winced. “Angry, sad… trying hard not to lose control of myself.”
“Alternia…”
“I know. It isn’t healthy to bottle up my feelings, even if I’ve cried… a lot…” Alternia turned to Chrysalis. “First, though, I can’t thank you enough for stopping me from attacking those kelpie younglings.” Alternia sighed. “I don’t know what came over me, but if you hadn’t stopped me… I know I would have regretted it.”
“What are older sisters for?” asked Chrysalis in a tender voice.
Alternia returned her sister’s smile and swallowed. “And on that note…” Biting her lip, Alternia whispered, “Do you mind if I… if I sleep in your bed like we used to do when we were nymphs? Without Diamondshell in my room… I’m… I’m worried I might have another nightmare with nobody to wake me... ” Alternia closed her eyes. “And I miss Raven.”
To Chrysalis’s satisfaction, Harlequin and Cyndra quickly made themselves scarce, and went in opposite directions in the hallway to make sure that they would not be disturbed. This only reinforced Chrysalis’s decision to grip her sister in a tight hug. “Let it out, Alternia. Let it out.”
And Alternia did. She cried for her assistant of nearly ten years. A friend who had helped her quietly, without asking for any reward. A comrade who had followed her into danger, and had been struck down in the prime of her life. She wept because she would never hear Raven’s voice, or sense her calm presence beside her.
Most of all, Alternia cried because another good friend had sacrificed their life for her.
Meeting room...
“So, what did you find out?” Alternia asked to the room in a hesitant voice.
This was because the mood in the room was mixed. The highest ranking military and political personnel in Venecia were present and waiting rather nervously for the results of the briefing. That much was clear, but the ones whose emotional states dominated the atmosphere of the room were those seated at the table, particularly the ones who had read the book.
Easiest to read was Cyndra, who looked, for the lack of a better word, saddened. She wasn’t even looking up at anypony or changeling and there was a dejected expression on her features. This was why Chrysalis was nuzzling her daughter and unfortunately, not really giving much for Alternia to read. It was as if her sister was deliberately focusing on that task rather than thinking about the issue at hand.
As for Celestia, she seemed caught in a cross between frustration and contemplation. The alicorn was re-reading her notes, eyes narrowed, even as Alternia spoke. Alternia could also sense a degree of… anger emanating from the alicorn, but she wasn’t sure why.
Most telling were Retariusil and Sebastiana’s emotional states.
Sebastiana’s head was cradled in her hooves as her elbows resting on the table. Alternia didn’t even need to get a taste of her emotions to see the despair on the Venecian duchess’s posture.
It made a very odd contrast to Retariusil’s expression. She was re-reading the book itself, her eyes wide with evident shock as she flipped through the pages. Disbelief pervaded Retariusil’s emotional state rather than anger.
Luna, present through the crystal ball for this meeting, coughed impatiently. “Everybody, please, we haven’t got all day.”
“Right,” said Retariusil, putting the book down. Taking a sip of water, the queen put the book down in front of Alternia along with a list of notes. “The first thing we discovered was that the information in the book was knowledge freely given to my mother.”
“I’m sorry, but can you clarify that, your highness?” asked Harlequin, voicing Alternia’s confusion.
“Queen Retariusil means that that Raven… Raven didn’t have die to get the book,” rasped Cyndra.
Alternia felt her heart drop to her stomach.
“That’s not true, Cyndra,” said Chrysalis hurriedly as she fixed Alternia with a hard stare. “The wounded seapony that told Queen Murmillar all of this for the purposes of helping the kelpies. As such, at the time, he freely gave Murmillar all of this information as he recovered from his wounds. However, Raven’s sacrifice was not in vain as I doubt that Tethys would want us to have the book now considering the state of our relations.”
Nodding, Alternia sighed heavily. “If only we had the book from the start.”
Retariusil groaned. “In that respect, the fault is mine.”
“No it isn’t. You had a duty to get your changelings to safety, Retariusil. Now tell us, what else you have learned,” said Luna.
Nodding, Retariusil stood and and trotted to a nearby whiteboard. “In a sense, it is related to what Cyndra and Chrysalis mentioned earlier. The seapony was a… I suppose you could say a public information agent of Tethys in her war against Samudra, similar to Equestria’s Crown-hired press correspondents, except with military training. His job was to spread the truth about the kelpies, and about the war they were fighting in.”
“I’ve heard Tethys and Typhon make brief mentions about the war they were fighting in against Samudra, but what do you mean concerning the truth about the kelpies? Was there a way the seaponies understood the kelpies that is different from our own, or how everybody understands them?” Alternia asked, eyes narrowing.
“Samudra apparently was trying to get her seaponies to see the kelpies as monsters, foal-eaters, dishonorable wretches who’d sell their mother out, aliens that came from the depths to kill and murder seaponies,” explained Sebastiana.
“Isn’t that what they are?” asked Captain Smith, from his spot beside Celestia.
To Alternia’s surprise, Retariusil, who was drawing on the whiteboard with a marker, shook her head. “Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that.” She turned to Alternia. “Princess, do you remember who Typhon said was his mother?”
“Empress Samudra—” Alternia blinked and her eyes instantly narrowed. “So Samudra was lying to her own seaponies about the kelpies and she employed blatant, fear-mongering propaganda. We know Typhon wasn’t lying about his heritage. He showed far too much remorse for it to be a lie. We also know because although the kelpies have attacked us, they have enforced the original treaty negotiated by Samudra and Celestia in its original wording, leaving trade routes spanning across the sea unmolested.”
Celestia grimaced. “That’s not all, continue please Retariusil.”
All briefly started at the vehemence in Celestia’s voice, particularly Alternia and Luna. After all, they did recall that Samudra was Celestia’s friend. So what could have made their co-ruler so furious?
