Stormriders: Dead Seas

by PonyMarine

Chapter 6: Riptide

City of the Waves
Luna’s chambers
0327
Background Music

Contrary to the desires of their host Twilight and Luna’s evening had not been peaceful at all. The pair were night owls by nature and threw themselves into some intense research as soon as they had reached the spacious chambers Luna had been accommodated in. The Marines were nearby, apparently the tradition of all leaders in Mer culture were to go with an armed body of elite guards called a “comitatus” hoof picked stallions and mares sworn to defend their master or mistress with their lives. So all large accommodations for dignitaries had barracks for a dozen or more soldiers built on as a matter of course.

Gunny Reckless had handled the accommodations with ease, her Marines spreading out and inspecting the premise they and their sovereign would be occupying, Her opposite number, the leader of Coral Beard’s own comitatus, watched with an approving eye from one of the channels that allowed the Mer to move through the few “dry” rooms of the palace.

Everypony had departed by this late hour though. The Marines stood down for weapons maintenance and sleep, beginning the rotation of two guards who would be on duty throughout the night and day for the duration of their stay. These Marines were some of the best the Equestrian military had to offer but there was a fatal flaw in their security, guarding the exterior of the building, past the walls that kept their precious pocket of air and and the world aquatic separate was next to impossible.

Black clad shadows began to emerge from the depths of the ocean city, moving like shadows past walls and guard towers, a few slitting the throats of sentries who might possibly complicate their intended plans. They scaled the walls in swift predatory motions, hunters who could smell their prey, feel it in their teeth and now at the porthole outside Luna’s chambers see it with their eyes. They began to work swiftly pulling small devices from satchels, their work unobserved and unknown to the oblivious pair of ponies inside.

Twilight Sparkle was starting to lag a little, normally she could keep up with Luna no matter what but it’d been a long day and neither of them had slept in a while. Luna for her part still looked fresh and perky, but she had the benefit of being an immortal goddess incarnate, and Twilight did not. The purple unicorn shook herself and poured more of the local variant of coffee that tasted more like an herbal tea but had the kick of one of Pinkie Pie’s quintuple party power espressos.

Refreshed she turned to the massive stack of books before her, on the Princess’s request a large number of history books and scrolls had been delivered to her chambers before the welcome party had even come close to concluding. The sheer amount of material was slightly boggling, never having suffered some of the wars the Equestrians had allowed the Mer to keep a very extensive record system. All the way back to the dawn of their race with few very few gaps. Luna looked up suddenly.

“Twilight! Look at this!”

Luna shoved a heavy book under Twilight’s muzzle, magic highlighting the section of script she wanted the purple unicorn to examine. Twilight stifled a yawn and read through it quickly.

“Hmmm seems like you were pretty important down here a couple thousand years ago.”

“Indeed, the Mer favor the night and consider the bio-luminescence found in many ocean dwelling animals and plants to be a gift from me... which may or may not be true. That was a long time ago... I did do more work with the ocean then Tia did... I... I don’t know Twilight there’s so much I don’t remember any more...”

Twilight turns and pulls her friend into a tight hug.

“It stole so much from you... didn’t it?”

The name of the monster that had corrupted the night goddess didn’t need to be named, not amongst these two. Luna buries her face in Twilight’s mane and nods slightly, trying to hold back a tear or two. She could be strong as long as she needed to, no matter how much the old wounds still hurt, but it was nice to know she could be weak with Twilight.

Twilight pulled back and smiled at her friend warmly.

“You know Princess, it’s really late, we should turn in and get some sleep so we’re fresh for tomorrow.

Twilight hugged Luna and began to head towards the door. Luna blushed slightly and stared down at her hooves, almost ashamed at the thought that just ran through her head but knowing she didn’t want Twilight to leave.

“Ah... Twilight...”

“Yes Princess?”

“You... you could... uhm... stay...”

