The Ocean Above Us

“A pony is what he makes himself. If a pony decides to be a hero, then he works to make himself one. If he decides to be a villain, he works to make himself one.” -DiZ Thirty Seven, ‘quote of the week’ on the Rapture Tribune.

Andrew Ryan watched the security feed as Nimbus and his new ally, a traitorous Big Sister, fought their way through his Splicers at the bathysphere. As he expected, the Splicers were incompetent. They would not be reaching him today, though. Ryan looked at his captive, and she glared back at him.

“They are near me, but do not yet know what I have in store for them,” Ryan told her. “Now that we have Topside, they cannot stand against us. I do thank you again for... helping me set up that trap...”

Athena struggled against her bonds, and shook her head to his claim.

“Although, I do need to thank Mr. Poole for giving me his whereabouts... Just know that it’s not entirely your doing.”

The door to Ryan’s office slid open, and a Big Sister dragging an unconscious masked stallion behind her entered.

“I assume he’s alive?” Ryan asked.

The Big Sister nodded affirmatively.

“Good. Now, leave him with the gentlecolt out in front of the labs. I need you to stop a few unruly rebels...”

The Big Sister looked away as if to ask, “Why should I?”

Ryan read her expression. “Because there is somepony I thought you might want to take revenge on...”

The Sister glanced back over at him, listening.

“Subject Gamma has betrayed us... And I know you have an exceptionally large rivalry with her...”

The Big Sister nodded, and exited the room, dragging Topside along with her.

“Now... it is simply a matter of time...”

Nimbus looked at the dead Splicers scattered on the ground around him. He glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who was retracting her harpoon from the inside of one’s leg.

“We just killed all of these guys...” Nimbus said. Sure, he had killed a lot of ponies in his time here, but each and every one of them had a life. And with every life, came a story.

“Eh, they’ll live...” Rainbow said, nonchalantly.

“No they won't!”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right.” Rainbow wiped her harpoon clean of the fresh blood that covered it. “Let’s go, Ryan’s probably got more goons heading our way.”

Nimbus sighed. He didn’t want to end up like Rainbow Dash, not caring about the lives he took. Wasn’t he already, though? He had lost count of how many he had killed.

“Come on girls,” Rainbow called to the fillies still in the bathysphere. Fluttershy hesitantly took a step out, and had the others follow her.

The journey through Hephaestus was a long one, mostly because of the heavy resistance that was met in every room, hallway, and closet. The plan of battle was ingrained into Nimbus’s mind by now; Rainbow fought enemies at a range, Nimbus fought them up close, and Fluttershy provided support for them and protected the fillies. The two little ones seemed unphased by the fighting and death around them, seemingly lost in their own little world.

Nimbus discovered that the vine within him worked like a Plasmid. It drained his energy, and required EVE to use. Having no EVE shots to take, he had to use it sparingly. He had to make extensive use of all of his Plasmids to survive, though. He used Hypnotise on smaller foes, Electro Bolt on bigger threats, Steam Jet to provide cover, and his new one, which he called Overgrowth, to pull in enemies.

Rainbow Dash’s arsenal was based on her speed and agility. She used her harpoon to take out distant targets, and the wire the harpoon was attached to to trip other targets. The Plasmids she used caused targets to become frozen, and the other one was a form of telekinesis. As they had cleared out yet another room of enemies, Nimbus turned to ask Rainbow Dash a question.

“Why don’t you have a needle, like the other Big Sisters?”

Rainbow thought about this for a moment, looking at the harpoon that was in somepony’s chest.

“When I signed up to be a Big Sister, I only wanted to protect her... I had no intention of gathering ADAM like the rest of the volunteers did.”

“They were volunteers?” Nimbus asked.

“Well, the original line was. Now they just use adult Little Sisters.”

“What about that telekinesis thing? You're a pegasus.”

“Yes, I am,” Rainbow said, “But Ryan had a dream of allowing everypony to benefit from magic. That’s why he created Plasmids.”

“I see,” Nimbus looked away, off into some strange collection of panels and buttons on the wall. It was no different than any of the other rooms that they had been through before. But Andrew Ryan, Nimbus realized, actually had good intentions. He wasn’t evil, he was just misguided, right? A victim of ADAM?

“Let’s go. We’re almost there,” Rainbow said.

The roar of the city’s heart nearly deafened Nimbus. This was it, the generator room.

“We need to deal with Ryan first,” Rainbow said, “Then we can find your sister!”