Retariusil nodded and turned from her three drawings on the board, taping the first one. It was of a seapony. Alternia couldn’t help but wonder how similar they looked to ponies, except for their rear half being a dolphin’s tail and them having gills on the side of their necks.
“From the autopsy reports the Equestrians have graciously provided us from the Baltimare attack and the information my mother, Queen Murmillar, compiled in this book, there are three different pony races in the sea. Seaponies, which are in a sense, the Aquestrian equivalent to Equestrian earth ponies. They are mostly farmers that stick to shallower waters, omnivores that grow seaweed, other undersea plant life, as well as shellfish. Fish is also an integral part of their diet. As for abilities, seaponies are capable of hydromancy, the magic control of water, which they appear to accomplish through the use of hoof movements. Seapony hydromancers and engineers also play an important role in maintaining the ocean currents and the health of the sea in general through their hydromancy.”
Using her marker, Retariusil gestured to the second drawing, which also looked very similar to the seaponies, except for one rather key difference, this seapony had a horn.
“We also have a second type of seapony, the so-called “Deep Pony.” They prefer more deeper reaches of the ocean and are also omnivores that eat various sea plants, aquatic life, and shellfish. Compared to the general seapony population, they are fewer in number, but they have far more powerful hydromancy than the standard sea pony, and can employ magic through their horn. They are the warrior and mage class of seapony society.”
Retariusil tapped the third drawing with her marker, which was unmistakably that of a kelpie.
“From the little we knew, we’ve always assumed that the kelpies were either an alien race foreign to Aquestrian waters. Perhaps they were corrupted by magic, or maybe there was a mutation in the gene pool that led to certain seaponies giving birth to them. After all, we only know their Prince Typhon was born to Empress Samudra.”
Retariusil sighed and drew a large circle around all three drawings. “The truth… appears to be that the kelpies are in fact, a third type of seapony. The kelpies are not the aberration we thought they were; they’re in fact native to the Eastern Ocean, part of the species of seaponies.”
Brief silence was followed by horrified gasps as shock hit the room like a bomb had just gone off.
“How is this possible?” gasped Luna.
“We don’t know, but Typhon wasn’t the only kelpie born to a seapony mother. Seaponies and deep ponies can give birth to kelpies, whilst kelpies can give birth to sea ponies and deep ponies. The one who told Queen Murmillar this was a seapony born to two kelpie parents,” explained Chrysalis.
“That… is certainly a better explanation as to why Samudra gave birth to a kelpie,” said Alternia slowly. “It would be far too convenient to say that she had a mutation that corresponded exactly with another alien race.”
“Very astute of you princess. Now, as you all know, the kelpies eat sapient creatures… unfortunately, that practice of theirs appears to be a facet of their biology.” Retariusil grimaced. “Apparently, once a kelpie fry, that’s what they call their young, reaches a certain age, they cannot simply eat fish like the two other Aquestrian races, but must eat sapient creatures. My mother couldn’t quite coax it out of the seapony, and she noted he wasn’t completely aware of why, but something all kelpies know all too well is that they should never let themselves go too long without eating a sapient creature. My mother wasn’t quite sure why, but she notes that the kelpies talk about that possibility as if it isn’t simply that they starve to death. It’s as if starvation is far worse than actual death, that to die by starvation has far-reaching consequences not just for the kelpie, but for those in the immediate vicinity.”
Retariusil drew a squiggly line then separating the seapony and deep pony from the kelpie.. “Whatever the case, one can see the natural tension between the kelpies, deep ponies and seaponies. Murmillar’s interview with the seapony has confirmed our earlier suspicions that kelpies are indeed a minority even by deep pony number, though she implies that it was not as small as we would have hoped. However, of this minority, only a fraction, albeit a large fraction of the kelpie race are actually warriors and fighters, the rest being labourers, hunters, chaperones and nursemaids for kelpie fry, and artisans. Yet, the… unique diet and power of the kelpies compared to the seaponies made the seaponies and deep ponies fearful, whilst the overwhelming population size of the deep ponies and seaponies worried the kelpies.”
“Enter, Samudra,” cut in Celestia her hoof pressing so tightly on the table, Alternia could feel the surface pressing into her hooves as the table tilted. “The Empress hated the kelpies. The seapony told Murmillar that he had heard rumors that the Empress’s hate stemmed from an early encounter with a kelpie “gone rogue.” He wasn’t able to give the details on that, but three hundred years before I signed the treaty with her, the Empress started a war of extermination, aimed to wipe out the kelpies.”
Celestia sighed. “I am… undecided as to whether her decision to eliminate the kelpies purely based on their diet was ethically correct, but what she did alongside of that… was to subject the kelpies to horrific magical experiments in order to try to turn them back into seaponies.”
“Doesn’t that sound like the same propaganda that Samudra used?” asked Sunset.
Retariusil shook her head. “Unlikely. The seapony has nothing to gain or lose by telling my mother this, at least, not at this time when the war between Samudra and the kelpies had not been concluded.”
“Moreover, this corresponds to Typhon’s emotions when I mentioned his mother… he had very mixed feelings in regards to her, which would not have been surprising considering what he knew of her actions,” said Alternia her mind whirring as she reconsidered what she knew. “Please continue, Celestia.”
“Right. The overwhelming population of the seaponies under Samudra meant they managed to push the kelpies into the ocean trenches, the abyss, which is inhospitable even for the bravest seaponies. There the kelpies remained, with every attempt by their queens to break out ending with Samudra killing them, usually in personal combat, that is… until Empress Tethys took command of the kelpies a little over one thousand years ago.”
