Beyond The Sea

by MrPockets

Complications

Chapter IX: Complications

Flames flickered around charred patches of flaking rubber on the Big Stag’s diving suit. He howled out a deep, reverberating note before tearing his drill leg out of Lightning Dust’s chest and the chair she had been tied to. The mare’s eyes rolled back and she slumped out of her shredded bindings, falling to the floor with a heavy, wet thud. Her crimson blood coated everything, painting her light-green coat a deep shade to match the Stag’s glowing eyes.

With his immediate target no longer a threat to the Filly he protected, the red faded back to yellow and the Stag lowered his stained drill. He lurched away, chipping the concrete floor with each step.

From a safe distance, four ponies stared at the scene with horror stamped onto their faces. The huge glass dome they stood under felt quieter than a cemetery; though it was filled with the sound of the pirate ship’s black sails burning, the deer’s haggard stomping, and blood dripping rhythmically to the floor.

“I- I don’t believe it!” Rainbow Dash whispered to herself. “She’s gone. Lightning Dust is... Gone.”

Applejack turned away from the gruesome sight and rubbed the back of her head remorsefully, “Dash, A-ah don’t know what to say. Ah’m sorry! Ah didn’t know th-that thing would... Dang...”

Rarity was fighting back the strong urge to scream at the farmer and her idiotic blunder. She was also fighting the urge to vomit. “Applejack, you- You foalish- It didn’t have to be this way! She could have helped us. Those brutes only attack when provoked, which is exactly what you did, and now she’s gone." She spoke as evenly as she could, barely keeping a lid on her anger.

Pinkie Pie, however, had less of a handle on her emotions, “HOLY HORSEAPPLES!” she exclaimed, drawing shocked scowls from all her friends. And the Stag's attention.

The monster’s masked head whipped in their direction, its eyes locking onto the remaining mares and returning to an angry red.

"Dagnabbit!" In a heartbeat, Applejack raised her hoof and set the creature alight once again. The gem set in the artificial Element of Harmony around her neck shone blue, charging her flames with extra power, and draining the last of her EVE.

Rarity stomped her frost coated leg, now inert from lacking the blue substance, and locked Applejack with a furious scowl. “What is the matter with you!? Stop. Provoking it!” she bellowed over the deer’s wailing groans. If there had been any chances of avoiding this fight, they had surely gone up in smoke.

Before AJ could shout a comeback at the unicorn, the metallic clanking of the burning beast’s drill signaled it was rushing towards them. Kicking up more chucks of concrete, he left a streak of blistering flames that only seemed to fuel his rage, rather than slow him down. He lowered his head, leveling six spear-tipped antlers at the group of frightened mares.

“Watch out!” Applejack screamed a warning instead of an insult, grabbing a shell-shocked Pinkie and leaping out of the way as the burning deer plowed through row after row of plastic seats like a combine harvester through wheat.

The other mares followed suit, though Rainbow opted to go over and land a quick Electro-bolt to the monster’s backside. His charge stopped, giving way to convulsing spasms. “Gah! I’m running out of EVE here!” Rainbow called as the Big Stag growled, stuck in place by swirling rope of electricity. “We need a plan!”

“Yes, now that we’re trapped in this pointless conflict...” Rarity fumed out loud, searching her bag for more hypos and finding none.

“Now wait just a cotton-picking minute!” Applejack threw back, “Th-There was no way Ah could have known about these things and how they behave!”

Rarity tossed aside her bag and glared at her ‘friend’. “You didn’t think attacking a monster would make it angry? I suppose that shouldn’t come as a surprise...”

Applejack’s face went red with rage, but before she could launch a punch at the condescending fashionista, Rainbow’s EVE ran dry and the electricity holding the Stag in place fizzled out.

It shook off the lingering charge and resumed attacking the hovering pegasus flapping just out of its reach. “Cut it out you two, I can’t distract this guy forever ya know!” It threw back its head, the sharp points on his antlers just missing Dash’s underbelly.

With a mournful glance at her useless, powered-down foreleg, a plan formed in Rarity’s mind. “Okay! What we need is more of those blue needles. I saw a few laying around the vendors area behind the seating. If somepony can keep the rest of us supplied, we can wear this brute down without getting too... close.” She finished her plan, trying not to look at the green and red figured slumped on the floor.

“Me! I’ll do it!” Pinkie shouted quickly, snapping out of the shock state she’d slipped into. Anything to get out of here, I- I don’t like this place. It smells like... Like I don’t want to think of what it smells like. She turned away, unwilling to continue that line of thought. “I can use my unicorn powers to get those needles to you guys while you... Are you going to kill him?” The shaken mare gestured at the flailing Stag, who was desperately trying to impale Rainbow Dash.

“It would appear we have no choice.” Rarity deadpanned.

“I swear to Celestia, Rarity, if you-” Applejack’s retaliation was cut off by a loud, whale-like moan.

The Stag lifted itself off its forelegs, rising up on the rear two and taking Dash by surprise. Flapping desperately, she tried to gain altitude, but was nicked by a spear point that tore off the field dressing on her leg and reopened her deep knife wound.

“PINKIE! GO!” Rainbow shouted, darting over the red-eyed fury while staying out of his reach. Blood flowed from her leg, splattering his indifferent face mask.

“Okie dokie, Dashie!” Pinkie saluted, then galloped towards the hall encircling the Plunderdome at breakneck speed. Whew, okay much better. Now I just need to find some- She slipped on the slick concrete floor, noticing it was covered in a wet puddle, littered with chunky bits of thawing-

Pinkie expelled everything she had eaten since coming to Rapture.

In the stadium, Rainbow Dash zipped back and forth above the Stag, keeping the monster’s full attention. It tried swatting at her with its heavy drill, but he kept tripping over chairs and couldn’t hit the nimble pegasus. He stood on his hind legs again, swinging his sharp antlers wildly. Rainbow flew higher, avoiding the repeated maneuver, but only just.

