35 - Repairs
Sleeping arrangements became slightly awkward. Cherry and Indie had slept comfortably apart within the room, with Cherry unaware of any attention she may have received from the lovestruck, but polite, Indigo.
Berry wasn't so reserved. When she saw their usual slumbering spots, she picked one right beside Indigo. She didn't attempt to force herself on him, but made no subtlety on being near him. She was more casual about keeping his eyes in the right direction, at least until he went to sleep, which was the only time she would slip off.
In the morning, they would rise from the pool/bedroom, have breakfast, and prepare for a new day's work.
"I'll cook tomorrow," promised Berry.
Cherry tilted her head. "You know how?"
Spike raised a brow. "Uh, thanks, but I can handle it."
Berry waved off Spike's decline. "Of course I know how to cook. You just sit back, relax, and watch as I prepare some real sea treats."
Together, they strode out towards the train. Berry glanced over at the other two as they went. "Hey, this reminds me of school."
Indie quirked a smile. "I suppose, yeah, swimming together in the early morning like this."
Cherry bobbed her head. "Sorry I was so spaced out near the end there."
Berry waved that off. "Forgiven. Besides, if you hadn't..."
Cherry perked an ear. "If I hadn't?"
Berry raised a hoof behind her head. "I wouldn't have been able to copy your design?"
Cherry blinked softly before the magnitude dawned on her. "They look familiar because they are familiar!"
Berry reared up and put out her forehooves a moment before she came down. "Hey, easy there. Besides, thanks to that, I have a gift."
Indie perked up. "Gift?"
Berry nodded. "I used a metal pony like you did for the parts."
Cherry looked confused at the notion. "Another one? Where did you find it?"
Berry waved off the idea. "It was being stupid in the water, so I took it. I may even know where there are two more legs. They have four you know."
Indie looked excited a moment before the brightness dimmed. "Wait, but those would be forward legs, not the extra legs, right?"
Berry thrust a hoof at Cherry. "Nothing a pair of talented mechanical ponies can't fix, right?"
Cherry's jaw worked as she figured through the adjustments that would be required to make it work even as she nodded. "We could... work with that. It has most of the parts we need. Indie, do you want to dry swim like we do?"
Indie brightened right back up, his thick tail swaying to and fro across the board he was wheeling. "Yes please! You'll show me how to, right?" He wiggled his fins. "I'll be using these, right?"
They chatted animatedly. The competition between the mares was set aside in favor of the work ahead of them. When they reached the train, that consumed them. Hours went by as they replaced part by part, until all the new parts were exhausted.
Cherry turned for the door. "Let's go back to the castle, get a snack, and then head down to the smithy to pick up whatever parts she's finished."
There were no objections, and soon they were eagerly on the way. Spike had made them all a big bowl of what he called salad, but it lacked entirely in seaweed, to the seaponies' confusion. The dry seaweed wasn't bad though, and the vegetables and fruit mixed in with it were tasty, so they ate up quickly and continued their way down to Ponyville.
Berry tapped her chin. "If this friend of yours is that good at bending metal, maybe we should ask for the parts we'll need for Indigo while we're there."
Cherry nodded in easy agreement. "But she's already working on the train parts. Maybe after that?"
"She can put that on hold for a moment to get our precious Indie properly mobile." Berry huffed softly.
Indie found himself agreeing with Berry. The notion of dry swimming seemed more immediately compelling than finishing the train. "It's not like we'll stop working on your train, Cherry."
Cherry pouted, but didn't argue it further. They arrived at the smithy, source of dry power.
Berry gasped as she stepped into the heat of the place. "This is like The Dry given life..."
The smithy-mare smiled as she set down her hammer from her mouth. "Well hello there! When did you get another water friend? Nice to meet you, I'm Even Stroke."
Berry nodded at Even. "Sea Berry, but Berry's just fine. Do you really control all this Dry?"
"Oh, not you too!" Even laughed merrily at the sea ponies' curious dialect. "But yes, all this fire is under my control, or I wouldn't have a smithy for long. Now, what brings you here? More parts?" She raised a hoof towards a basket. "That's what I have done right now."
Cherry stepped forward eagerly and began to sift through the parts.
While she did that, Indie smiled up at Even. "Excuse me, miss, could you stop that project for a moment to make a few other pieces?"
"More?" She raised a brow. "You fish are becoming my best customers. What do you have in mind?"
