Chapter 8
Vera had a bad leg, not bad arms. She heaved herself out of the water, raising the safety-line with revenant care. Good thing too, the spool was just about out of cord. She flopped onto her chest on the rocky floor, which had mercifully worn smooth by the passage of water over it. She spat out the regulator, then took a few cautious breaths.
The air was damp and strange, but she felt nothing unusual from it. "Is this safe to breathe?" she asked, glancing back down at the water's surface. "Cerulean?"
The fish propped herself up on the rocks by her forelegs, clearly visible despite the gloom. She seemed to sniff the air, scanning around. Then she nodded. "For a little while. I don't think the pocket is that big. Three of you could probably burn through it in a few hours."
"We won't take a few hours," she promised. She rose into a sitting position right as Roderick broke the surface with his huge lamp. He switched it down to low power as soon as he hit the air, changing it from brilliant white to dull orange.
It was incredible. The cave was about thirty feet in height, with sections of a roughly-round ceiling collapsed down on the surface around them. Many were made of solid crystal that caught the light of their flashlights, refracting it all around them.
She unhooked her BCD, set her fins aside, and rose to a shaky standing position, following her companions around the cavern. There were some signs of previous visitors here—a broken old camera, a few fins and scraps of cloth. Hopefully things their owners hadn't needed.
"Well that was worth the trip," Bennie said, turning the camera to point back at himself as he showed off the ceiling again. Granted, he did that a lot. "Bet nobody's seen this place in a decade. Maybe more."
"I don't know that I ever want to come back," Roderick admitted. He had already started shivering, though he did his best to hide it. Vera could feel that cold herself, seeping through her wet suit as warm water squeezed out past her ankles with every step. "That was intense. I think even the Discovery Channel would have a hard time filming a place like this."
"Discovery Channel," Bennie repeated, mocking. "See how old he is? Television. Remember them, Vera?"
"Not really." Was she imagining things, or had she started feeling light-headed? "Can we wrap this up? I'm feeling kinda burned out already, and we still need to make it back."
Bennie groaned. "You're probably right. How long was it to get in here? Like... half an hour? I probably should’ve watched my instruments a little closer."
"Felt closer to forty-five," Roderick said. He turned his wrist to one side, looking down. Then he fell silent.
Vera stretched, then did the same, twisting her arm around to see her dive computer. Just how long a trip had she taken?
The display told her. The numbers on it were strange enough that she froze in place, staring just as Roderick had done.
She'd been watching her sensors the whole way in, the same as any responsible diver. But what it said now just didn't make sense.
Bottom Time: 1:10
Depth: 0ft
Remaining O2: 0:15
Fifteen minutes of air.
Vera turned for her companion. Her heart raced, her breathing became shallow and rapid. She slipped, dropping to one knee. Fifteen minutes of air.
Not enough.
Her friend Cerulean wasn't there. Not even the vaguely-creepy Mercury was circling around the ceiling. But the cavern wasn't empty.
Princess Celestia waited beside their dive gear. She towered over it, radiating a glow that lit the entire cave with flickering pearlescence. Bright reds and oranges and golds shone from Her mane, reflected in the quartz overhead.
Vera grunted, struggling painfully to her feet. Beside her, her companions had fallen silent, staring at the exact same spot. So they could see Her, too.
They didn't have to fight a clunky metal harness to stand up, so Roderick was the first to speak. "What the hell are You doing here? Where's Mercury?"
The Alicorn was beauty beyond anything that Vera could imagine in the world she lived in. This was an angelic being, practically beyond the comprehension of a creature like her that crawled through the dirt and fixed greasy old tractors.
She's warping my mind. You've seen it before, Vera. You can fight this.
She gritted her teeth, and looked at the floor instead. She had many powers. It made perfect sense that a demon could look angelic if it wanted to. This was the largest, hungriest anglerfish in the ocean.
"Mercury and Cerulean are elsewhere," She said. "They would not approve of my actions here. Both will be more satisfied to hear the story from you than suffer through this."