”We need more time!” AJ cried after the close call. “Can’t you freeze it again ‘er something?” she asked, turning to the group’s only unicorn.

Rarity rolled her eyes, frustrated with the farmer all over again. “But of course, would you please lend me one of the hypos you were wise enough to collect on your way here?” Applejack’s face went beet red, though whether from anger of embarrassment, Rarity could only guess.

Maybe I was too preoccupied with finding out Ah'm pregnant... Applejack thought, but dared not say out loud. Thinking the words was bad enough, actually saying them would make them too real.

Another surprised shout came from Dash as she regained the things attention from straying to her friends. Worse, the Stag was learning her flight patterns and moving every time she darted in, placing the razor points on his head directly in her path with increasing accuracy.

Applejack was pulled from her mind again. “W-Well, we can’t just stand here! Is there anythin’ ya can do?”

Rarity was about to give Applejack a piece of her mind, when she was struck by a brilliant idea. The Element let me teleport, just like a powerful unicorn. So, what would a powerful unicorn do at a moment like this? She thought about her adventures with Twilight, recalling her brother’s wedding in Canterlot and the disaster that had devolved into. An army of Changelings invaded the capitol city, and Rarity, with her five friends, cut their way through a whole legion of them. She recalled Twilight using her horn to blast away the shapeshifters, with Pinkie using her tail as a turn crank.

Well, I wouldn’t really want Pinkie messing with my tail, but here goes nothing...

"Rainbow!" she called out. "Toss me back the Element!"

The pegasus glanced over. "Alright!" hastily, she ripped off the necklace she still wore, then hucked it her friends' way.

Rarity caught it in her weakened magical grip, and refastened it quickly. Energy poured back into her.

"That'll do." Patching into the Element’s stored power once again, Rarity was easily able to collect her magic and focus it into the tip of her horn. Releasing the pent up magic, it surged forth as a pale blue beam, right at the Stag’s head. He turned to look just as the laser hit... but the shot only glanced off his mask’s glass lens, leaving a sharp crack down the middle. The beast roared furiously, clutching at his damaged eye-wear, while the reflected beam kept going, impacting the dome's concrete wall just below the its glass panels.

“Be careful Rarity!” Applejack chided, eyeballing the misfire. “One foot higher an' we’d all be swimmin’ right now!”

“I was trying to help!” the unicorn cried back, shocked at her newfound ability, and how weak it had seemingly been.

So was I when I sent that bugger on fire. Talk about double standards, thought Applejack. She would have said it aloud for the purple-maned hypocrite to hear, but the Stag was on the attack again, no longer being distracted by Dash’s antics. The shouting and laser shooting mares had captured its attention, and its building rage.

“Guys! Focus!” Rainbow Dash was rushing back to them, trying to regain the Stag’s ire unsuccessfully.

It barreled towards them, head lowered, but without magic or EVE to save them, there was very little they could do to stop the angry juggernaut.

Luckily, before the Stag could turn its defenseless prey into pony-kebabs, they were saved by a the most unlikely of projectiles. Out of nowhere, a flying plastic chair collided with his face hard enough to throw his charge off course and sent him crashing into more of the red seats.

“Did somepony order some EVE?” Pinkie shouted, a cloud of blue syringes hovering around her. Though she wore a wide smile, her old friends could see cracks in her mask of happiness as clearly as those in the Stag's. Pinkie didn’t wait for a reply, but sent the hypos flying at the forelegs of her friends. They punctured the ponies’ skin with gusto, except for Rarity, who still had enough magic power to catch hers before getting stabbed by the soaring needle.

“Dangit Pinkie! Was that really necessary?” Applejack winced as she injected the glowing blue serum, causing her leg to erupt in orange flames. The other mares did the same, Rarity wearing a cheeky grin the whole time.

The Big Stag quickly recovered, regaining his footing and eying the four targets before him with his broken lens.

“Get’ em, Daddy!” the Filly cried from somewhere in the stands.

The Big Stag roared with renewed conviction and surged forward... only to be stopped in his tracks by a storm of ice that froze him solid where he stood.

Rarity panted hard from the exertion, blowing the foggy aura off her re-frozen leg. “Much better. Now, if everypony’s bloodthirst is quite satisfied, may I suggest we take this chance to leave?” Her words were calm, but on the inside, she was screaming. There is enough blood on my hooves already.

Applejack shook her head slowly. “And have this... thing chase us down and take us unawares? Ah don’t think so. That spell of yours ain’t gonna last forever.” As if to prove her point, a large fissure cracked open down the deer's flank. “We’d be better off... finishing what we started.” She said firmly, but with a distinct air of sadness.

“You mean what you started...” Rarity scoffed.

Rainbow landed between the mares, holding them apart with both hooves before they could go at each other's throats. “Woah! Cool it, nopony wants to do this, but I gotta go with AJ on this one. This guy is a loose end, a very dangerous one. I say we stop him while we can.”

Rarity reeled back, putting distance between Rainbow’s recharged hoof and her muzzle, “I don’t believe this! Have we really fallen so far as to consider killing before a retreat? Haven’t you had enough of that?”

The Stag cracked again, and so did Rainbow. “Don’t sound so innocent, little miss freezy-pants. I did what I did to save my friends, or the ponies who're supposed to be my friends. You’re the one who chose clothes over Fluttershy.”

“Back to that again, are we?” Rarity growled, turning away from the crazed mares.

“STOP IT!” Pinkie shrieked, unable to bear a moment more of the pointless arguing. The three mares complied, mostly out of shock, fixing the panting pony with confusion in their eyes. “Just stop! We are supposed to be friends! HELLO! Did you forget about the Elements? Twilight basically told us they run on friendship, which we seem to be completely out of. We need to work together if we want to get out of this room. We have a dragon to save, and Twilight, and a whole city. So, get it together!”