Berry described a few needed pieces, gesturing with her hooves to better describe them. Cherry joined in, adding a few pieces to the order and working together to better describe their needs.
Even Stoke made a little scribble in her notepad. "Alright, nothing too complicated. I'll work on those first thing and you can stop by tomorrow for them."
Indie picked up the basket in his teeth. "Thanks, Even. You're the best."
Even waved it off. "I'm the only smith in town, so being the best isn't hard. Now go on, before the three of you turn to jerky."
They fled the power of The Dry, intact and with their parts secured. Berry pointed towards the train. "We may want to go get the legs."
The train project was postponed for the day, with some mild grumping from Cherry. They dropped off the basket back at the castle before heading to the station and going to fetch the legs.
All three eagerly dove into the water once they reached the beach. Swimming was a joy, as fun as dry swimming could be at times. They circled and danced an aquatic melody before they were interrupted by a meek voice, "Excuse me?"
They turned together to see another sea pony, a stallion, smiling at them nervously. "Excuse me, you came from The Dry, right?"
Cherry nodded. "That's where we live."
"So it's not... dangerous?"
Indie did a spin in the water. "It can be, but it's full of wonderful things too, just like the sea." Where was anypony completely safe? "Why?"
"Oh, I... I wanted to see it..." He rubbed behind his head, looking increasingly awkward. "I figure, if some foals can do--"
"Berry is no foal." She crossed her legs and snorted out a few bubbles.
"I meant no offense, promise." He smiled a little. "If you could tell me how, I'd appreciate it."
Cherry brightened with an idea. "Well we're about to get a dry swimmer. Why don't you take Indie's old dry swimmer for now."
He blinked. "You'd do that? You're the best!" He swam off to claim the wheeled device and begin his own adventure in The Dry.
Indigo pouted a little. "How am I going to get back to Ponyville?"
Berry swam around him quickly. "Have no fear, precious Indie. I'll carry you back and we'll get those legs working for you, promise."
They heard a soft stomping approaching them and turned to face a new intruder. It was a metal pony! Berry clopped her hooves together as a devious smile spread over her face.
"Stay away," warned the metal pony with the voice of the unicorn engineer that had started it all. "You two. I wanted to talk to you."
Cherry tilted her head at the metal pony. How was it talking like that? She didn't even see its mouth move. "Alright? We're here."
"You two love to tear apart my lovely machines for making walking aids for sea ponies, and I got to thinking..."
Berry raised a brow but was otherwise silent.
"Why don't I sell you the legs directly? You leave my machines alone, and you can get all the legs you want."
Cherry clopped her hooves at the idea. "That'd be fantastic! There are other sea ponies that'd like to see The Dry. If we could get dry swimmers to them all, they could visit whenever they like."
"And you can stop tearing apart my machines. Deal?"
Berry thrust a hoof a the machine. "We need more than the legs. Look." She did a slow turn, gesturing back at the belt that held the legs in the proper place. "And there's a part inside where our fins go and help control it."
Cherry swam up to the mechanical pony. "We could show you how it's made, then you could make them, right?"
Indie glanced between them, confused, "Does this mean I can get my legs sooner?"
Berry shook her head at Indie. "We'll still need to make yours. I doubt this mechanical pony will learn and have one made by the end of the day."
"I am not a mechanical pony. This is my machine, and I'm talking through it." The pony looked at Cherry. "We've met before, with Princess Twilight Sparkle."
Cherry bobbed her head. "You were really angry before."
"Tell me truthfully, did you break my machine?"
Cherry crossed her heart with a hoof. "By the waves, I promise I didn't. It was broken when I found it, with only three hooves."
"I did," admitted Berry easily.
"I know you did, little sea-based vandal." It was curious hearing angry words from the impassive face of the metal pony. "Let's put aside past differences, however. If you're both willing to work with me, we can all come out of it ahead. Show me how to make the modifications and we can share the profit from sales of the walking harnesses to other sea ponies."
Cherry fished out a shell and held it out to the metal pony. "But land ponies use different money than sea ponies."
"We can work out an exchange. You, vandal. You seem to know your way around. Do your people make useful things?"
Berry perked her ears. "All sorts of things. It depends what you consider 'useful'. Also, my name is Berry, Sea Berry."
"Great, and would your ponies mind carrying scientific equipment?"
"What?" Berry tilted her head.