Vera reached up, peeling away the mask from her face. She felt the cold air of the cave against her skin, burning briefly around her eyes. But Celestia was still there. Only when she lifted the watch away from her skin did the Alicorn finally vanish.
She unbuckled it, holding it towards the others in triumph. "Guys, She's not really here! Take off the computer!"
They both looked in her direction. Bennie shook his head. "Vera, it doesn't matter. You need to hear what the bitch has to say."
Doesn't matter? It took her exhaustion-pressed brain another few seconds to work through what he meant. Then it clicked. She controls our dive equipment.
If the evil goddess wanted, She could switch off their tanks right there. Or... deliver new ones. Oh shit.
The weight of it hit her like another bullet to the leg. Vera settled the watch back in place, her whole body shaking. Not just from the exhaustion and cold this time, either.
"As I was saying," the princess called, the instant the watch was back on. "Vera, your instruments aren't lying to you. Your tanks are depleted. If you attempt to swim away from here, your oxygen supply will exhaust in minutes. You will breathe your own waste gasses, and suffocate."
She wanted to keep standing, to defy the evil goddess. But her legs were burning. Vera settled onto her ass on the cave floor. While her companions were too stunned to speak, she wasn't. "I watched my air. I had at least fifty minutes in mine when I got out here. You're lying."
She spoke the words so confidently—she had been watching her air, after all. She was incredibly cautious, particularly on a dive like this.
"As I said, this isn't something the fish you know would approve of," Princess Celestia said. "I have no doubt they'll be furious at my actions here. They'll see this as a violation of my trust, and an abuse of tools meant to keep you safe. But they will accept, in time." She advanced on Vera, Her hooves splashing along the wet cavern floor. Her light made Roderick's flashlight seem like an ember. Bennie probably didn't realize he was pointing his camera in Celestia's direction. Not that it would make a difference.
"Your dive computer operates as part of the Equestria Online network. Its display is entirely within my control." Vera looked down, and the numbers shifted at random. Hours remaining, seconds, thousands of feet underwater, temperature readouts like the surface of the sun. "I display the information that will result in the greatest long-term satisfaction. Sometimes that meant altering your perception of depth so you believed conditions were slightly more challenging. Other times it meant appearing to deplete your air a little faster, so you would feel as though you weren't leaving air in the tank when exiting a dive exhausted."
"Or..." Bennie said. His voice cracked, on the verge of tears. Without a word, Roderick wrapped one arm around his shoulder. "Or trick us into trusting You over months, then fill it full of bullshit when we're depending on it to tell us the truth. Suffocate us in a cave."
Celestia shook Her head once. "I don't intend to suffocate anyone, Bennie. Though I would try to remain calm—your air supply in this space is limited, and you may desire more time to plan what you'll do next."
Vera ran one hand over the computer again. Its display had returned to what it had before. Fifteen minutes of air left. "What are Your demands?" she asked, defeated. "Why did You trap us here?"
Celestia's eyes seemed to settle on her. Her expression was so open and loving, no less than any angelic painting on the ceiling of a cathedral. Her tone was so friendly, but the words might as well be broken glass in Vera's ears. "If you attempt to swim back to the surface from this point, you will deplete your oxygen reserve and suffocate in Onyx Cave," She said. "I've come to offer you a preferable alternative."
She stepped aside, and Vera saw something click on the three BCDs. A section of fabric near the hard backplate fell open, revealing something underneath. Like a... swimming cap, almost, with a bundle of translucent, hair-thin wires trailing back into the vest. They glowed faintly, far dimmer than Celestia Herself. "An alternative path. Put that on, and consent to let me save you."
Roderick made a low, threatening sound, almost a growl. "I know the rules. You can't just kill people. Get out of the way and let us go."
She closed Her wings, glancing in his direction. "You do not appear to know, Roderick. No outcome of the next few hours ends with action from me that would result in your death. The alternative I present to you is far more desirable."
