80 Days: Under the Waves

by Sharp Spark

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I struggled valiantly as we plunged into the depths, but my attacker’s grip was like iron. My thrashing only exhausted myself, until I involuntarily gasped for breath, only to choke on seawater. As my body spasmed, screaming for air, I could see the light of the surface receding further and further away, until all that was left was blackness.

I awoke to a room not dissimilar from our spartan quarters onboard the freighter, but I could still feel the salty tang of seawater in my mouth as I coughed and gasped. To my bewilderment, my mistress was waiting there, a frown on her face.

“Good,” she said. “You’ve come to. They said that you would be fine, but I would appreciate if you would not cause me such concern in the future, Porter.”

I nodded, feeling the worry in her words, even if I knew other observers might only see a detached coldness. She explained our situation: the sharkponies had seized us as captives, sensing an opportunity for a sizable ransom. We were prisoners awaiting judgment from their Princess, who was away on a hunt and expected to return a few days hence. Madame Fog seemed to be more displeased with having to wait than with our precarious situation.

Our captors allowed us free reign, and I quickly realized the rationale for their largesse; their entire city lay at the bottom of the ocean, constructed out of the remnants of ships that had sunk or been commandeered by sharkpony pirate bands. A glittering dome of magic allowed for breath, to our relief--even sharkponies could not permanently live in water, but required occasional breaths of air. But the water outside of the settlement proper was inky black, and any attempt at swimming away would clearly lead to death.

I sought for something familiar in the alien place…
I stumbled across a bar when exploring the city…
I was overcome with curiosity about their society…