"If they would be willing to carry pieces of my machine into the deeper parts of the ocean, I would gladly pay for that." A hopeful tinge came into the voice. "We can work it out, trading, um, goods and services. Just no more vandalism, right, Miss Sea?"
"That's Berry." She nodded. "Fine, I won't hurt anymore metal ponies, promise."
Indie circled on her. "Swear."
Berry frowned at him before she let out a bubbly sigh. "Fine. By the waves, I swear I will not harm another of your metal ponies."
"Or other equipment," added the metal pony.
Berry rolled her eyes. "Or other equipment. There, happy?"
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Good!
I'm wondering how our magical pony princess that decided growing a fish tail is doing.
Sea Berry be like, "Hells yeah I broke your robot, that's how I roll. I do what I want!"
Truthfully it's not breathing underwater that is the major hindrance for Dry creatures so much as the pressure of the oceans bearing down on them and their breathing apparatus and gear as well as getting ill from things like the bends when they go back up... Nothing most Dry creatures don't know. But having no comparable circumstances the sea ponies probably wouldn't understand.
This story serves no...
(Wait for it...)
... porpoise!
Don't worry about Twilight, she's used to being...
(Wait for it...)
... in over her head!
Forlegs front And Back?
Its going to be a Pinky Pushmepullyou Sliepnier.
So of course Pinkies gonna see it and sing.
I should be so Loki, Loki, Loki, Loki.
Followed by the song she sings for All her freinds.
[Sunglasses]
Never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never gonna run around,
And desert you.
Oh no, the sea ponies are invading!
Keep going! ;)
Operation submarine train is a go... Okay, no that wouldn't really work now that I think about it... Full body bubble spell maybe? Or something like the cloud walking spell but for ponies to be underwater instead?
Behold! The power of the Dry!
i.ytimg.com/vi/nGdbA0LyIpE/maxresdefault.jpg
7257385 I sea what you did there.
I'd say the circumstances for your puns are fishy but that wouldn't explain the depths you're willing to dive to for them.
I'm going to go to sleep now, because that sounds terrible, even for puns
Oh my gosh! He was actually intelligent enough to seek out a new business opportunity!
7257546
Actually an underwater train might work. Early diesel Submarines used a snorkel. Using a steam system would need some big intake snorkels and maybe an out one. Also steam systems are probably too heavy to float but it could drive on the seabed. Plus there is magic to fix some holes in the design.
7257353
I see you are talking about the bends and water pressure. They cause humans a lot of problems but ponies are not human and might be more resistant or there might be a magic solution. Or maybe not.
7257674
And in this very community!
7257691 The problem would be that there would be no point. If the ponies can't leave it, then a submarine would have been a better choice.
Now it's time for an underwater adventure!!!
Oh no! It's a invasion of the fishes!
7258286
Since I have no idea you basically see it as 'work', it was never meant as insult or likewise.
I just agree with the others that it is rather sad to find such a story end like that.
Surely you actually also like to write and could find a way to help your followers in this case?
7257848 Install some O2 tanks that are enchanted to return (somehow) to the train/submareeeeeeeen when they're taken off, or something like that.
I guess
7257277 Yeah I know
what he called
If that doesn't work, he'll start putting weapons on them.
7258728 Typo fixed, and found another lurking nearby. It was turned back out into the deep ocean.
Where was completely safe? - Where was anypony completely safe
He swum off - He swam off
*****
Shoo-be-doo this was a fun chapter to read!
Business partnerships are sort of like friendships, right?
Evolution in action... The sea ponies are evolving into cyborgs.
7259585 By the gods. The beginning of the termiponies is upon us.
7259573 Typos fixed! Let the commerce continue!
7257674 And then, Capitalism! Capitalism everywhere!
<Yay)
7257439
7258129
My shipping senses are tingling.
7257860
SON OF A FISH! SPARE ME FROM THE INSUFFERABLE MERMAIDS!
QUICK, GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DISTRACT ME!
mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/projects/404/17546931.548c9d292c4a0.jpg
That's better.
Augh, too many seaponies! I was hoping this story would be focusing solely on Cheri...
If it can go about without seeming like a trainwreck, though, I won't mind too much. But...it does kinda irritate me that another story gave a bit of a false description.
As long as this doesn't turn into a Mente Materia scenario...
7353359 Mente Materia
But I like that story. However I do hope this story doesn't go over board.
I hope nothing bad happens