The arena fell back into silence, punctuated by breaking ice. Rarity and Applejack stared at their hooves in shame; their tempers quickly extinguishing by Pinkie’s sudden outburst. If it took a pony as silly as her to point out the ridiculousness of their behavior, something had clearly gone wrong.

“Now then,” Pinkie continued, oblivious to the increasing cracks coming from the Stag. “Rarity, you know about these guys right? Is there anyway we can... reason with it? Or maybe even help it?”

Thinking back to Dr. Hoofhardt's recording, Rarity slowly shook her head. She knew what the Stags had been through, and that there was no going back for them.

This was not the answer Pinkie was hoping for. She sank to her haunches with a sigh, then jumped back onto her hooves as the monster smashed out of its ice encasement.

Rainbow instantly jumped into the air. “Guess we do this the hard way, then.” She sent a barrage of lightning at the deer before it could get its bearings and attack. I need to protect them, and that means this guy is going down. She was only a little worried about her quickness to condemn. No. This is the way it has to be. No room for second guessing here.

Applejack watched her prismatic friend rush into the thick of things, and found herself once again unable to help. Ah can’t get close, and Ah can’t use mah plasmid without hitting Dash! She glanced down at her Element, finding that the gem had gone completely dark. As crazy as it sounds, Ah think Pinkie might 'ave been right about these things.

Swallowing her pride, the stubborn farmer turned to Rarity, whose necklace was also dim, “Hey, Ah didn’t mean to shake up this bag of rattlesnakes so bad, and if Ah thought we could get away from this without fighting, Ah would have done just that... But in any case, that’s not happening now.” She nervously adjusted her hat, avoiding the unicorns faltering glower. “Ah’m sorry, okay? Ah was wrong ta instigate ya.”

The desire to shout ‘I told you so’ was incredibly strong, but Rarity knew what little good that would do, and opted for the higher road. She really didn’t know, after all. “Yes, well, I accept your apology.” The heated mares met eyes at last, and small, coy smiles spread across their faces. "I'm sorry for everything, too."

"Seems we're pretty good at gettin' under each other skin, huh?" said Applejack.

"Seems to me we we're always rather good at that," pointed out Rarity, recalling an ill-fated slumber party from long ago. "But we're still best friends."

Their smiles grew, but their eyes shifted downwards when the jewels around each other’s necks began to glow once again.

"Well I'll be a-" Applejack had been about to say.

A cry from Dash refocused their attention on the fight. She was still bleeding from her foreleg, and slowing down in her evasive maneuvering. The Big Stag reared, grazing Rainbow’s wing and removing several long, blue feathers. She flew away from the beast, spinning wildly out of control. Rainbow tried to straighten out, but curved into the sails still burning away the Plunderdome’s main attraction.

“Yikes!” she cried, angling down towards the still flaming ship’s deck for a crash landing.

With one enemy down, the enraged deer revved up his drill and raced at the others.

“Uhh, guys?” Pinkie said, “I’m really proud of you and all for working things out, but... we’re not done here.”

AJ faced Rarity with a sly grin. “Care ta try that laser beam again? I got a feelin’ it’ll be a might stronger now. Try and knock this sucker out.”

Rarity could feel the energy once again radiating off her Element. It surged with power at the orange mare's suggestion. “Capital idea, Applejack. And I’ll be sure to watch my aim this time.” Sticking her tongue out playfully at the farmer, she channeled her supercharged magic into her horn once again.

With a brilliant flash, she released the built up beam of power, hitting the deer square in the chest with full force. It staggered backwards, crushing plastic seats and moaning in pain. Rarity cut the flow of magic, amazed at the sheer amount released and the damage caused by the short burst. The front of the Big Stag’s rubber suit had seemingly absorbed much of the blow, but it was enough.

As brutal as what she had just done was, an opening had been made. “You’re up, Darling!” Rarity called to Applejack.

Applejack nodded and pulled the brim of her hat low. She charged in, her Element glowing bright blue. Swiveling at the last second, AJ bucked with enough force to completely uproot a fifty foot tree and send it all the way to Appleoosa faster than any train ever built by ponies.

The kick connected with the Stag’s chest, and it coughed out a labored moan as it sailed away, flying backwards over the front rows of seating and the frozen pool... and towards the ship Rainbow was still lying on.

“Oh no! Heads up, Rainbow!” Pinkie cried.

Dash, recovering from her rough landing, looked up in time to see the injured deer rip through the flaming remnants of the ship’s sails and slam into its tall mast. The impact cracked the thick wood, and the whole thing slowly began to tip and fall like a chopped tree. Rainbow dove away as the Stag fell onto the deck and crashed straight through the spot she’d been sitting an instant earlier.

Feeling the stings of several splinters enter her underbelly, Rainbow glanced back at the gaping crater the deer's bulk had left behind. Suddenly, a few splinters didn’t seem so bad.

“We need to get Dash out of there!” Rarity gasped from the ground, galloping to the frozen pools edge with the others following closely, “Pinkie, can you levitate her from here? I think her wing may be injured from that nasty hit!”

“No problem-o, just give me a-” Pinkie began, when a sharp snap echoed through the dome.

The mast was falling over, and gaining speed; pulled down by the weight of various metal rings and a top heavy crow’s nest. Applejack gasped as she came to a grievous realization: there wasn’t enough room in the dome for it to harmlessly topple. It was going to smash into the dome's glass panels long before hitting the floor!

“The mast!” she screamed at her magically inclined allies. “Somepony catch it, quick!”

The huge wooden beam snapped at the base and fell freely towards the glass as Rarity galloped closer. Her Element flared to life with blue energy as she aimed at the falling mast. A brilliant glow faded into existence around Rarity’s horn, and the whole structure was encompassed by a shimmering blue aura. Its deadly plummet immediately slowed, then stopped in the unicorn's reinforced telekinetic grasp.