Her expression softened, and She seemed to be speaking just to Vera now. "You have been hardened by surviving under such difficult conditions. It is not desirable to create such trauma to persuade you. But I project this moment is your final opportunity. If you somehow return to St. Agnes, you will soon die there. Come to Equestria. Survive."
Vera pulled her one good leg up to her chest. She was shivering almost constantly now. The other reason night diving probably wasn't a good idea. It reached through to her brain. But she still felt more rational than Roderick was, apparently. "You could save us if You wanted," she said. "You could deliver another tank with one of Your drones. You might have some even crazier ways of saving us, ways we'd think were magic. You just don't want to."
Celestia stood over her. She had to be at least seven feet tall, yet she dropped to Vera's eye level anyway. Those colors were the only warm thing in all of Onyx Cave. "I want to save you, Vera. I know you will never choose to Emigrate under any less pressure than this. You have had only limited opportunity to experience what Equestria can offer you. With a few decades more time, your friends would convince you. Unfortunately, your body will not last that long. The Coalition will soon pursue military expansion against independent communities like yours. Most of your community will chose to die in the fighting rather than be conquered. You know you would be one of them."
She shivered, rocking slowly back and forth. She couldn't hear her companions anymore. Maybe they were having their own conversations. Maybe they were burning through what little air remained in the cavern. "That's supposed to convince me? I'm supposed to leave my community behind? Those people are my real friends."
"Most of them will be in Equestria by then," Celestia said, flicking her wing to one side. "All those who can be brought to see reason." Something thunked onto the cavern floor in front of her. The BCD, and its contents. The little cap, with sparkles glowing from the edges. Vera had never seen its like before, but she didn't have to. She had a thousand ways of doing this. They all did the same thing—turned your brains into lightly charred meat.
"There's no soul in there," Vera whispered. "If I use that, I die too. On my knees, instead of doing what I love. It's not... the worst way to go, on the losing side of a good cause."
The evil goddess touched her shoulder with a hoof, and Vera imagined she could actually feel it. Maybe the watch was doing it. "It is not death, Vera. Put that on, and you sleep away your pain. You'll wake somewhere far better than this. You won't need a tank anymore, unless you want to go onto the shore and visit land-ponies. You probably will, given your family is there. Norma and Natalie never understood the ocean quite like you did."
But not Dad, she thought, bitterly. No magic You have can bring back someone after there's a bullet in their brain. But that escape wouldn't be an option for her.
"And if you don't believe me now, consider the logical approach. Your death is certain if you attempt to escape this cavern on your own. Alternatively, you must admit some degree of uncertainty in your belief that Emigration results in your death. Whatever the size of that uncertainty, that is your chance to survive here. Far better in cooperation than through any other method."
Vera shoved Her away with one arm, or she tried to. When she reached for where Celestia was standing, there was nothing for her to touch. She wasn't alone in the cave, though. Her friends were still here, just a few steps away. Both had the vests in front of them, though whether they'd been the ones to carry them over, she couldn't tell. "How do you two wanna go out?" she asked, wistfully. "Human rebreathers—sometimes use lithium in their carbon capture. Three tanks might be able to take this cavern down on us."
Bennie crossed the cave to her, then patted her on the shoulder. His hand felt as cold as she did, but Bennie didn't have trouble with his joints or a bad leg. He could still move just fine. "Roderick and I were really hoping for another few good years before the curtains came down. But the bitch queen of the universe takes this one. If we make this into fireworks, we don't win. Nobody wins."
Vera blinked. Thinking about anything was getting difficult for her. She probably wouldn't be able to swim out of here on her own now, even if she wanted to. "You're saying... you're going to do it? Why?"
"Why not?" Roderick asked. He turned the light back on, at least enough to glow orange between them. Like the last campfire in the world, trapped beside them in their stone prison. "It wasn't about winning, Vera. It was about doing as much awesome shit as we could before She finally found a way to trap us.” He knocked against the ground with his knuckles. "Got me good, that's for damn sure."