Celestia sighed. “The war continued on and off for a thousand years until Tethys started to exploit the stalemate the war had ground to and began painstakingly spreading the truth about the kelpies and how they were all one species. Eventually because Samudra had neglected domestic affairs such as the increased pollution from the surface world, public opinion turned against Samudra who began to act increasingly unstable, committing her forces to attacks they could not win against the kelpies, as her support crumbled. Finally, Tethys defeated Samudra in personal combat, leading to the situation we have today. A united Aquestria of sea ponies, deep ponies and kelpies against us and our allies.”
Silence returned to the room as everybody slowly processed what they had been told.
A few long moments later, Sunset raised her hoof.
“Yes, Sunset?” said Retariusil.
“If the kelpies and seaponies have fought a war for a thousand years, why commit to another one so soon? I mean, there is the whole pollution thing that the Aquestrians are fighting for, but it’s fairly abrupt for them to resume hostilities after a thousand years of fighting,” said Sunset.
Chrysalis winced. “We have a theory to that… Remember what we said about the kelpies needing sapient flesh to survive? We think that along with the need to enforce the original treaty Samudra and Celestia signed, Tethys might have committed Aquestria to conflict against us because without bodies to feed her soldiers, there was the risk that the kelpies would turn on the sea ponies. Hence, she might have launched Aquestria into a war that would actually unify her nation, pacifying the seaponies by protecting their interests, while directing the kelpies’ hunger to a new target that they see as the aggressor.”
Retariusil glanced at Chrysalis. “Speaking of which, the fact that Aquestria has been embroiled in a civil war to this degree would explain why the kelpies seem to have such a… direct understanding of diplomacy, and why all of the Aquestrians are unaware of how the surface world has developed, of our customs and practices, and how to interact with other species in general. The kelpies were confined to the darkest depths of the ocean after all and the seaponies were too busy confining them there. Not to mention, the Equestrian autopsies have confirmed Tethys’s earlier comment that seaponies and deep ponies have no physical ability to vocalize words above water.”
“The kelpies’s honor system is also very much the real thing,” added Celestia. “Perhaps it was due to the environment they were forced to live in, but the kelpies developed a very black and white code of honor that punishes wrongdoers severely. Details in the notes we will copy out for you all, but the details are quite grisly as the rules would apply even to kelpie queens.”
“What about their abilities? How powerful is Tethys?” asked Alternia, voicing the million dollar questions on everybody’s mind.
“There is very little information on the extent of Tethys’s abilities, but we do have info on the standard kelpie’s abilities,” said Cyndra briefly.
“Yeah, in some ways, the kelpies have some similarities to the changelings, but in many ways, they are entirely different. Thankfully, although the kelpies have a queen, in this case, Tethys, they do not share a telepathic link,” remarked Retariusil.
“However, as we know from lore and from experience, they can shape-shift and do so completely. They particularly need to do this when coming onto land as they constantly drip water when out of it. However, the kelpie form of shape-shifting is actually a method of physically morphing their bodies into different shapes and forms, unlike the changeling method where we take on the physical illusion of a target. Hence, to build muscle memory and mass of their “morphs”, many stick to singular forms. This is why we see certain kelpies with crab claws and others with tentacles. They also have excellent hearing, smell, and are very strong, with their carapaces being particularly thick to withstand underwater pressures. Moreover, like other Aquestrians, they are capable of hydromancy,” said Chrysalis.
“Weaknesses?” asked Captain Smith.
“That is where it gets tricky. The seapony wouldn’t tell my mother outright what the kelpies’ weaknesses were, but my mother made a few guesses, and we know a lot more about the kelpies’ limitations from our own experience. For example, when the seapony was talking about how the kelpies had great night vision and are nocturnal, my mother noted that they could be sensitive to light, in consideration of the lore that indicates that kelpie attacks tend to happen at night. A fact that was confirmed by the Battle of Aquamaris.” Retariusil slid a page of her notes over to Alternia who glanced over them.
“In many respects, the kelpies’ need to eat meat or suffer a fate that is apparently worse than death is a weakness in and of itself. It’s a danger to us, but it means the kelpies have to go on the offensive. That they have a low population due to their diet when compared to the two other Aquestrian pony races is another one. As such, the military forces they can field are more limited, even if the majority of their society are fighters, with the remaining being hunters and caretakers.” Retariusil hesitated. “My mother also hypothesized if there might be a biological restriction as to the distance a kelpie can be from water because, while she was interviewing the seapony about the kelpies’ hunting habits when they are on land, she noticed that the lore and the seapony’s account seem to indicate that they stick to the coastlines, or near large bodies of water. As there should be no restrictions if the kelpies can morph into the forms of land-based creatures, this indicates there might be a biological restriction. Further support comes from how they shed water when they are on land, unless they are morphed..”
Celestia nodded. “That also supports our observation regarding the kelpies’ attack on our ports, and how they didn’t attack to gain land. They wouldn’t gain any benefit from it and it would mean they’d confine their attacks near water rather than infiltrating us deep inland.”
“Precisely,” said Retariusil.
“Did Murmillar’s book tell you anything about whether kelpies can teleport?” asked Harlequin.
Heads turned to focus on Harlequin, who didn’t flinch under the weight of the stares.
“Teleport?” asked Andraste.
“The armored kelpie that took down Diamondshell and killed seven of our expeditionary force teleported across the flooded section of the library, and, as I mentioned in my report, when I and my Mirror Guard tried to apprehend the armored kelpie, another armored kelpie just… appeared out of the liquid seeping from his wounds, beside him.”
Chrysalis grimaced. “Well, that’s because there’s a very strange biological quirk about the kelpies. Apparently, they turn to water upon their death, and while their blood is red, when it exits their body for long enough, it turns to water.”
“Which would explain why, in all of our history, we’ve never seen a kelpie corpse…” said Luna slowly.