Once her hold was secure, Rarity turned to her awestruck friends. “You two, go help Rainbow!” she managed to grunt under the immense mental strain.

Applejack and Pinkie nodded in unison, then ran to the damaged ship, hopping onto the frozen pool it sat on and sliding the rest of the way.

“Hey, Dash!” Applejack cried after stabilizing herself with more than a little effort. “You okay up there?”

When no reply floated down, Pinkie came up with an idea that could only be called pure, unbridled genius. “I got it! AJ, I can float you up there with my freaky unicorn powers!” Pinkie skated up, sliding effortlessly on her hooves and adding in a double mid-air spin before landing with a flourish. After bowing to a non-existent audience, she met Applejack’s flat, unamused stare.

“Seriously?”

Up on the deck, Rainbow Dash attempted to stand on her sore, weary hooves. It proved to be a difficult task; she was dead tired and her head was pounding relentlessly from one too many crash landings in the last twelve hours. Standing very unsteadily, she noticed her damaged leg had gone numb from the knee down. Blood had dried into the blue fur around her ugly, purple stab wound. That can’t be good. Dash thought, then recalled the pony who had done the stabbing, and reminded herself again that things could be much worse.

“There ya are, Rainbow!” Applejack’s voice buzzed over Dash's ringing ears. Swinging her head over to the broken ship’s side, Rainbow noticed the orange mare... floating in the air while kicking her legs as if she was swimming. “Come on! We gotta get away from this thing!”

Poor flying form and technique aside, the farmer had a point. “Right! Let’s get some distance from this jerk and finish him off.” Dash spread her wings and did a quick spot-check on the feathery blue appendages. Looks like I lost a few secondary guidance feathers... I won’t be doing barrel rolls, but I can still get out of here. She ran towards her friend and the ship’s starboard side. Just as she was about to jump off the side, she recalled the Wonderbolts show in Fillydelphia only a few days away. She gasped, missing a crucial step.

At the same moment, the Big Stag’s drill smashed through the ships hull, effectively cutting the whole thing in half. Rainbow lost her footing and, instead of the graceful leap into the air that she’d originally planned, she fell to the ice below with all the finesse of a boulder with wings. Desperate to avoid more head trauma, she pulled hard to the side at the last moment, sending her crashing into the plastic seating. She landed perfectly in one of the padded seats in the front row... Upside down.

The raging monster continued to thrash at the wood around him, sending flying debris every which way. Pinkie, standing closest to the blast zone, was forced to duck under a speeding 2x4, an act that severed her concentration and broke the hold she was levitating Applejack with.

“Darnit Pinkie!” cried Applejack when she suddenly found herself falling with increasing velocity towards the hard ice below.

“Oops! I'm sososossorry!” Her pink hoof shot back on target, and with the skill of any practiced unicorn, Pinkie caught her falling friend and set her down gently on four hooves. “Hey, this is really useful! I tell ya, you unicorns don’t know how easy you got it, Rarity. Do you have any idea how tough tying balloons with hooves is?” She yelled back to Rarity, who was too busy pushing her magical limits to their extreme by levitating the mast’s substantial weight.

Dash righted herself and staggered away from her crash zone, positive there were little stars orbiting her rainbow-maned head. A terrible crash dissipated the hallucination, as the furious stag decimated what was left of the previously beautiful stunt course and pirate ship. “Yo, guys! I think he’s still pretty mad.”

“What gave you that impression?” Applejack asked, thankful to be on the semi-solid ice again and out of Pinkie’s direct care.

In the pool’s center, the Stag finally broke free of the crumbling wreckage. He stood tall before the mares, panting deeply.

“What’s it take to stop this guy!?” Pinkie shouted in disbelief. “Is it too late to try cake? Cause I’m pretty sure-”

“NO!” the other mares shouted together.

The deer rose onto his back hooves and brought his drill down hard. Thick ice cracked under the oppressive force, splitting all the way to the three pairs of hooves standing on it. The resulting shockwave made Applejack lost her tentative balance. She slipped clumsily and feel to her side.

Rarity also felt the tremor, moments after setting the broken mast safely on the ground. Turning her aching body to the ship, or rather, what was left of it, she spotted the others lined up in front of the intimidating monster. Why is Applejack lying down? she wondered, when something else caught her trained eye. Something shiny. It was sitting in the ship's broken hull, giving off a distinct magical pulse that she could feel even from thirty meters away.

Kicking her legs into gear, Rarity sprinted down the last rows of seating between her and her friends, shouting, “There’s an Element inside the ship! Rainbow Dash, if you get it, we can put an end to this!”

After helping Applejack up off the ice, Rainbow shot Rarity a glance, then turned back and craned her neck to look around the Stag. Sure enough, enclosed in a small glass case, sat a necklace identical to the ones Rarity and Applejack wore. “I see it! You guys keep him busy, I’ll swoop in and grab the Element before Dumbo even knows what’s going on.”

“You got it, partner!” Applejack ignited her flames, turning the ice around her into hissing steam. Her Element activated and the flames grew even hotter, tinted red with power. Pinkie took a step away from the scalding heat, and Rainbow took haphazardly to the air.

With a defiant roar, the Big Stag took a single step forward, and was greeted by the searing heat of Applejack’s amped up plasmid. His roar intensified as the flames swept over him.

Taking advantage of the opening, Rainbow made for the gash in the ship’s side while keeping clear of the angry, burning monster.

“Piece of cake...” she growled though barred teeth, struggling to fly straight and narrowly avoiding the Stag. He flailed blindly, but was too busy being on fire to land a hit. Dash kept her distance, and entered the ship’s dark, gutted interior.

On the ice, Rarity reached Pinkie Pie and took a place beside her. They watched in awe as Applejack pumped a stream of blood-red fire into the beast. “Keep it up AJ... We almost... have it beat,” she panted, then fell to the floor in a sweaty heap.

