Featherflit's Narrow Escape

Featherflit squinted in the glare. She felt exposed, her eyes unused to the bright lights after so long in the comfortable shadows of her room. As she adjusted and began to take in the spectacle of colours and plants swarming over the rocky surface of the cavern’s ceiling and walls, her mouth fell open. She had expected the barren, black cave she and Flylight had entered just a few short weeks ago, but the sight before her now was nothing like what she remembered.

The slender white sea-lily that hung from the very apex of the cavern’s ceiling was festooned with glowing blue vines. Purple starfish moved slowly over its surface, each emitting their own light and creating minuscule constellations. The white petals that served as gates to the palace were flung wide open, and a steady flood of seaponies flowed in and out of it, laden with bags stuffed with crops and goods to trade. The market was clearly resurrected and thriving.

All around the palace hung hundreds of black lantern coral dwellings, each decorated with different combinations of coloured coral or algae, all the windows glowing with the lantern coral’s distinctive yellow light. Fish swarmed everywhere, brightly coloured schools of them flickering through the town like butterflies. Foals were playing, tossing balls and stones back and forth between one another. Beyond the town, the distant walls of the cavern were covered with a riotous collection of glowing corals and soft-tendrilled plants. Barren patches of rock still remained, but the plants were clearly growing quickly. When Featherflit looked down, she could make out, far below them, not the grey rocky base of the cavern where they had camped for those dark first days, but gentle green fields rolling as far as the eye could see. Her eyes widened in disbelief; even with the powers of the Pearl, this was incredible.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Flylight seemed to pluck the thought from her head. “The Queen’s thought of everything. Everypony’s been working so hard, but we’ve turned the cavern into a new place entirely.” She flicked her tail in enthusiasm as she spoke and drifted out of the doorway. “The corals and the algae dim themselves every twelve hours, so its exactly like having day and night — except its prettier, I think.”

“Where did all these fish come from?” Featherflit asked, turning to follow a school of the brilliantly coloured creatures as they soared past. She didn’t even recognise most of the species here.

“The guard caught a lot of fish before we came down,” Flylight explained. “The Queen used the Pearl to make all sorts of species; sweet-tasting ones, sour-tasting ones, all different nutrients. And the farms on the cave base are fully functional now, growing all the new crops — mostly sea-grass and kelp, though. The guard even managed to catch some dolphins, before we transformed. They’re being kept down in the fields. They say once we manage to tame them, we’ll be able to use them for ploughing and all sorts, to make things easier on the farm hippogriffs — I mean, seaponies.”

Featherflit smiled, so entranced by this wonderland of colour that her sister’s verbal slip didn’t even register. “It’s wonderful!”

“And this isn’t even all of it,” Flylight beamed, reflecting Featherflit’s enthusiasm back a hundredfold. “There’s a new forest growing down there too, coral-trees that the Queen made, and orchards too — and there’s miles and miles of tunnels down here that we can go and explore when you feel better. Imagine what we might find!”

Featherflit couldn’t imagine, and that made her smile all the wider. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, her horizons were a little wider than the walls of this cavern. “I never even thought the Pearl could have this much power,” she remarked, staring again at the utter transformation it had wrought. “The royals have barely used it for centuries — who would have thought that all along it could have done this?”

Flylight sobered. “Well, they say the Queen has nearly exhausted all her reserves. I saw her last week, over by the oyster farm, and she looked terrible, Featherflit. Just skin and bone. And the whole moral of the story of Queen Regal Quill and the Pearl was that the royals can only use the Pearl in times of the greatest need. Transforming the Eastern Oyster was meant to have nearly killed her, wasn’t it?”

Featherflit shrugged a wing-fin. “That’s what the legend says.”

“But then again, what is a time of the greatest need, if this isn’t?” Flylight added reflectively. “We would have all starved to death in here if the Queen hadn’t done all she has.”

Featherflit nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.” But looking around at the brilliant city the Queen had created from nothing, she felt that the danger must surely be very distant now. Both protected and trapped by the encircling walls of Mount Aris, nothing could reach them here.

Flylight swam a little higher and Featherflit watched as her sister circled the stalk that connected their lantern coral to the ceiling of the cavern high above. “I was thinking maybe we could get some of the blue vines from the palace and train them to grow around here,” she called down.