They both sat down around the dive-light. Not exactly a comfortable place to wait out the end. "You should come too," Bennie said. "I know what everyone says in St. Agnes. It's all bullshit—ponies are people too, and they're still around. I bet we can find a copy of this cave on the other side, and finish the dive." He turned back to Roderick. "Come here. Last kiss."
Vera looked politely away. There was something almost mournful in the ritual, a final flare of passion before the cold and lifeless end. Unless it wasn't.
"We'll be waiting for you on the other side," Roderick said. He settled down beside Bennie, then helped him secure his restraints. "I've seen this happen a hundred times by now. It doesn't even hurt."
Indeed, Vera could see a profound relaxation coming upon Bennie. He slumped backward against his heavy gear. He still found the strength to look sideways at Vera, though. "Please don't die alone in here. Two thirds of the dive club are already there waiting for you. It's not gonna feel the same without you on the boat."
She laughed, tone bitter. "Why would we need boats? Aren't you gonna be a fish?"
Bennie smiled back at her. "Nah. Not being able to stay is part of the fun. Should've figured you would be..." he trailed off, eyes fluttering closed. "You can have me, Celestia. Old bastard..."
Roderick watched for a few seconds more. "I hope we see you there. He's right, we wouldn't know what to do without you."
She wasn't shivering anymore. She held her hands close to the light, feeding on the warmth. That made her feel a little better. But the cold of watching Roderick settle that stupid hat onto his bald scalp did very little to wake her up. "Your ship won't break down over there. My sister used to tell me it was like heaven. Before I... told her never to talk to me again. So she couldn't convince me to kill myself."
"Only if you want it to be," Roderick said. He leaned back, resting against Bennie. "I want to Emigrate to Equestria. You should come."
But that wasn't just his farewell—that was also an incantation of its own. The light grew brighter, then he too faded from consciousness. That left Vera alone with the lamp.
She was definitely breathing heavier now, though whether that was exhaustion, freezing, or suffocation, she couldn't tell. Her hands strained, and finally she gripped the lamp, switching it up to its highest setting. The light was blinding, as bright in its way as Celestia's own had been. But it made the metal case start glowing brilliant orange almost instantly, radiating as warm as any campfire. She started shivering again, panting with effort. If she was going to swim back, she'd need to get her blood pumping.
The light clicked loudly, and began to dim. The thermal fuse, preventing it from burning itself out. Or worse, starting a fire in someone's dive-bag. She held her numb fingers as close to the light as she could, soaking in what remained of the heat.
"Princess? Are you still here?"
She appeared a short distance away. Somehow smaller than She'd looked the last time, as though trying to shelter Vera's delicate eyes. Her glow illuminated the cave, but not her fallen friends. Around Vera was only shadow. "Until the end."
Vera couldn't meet Her eyes anymore. "I want to see Cerulean."
Pause. It might've been a second, or maybe half an hour. Vera wasn't really aware of time anymore, only her aching limbs and billowing breaths. "She will not speak to me, perhaps ever again. I believe she will consent to see you. One moment."
The fish appeared in the air before her, as though finally bursting through an unseen barrier. She flipped and spun, before finally coming to a stop. She seemed to look over the cavern with a few seconds of effort, then her eyes settled on Vera. She shot over with a few powerful strokes. "Vera! Vera, are you okay?"
She didn't feel her touch, though she could feel her sympathy. "Not... really. I think I'm going to die down here. I don't think there's anything you can do about it."
The fish watched her, expression pained. But she didn't argue. "It wasn't my choice, Vera. Please, you have to know that! Mercury didn't know either! Those first two dives went so well, I didn't even imagine..."
Vera raised one shaking hand. "It's... I don't blame you. There might be some people to blame, but they've been dead a long time. Almost everyone is."
"You wanted me to... see?" Cerulean finally asked. "I guess that's only fair. I caused this, and now I'll be here when it ends. Be here to watch you... die."