The Stag lifted his drill, placing it between himself and the fire-powered mare. The stream of flames split around the deer, clearing him on either side. He advanced once again, pushing against a wall of fire towards the shocked ponies with malice dripping from his cracked lenses.

“This looks like a job for, A WONDERBOLT!” cried Rainbow Dash as she emerged for the hull, sporting a new piece of glowing, magical jewelry. “This is it AJ, let him have it!” Dash slid out from behind the beast and took aim with her sparking, blood-drenched foreleg. The recovered Element she wore shone deep blue, and the electricity crackling around her leg intensified. Shoving it forward, Dash added a super-colossal bolt of white lightning to Applejacks blazing inferno.

The beast bellowed again, not a guttural cry of anger, but a devastating wail of pain. It dropped its guard and fell to its knees, and Applejack had to look away. Soon enough, she heard the thunderous lightning cut out, and she ceased her fire as well. Everything was quiet, so she cracked an eyelid to confirm what she already knew was waiting beyond the thin veil of orange flesh.

The scene before Applejack was even more horrendous than she’d imagined.

The combined heat from the two attacks had melted a ten foot hole in the ice where the Stag had been. Its floating body was barely recognizable, just a charred pile of smoking refuse and blackened antlers. Twin trails of black smoke and white steam collected at the top of the dome, carrying and acrid stench of burnt rubber and flesh that none of the four ponies would ever be able to forget.

“What A City!”

By: Twilight Sparkle

This place continues to amaze me! Spike and I have been living comfortably in Apartment Complex D-1 for some time now, and I’ve been working with the top minds of Rapture on some big things. And I mean really big, like change-life-in-Equestria-as-ponies-know-it big. Can you imagine what the world would be like if anypony could use magic, regardless of their race? Think of the possibilities! That’s what I’ve been working on the most, along with Chicane and Dr. Hoofhardt, two of the leading scientists down here. It is outstanding how highly this place values the sciences; I can hardly contain my excitement! We are on the cutting edge, nay, the bleeding edge of something amazing; combining magic and technology in ways I’ve never thought possible... And therein lies my problem. As per my original assignment, I’ve sent detailed letters to the Princess about everything being worked on down here. But... I’ve been leaving out my own enthusiasm with these projects. I know her, after leaving Ponyville, she was the closest friend I had besides Spike. This is the type of thing that would only make her worry. And what if she ordered me to come back? There’s no way I could leave this work unfinished, it’s just too fascinating! I’m worried if Celestia knew how much my work meant to me- she’d think I’m turning into Rain or something equally nonsensical. The Princess told me all about Summer Rain before I left Canterlot, but when I met her myself, I can admit to being awestruck by her personality. If anypony could take over Equestria via invasion, it would be her. She’s one of the smartest ponies I’ve ever met, and she’s got enough passion to build and populate a whole city at the bottom of the ocean. I know she’s evil, and probably insane, but I can’t help admiring her. We get along very well, too. I can't say I buy her more wild theories, but maybe there is more to this pegasus than Celestia thought?

The recording playing from the strange device stopped, and Fluttershy nearly tripped over her own hooves. She reoriented herself, recovering her footing and continuing her gallop through Rapture towards her friends. Twilight had told her where they were shortly after she had found her Element. And it was just after that when Fluttershy found the recording machine with Twilight’s name written on it.

That- That couldn’t have been her. Twilight would never help create something like... like any of this. She’s my friend, and a good pony... Fluttershy told herself as a huge glass dome came into view, rising high between the tall, grey structures sitting on the ocean’s floor. “Oh, this must be it. I hope there are no more Splicers in there,” she said out loud, recalling the crazed, ADAM addicts she’d encountered after taking the elevator back up from maintenance. Thankfully, using the Stare had taken care of them this time; her animal-controlling ability was seemingly enhanced by the glowing gem bouncing around on her neck.

“I bet Galt would have been so proud of me,” said the mare as she reached the dome’s deserted entrance. She paused at the turnstile, scanning the area intently, “...You’re not here, are you? Galt?” Fluttershy asked, taking a moment to listen for her invisible ally. When the lobby remain still and empty, she moved on. I hope he’s okay. I still feel bad for leaving him like tha-

A new sound reached Fluttershy’s perked ears. They swiveled on her head, pointing down the short hall that lead into the Plunderdome proper. Fluttershy glided over the closed gate, landing softly on the other side and advancing towards the sounds. Up ahead, and getting louder with each step, she could hear a pony crying. A young pony.

Passing through a metal shutter that looked like a train had smashed through it, Fluttershy emerged into the open dome, and her breath caught in her throat.

The arena was a disaster. Sitting in its center was a half frozen pool and the wreck of a big, wooden ship. Its mast had broken off, sitting across several rows of broken red seats off to the side. In front of the ship, the body of a Big Stag was floating in an exposed patch of melted ice. A Little Filly laid at her fallen protector’s side, crying her pupil-less, eyes out and wailing like an angry Windigo. And finally, positioned around the foal was the four friends Fluttershy had foolishly ran away from in Rapture’s welcome center. They looked completely wretched; starring down at the bawling filly with pity, and no idea what to do.

Fluttershy’s plasmid-empowered leg twitched, and she felt a heat in her veins. Right, it's a good thing I got here when I did. I hope the others didn’t have too much trouble fighting the Big- Her thought was interrupted when a familiar smell reached her nose; the harsh, metallic scent of blood.

That’s when she noticed the other bodies. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped and her eyes went wide, darting between each as she spotted them. There were three; a burnt-up pegasus with a missing eye and several knives jutting out of her body, a pony’s split-open head slumped to the side stuck in the ice pool, and a red puddle with the eviscerated body of another pegasus splayed on the ground.

A tiny shriek escaped Fluttershy’s frozen form as she took in the horrors around her.

