Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 189: Underwater Mission Part V

I took a seat next to Vinyl, and sighed. The unicorn mare levitated a soda, and started to mom at me. “Hey, hotshot. What’s wrong? Come on, you can talk to me.”

I used my wing to open the can of cola, and lied back in the seat. “Well...let’s just say I’ve been through a lot and I was reminded of something that I didn’t...want to suffer through again.”

Vinyl paused, and sat up to speak with me a little more. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect her to be so sympathetic and listen to me. Thought she’d be too cool for that stuff. “What’s your name, kid?” she asked.

“Guttersnipe,” I said in return, “And I know who you are already. Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to confirm a thing or two. So you’re the one whose wings got bitten off by little demonic fish in a lake, huh?”

H-how did she know that? I instinctively retreated my metal limbs and did my best to hide them out of sheer embarrassment. “You uh...you could tell, huh?” Dammit. Why did she know that? I felt like my cheeks were going to fall off from how much I cringed.

But Vinyl didn’t make fun of me or anything. She simply stated what she knew. “I see...it’s been a rumor for a while, but I didn’t think it was possible. I wonder if Tempest Shadow could possibly get a new horn…” She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry, I’m getting too far ahead here. Listen, I’ve been through quite a bit of my own trauma.”

Woah, for real? Thing is, I thought Vinyl Scratch was a squeaky clean DJ who had a regular old life...right? Then again, ain’t never good to judge based on looks alone. There’s a lot we don’t know when it comes to looking at others. Myself included…

“...I understand,” I replied in a way to where I could avoid the awkwardness. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Vinyl was at least twice my age. There were probably loads of things she dealt with. “I just...I just don’t want to feel like dead weight. Terramar reminded me of a close friend I have--personality-wise that is.”

“Who is this friend, if you don’t mind me asking?” Vinyl pushed up her glasses to let me get a view of her red eyes, “They’re still alive, right?”

“Tsunami is his name, yeah...I still remember that day vividly where he, and my other friends--UV Ray, and Vapor Trail all skipped out on flying lessons to go play in a lake. But…”

Somehow, that was enough for the older unicorn to catch on. She cut me off, and shook her head. “It’s alright, kid. No need to explain anymore than what you deem necessary. I can already tell what’s wrong.”

I almost scoffed and chuckled in disbelief. However, that would’ve been rude. So I kept my composure out of respect for the mare. “...Really?”

“Clearly whatever you experienced down there has triggered some tragic memories for you. Needless to say, you don’t have to force yourself to endure it again.”

I looked down at the sand. Even if that was the case, I couldn’t rest easy with the knowledge that my friends were out there without me. I had to do something. “But if I just sit here knowing that I could’ve done something while they risk their necks…”

Vinyl raised a brow, then glared at me. “Do you think they’d want to see you traumatize yourself as they fight some huge beast? Is that what you want?”

“Well no...absolutely not. I’d never want them to see me suffer…”

I felt her hoof gently slap me on the back. “Then kid. You have two options. Either stay back and clear your head or break through those fears. The rest is up to you. I can’t--and won’t--force ya to do anything. But I’m not gonna sit here and listen to you complain about something you got the capacity to change. Ya feel?”

Wow...once again, I completely underestimated her. I didn’t expect her to spit such helpful, yet brusque facts. Maybe she was right…

In the distance we could see a faint outline of what looked like a giant serpent. “...Holy moly,” I mumbled, “That thing is huge…”

Vinyl put her shades back down, and reclined. “Hey, my job is to just supervise. The rest is on you kiddos.”

What to do…

---

“YA!”

With a mighty screech, Terramar swung his sword to cleave through a blast of water that looked forceful enough to rend steel! The weapon was a broadsword colored pure blue with a narrow hilt. Looked a bit awkward to swing, but he managed somehow…

“Right here!”

Silverstream had on a pair of what looked to be gold-plated gauntlets that accentuated the sharpness of her claws. This allowed her to make minor tears into the skin of the massive sea monster. She was even able to scratch it a bit.

And me? Well, I had to constantly stay on the move lest I sink into the ocean like a rock. Something about this thing rang familiar to me, though. As if I had felt a similar sensation somewhere else before…

“Look out!” Silverstream called out before she dragged me out of the way of a laser that was fired from the eyes of the beast. “Whew...you okay?”

There was a pang in my chest. I could feel it. Those lasers were just like the ones that I had been shot with. This beast...those mines...it had all come together for me. For the moment, though, I put on a brave face to ease her concern. “...I’m alright. Thanks, Silverstream. You got my back on that one.”

From above us, Terramar shouted. “Ahem! Do either of you have an idea on how we can--YIE!--” A swipe of the beast’s tail which kicked up a massive wave interrupted him. Luckily, he was able to dodge just in time. “--how we can take this thing down?!”

There was only one way to deal with a being this huge on an uneven playing field such as the water.

Cut it down to size.

“...Silverstream, gimme a lift on your back.”

She replied with a confused stare. “...Wha?”

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

How are they gonna take down a Leviathan? I mean the ways to take one down has been lost because of time and their believe in their extinction. Also...

There was only one way to deal with a being this huge on an uneven playing field such as the water.

Cut it down to size.

“...Silverstream, gimme a lift on your back.”

She replied with a confused stare. “...Wha?”

How are you going to do that? With that shapeshifting pearl and Sliverstream, you have wings remember?

[Jmaster49]

10687229
They're actually above water right now. Sorry if that wasn't clear. 😅

[Neo4K]

There was a pang in my chest. I could feel it. Those lasers were just like the ones that I had been shot with. This beast...those mines...it had all come together for me.

Looks like Quick identified who shot her in Tartarus. How a big-ass monster like a Leviathan could fit in Tartarus is anybody's guess. I'm honestly disappointed she wasn't able to identify the caster of that curse. Or is there a deeper meaning to Quick's thought process than before?