“She’s your sister too, now.”

A door was seen on the other side of the massive generator that was in the center of the room. It was the door that led to Ryan’s office. Fluttershy said something, but neither of them could hear it over the machine’s rhythmic grinding. A short walk around the generator uncovered nothing of importance, but Nimbus felt his bones go cold when he saw another dead Big Daddy. Something was coming.

Nimbus saw the door. To his concern, nothing was waiting for him by it. Just the thought of something lurking around that could beat a Big Daddy made his fur stand on end. The door opened, letting a small burst of air flow through from the other room. Beyond the door was a simple hallway, one that was fairly wide and well lit. Three mares lay dead on the floor. Nimbus led the way through.

It was a simple walk through a hallway. Why did it make him so nervous? The lights flickered, and went out, and Fluttershy yelped, trying her best to compose herself and calm the fillies. Nimbus prepared his pipe, his only light the green glow from Rainbow’s helmet. It swept the room, showing them a path to the door at the end of the hall.

The lights came back on as Nimbus was about to walk through the door. He spun around, making sure nopony else was following them. The room was completely empty as Fluttershy led the fillies into the next room. Completely empty.

“Brother, look out for the flower pony!” Oceana called.

In a veil of roses, a Splicer appeared out of thin air. She was an earth pony with pale yellow coat, and a red mane. Her cutie mark was a single rose. She held a spade in her hoof, and attempted to bring it down on Nimbus’s head. He lifted his pipe to parry the blow.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another mare appear in a burst of lilies. This one was pink, with a blonde mane and three lilies just like the ones in the air on her flank. This one wielded a metal hoe, and swung it perpendicular to his head. Nimbus ducked, pushing the rose pony back in order to take a swing at the lily pony.

“Get in, I’ll handle them!” Nimbus said, and Rainbow Dash sealed the door behind her.

“Let me know when you’re finished, or if you need help.” Rainbow said through the radio.

Nimbus was holding the two flower ponies back, but still had his back against the wall. Catching the incoming spade in a hoof, he slammed the metal end into the ground. With his other hoof, he brought the pipe down on the lily pony’s head, causing her to howl in pain. Another cloud of flowers appeared, revealing the last of the three that had ambushed him. This one was a brighter pink, and had a greyish lime green mane. Instead of repurposed gardening tools, she held a gun in one hoof. Nimbus didn’t see her cutie mark, but was almost certain it was a daisy, as that was the type of flower he saw fall.

The rose pony swung her spade again, catching Nimbus in the chest. He stumbled backwards, and then suffered another hit from the hoe wielded by the lily pony. Focusing, he held out a hoof and stopped the spade as it swung at him again. The daisy pony fired her gun, but it bounced off the metal spade and struck the lily pony in the chest. She cried out and fell over, lifeless on the ground.

Nimbus dispatched the surprised rose pony with a blow to the head, and used his Electro Bolt on the daisy pony. With another swing, she was on the ground as well. Nimbus got out his radio.

“Rainbow, I’m ready. Unseal the door.”

“Gotcha. Let’s get moving, we’re lucky there were no Splicers in here.”

The elevator to Ryan’s office was right in front of them. They needed to make sure they were ready for a battle. Fluttershy had found but one magazine for Nimbus’s machine gun, and only a single bolt for his crossbow. He replenished his EVE, and upgraded his Plasmids at the Gatherer’s Garden. His Electro Bolt was more powerful, his Steam Jet lasted longer, and his Hypnotise readied itself faster. There was also increases to his EVE that he purchased, as well as a new Plasmid that he remembered from an earlier encounter: Decoy.

As his new Plasmid was injected, there was no pain, but he swore he saw himself standing in front of him. His hooves met his doubles, and then the double took a step forward, merging into his body. The hallucination ended, and he had yet another Plasmid. He was ready.

“Rainbow?” He looked to the Big Sister, and saw that she was finishing her preparations herself.

“Let’s go.” She said with a nod.

They entered the elevator, and ascended to their goal: Andrew Ryan.

There was one room between the elevators and Ryan’s office, and that was the security checkpoint. Oddly enough, nopony was guarding the room. It was an open room, with pillars supporting the ceiling to the sides, and light shining down in the center of the room. To the sides, the space behind the pillars were shrouded in shadows. Ryan’s voice boomed through the room.

“You think that if you destroy me, your problems will be solved?”