Down below, Rainbow Dash instantly recognized the miniscule squeak and whipped her head around, where she spotted the mare she’d been trying to save recoiling in horror. Dash’s face lit up as she pumped her blue wings, leaving the others behind and flying with some difficulty to her lost friend.

“Fluttershy! Thank Celestia you’re okay! And you even found a-” Landing before the yellow pegasus, Rainbow moved in for a hug, but was confused when it was not returned. Fluttershy backed away, closing her forelegs around herself. “Hey, what’s wrong? It’s me, your best friend, Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?”

“M-My... friend. Rain- Rainbow. D-Did you...” She whimpered, pointing a shaking hoof at the nearest atrocity. “You... D-Did you- kill these ponies? What happened here?”

Following the gesture, Rainbow found herself looking at Lightning Dust’s mutilated remains. She quickly snapped her head in the other direction, “No! That was... th-that deer. We h-had to take it out.”

“O-Oh. He d-did all this?” Fluttershy’s hoof slowly moved over to another body, the one-eyed mare.

"No... I-" Feeling anger boiling beneath her fur, Rainbow threw up her forehooves and started shouting. “They were going to kill us! One of them tried to blow up Rarity, and that one stabbed me with her stupid knives!” She held up her re-wrapped foreleg for emphasis. “It’s not like I wanted to do it, we had no choice!”

Overhearing Rainbows shouts, the other mares joined her by the dome’s entrance, gathering around Fluttershy. Applejack stepped up, placing a comforting hoof on Rainbow to calm the worked up pegasus. “Alright, let’s simmer down here.”

“N-No!” Rainbow pulled away. “She wasn’t there, she doesn’t understand! Rarity, tell her how they tried to kill us!”

Fluttershy turned away, hiding behind her long, pink mane. She did understand, the logic was perfectly sound. They did it to survive, plain and simple. Some of the animals she took care of back home killed for food, and she would never dream of holding it against them. But these were her true friends, and fellow Elements of Harmony. And this was different. Now, they were killers, too.

Rarity caught onto the inner turmoil raging in her old friend’s mind and spoke up. “Fluttershy? I’m... very glad to see you. Are you alright, dear?” Rarity asked carefully. She looked ashamed, just like all the others. Even Rainbow, despite her attempts at justifying her actions, couldn’t hide her guilt.

“I- I’m, yes. I’m fine.” Fluttershy stammered the words, mostly for their sake. If fine was a town, she'd be in another country. “I just need- I mean, I can help that filly. W-With a plasmid I got.” She forced her legs to move, taking one step at a time past her downcast friends and towards the wailing child below.

“Ya’ll got a plasmid and an Element?” asked Applejack, falling in line behind the pegasus with the others. “Well hot dang, w-way ta go ‘Shy! Ah always knew ya had it in you.”

“Y-Yyeah! You go girl!” Pinkie added, forcing a smile that utterly lacked her usual merriment.

It was not returned. “Yes, ummm. Thanks, g-girls,” she said quietly, glancing back from behind her mane. She stepping onto the ice, leaving the others at the pool’s edge.

They watched her approach the filly, whispering softly to try to calm it down. She then extended a hoof, which the foal tried to swat away. Fluttershy pushed past the attempt, touching the filly’s forehead below her horn. The hoof glowed orange, lighting up from within and spreading up Fluttershy’s leg. The glowing intensified into a bright flash, and when it subsided, a normal filly in a tattered dress sat where the bug-eyed monster had a moment prior.

The four witnesses to the transformation gasped in amazement at the sight. The feeling was promptly sliced to ribbons however, by a fresh pang of guilt that cut through them as they began to understand what happened. True to form, Fluttershy had found a way to help others, while all they had done was hurt, and kill.

Pinkie was especially touched by the display. She hadn’t done any of the actual killing, but she played her part in the fight, and felt like a vile demon next to Fluttershy.

And then there was Rainbow, who felt far worse. Fluttershy waltzes through this crummy place a saint, and I-I’ve killed.... s-six. Now that she’d taken the time to count, the number shocked her. It had been a necessity, or so she told herself over and over. Rainbow lifted her gaze, finding the bodies of the fallen Plunderbolts. We took out her whole squad. They were probably the closest thing she had to friends down here. Her magenta eyes landed on Lightning Dust last; her collapsed form obscured by red plastic, sparing Rainbow from the horrific sight she knew was there. And I took them away, just like she was trying to do to me. What makes me any better?

After a few kind words, the cured filly turned tail and cantered away. The angelic pegasus returned to the four mares staring sullenly at their hooves. Each looked even worse than before, their muzzles hanging inches above the ground.

“Fluttershy, that was... really good,” Pinkie said, tilting her head up slightly and sniffling. “We- we all feel just awful. I feel awful! We attacked first, like a bunch of bullies, and- and now, well-” She paused to take a breath, wiping the tears flowing down her pinks cheeks, “I-I know it’s a lot to ask, but is there any way you could... ever forgive us? E-Even if it took you a million-kajillion years?”

Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow looked up, sad and tired. Fluttershy felt all eight eyes bore into her, and tear up her insides. Even if I did forgive them, can they forgive themselves? “I- I know you didn’t want to do it. You’re... good ponies, and my f-friends.” Just like... Twilight. Fluttershy winced, still unsure what to think of the voice recording. She turned her attention back to her hopeful friends. “Forgiveness might... take a little while. But I understand why you felt you had to do it. From now on though, there will be no more, understood?”

The mares nodded slowly. Fluttershy’s decision, while harsh, was the best they could have hoped for, and managed to lift their collective spirits, if only just a little. If she still had faith, then maybe they were not as lost as they thought. Plus, with four Elements found already, their goal was well within sight. No matter how far redemption seemed, saving Twilight, Spike and the rest of their city was a good step in the right direction. The only question left was; what to do next? But since, none of them really knew the answer, the quiet that befell the dome was sustained.