“As for the teleportation, that appears to be an ability referenced to by lore, which warns ponies to avoid or get rid of any still pools of water near them, and which my mom confirms the kelpies are capable of. It’s not the same kind of teleportation available to unicorns as it is restricted to smooth sheets of water that the kelpie is aware of or has direct line of sight to, and kelpies must have and I quote from her seapony source, “an incredibly high degree of skill in hydromancy” to accomplish this feat, to the point only a select few have mastered this technique.” Retariusil looked up from her notes and swallowed. “There is more about kelpie cultural practices, traditions, and festivals that we’ve learned from this book, but this is all the strategic knowledge we’ve been able to find so far.”
Alternia managed a smile. Not all of it was good news, but they knew more about the kelpies motives and strategy.
“Excellent work, Retariusil, Celestia, Chrysalis, Cyndra, and Sebastiana. We now know for sure the kelpies efforts are essentially limited to the oceans, not on inland conquest and can act accordingly to deal with it. Granted, this doesn’t quite narrow down our current options in regards to our situation on Venecia but—”
“Oh no it does, your highness. It just confirms what my ponies have known all along, that they’re going to starve to death!” snapped Sebastiana bitterly.
Retariusil trotted to her pony friend and lover. “Sebastiana…”
“There’s no hope, Retariusil. I was hoping that your mother’s book would tell us that the kelpies had some sort of weakness, or had some kind of capacity for mercy. Well, they do, and I know now they can’t just run rampant over Venecia, but we’ve also learned that they’re fighting for their own survival as a species!” Sebastiana sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes as she gazed up at the helpless expression on Retariusil’s features. “How are we going to save ourselves now?”
“We’ll do what we can, Doggess,” said Luna regally. A wan smile spread across the midnight alicorn’s face. “I have received word from Griffonstone that the Griffons will be sending supplies and what airships they have to assist with the evacuation of Venecia. Mind you, they’re just starting to, but it should extend our food supplies on Venecia for another week or two, leading up to one month and a week.”
“That will help immensely, Luna, thanks.” Alternia turned to the captain. “Meanwhile, I want all ships and land forces ready for combat and this information disseminated among them. It’s a possibility the kelpies will retaliate against us for our expedition into the library. Additionally, while I do not hope it will come to this, we must prepare for the possibility of breaking out of Venecia through the sea. I want a course plotted that will not take us over Aquamaris and to the nearest trade route that the REINS has found is safe. With any luck, we might be able to get out if we get to the trade route, as the kelpies do take their oaths very seriously. Dismissed.”
Vol Oros...
Typhon had been having an interesting evening taking notes from Brinewing, when Ebb Flow had swam into their room and told them they had been summoned to throne room. The Captain of the Abyssal Guard wasn’t sure why they had been summoned, only she had been told by Tethys to fetch Queen Murmillar as well.
So the pony and kelpie prince arrived in the throne room to find Tethys on her throne with several other seapony and kelpie ministers and Queen Murmillar sitting around her. This time, she was almost the same size as an orca whale commanding the attention of the those beside her. Typhon had to marvel at the designer for Tethy’s throne of coral, which was astoundingly wide to the point it was more like a dais. In front of them all was an kelpie with a chiton stuck to his belly. The mollusc was made of several armored plates and could cling to irregular surfaces, which allowed the kelpies to use them to seal wounds. Of course, they’d have a couple of remoras to sterilize the wound area first before sticking the chiton on.
Typhon’s jaw opened wide as he recognized the kelpie. It was Seiche, arguably his regent’s best general and fighter. Court rumor was that Seiche was first in line to receive an award and a promotion for his services in the war, which had rendered him a war hero in the eyes of the kelpies, and a name to be feared and respected by sea ponies. That he had even been wounded in battle was astonishing.
“Seiche, report. What happened in Queen Murmillar’s hive?”
The kelpie nodded slightly. “We were inside the library of Queen Murmillar’s hive. The fry were being chaperoned through the hive on a trip to show them how and where changelings lived, whilst our researchers were working on identifying books and texts that would be useful for translation and copying. That was when a large force numbering about thirty changelings and ponies entered the hive and tried to gain entrance into the library. Most of this force was composed of changelings and they were led by three queens. We began to evacuate as many books as we could, until I was wounded and per the plan, withdrew with the fry.”
“What were our casualties? How many casualties did we manage to inflict on them?” asked Ebb Flow.
“We killed nine changelings and ponies and wounded several others, whilst our casualties were light. One soldier died from his wounds after our escape, but the changelings and Equestrians have clearly learned from their encounters with us. They’re far more cautious than they used to be, and they seemed to be holding back in order not to damage and destabilize the library.”
“That is not surprising. What were they after?” asked Tethys.
Seiche grimaced, whether from the pain of his wound or from frustration, Typhon wasn’t sure. “According to what I saw and what my squad has told me, they were not trying to reclaim the hive, but appeared to be looking for some kind of book. I killed a unicorn mare who was certainly not a soldier and my fellows told me she had been searching the shelves and appeared to have found the item they wanted, just before I ended her. Regretfully, I was unable to retrieve the book due to the arrival of one of the queens.”
Tethys turned to the right, her black eyes fixating on the changeling queen sitting there.
“Queen Murmillar?”
“I need more information, Empress.” Murmillar, revealing nothing of the joy that filled her heart, faced the kelpie captain. “Can you describe the changeling queens, Seiche?” she asked.
“The youngest of them had a bronze mane. There were also two other queens, though I am unsure as to their mane color due to how the library was lit. One of these queens, the one who stopped me from retrieving the book, did have a silver crown, chestpiece and hoofshoes.”
“Those must be Queen Alternia and Queen Chrysalis,” said Typhon slowly. Unfortunately, Typhon had said it too loudly and every kelpie and seapony was now focused on him.
“The ones that captured you?”asked Tethys.
“Yes. Alternia wore a silver crown and judging by how close she was to her sister, I think it’s safe to guess that the other older queen is Chrysalis. I’m unsure as to the third younger queen is though…” As Typhon’s eyes strayed over Murmillar his eyes narrowed as he noticed she was frozen. “Queen Murmillar, do you know who this might be?”