“Ryan!” Nimbus shouted, “We know you and Athena set us up!”

“Very interesting that you think that... But what are you planning on doing to stop us?”

“We’re going to make you pay for what you did, both of you!”

“Interesting...” Ryan mused, “I don’t suppose you’re going to kill us? That’s all a killer like yourself would have to do. Slit the throat. Bullet to the brain. Dead and gone.”

“I’m not...” Nimbus stopped himself. This was what Ryan wanted. He was trying to get at Nimbus. He wasn’t a killer, was he? He only killed because he had no other option, right?

“Come on, Nimbus.” Rainbow said “Let go deal with this chump together.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, Subject Gamma,” Ryan said, “Your colleague would like to have a talk with you first...”

As he said this, a Big Sister dropped down from the ceiling. Her armor was used and burnt, and she had five bullet marks in the chest piece. It was the same one from before. It was Applejack. She beckoned for them to approach with a hoof. As she did so, a needle extended from it.

Rainbow fired her harpoon the the Big Sister, but she nimbly jumped over the projectile and stomped on the wire attached to it. Rainbow was jerked forward, and the Big Sister jumped again and stomped her into the ground. Nimbus knocked the Big Sister off of Rainbow with his pipe, and reached down to help her up.

Rainbow reached out with a hoof, and hit the Big Sister with a burst of ice. The ice stopped all attempts she made to recover as it froze her body.

“Nimbus, take the mares and go up to Ryan. I’ll deal with AJ down here.”

Nimbus didn’t have time to argue. As much as he wanted to stay and fight alongside Rainbow, he needed to get to Ryan and finish this.

“Alright. Girls, let’s go!” Nimbus called, calling the elevator down. A few seconds passed, and the elevator descended. The frozen Big Sister suddenly broke free from her icy imprisonment, and went straight for Nimbus. Rainbow pulled the wire connecting her to her harpoon tight and tripped the Big Sister mid-step. The elevator door opened.

“Go, Nimbus!”

Nimbus stepped in the elevator with the girls. He pressed the button to go up. The doors shut as they began to rise.

Rainbow retracted her harpoon as the Big Sister stood back up.

“It’s just you and me now, AJ.” Rainbow said.

Applejack said nothing. She only made her attack.

Ding!

The elevator reached it’s peak and opened up to reveal the office of Andrew Ryan. Only one light was on, one through a glass window. All Nimbus saw through it was a simple unicorn stallion, waiting for him. His coat was a deep brown, and he wore a grey tie. A short black mane was underneath a just as black fedora. He spoke.

“You defy death... You defy my rule... You defy logic!” He shouted, looking up to watch Nimbus step out of the darkness. He angrily pointed a hoof at the grey pegasus.

Nimbus said nothing.

Ryan composed himself. “You think you’re a hero? You’re a killer, just like the rest of us. We’re all killers.”

Nimbus still remained silent, just glaring angrily at Ryan.

“Not talking? Fine. You can discuss your business with me, but first...” Ryan paused, taking a few steps backward to allow somepony else to come forward, “I’d like to introduce you to an old friend of mine...”

As Ryan backed out of sight, somepony else became visible. It was a large stallion, wearing a diver’s suit. On his head was a metal helmet, and on his flank was a cone shaped drill. This Big Daddy had one feature that differentiated him from the others, though. On either his front legs was a white triangle. The Greek symbol for Delta.

“This, my child, is subject Delta...” Ryan said, “or as you might have known him... Johnny Topside...”

Nimbus still said nothing, but his mind was racing. Topside was a Big Daddy now?

“Deal with them, Delta.” Ryan commanded, and the Big Daddy promptly threw his front hooves into the glass. Nimbus stood his ground as it cracked, and eventually shattered. Delta jumped forward, his drill in hoof, and brought it down on Nimbus. As he did, something odd happened. His entire foreleg went straight through his target.

Nimbus grinned as he watched his plan succeed.. He knew that the Decoy Plasmid would be useful. With his machine gun in hoof, he stepped out of his hiding place in the shadows and opened fire on Delta. The Big Daddy stumbled backward to the sudden onslaught of lead, but found himself shrugging off the bullets easier and easier with each hit.

“Subject Delta’s armor is state-of-the-art,” Ryan said from wherever he was, “Bullets will not keep him back for long...”

Delta charged at him, and Nimbus sidestepped to avoid the attack. His opponent noticed the sudden motion and stuck one hoof out and clotheslined Nimbus. He hit the ground with an audible thud.