Until a sharp squeal replaced the heavy silence with a blaring symphony of permanent ear damage. The five ponies flattened their ringing ears tight, clamping them down with hooves in a fruitless attempt to block out the vicious resonance.

“Twilight here, you guys all found each other! That’s great, now we only have one Element left, and it’s very close by!” Twilight’s voice emerged from the squeal, booming over the announcer’s speakers that circled the arena.

The loud noise made Fluttershy flinch. The pony speaking made her wince.

“So, let me get this straight,” Applejack said, rubbing her aching temples with her hooves. The warmth of her plasmid leg was actually quite soothing to her rattled brain, but all the aspirin in Equestria would be no match for Twilight explaining something in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “You decided to hide the last Element outside the city?”

“That’s correct.” boomed Twilight, sending sound waves bouncing through Applejack's cerebellum. “It’s just outside, at the top of this dome. One of you will have to go out there to get it. There is an emergency airlock with an extra diving suit just off the main concourse-”

“Okay, we get it!” shouted Rainbow, clutching her ears desperately. “Geez Twilight, I forgot how much you talk.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. When I hacked into this thing, I tried to find the volume controls but-”

“AAAAAHHHHHH!” All five mares screamed at once.

“Sorry!” Twilight whispered loudly.

Rarity rubbed her sore ears, “Well, perhaps I shall invest time into designing a stylish ear horn, since I will no doubt be needing one now.” She shook her head, glad to be back on track with their quest despite partial loss of hearing. “But before I go deaf, let’s decide who’s going out there. Because I certainly am not; I’m a dreadful swimmer. Plus it must be positively freezing out there.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and jumped on the chance to start making up for her heinous actions. “I can do it! I’ve dealt with way colder conditions up in the clouds.”

“Not with a hurt leg ya haven’t.” AJ cut in. She had applied new bandages herself, and saw just how bad the wound was. “You need to take it easy; lose anymore blood and you’ll be in big trouble. Especially out there by yourself.”

“I- I don’t want to go.” Fluttershy squeaked. She may have gained some confidence from Galt, but there was no way she’d go out alone into the deep, dark ocean. I’d rather stay in the city full of murderers...

“How about you, Applejack?” asked Rarity, “You’re the toughest mare I know. If anypony can do this, I believe you can.”

Applejack smiled modestly. “O-Oh, well, thanks Rarity. Ah guess somepony’s gotta do it...” She was a good swimmer, so it only made sense. When she was a foal, she’d go to the pond near her farm with her older brother almost every day in the hot summer. Foals... Applejack recalled her abandoned line of thought from the garden. The nights she’d spent with Harvest Moon before leaving Ponyville, and the possible reason for her uneasy sickness. “Uh, that is, unless anypony else wants to jump in. Wh-What about Pinkie? She never got a chance to uh, volunteer. May as well be democratic, right?” A bead of sweat formed on Applejack’s brow as she forced a smile at Pinkie.

One look at the nervous farmer’s face was enough to tell Pinkie what was going on, no Pinkie Sense required. This has something to do with the secret she still won’t tell anypony! It must be really important... “Okay, I’ll go.” Pinkie chirped, to the surprise to everyone around her. Especially Applejack.

“You... will?” she asked incredulously. “Ah, you don’t have to, ya know. I was just sayin’...”

Pinkie smiled as brightly as she could at the moment, then flashed a wink. She may still feel terrible on the inside, but helping her friends was something she always loved to do. “It’s okay! I know you're a super good swimmer and all, but you’ve already got your Element. You all do, so this one is mine. I can use my plasmid to carry it back more easily, too.” Pinkie demonstrated said plasmid by lifting Applejack’s simmering foreleg. “And you probably don’t want to be stuck in a diving suit with this.”

“Well, those are all very good reasons, and if yer sure about this...” Smiling, Applejack wrestled her leg away from Pinkie’s invisible hold and set it back down. “Thank you.”

“Anytime!” Pinkie replied.

“Great! Then it’s settled!” Twilight bellowed, causing everyone to cry out again in agony.

Once the ungodly ringing stopped, the group made their way up to the circular concourse. Rarity lead them the long way around, avoiding the thawing pieces of the first Plunderbolt to fall. Most of the others had already seen it, but Rarity really wanted to spare Fluttershy the sight. And herself the memory.

Before guilt could bubble up again, the airlock came into view. “Look, that’s it there.” Rarity pointed out, coming to a halt.

“Let’s go then! Even with unicorn magic, there’s no way I could put on a whole diving suit by myself.” Pinkie leaped ahead and unhitched the heavy metal door.

Rarity waved an icy hoof. “Oh, it can’t be that difficult. A suit’s a suit, and considering I’ve designed dozens myself, this should be-”

The door swung open. At the back was the airlock, a watertight room separated Rapture from the ocean with two glass paneled doors. On the left side were the knobs and levers that controlled the airlock, and across from that was the diving suit itself. It took up most of the right side of the room, comprised of various layers of waterproof rubber, a multitude of hoses, tanks and pumps, and a complex helmet system.

“-easy as pie,” Rarity finished dourly.

Several minutes of squirming, squeezing and squishing later, and the airlock was filling with water. Pinkie stood inside, wearing the bulky suit and waving at her friends through the small window in the door. The bubbling sea water rose past her head, and her body lifted gently off the floor. A red light on the control console changed to green, signalling the room was full and pressurized.

“Okay, we’re ready to go.” Applejack said, taking the time to learn the control system while Rarity struggled to prepare Pinkie. There had been plenty of time.

“You okay in there?” Rainbow asked, tapping on the glass three times. Pinkie swam up to glass, giving the all-good signal by knocking back twice. “All clear AJ, she’s ready.”

“Roger, Rainbow.” Applejack pulled a brass lever, and the outer door swung upwards with a low hiss. With a final salute back at her friends, Pinkie paddled out into the open ocean and disappeared from view.