Murmillar exhaled slowly. “She is likely my daughter, Retariusil, and as to why she was there, she would be the current leader of my hive and the one who would know my library’s filing system the best,” said Murmillar calmly. Inside though, she had never felt more relief. Her daughter was alive and what’s more…
“As to why they went into my hive, they must have been trying to retrieve the book I wrote on Aquestria and the kelpies.”
“From what you’ve said, we are not common knowledge on the surface. How did you learn enough of us to fill a book?” asked Tethys.
Murmillar took a deep breath and steeled herself as relief, elation, and fear filled her heart all at the same time. “I encountered one of your seapony agents several months before the tsunami hit Venecia and nursed him to health. He told me about your society, your race, your common heritage with the seaponies and deep ponies, your thousand year war with Samudra, and her offenses against you. I took that, cross-referenced that with the lore I had access to in the library and wrote a guide on kelpies and Aquestria.”
“And you never mentioned it before now?”
“I expected Retariusil to have taken it to the Queens Council, but when I had no indication that they received it or that she was alive, I…” Murmillar forced herself not to smile, forced her lips to stay straight. “I assumed she never made it and that my daughter and the book was lost.”
“Yet you do not seem the least bit surprised your daughter is not only alive, but is searching for this book.”
Murmillar’s head snapped to look up at the massive Tethys, but forced herself to take a deep breath before she could retort,
“If she had been alive, the book would be the first thing that she would have gone for, though…” Allowing her mask to fall, Murmillar let some of her relief slip onto her features in the form of a small and tentative smile (it would not be good to antagonize Tethys after all). “I’m still astounded that she survived for this long, considering the attacks on Venecia’s shipping and your initial assault on our hive.”
“Indeed. Is there anything else to report?” asked Tethys, turning back to Seiche.
Seiche nodded, clearly biting back the urge to cringe as he pressed a hoof against the mollusc sealing his wound to ensure it was staying on.
“There was one rather strange action the queens undertook. The fry and chaperones told me that during the escape, one of the queens had prepared a spell to attack the fry, but did not attack and let them escape unscathed.”
“Which queen, Seiche?” asked Typhon, in a curious tone.
“The one with the silver crown, the one Prince Typhon called Alternia,” said Seiche.
“Seems they are not yet ready to go that far.”
Brineway swallowed. “Go that far?”
Ebb Flow growled, a low, guttural sound that rattled Brinewing’s spine. “Samudra prioritized capturing kelpie fry because they were easier to experiment on since they lack the size, strength, durability and powers of adult kelpies.. Additionally, that b**** of an Empress knew they were easier to drug.”
Brinewing gasped. She was a pirate, she’d rob and kill civilians, but torturing and experimenting on children… “That’s terrible,” she croaked.
“And it could be easily what the ponies will resort to next now that some of our mysteries have been revealed to them,” growled Seiche, his teeth bared with pain.
“Thank you, Seiche. Please return to the hospital. I feel I may have need of you sooner than we think.”
Seiche nodded and exited, a grateful smile on his face as he swam slowly for the palace’s hospital.
Typhon glanced at his regent. “Perhaps now is the time to see what the ponies have to offer, especially since one of their leaders clearly isn’t ready to go far enough to call for the extermination of our race. We will likely not have this chance later in the war.”
“Like they would accept after an apparent victory,” spat Ebb Flow.
“They lost nearly a third of their expeditionary force in exchange for basic information about us. Hardly a victory, Ebb Flow,” said Typhon levelly.
“It’s still a confidence boost Typhon. What’s more, they can still access the library and will undoubtedly try to after their success today,” pointed out Ebb.
“They will not get the chance,” said Tethys, her voice arresting every seapony’s attention.
Murmillar’s joy sputtered out as she stared at the kelpie Empress. “What are you…”
“Captain Flow, get in contact with Archmagus Mareel, for we shall need the sea ponies combat engineers. We’re going to collapse the hive.”
A stone dropped into Murmillar’s shrunken stomach and she could not help but stare at the Empress. “But the library…”
“We have the books we need. Allowing the Equestrians and changelings to regain access to it is unacceptable. Besides, I doubt it will compromise on your negotiations, Typhon. Retariusil won’t have the influence to convince her fellow queens to retaliate."
“I… see your point." Murmillar grimaced. "Just to let you know though, Empress, considering that Retariusil won’t have as much influence, using me as a hostage during the negotiations will probably not work.” The queen drew herself up and glared right at the Empress. “May I be dismissed, Empress?”
“Go.” Murmillar bowed, stiffly and swam away. Tethys then turned to Typhon. “Now Typhon, your diplomatic mission will have to wait until after the destruction of Murmillar’s hive. You have a plan for contacting the Equestrians?”
Typhon forced himself to not look like he had bit something foul and nodded. “I understand, and Brinewing and Ebb Flow have got that aspect covered. Not that I trust Brinewing to deliver a message, but we came up with a compromise.”
“Good. Go prepare yourselves.” Typhon and Brinewing nodded, bowed and swam away, Ebb was about to follow them, when Tethys spoke up.
“Ebb, what’s the status on Northwest passage entrance?” asked Tethys.
Ebb Flow halted and used her tail to whip herself around to address her Empress. “The waters have gotten much warmer since Empress Samudra died and so we’re making quite a bit of progress going through the ice.” she hesitated. “Our researchers still have not found anything in Murmillar’s books about the state of the Western Ocean and whether the great ones still live.”
“Captain, they are likely dead. We have not set fin in the western seas for thousands of years, but if the great ones were alive, why would they leave us be? Why would they leave Equestria’s shipping be?” asked a sea pony minister.