“My new process doesn’t destroy the mind completely...” Ryan continued, “So he is also just as intelligent as Topside was...”

Nimbus rolled over from his place on the floor and readied a Hypnotise polyp. Delta turned to face him, and he threw it. It splattered on contact, sending it’s green mist everywhere. They both just looked at each other, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments, Delta broke the awkward silence by slamming a hoof into Nimbus’s stomach. Nimbus rolled to avoid the attack, and got back up on his hooves.

“Delta’s armor is not grafted into his skin either, meaning that Hypnotise will not affect him...” Ryan explained, taking a few steps back to get a view of Nimbus's next attempt of attack.

Nimbus tried using Electro Bolt, but again, Ryan had explained how Delta was immune to electricity. It was almost as if he was simply running down a list, waiting for Nimbus to try something that he was already prepared for. Nothing was working against him. In an attempt to get a moment to think, Nimbus threw down a cloud of steam. Ryan turned on the lights to this, revealing his location to Delta. Nimbus was standing in what appeared to be Ryan’s living quarters. There was some furniture, and a miniature golf set in there with him.

To one side, Nimbus saw Ryan’s actual office. Inside was the mastermind, sitting at his desk, watching the fight go on outside. Across the office, there was somepony tied up in a chair, with a gag over his mouth. Through what little Nimbus could make out through the darkness in his office, he realized that it was actually a mare. It must be Athena.

Delta came slamming into him from the entryway, pinning him up against the wall. Nimbus fired his machine gun the best he could into Delta’s belly, knocking him back off of him. He followed up with a pipe swing, and Delta toppled over onto his back, causing the ground to shake. This was Nimbus’s chance.

He judged that his pipe wouldn’t be long enough, so he took up the golf club resting near Ryan’s mini course.

He brought it down on Delta’s visor, cracking it open and revealing the face of Johnny Topside.

“Do it...” He whispered to him.

“No! Big Macintosh!” Apple Bloom cried out.

“I’m Delta now... Just-”

He was cut off as Nimbus brought the club down on his face. It struck again and again until finally, Topside released his final breath. No, not Topside. Topside died that moment Ryan put the stallion in the suit. Delta had been killed. Nimbus dropped the bent club to the ground in frustration. Another pony died because of his actions. This was no time for sorrow, though, he had work to do.

“Ryan!” Nimbus shouted, looking the stallion directly in the eyes. He then looked over at the shadowed figure of Athena. She struggled to get free. “Let me in, and let her go!”

Ryan simply laughed quietly. “Why do you come to her aid, after what she’s done to you?”

“She didn’t set us up at the train station, that was you, Ryan!”

“That’s not what I mean,” Ryan said, approaching the window to return Nimbus’s gaze. “She only lied to you, Nimbus...”

“I... How do you know my name?”

“How did she know your name?”

“She...” Nimbus’s voice faltered as he recalled that he never once told her his name.

Ryan let out another laugh again as Nimbus put two and two together. Athena had tricked him, for whatever reason she did, she tricked him and led him into more danger... But it was Ryan who had set the trap. Ryan was the real problem. Athena wasn’t trying to get him killed, she just... Nimbus tried to comprehend his entire experience in Rapture now that he knew Athena had another motive.

“Let her go,” Nimbus commanded, and Ryan walked over to the chair.

“Come in, would you kindly?” Ryan asked, unlocking the door to his office.

Nimbus took a cautious step in, and looked at the captured mare in front of him. He couldn't make out any of her features, for Ryan held her in the darkest corner of the room.

“This is the mare that you blindly followed since you arrived here...” Ryan said, taking a step forward and gesturing to Athena with a hoof. “This is the mare that you followed to defeat me...”

“Athena... tell me what he means...”

A muffled response was the answer. Ryan ripped the cloth out of her mouth with his magic, and threw it aside.

Athena coughed, “I’m... I’m sorry, kid... I never meant for you to-”

“You think that you can resist me, just because you follow one mare?” Ryan asked, in an angered tone. “One mare who thinks she’s better than the whole damn city? No. You cannot resist Rapture.”

With that, he pushed Athena into the light. Nimbus automatically recognized the purple irises, the lavender coat, and the dark purple mane with the pink stripe. This mare had given him the power to rescue the Little Sisters, and had been encouraging him to do so throughout the entirety of his journey.

"And neither can she."

“Twilight Sparkle...” Nimbus breathed.