At that second the black clad figures who’d been outside the entire time detonated the charges they’d been placing around the porthole of the room, and a in rushing wave of water knocked Twilight and Luna from their hooves, slamming them both against the far wall. The room filled up in an instant and the mysterious sea ponies followed closely behind, binding the two struggling unicorns and fitting them with rebreathers, as they secured magic dampners to their horns. In a swirl of bubbles they vanished into the depths dragging Twilight and Luna down with them into the deeps. The enraged eyes of Gunnery Sergeant Reckless followed them the entire way until they finally vanished from sight, standing at the porthole of the barracks room next to Luna’s quarters. Her breathing is hard and she’s shaking with rage, a single icy sentence escaped her lips as her Marines secured their quarters and set up an emergency comm channel to the surface.

“Somepony is going to pay for this...”

Royal Chambers

Reckless and her Marines were a force of nature by the time they reached the Sea Lord’s chambers, they’d subdued more than a few guards and were in their special combat dive gear in case they had to follow paths reserved for the waterborne seaponies. There was rage in ever hoof step but Coralbeard met them without fear, though his comitatus was close by, slightly on edge from having these strange and aggressive ponies so near their master. The seapony elder bowed his head a little.

“I suppose you have questions Gunnery Sergeant... and after this failure I must give you answers.”

Gunnery Sergeant Reckless practically leaps forward at the old stallion.

“Who the buck were those sea ponies? Who took the Princess and Twilight? Was all of this some kind of trick?”

The sea pony lord glares at Reckless.

“NO! We are not honorless dogs who would invite someone into our homes only to do them harm. Your princess and her friend have been taken by your real enemy... the deep dwellers.”

Reckless gave Coralbeard her best incredulous look.

“And who the hay are the deep dwellers?”

“Come with me to the Darkened Hall, an ancient chamber of these palace which hasn’t been opened in a thousand years and I shall explain everything to you that you might tell your superiors.”

Background Music

The seapony didn’t allow Reckless time to respond, instead taking off down the hallway, Reckless went galloping after, her Marines and the comitatus hot on her hooves. They passed down grand stairs and waterways through grand galleries and expansive coves filled with seaponies going about their business even in the dead of the night. Finally they came to a massive set of double doors made of black stone, with a massive silver halfmoon at the center. Coralbeard suddenly looked even more aged, as if the sight of the door pained him and and it’s presence weighed upon him. His comitatus began to look nervous some pulling back slightly from the dark door.

Coralbeard took up an ancient key from around his neck and opened a small door within the doors. An eerie blue light glowed from within the room.

“Gunnery Sergeant I ask that your Marines remain here... this room... it is best if they do not enter the Darkened Hall.”

Reckless gulped nervously, she really didn’t want to be separated from her Marines but if it meant being able to rescue you the Princess... she stepped over to the seapony leader and prepared to follow him through the door.

“Fine, let’s just get this done so we can save the Princess.”

She dropped into the shallow channel through the door, the water up to her knees, it was cold, different then the warmer waters which filled the palace and it’s surrounding waters. She stepped through the door and noticed that the air was colder in the room too. The door swung shut behind them and she moved up onto a dias next to the channel walking deeper into the room as her eyes struggled to adjust. Finally the room revealed itself and the shape of the source of the blue light became clear. A giant crescent moon filled the top of the room, a fresco equivalent to the fresco of Celestia and Luna in the chamber they had entered when they first arrived.

“Oh goddess... what is this place?”

Coralbeard had vanished into the darkness but a low deep chanting echoed out from deeper in the room, and the light of the crescent began to spread, filling patterns throughout the room like it was water. The same light began to come alive in strange symbols, familiar to Reckless from courses at the Marine Corps Staff Academy. Black magic, the very blackest if Reckless was remembering her course material properly throughout. It was a breathtaking chilling sight as the marks of malevolent magics and energies illuminated themselves the massive room, every surface was covered in them. It took every ounce of discipline she had to not flinch away from the markings as their odd light creeped towards her. Reckless might have only been an Earth pony but she knew from some of the campaign stories her grandpappy had told her that dark magic was not to be screwed with. Every course she’d had on the matter through the Corps had only reinforced that particular piece of wisdom.