Tethys shook her head. “Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter. Continue the excavation of the passage, we need those waters for food and future expansion. Plus we’ll get access to the western coast of Equestria should the need arise.”
“Won’t that undermine Typhon’s negotiations?”asked Ebb Flow.
Tethys’s lips pulled into a thin smile. “We are humoring the good prince more than anything as he is unlikely to be successful in his efforts with the Equestrians. He needs to learn that even if the land dwellers aren’t to the point of killing our young, like Samudra, they have no love for us. Additionally, they know we hold the advantage at the moment. One that will grow even further as soon as we access the Western Ocean.”
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7243009 I've thought this VERY well through, please don't accuse me of doing so when you don't know how i'm going to end it :P.
Like the story and another great chapter. also this should put the kill all the kelpies vocal minority to bed because you cant kill them all without also killing the largely innocent sea pones.
7243009 Granted, that I thought this well through doesn't mean I'm right. :P. But whatever happens next, I basically put my best shot at it and have planned it.
7243101 If they ABSOLUTELY NEED to eat sapient beings to survive, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to end this without them either winning or being wiped out.
No peace is possible. It's like trying to have a treaty with brain-eating amoebas.
Logic automatically dictates that any and all methods must be used to safeguard all other species on the planet. The irrevocably carnivorous species must be eliminated for the good of the rest. Any other arguments are invalid as they are based on ridiculous sentiments and squeamishness over the cold, hard facts.
Now, if they can be transformed into something that doesn't need to eat people in order to survive, then Discord can handle that with a single snap of his talons.
7243163
Granted, that's still exterminating the species.
7243149
Then... uh, they both need to die, as a threat to literally all other life on the planet. There just isn't any way around it. They will always be a threat, always be trying to disrupt the surface world and prey on any sea travel. There really isn't even remotely a choice. It's like saying 'oh hey, we can make peace with those nice dalek fellows'.
It's so daft that even an insane person can see that it's silly.
Damn... So now we know some more about the seaponies, but looks like Tethys is planning on backstabbing Typhon when she gets the chance...
I like this.
2/3rds of the species can produce the 1/3rd, so outright extermination is not only unfeasible bit pointless without culling of newborns, something no citizen would easily support.
What I don't like is once again, information that could save lives is being withheld. Wonder how many ponies are going to dissappear because the military-only doctrine.
7243180
Now you're just making shit up. Where in the entire story have they ever been said to be trying to eat anything? The only extermination that's been carried out has been against them. They hunt other sapients, but that's it. Ever heard of sustainable hunting?
Good chapter Vrenn, it was nice to get some information on the seaponies and kelpies, as well as get explanations on some other holes that were raising a lot of questions. Can't wait to learn about the Great Ones next. Thank you for sharing.
7243180 ... you do realize that "need" is a problematic word in this case since they can't be a threat to life in the planet if they can be satisfied by enough food and population control?
Are they a threat to Equestria, oh HELL Yes, but threat to life on the planet? (edit) That's debatable, but I'd say no. We've already shown here the kelpies don't want continuous warfare. They've had 1000 years of it, but they need to sustain their current population and stop their world from falling into chaos and anarchy. So they're rational, thinking beings that do realize peace has certain advantages. Typhon and heck Tethys are good examples of this as they're both willing to explore the option. Besides if they killed all life on the planet, they'd starve to death too.
7243163 Why only Discord? I mean srsly, why Discord? heck his chaos magic is unpredictable as heck. It's not a terrible idea, but I do think it's a bad idea to free that Chaos spirit :P.
7243189 not exactly. Tethys has really had no good experience with negotiating not in the sense that she's inexpereinced becuase every time she's tried Samudra's backstabbed her (again, implied but you get the point). She is working under the assumption (if that wasn't implied enough) that Typhon is GOING to be backstabbed, so they're going to accomplish what they can before they send a peace offer that probably would be shot down anyway.
7243238
Except you've established their food is sapient beings. When you have set up a conflict where one's side's survival requirement is regularly murdering and eating someone of the other side, the only peace that can be had is wiping that side out one way or another.
And yes, MURDER. You have made it very clear it's not 'harvest', not 'drain', not anything else. EAT. THINKING. PEOPLE. There can't be any other solution than the kelpies and seaponies ceasing to exist culturally and biologically. Any other solution is a non-starter. They're too powerful and dangerous to let live because you've established them as being able to wipe away any coastal city and theoretically able to attack from any body of water. Which they most likely will eventually.
You don't establish a side that needs to kill to live if you want shades of grey. This is as black and white as is ethically possible to exist. For the land nations to survive, Aquastria MUST die.
7243252
Black and white morallity only works with two sides of comparable make, my friend.
You don't call something a monster because of what is has no choice in, you call it a monster when it's reason is less.
Prime example: kill on person, save a thousand, which is more important?
The individual, who will perish by your hand, or the thousand that will die because of inaction?
7243280
Issue: Killing the one in this case will save millions.
The fact that they MUST makes it tragic, but does not make it unnecessary. Let's say the Kelpies get their way and all the nations withdraw from the seas. Now they've got no food. Well, fuck. Now they've got to attack the coastal cities to get their food. Let's say they still get their way. Now they've got to attack from any body of water, and so on and so forth until Equestria and the other nations collapse.
Making it so that the kelpies have to EAT people was an incredible mistake. The black and white isn't kelpie versus everyone else. It's 'Do I and all the people counting on me live by wiping out these beings who are obligate predators against US SPECIFICALLY; or do I puss out because 'muh morals' when doing so will end up with nobody left to practice those morals because they all got eaten eventually.'
That's why it's black and white. Either black and death, or white and get to live on to actually criticize and complain about wiping out the kelpies one way or another and keeping them gone for the sake of all sapient life on the planet.