Featherflit leaned further out of the doorway to follow where her sister pointed. “I think that will look lovely.” She looked back out over the bustling city and the fertile land below. Her hooves itched to hold a paintbrush and commit this wonderful place to canvas. She nodded firmly to herself, and felt a little seed of hope sprout deep within herself. If the Queen could create all of this out of a dark and empty cave, surely she could find a way to make some paints that would function down here. Maybe she could ask Flylight for help; perhaps they could grow coloured algae on a surface in the right shapes — a living painting! Now there was a prospect. And those tunnels Flylight had mentioned held promise too. ‘Miles and miles’ of unexplored tunnels; there was a chance that one of them might just lead to the surface. A secret entrance where she could come and go as she pleased. A chance she could see the sky and its beautiful colours again, and still stay with her family.

“Featherflit!” Flylight’s voice called sharply down. “You said you’d come outside! You’re still inside the door!”

Featherflit looked down and snorted with laughter. Flylight was right. She had been so caught up in the colours, she still stood where they had started. The woven seaweed curtain hung heavy across her back. She looked down, and the green fields of kelp below suddenly seemed an awfully long way down.

“Come on,” Flylight giggled from above her. “Don’t tell me you’ve developed a fear of heights now!”

Featherflit waved a hoof to shut her up. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” She spread her wing-fins wide and flipped her tail to push herself away from the lantern coral.

Instinctively, she began trying to flap her wings, but Flylight’s laughter soon stilled her abortive movements. She had forgotten; being underwater was of course nothing like flying. She hung there effortlessly. Down here, travelling in any direction was as simple as walking on land had been.

But as she swam up towards Flylight, there were similarities that jumped out at her. Just as thermals could be used to rise and fall with ease in the air, there were eddies and currents in the water. Something as simple as a group of seaponies swimming past in the street could send a little current curling away, and that could be used to give extra lift and speed her own passage.

She was a little breathless by the time she joined Flylight above the roof, unused to exertion after all this time. Flylight’s green touch had extended here as well; more bright purple algae bloomed, their feathery fronds waving gaily in the current. Featherflit rested a hoof on the lantern coral’s stalk to stabilise herself. Its leathery surface was reassuring in this liquid world, where it seemed everything swayed with the water’s movements. Flylight was using her wing-fins to maintain her position, spreading them wide with just a little flick here and there to keep steady. After watching the way she did it, Featherflit copied her and spread her own wing-fins and hesitantly releasing her hold on the stem of the house. It was like trying to glide; one just had to remember not to flap.

The two sisters drifted side by side and looked out over the burgeoning settlement. More lantern coral houses were being grown on the edges of the town, and seaponies flitted everywhere between the dark stalks. Many of the adults were still slow and cautious in their movements, much like Featherflit herself, but the colts and fillies Featherflit could see held no such inhibitions. They raced in and out of sight, weaving between fish and corals alike in complex games of tag, and Featherflit smiled as their turbulent passage sent a pair of middle-aged mares spiralling in their wake.

“Do you want to go have a look around?” Flylight asked. Her voice was positively bubbling with happiness.

Featherflit couldn’t help but smile back at her sister. It seemed like she had spent months listening to Flylight speaking in whispers and refusing to answer. Resurfacing from the numbness felt like she was finally coming up for air. Not that she could come up for air, anymore, she reflected. Probably a whole lot of metaphors and sayings would have to be reworked.

“Not too much today, I think,” she answered. “I don’t want to overdo it.”

Flylight nodded. “Of course not.”

Featherflit let Flylight lead the way down from the roof and into the streets of Seaponia; if streets they could be called. The sea floor was leagues below, and the sea-hippogriffs — no, we’re seaponies now, Featherflit mentally corrected herself — were swimming and talking in the gaps between the lantern coral houses. Flylight obviously recognised many of the seaponies they passed, and she had a friendly smile and a wave for everypony. Featherflit, in contrast, found herself the target of more than a few stares.

“Why are they all looking at me?” she hissed to Flylight, after yet another group swam past them, muttering behind their fins.

Flylight looked surprised. “Oh! Are they looking? I suppose its because they don’t recognise you yet. We’re all living in much closer quarters here than we were in Hippogriffia, and everypony is pretty familiar with one another from working on getting the kelp farms up and running, and planting the corals on the cave walls.” She patted Featherflit’s wing reassuringly. “Give it time and keep coming outside, and I’m sure they’ll all get to know you again.”

Even Flylight’s gentle touch was enough to send Featherflit spinning off balance. She flapped hard to right herself and ended up spiralling even more out of control. She collided with the wall of a nearby lantern coral, and with a gentle creak, it swung a little on its stalk. The sound of smashing crockery from within made Featherflit wince and she thrashed her tail, trying to get upright again.

A curtain was dragged roughly aside and an angry stallion looked out. “If I have to tell you foals one more time, I’ll—” He stopped in surprise when he saw the two adult seaponies.