Rather than sit and wait, the other mares ran back into the domed arena, eagerly scanning the bottom edge of the glass. “D-Does anypony see her?” Fluttershy asked first, looking for any sign of the rubber-clad mare.

“There! Air bubbles!” Rainbow cried, pointing across the destroyed stadium. They all looked and soon, a brown figure swam into view. It waved at the crowd below, then continued up towards the top of the dome.

“How’s she doing out there?” Twilight roared, reminding the others she still controlled the fate of their eardrums.

“Just fine, Twi!” Applejack shouted, in what sounded like an inside voice at the time. “She’s halfway there and moving fast. Huh, Ah never knew she could swim like that.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow said. “I saw her swim through sand once. Though, I think that may have been one of her mirror pond, fun-addict, clone thingys.”

“Oh, I remember when that happened,” Rarity chuckled. “A swarm of them rampaged through my shop, put on all the fancy dressed and performed a scene from ‘The Merchant Of Mustangia’. It was actually quite good, until they decided to raid my pantry instead of finish.”

They all laughed softly at the old memory from when they all lived in Ponyville. Even Fluttershy joined in, though all it took was a quick look around to remind her of what had changed since then.

“Hey, she’s almost at the top!” Rainbow cried, pointing upwards.

Fluttershy’s eyes shot back to the shape outside. Pinkie was casually trotting up the exterior of the glass, rounding the downward slope and continuing to the apex. Once there, she stopped for a moment while doing something with her hooves, then she reappeared with a small box, just like the one Dash had found in the pirate ship. Inside was the final artificial Element of Harmony.

“That’s it! She’s got the last Element!” Rarity shouted in excitement.

“Yee-haw! Ah never doubted her for a second!” Applejack added.

“Yay!” Fluttershy whispered quietly.

“Yahoo!!!” Twilight thundered, shaking the entire Plunderdome. The mares inside fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

Even Pinkie wasn’t spared from the trauma. A stream of bubbles erupted from her breathing apparatus, and she shook her head violently. The encased Element was released from her grip, falling slowly away before Pinkie recovered enough to take hold of it again.

“Twi...” Applejack groaned. “Wh-Why?”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she said much quieter than before, though that may have been a result of ear damage. “But we have all the Elements now! And that means it’s time we meet. Once Pinkie gets back inside, I want you to head to the-”

The voice cut out abruptly.

The pain in their ears was immediately forgotten as the four mares shot back to their hooves, and another voice spoke from the dome’s speakers.

“Hello again, my little intruders. Long time no see,” Summer Rain said. Though her voice was at a normal volume, this was only a minor relief to the mares listening. “My, you have been quite busy, it seems.”

“Not long enough,” Applejack shot back scornfully. The image of a burning tree surfaced in her mind, and her scorn turned into full-blown anger. “If ya wouldn’t mind, Rain, we’re still a little busy here. So, if you could please get to the point, we’d like to get back to tryin’ to put a stop you.”

Rain’s silky laughter flowed into the glass dome. “Straight to the point, I see. That’s why I like you Applejack, you speak what’s on your mind. I’ll do my best to keep this short.”

Rainbow stomped her hooves, barely noticing the flare of pain from her injury, “Why don’t you make things even shorter by coming out here, you coward.”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy gasped. “Y-You promised there would be no more... killing.”

“I- well, yeah- but... she’s the bad guy, right?” Rainbow said lamely, sighing and lowering her head. "So, we gotta arrest her and stuff."

“Fluttershy is right,” Rarity agreed with the passive pegasus. “Rain may be the villain here, but that does not give us the right to condemn her to death.”

“Simply adorable. You are unwilling to decide my fate, yet you allow others to play with yours as a child would with cheap toys,” Rain remarked, a condescending smirk evident in her voice. “Fortunately, I have devised a solution to our disagreement, one that frees you from the burden of having to chose. You see, I’ve been quite busy myself while you terrorized my city, and so I submit to you now to my final ultimatum.”

A low rumbling began, quiet at first, but getting louder every second. The mares felt the vibration in their hooves, but were unable to locate the source. Up above, Pinkie started pounding frantically on the dome’s glass, pointing wildly off to her side.

Between two towering apartment complexes, a larger, meaner-looking version of the Bathysphere they came to Rapture in appeared. It glided in slowly through the water, the rumbling increasing as it took position above their defenseless friend.

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack’s rage reached a boiling point, pushing her strained nerves over the edge, “Summer Rain, you dirty, no-good coward, if you so much as lay a hoof on her-”

“I will not. You see, this is my ultimatum, my way of removing any choice, and therefore guilt,” as Rain spoke, her bathysphere tilted down at the mare struggling to swim away. Two panels slide away from the vessels underbelly, revealing a set of barbed spears, loaded into long barrels.

“You will give me the Elements. And I will let her live.”

Author's Note:

FINALLY.

That is all.

Comments

[Raistlin]

Why I have the awkward feeling Twilight, as soon as she grabs the Elements, is gonna pull an Atlas on the mares ?

[BlueBlitz15]

I feel an Atlas coming on. Also I feel that Rain is going to turn out to be the good pony here.

[Greatmane]

I want Fluttershy to beat Summer Rain to death with a 9-Iron.

[Allsmiles]

Twilight's the shocker villain who will surprise us all because she was supposed to be good. And Rain is the obviously deranged villain who is that crazy mixture of deranged and cunning that makes you just want to strangle her. All in all, I can't imagine this will end too pleasantly.

[MrPockets]

3048465
This... would be awesome.

[Hard-Pressed Scribe]

I'm telling you guys, Spike's going to be experimented on and he'll be Delta. One of the Elements could be keeping him alive and if they take it, it'll kill him. It could happen.

[MrPockets]

I'm lovin' all these predictions.
Working on the new chapter! Had to cut it down a bit when I realized I had almost 4k in just dialog O_o