This discussion really won't go anywhere as far as morality goes. Sure enough "collectivist" people would see nothing wrong with sacrificing a few peps every now and then for the sake of peace and co-existence. And then you'd have "individualist" people who would declare any sacrifice of any individual unacceptable.
It is literally the case of "Would your murder your entire family to save 10 000 strangers?". Except for this time it's "Would you let some of your kind die so that other kind could exist?".
7243300
While it's interesting that you're willing to be so vocal about how you personally feel about this, you're being awfully critical and frequently quite inflammatory toward a story and author you're reading for free.
If you take that much of an issue with it, say your piece and stop reading. It's not your story and it's not your call, if your that sure that you can do better, go do it. I hope people are kinder to you than you and the others in your camp have been toward poor Vrenn
Sweet dreamers of R'lyeh they're calling in Cthulhu...
7243327
I have such issue with it because it's an utterly insane brainbug that it has to be addressed before it gives someone else a stupid idea.
The best case scenario is: 'A kelpie must eat a sentient being at the beginning of adulthood.' Which means for every kelpie that lives, someone else must die. That's the literal base scenario.
A more likely scenario is 'once a decade', which means for every kelpie that lives, at least 5-10 other people must die. And it just gets worse from there. Granted, I don't think it could get much worse without opening an even bigger logic hole of 'how do people not notice all these people missing' for any population over 10,000.
And the author thinks that this is a situation where a peaceful solution can be reached. Even the Federation (PEACE AT ANY COST TO US) has a general order specifically saying 'glass the entire planet from orbit' for specifically responding to this kind of situation.
7243223 I am pretty sure you would change your mind if a member of your family was eaten with sustainable hunting. Sustainable hunting of sentient beings is nothing more than sanctioned murder.
7243351 I never said a peaceful solution will be reached or how it will be. I have a plan. I've thought this through, it's fairly realistic IMO and accounts for the difficulty of peace, but also of its possibility.
Also, you seem to have forgotten the kelpies were fighting against the seaponies for centuries... there was no need for landdwellers to go missing then.
7243350 No comment, but I will say they're not calling in Cthulu. They are interested in expanding into the Western Ocean though and so... well if you've heard of rumors of cthulu, I'd check them first wouldn't you?
7243141
That is something a weak specie would do, strength comes from adaptation. What you are and all your prowess means NOTHING if you can be laid down with a cold. Allies, friends, science, tools SOCIAL EVOLUTION is the path to greatness.
Not some antiquated "I am stronger than you" way of thinking.
7243351
Then give him a chance to finish the story before you jump down his throat like a pack of rabid lemmings.
I understand where you're coming from on a lot of this, I really do. It should not be the problem of the prey to ensure that the predator has a ready food supply. But there are more than Kelpies down there, for one, so decimating the entire population of peaceful creatures that are necessary for oceanic health and well being is slitting their own throat to spite their face. If the ocean dies, the planet dies. That's the way it works. The sea ponies and Deep Dwellers are a requirement for oceanic balance, killing them off because they might give birth to a Kelpie is... fucking monstrous, I can't believe there are so many of you that are in that camp.
Damn, if only Samundra finished her job. She had the right idea, though experimenting on children was a bit much. Still, she was trying to fix the horrible evolutionary path the species took. A Noble idea.
So... No actual weaknesses for the kelpienators, figures. Hopefully, they'll wipe the floor with them somehow.
Since any kind of peace with these monsters is impossible, I guess the great ones will aid the kelpienators in subduing the surface dwellers and reducing them to cattle.
Or they could switch to land based fisheries, fortify the coasts and let the sea dicks fend for themselves.
7243371
You, I like you :D
7243411
What you're talking about is eugenics, the same thing Hitler was on about. Samudra tortured innocents, children or not, and kidnapped them by means of 'Queens Orders'.
I can't agree she had the right idea, not if she wen't about it in any of the ways it's presented.
As for horrible evolutionary path, one could argue the opposite since they are the apex of their given enviroment, much like humans are to our world, though by different means.
Oh my. Wiping out the whole of Aquestria just to get all the kelpies is a bit too much for me. The seaponies not caring for the ocean could also potentially cause more casualties than the kelpies do.
I remember some old film about a future civilization where no one was allowed to live longer than 30 years or something. Not a permanent solution of course, some took action to live longer...
Also, the library
... hehehe... hahahahahahahahaha! Next the Great ones strike.
7243178 Unless they're just having their digestive/magical requirements altered. Then it could be looked at as akin to magical forced evolution.
Ya just play with the semantics a bit.
7243655 Granted, the Western Sea isn't cared for by seaponies, buuuuut that's why it has notoriously unstable weather and a section called "The Unknown West" where animal and fauna can really kill you.
7243511 That's why I said she had the right general idea, but bad execution. Removing kelpies is always a good idea since they're a threat to every other sapient species. As far as we know, there's no way they can peacefully coexist with other races.
Though, now that we know that sea ponies and kelpienators are the same species, all the moral ambiguity of going for isolating them in the sea is gone. If they start eating sea ponies, not our problem, since they're basically eating themselves.
Again with a Hitler comparison and again it mm doesn't work since the situations are vastly different. If there was a human subspecies that could only survive by eating other humans, would we be supposed to just let them eat us? Or would we do our best to isolate them or get rid of them?
Also, collapsing a hive that the entire island rests on... Yay!
7243795 aaand herein lies some of the questions that will be brought up in the next chapter... XD I have no answer. All are rather hard options, though genocide to me is unacceptable.
7243655 I remember that film.
"Logan's Run"
It was an odd film, but was one of the trigger for the dystopian society genre which led to later classics such as "Blade Runner", which was a neo-noir adaptation of the "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" story from 1968 which of course then led to the "Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep" title... thus fulfilling the circle to Pony!