Finally the lights stopped, silhouetting Coral Beard as he stood before a grand altar, and there under the light of the baleful blue moon was the only unlit and uncarved part of the room. A massive throne of glittering black stone, the edges so sharp that they looked like they could cut or rend flesh that carelessly brushed against them. Towering over the blackened edifice of the throne was a statue. Finely carved and detailed, the rearing alicorn with her wings spread would have been identifiable in any light.

“Celestia’s Light.... is that Nightmare Moon?”

Coralbeard turned to face her, a look of ancient sadness set deep into his craggy face.

“Yes... this is the temple of the Nightmare, built to her honor during the decades of warfare and suffering that marked what the surfacers call the “Dawn war”. Many tides ago my ancestor held the same position I do now, Keeper of the Names and Leader of the Fourteen Schools of Sea Ponies, we were numerous when the Nightmare came to us, and demanded tribute. The schools divided, many wishing to obey the mare of darkness that they thought could only be Princess Luna returned to us after we were cast out of Equestria in the age of Strife. Others saw her for what she truly was, a warped and evil creature, enslaving the goddess we still worshiped beneath the waves.”

Coralbeard paused and gazed upon the stone work, a single silver glimmer of a tear rolling down his face and a distant look in his eyes as if he’d been present for the very events he was now relating to Gunny Reckless. He spoke again, pain evident in his voice.

“We... fought amongst ourselves, our own small version of the Dawn war, but... in the end we lost. Those of us who remained loyal, the remaining seven schools were cast down as slaves and so to please the Nightmare and the cruel masters she placed over use we worked. The seven schools who followed the Nightmare became her favored children, and as the years went they began to become as warped and twisted as the Nightmare herself. Their eyes became red with blood lust, their skin greyed, their teeth sharpened, their lungs vanished and became gills, and they retreated ever deeper beneath the waves. The Deep Dwellers ruled us with an iron fist for the decades of the Dawn war, killing us and feeding from the bodies of the slain, forcing us to fight in their cruel arenas. Till the war ended and Celestia saved us all, her light driving the Deep Dwellers the ocean’s heart, breaking their foul hold upon us. This is the tragedy of my people, what I would have told Princess Luna and her companion I have now related to you Gunnery Sergeant.”

“I.... Goddess protect, they can’t be still be... are they still down there Lord Coralbeard?”

“They are, and they have only grown more twisted and wicked as the centuries have worn on. Know this Gunnery Sergeant, the foe who has taken your Princess are amongst the most vile creatures to ever exist upon this world, when you go to battle you must take all your light and courage with you, the very fate of the world could be at stake... dark tides such as these do not come without reason.”

The mare simply stared blankly for a moment trying to process everything she’d just been told.

“I need to contact the fleet.”

“I fear there might not be time for that Gunnery Sergeant, you can feel it can’t you? In this hateful room... the Nightmare grows strong again.”

“I... buck... give me all the intelligence your people have where we can find the Deep Dwellers.”

“We shall do as you request, we shall also grant you a sea chariot, it shall aid your progress greatly.”

“Can you send a messenger to the fleet with all of this information?”

“Of course.”

Reckless stepped over to the little door they had entered the temple from and called out as it creaked opened.

“Marines, rig for a deep and extended dive, we have a Princess to save.”

Comments

[KeePony]

Nightmare Moon as Dagon? and Evil Seaponies as Shauhigins

[Boomerang 503]

Reports of your Indoctrination are greatly exaggerated, PonyMarine.

[superbassman2678]

This is truly an amazing piece of fiction i started reading this and i have been on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Thank you for writing this and I implore that you continue with this work.