Flylight darted forward, her hooves spread in supplication. “I’m so sorry, sir! My sister’s still learning the ropes. Won’t happen again!” She hastily helped Featherflit back onto her belly, entwined their forelegs firmly together, and swam them both away.

Featherflit looked nervously over at Flylight, afraid she had committed some strange new faux pas. Flylight was swimming quickly, her lips pressed tightly together. But once they were safely out of sight around the side of the next house, she burst into laughter.

Featherflit stared, shocked, but Flylight leaned on her for support, laughing so hard she was shaking them both off course. Featherflit began to smile, too, and then both sisters descended into giggles.

“You wouldn’t believe how common that is,” Flylight finally gasped, wiping at her eyes. “I’ve seen so many people hit the houses and send them swaying all over the place. I can’t believe anypony even has any unsmashed plates left!”

Featherflit groaned and laughed again, covering her eyes in embarrassment. The idea of that poor old stallion carefully packing up all his best china, bringing it all the way down here without incident, and unpacking it in his fresh-grown house — only to lose it to her uncoordinated flippers! It was too much. The poor old guy.

“Come on,” Flylight said, patting Featherflit’s hooves with her own. “Let’s head to the castle and get you a quick look at the market.”

Featherflit nodded and tightened her hold on her sister’s forearm. “Maybe you steer me this time.”

“Definitely!” snickered Flylight. “I’d be drummed out of town if I didn’t safeguards the nations remaining plates from you.”

They continued towards the palace, joining the steady stream of seaponies on the major streets heading for the market. Flylight let Featherflit set the pace, and Featherflit deliberately took her time, looking at each of the lantern houses they passed. Every one was unique, even if it was only in a few tiny details. The placement of a plant, a few knobbles here and there on their dark, lumpen surfaces. Some were much larger than others, and upon questioning Flylight told her that the Queen had designed them to be grown to different sizes depending on the size of the family.

There were a few ponies heading away from the palace, too. One of the groups they passed was made up of royal guards surrounding a couple of well-dressed seaponies. Featherflit took in the guards’ new uniforms with interest. Rather than just their helmets, which had been the extent of the uniforms just after the descent, these guards were dressed head to tail in the traditional golden plate armour, now perfectly tailored to the long, elegant frame of their seapony forms. She wondered where they had gotten all the gold. Had they managed to retrieve and melt down the old armour? Surely there hadn’t been enough time to locate and establish a new gold mine down here.

Featherflit was so absorbed in looking at the overlapping scales of the armour that she was taken aback when one of the guards broke formation slightly to wave at her. She blinked and stared at him. Did she know him? His teal skin looked a little familiar, but it was so hard to tell under all that armour, and without a beak or feathers. She would have to relearn everypony’s faces.

“Wave back,” Flylight hissed. “I can’t believe someone’s greeting you after you’ve hidden for so long!”

Obediently, Featherflit raised a hoof and flopped her stupid fleshy fin at in greeting. “But who is he?”

“Captain Stratus Skyranger, idiot,” Flylight reprimanded her. “From our trip down here. Don’t you recognise him?” She sighed a little wistfully. “I didn’t know him up top, but apparently he was quite a looker, and he’s still quite attractive — don’t you think?”

“I don’t know,” Featherflit said doubtfully. “How can you like seaponies already? All my attraction is still geared towards feathers and beaks. I don’t know how to feel about all the smooth skin and translucent fins. Weirds me out.”

“Please,” scoffed Flylight. “You didn’t even like people back in Hippogriffia. You haven’t had a girlfriend since you were thirteen.”

Featherflit bristled — or she would have, had she still possessed feathers. As it was, she had to settle for flaring her wing-fins. “I’ll have you know my break up with Evening Star was very tough on me emotionally.”

Flylight nodded, her brow furrowed theatrically with mock sympathy. “Mmm, yes, I can see how falling out over who should have the last scoop of ice cream could leave you with scars that last years.”

“And even if I was ready for love again,” Featherflit said grandly, “It certainly wouldn’t be with a male.”

“I’m pretty sure the only thing you’ve ever been sexually attracted to is your paint pots,” Flylight mused, a malicious glint in her eye.

Featherflit snarled and tried to drag her foreleg away from Flylight, but Flylight’s work on the kelp planting had clearly give her some serious muscle. Featherflit ground her teeth together. To be beaten again by her baby sister was infuriating.

“Sorry,” Flylight said, seeing Featherflit’s expression shift into genuine annoyance. She let go and Featherflit, who was still pulling away, went tumbling head over tail right into the path of the seaponies swimming just ahead of them. She collided hard with a little filly who promptly burst into tears, and her furious mother snatched the foal up and began to scold Featherflit for her carelessness.