IT'S ALL CONNECTED, DON'T YOU SEE?! THEY'RE CONTROLLING US!!! THE GREYS ARE HERE!!
derpicdn.net/img/download/2015/1/23/813022__safe_solo_rarity_clothes_equestria+girls_simple+background_transparent+background_fwslash-mlp-fwslash_sweater_4chan.png
7243795 OH and the entire island doesn't rest on the hive...
7243238 Discord's magic may be unpredictable... but at least it'll ensure that they become something else!
Anything is better than unrepentant people-eating monsters.
Unless they're SEXY unrepentant people-eating monsters who do lots of perverse seductive stuff before nomnomnom. Then it's totally hot vore.
(Alondro has issues... MANY issues...)
7243795 the 'Hitler analogy' wasn't an analogy, more so a direction to the concepts repercussions.
Forcibly altering another species without their consent is still genecide, as their biological makeup would be gone, replaced with the 'preferred' version, destroying Kelpies and replacing them while still alive with something else, not to mention the damage that could cause psychologically/physically to any given individual if even the smallest thing goes wrong.
More so, why wpuldn't they work on finding a way to replicate the unmentioned feature that kelpies depend on instead of mutilating and forcing other into Samudra's viewpoints?
Honestly, if the Kelpies had been volunteers, I'd not even had brought it up, but everything points to 'No' in that field.
Edit, forgot to add this: If they kill themselves off, thats still going to have world wide consequences, it simply is genocide by a different means.
7243856 Heh, Revealed a bit more than you wanted to with that comment did you?
need space after each period.
extra space after "become", maybe?
7243935 Eeeeyup. XD
So basically, Equestria is screwed, unless a miracle occurs.
The only way to placate the kelpies is through live sacrifice, and not only would that be a bad end in itself but I imagine that would lead to a lot of internal conflicts. I doubt the Equestrian way of life would survive that.
They found nothing they could use as a threat to the kelpies, the most they've worked out is that they could maybe retreat inland and in doing so keep themselves off the menu. This would however require them to abandon all interests related to the sea, as well as probably a lot of innocent civilians that they couldn't evacuate in time. I expect they's suffer a massive loss of face from the inability to protect their territory or their people, as well as the physical and mental harm which are the result of the losing war itself.
Even if they could beat the kelpies in combat, which it looks like they can't given that the book gave them nothing useful in that regard and they were hopelessly outclassed before, that would just put them in a situation where they either need to exterminate Aquestria (unacceptabe) or they're doing population control and live sacrifices (also unacceptable). I don't think Equestrian morals would survive.
Not that the kelpies really face a better choice themselves. What we've seen so far seems to indicate that they get the fun choice of 'murder someone in cold blood', presumably on a regular basis (one of Tethys and Typhon's conversations seemed to indicate that eating sentients is something they had to do regularly rather than a one time thing) or go berzerk and kill lots of innocent bystanders at once. So it's a raw deal all around.
At this point I'd say all the hope anyone has left for some sort of mutually agreeable solution is the slim possibility that some substitute for eating sentient beings can be found and can actually acknowledged by all sides. And this seems increasingly unlikely as time goes on.
7244146 It's not as dark as you're making it out to be... we'll see come 19.
7243815 Except the grays are a case of misidentification. The greys, the original ones, appeared in the works of HG Wells. And they weren't aliens, they were concepts of what humans may evolve into and he later made use of them as cattle of the Martians in War of the Worlds.
What.
! I want to know what that was about! I never have a solid theory before you destroy it with another piece of foreshadowing.
What.
What.
WHAT!
pre00.deviantart.net/de38/th/pre/i/2012/354/1/0/twilight_sparkle___sitting_down_offended_by_anbolanos91-d4yoczu.png
Come on! What the f
Great Ones? I'm tantalizing to identify these Great Ones again as krakens. Lore states krakens often disguise themselves like islands with palm trees & everything to entice ships & weary sailors looking for rest & supplies. Ambushing them in an explosion of tentacles & dragging them to the depth of the sea to supposedly devour them. Plus the name of the island Karkanos is the name of a kraken in the World of Warcraft (only played it for a time & I did experience the Corrupted Blood Incident in WofW, that event caught the attention of epidemiologists since it mimicked to a degree what could happen in the real world ). So krakens! A new player in the story!
Either way, the way Empress & that sea pony minister ascribe these Great Ones, they seem to be friends to no one. A common foe for both Aquestrian & Equestrian?
7243511
I'm pretty sure attempting to snip out an evolutionary path that requires the regular and frequent murder of sapients for bare survival isn't quite on the level of creating a master race to conquer the world.
I mean, experimenting on children is still monstrously WTF, but if you're ever going to find an end that justifies the means, you're looking at it. In the end, every one of them is a walking body count. That's going to make anyone desperate -- including the kelpies themselves.
Can we please get a turn for the better for Equestria please? It's getting so demoralizing to read.
7244768 The Beast of Karkanos Island is a bit...more than a regular kraken. And yes, I'm glad someone got the name link. You really do some studying.
7244877 Not really studying, just reading lots of books (which still do of course) & most what I say is based on memory of what I read. But I did look up Karkanos since it did sound familiar & of course it was the name of that monster in WofW.
But thanks anyways.
7244854 So are a lot of predators in the real world, and their animals, and yet we don't go around mutating them.
As I said, if it was something the Kelpies volunteered, then I wouldn't be complaining. The way she went about it and the fact that she didn't attempt from and information we have to find a less perverse solution still makes Samudra worse in my eyes.
7244765 You shall see. XD, But out of interest, what was your theory?
7244768 Still I am greatly surprised you got the link... srsly Me and Zerv have been regularly impressed by your research/knowledge.
7244864 Well in 19 it does. Granted I can't just moodwhiplash it back to all happy, but it does take a turn for the better, to something the Equestrians, particularly Alternia, are more familiar with.