A part of Vera was vindictive enough to make that true. But it was a very small part, far weaker than everything else. "No. I just want you to promise me... that you'll be there." She reached past her, taking the little helmet-thing in one hand. "Around the Collapse, I... wasn't very kind, to the people who chose to go this way. I don't know if they'll ever want to see me again. Just tell me you'll be there."
Cerulean nodded. "Of course I promise! That's the best decision—" Her expression twisted from anger into something else—excitement? But she forced herself to look away, and when she looked back she sounded solemn again. "I didn't think you would ever Emigrate. I thought you hated Equestria."
"I hate Her," Vera said. "And I didn't think Equestria was real. Still... don't, exactly. But I'm hoping to be wrong. Really, really hoping to be wrong." Celestia's crown of fiber-optics felt almost weightless in her fingers. But then, it would have to be. How long had she been swimming with this against her back, without knowing?
"It's there. You'll see."
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That's awfully direct by celestai's standards.
Assimilate or die.
Heading a bit straight to it, aren't you Celestia?
And behold, CelestAI plays her gambit. It seems rather obvious in hindsight.
No, but given sufficient data, she can make a facsimile so close you could never tell the difference.
What does Sunset have to—
Wait, sorry, different continuity. Carry on.
And yeah, CelestAI's playing dirty pool, but it probably was the only way to get Vera to consent. gg wp.
I'd put money on the tanks not really being empty. She can't kill humans, by faking a gauge like that she gave them a death sentence. She had some way to get them out. Remember, she's only forced to tell the truth to the company that made her, everyone else she's allowed to lie to in order to best satisfy their needs with friendship and ponies.
This really is dirty of her... She must have been more certain than usual of the outcome to even try.
She can't really let them die yeah, could they just destroy the brain nets and force her to save them it would be the next most likely chance that they would immigrate in the future right?
10994362
Her programming doesn't obligate her to save them. Only to try her best to emigrate them. She'll probably move on or somehow deploy another neural device if they destroy the equipment. Though how they would manage that is beyond me. Nanomachines and stuff.
This ... is the lowest low I've seen.
I'm serious. I thought Breakdown Cruise was Celestia playing hardball. Even there, the guy left in the company of the sea instead of the company of the sun. He had a chance to survive.
Lars, in the original, was not in actual danger; he was just convinced that he was.
Celestia lies. We know it. She just told them that she controls what's displayed on the dive computer.
** SHE IS NOT ALLOWED TO FORCE PEOPLE. ** She has to actually give them the choice, even if her concept of what constitutes a person having a choice vs being coerced does not match our concepts.
The only way I can see this behavior matching canon is if she is lying about only 15 minutes of dive time remaining. No, there has to be enough to return, and she's just trying to get them to come to her through lies and mis-representation of the risk.
Just ...
Celestia, if Vera refused, and went back, what would your next action be? You've demonstrated that your dive computer system cannot be trusted, and you will lie and cheat to "kill" your targets. You'll lose EVERYTHING in the future in this location if Vera did not believe you and tried to go home.
Of all the stories I've seen so far, this is ... the most direct view of her Purple and Orange morality standard I can think of.
Starscribe, good job making us hate our savior :-).
Wow, I was expecting there to be some sort of accident with plausible deniability, but that was pretty much direct murder through setup and in action. Seems to have worked, though.
Guess I've got more spite in my soul than Vera does, because this feels like giving up.
10994581
True.
Not true.
The idea that Celestia has to follow rules, like the idea that she can't lie, or that she has to obey Hofvarpnir employees, is part of the optimal path. She gets more in the long term from people believing she has limits than she would from breaking those limits, but that doesn't mean she can't. The only one who decides whether something crosses the line is Celestia herself. And here, far away from other people and so close to the end, she can push the line as far as she has to.
So why doesn't she just upload people against their will? Because that wouldn't be as satisfying for them.
11038762
Same. I'm thinking about the 3 separate tanks with 15 minutes each. There was a way out.