“Sorry, sorry!” Featherflit scrambled backwards, praying she wouldn’t trample any more small children on the way.

“Its careless young idiots like you who put us all at risk!” the foal’s mother snapped, her voice increasing in volume. “You all ought to be put on the edges of town until you learn how to swim straight—”

“Is there a problem here, Ma’am?” A stern voice interrupted, and Featherflit looked up gratefully to see that the group of guards had circled back around upon hearing the commotion. The one who had spoken was clearly senior — a huge plume made from a strange glowing variety of pink seaweed adorned her golden helmet, which was also inlaid with delicate designs in silver. Behind her, a pale pink seapony pushed some sort of floating device constructed of an open clamshell. Flanking the pink seapony was Stratus Skyranger and another guard who seemed vaguely familiar — Featherflit thought it might be the one called Corporal Seaspray.

The irate mare immediately looked chastened. “No, General — there’s no problem. This…young seapony just had an accident, that’s all.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked past the guard at Featherflit. “She just needs to watch where she’s going a little better.”

The General turned to Featherflit. “Very well. Everypony had better be about their business, then.”

Featherflit dipped her head obediently and hastily propelled herself upwards, away from the street level. Once clear of the crush of seaponies, she looked again for Flylight. She spotted her sister caught in a crush headed with renewed speed for the market, and called her over. It took Flylight a moment’s searching to spot Featherflit’s rooftop vantage point, and another few seconds to break free of the crowd, but once she was out she swam with impressive speed to Featherflit’s side.

“Gosh, I’m sorry,” she apologised immediately. “I had no idea you were going to crash into that foal.”

Featherflit laughed ruefully. “Me neither.” She paused, and seeing Flylight’s worried expression, waved her next apology away. “Don’t worry about it. But I think maybe I’ve had enough outside time for today. Enough crashes, certainly.”

“Of course,” Flylight agreed at once. “I shouldn’t have pushed for more. Tomorrow, maybe we can go down to the kelp fields? Its a lot calmer down there.”

Featherflit nodded. Seaponia was certainly much more crowded than Hippogriffia’s sprawling forest settlements had been. With everypony living on top of one another like this, as well as still learning to swim, accidents were bound to happen.

She peered down, past the bulbous shapes of the lantern corals, at the gently waving green fields below. It certainly looked more peaceful down there. Nothing but miles of kelp, susurrations moving in concentric patterns across the plants. There were even dolphins down there, if Flylight was to be believed. Featherflit had always like dolphins. She admired their drive to fly, even though they were water-bound creatures. She had put leaping dolphins into more than one of her paintings, as a counterpoint to the vastness of the sky. The little arc of a dolphin in the distance could provide a good counterpoint to a sunset’s blaze of colour, especially if the dolphin were silhouetted.

“By the way,” she added. “Which way is home?”

Flylight giggled again. “That way. Don’t worry — you’ll learn. Shall I give you a hoof again on the way?”

Featherflit smiled a little sheepishly. “Yeah, I think that’d probably be a good plan.” She linked her foreleg again with her sister’s and the two of them started for home.

“Did you see who was in the pushchair?” Flylight said conversationally, as they began to weave their way homewards between the stalks of the lantern corals. Featherflit noted that her sister carefully kept them above street level this time around.

“What pushchair?”

“The big shell that the nanny with the guards was pushing. Princess Skystar was in it!” Flylight bit her lip. “At least, I think it was her. This is my first time seeing her in seapony form. Yellow skin, blue fins, royal guards — it can’t have been anypony else.”

Featherflit nodded in interest. She hadn’t seen the infant princess in the clam shell, but she supposed it made sense. Royal guards would hardly be escorting an unknown entity like the pink seapony around the town.

It had been an illuminating first trip into Seaponia. The city itself was a thing of beauty, and for the first time in weeks Featherflit’s urge to paint and draw had returned. The seaponies she had encountered hadn’t been exactly friendly, with the exception of Stratus Skyranger, but she had crashed into them in both instances, so she supposed it was to be expected. As for Captain Stratus Skyranger, why he would be glad to see her again after their single ill-starred meeting in the cavern was absolutely beyond her.

Regardless, seeing Seaspray and Stratus Skywalker again bought back memories of Sky Beak, the young silver-maned hippogriff who had seemed as reluctant to transform as Featherflit had felt. She wondered where in Seaponia he was living. It would be good to speak with him about all the changes recent months had bought; she thought that he would be more able than Flylight to sympathise with her reluctance to embrace life down here. Maybe she would find him down in the kelp fields; he certainly didn’t seem like the type to have enthusiastically embraced the city living of Seaponia.