Rise from the Abyss

-CRACK-

The sound of Tide’s hooves colliding with the creature behind her rang throughout the station as she kicked it with all of her strength.

What followed was nothing but deafening silence and the stench of seawater as Tide stood frozen, unable to do anything but listen for sounds of activity from her attacker. It wasn’t until a few minutes had passed that she finally dared to make a move.

Turning slowly, she was met with the sight of the lanky creature laid on the ground, completely unmoving. Despite all common sense Tide drew closer to him, examining his form and she nearly felt like throwing up for the third time in the past forty-eight hours.

His porcelain mask had shattered, revealing his face, which looked like it had exploded inward, leaving nothing but gooey, bloody soup.

And, it had been by Tide’s own doing, she had killed this crea… No. This man, she had killed a man named Tony, while her only experience had been near death at his hands, did he deserve to meet such a cruel and meaningless end? What of his family? Did they deserve to bury a son, a brother, perhaps even a father? Did his children deserve to grow up wondering what had become of one of their parents? Having disappeared, lost in the depths of this strange underwater city.

No, they didn’t. But, neither did the family of his victim, someone that appeared to have been a close friend. Yet her aggressor had killed him all the same. Still, Tide hated that she had been forced to take a life like that.

“You alright there Doll?” Tide was shaken from her revere (and nearly her skin,) at the now much clearer voice on the radio hung from her neck.

The voice was male, rough with a strong accent that reminded her of the mobsters from the days of Manehattan’s prohibition.

“Who-who is this?” she stuttered into the radio, hopeful to have possibly met somepony who wasn’t crazy.

“Name’s Dolus, Bennett Dolus, was the proprietor of this fineestablishment before Rapture went a-bust.” His voice oozed a slimy confidence like that of a used cart sales mare.

“Fine establishment?! I was almost killed three steps out the gate!” Tide snarked into the radio’s speaker.

“Well, you might wanna get used to that quick, with that Bathysphere gone your one way out-a here just floated off into the deep blue.” His voice gained a sudden weight as he spoke, as if he was familiar with the subject.

“Are you telling me I’m stuck down here?!” Tide exclaimed, dread threatening to overtake her at the thought of her death at the hands of another creature, trapped alone far under the waves.

“You ain’t the only one, Doll.” Well, maybe not entirely alone.

“But you're in luck, Kid, I have a way out, only problem is… I can’t reach it.” His previously impenetrable confidence is now pierced with a hint of embarrassment.

“So, what does that have to do with me?” Tide could feel her voice lighten with faith as she asked.

“Well Doll, if you can reach me, we can work together to reach my private sub, and sail our way right up to the surface.” His words finally gave Tide what she had been hoping for. A goal, something to work to, something to fight for. To reach him.

How hard could it be?

“Great! Where are you?”

“Trapped in my office, on the other side of the building.”

Apparently, very hard.

Well, she better get a move on if she wants to get there any time soon. With a hard shake to get the majority of dirt and grime out of her coat, and one last mournful look at the corpse she had made, Tide started back on the path that had forced her to take her first life.

***

Amazing.

That was the only word Tide had to describe the view from the solid glass tunnel she found herself in.

Everywhere she looked she saw the swimming of sea life, the flowing of kelp and seaweed reaching up from the ocean floor like the gasping of a flower from the cobblestone streets of Canterlot.

The entire way was lit by a mixture of the lights mounted along the ceiling and the shining of the bright neon signs from outside, beaming through the murky water to reach her like the light of the sun stretching from the sky.

But, as she looked out into the foggy depths, she caught sight of something else coming towards her.

High above the skyscrapers, she could see the shadowy outline of something huge, growing even larger as it sunk into the blue abyss.

It was with dawning horror that she realized, it wasn’t getting bigger, it was getting closer.

Tide broke into a gallop, she could see the door at the end of the tunnel, it was so far away, she would be cutting it close.

No, she wouldn’t be making the cut at all.

The hulking object was getting faster by the second, where in Tide had been worn out, and slowed down by running and constant stress.

The incoming mass was now close enough to make out in detail, while the exit only seemed to have grown farther, and Tide stared in disbelief as she made out half of the metal hull of a ship.

Her ship, still dotted with holes where gunpowder had blown in out from the inside, and still dragging the remains of its cargo.

Tide was out of time, only barely halfway down the path as the debris made impact.

Only it was too high for the glass, instead it collided with the wall above, showering the passageway in giant chunks of stone and iron.

The hallway was filling with water, and the door she had been trying so hard to reach was buried in rubble.

As the color drained from her face, Tide couldn’t even bring herself to react as the frigid cold sea water began to pool around her hooves. She had stopped completely, simply staring ahead as the one way she had out was lost to her.

“ON YOUR RIGHT KID!” Dolus shrieked from the radio, with little other option, Tide turned to her left, and saw it.

A fork in the tunnel, a straight turn right led to a door not even 20 hoofsteps away.

With renewed vigor, Tide made for the new found exit faster than she thought possible, barely slowed by the rushing water under hoof.

The large mechanism in the middle of the door spun for a moment as it unlocked, allowing Tide to quickly duck inside before dropping closed and locking again.

“Thanks.” Tide rasped into the radio, still out of breath from running for her life.

“Don’t mention it, Doll. If you die, I die.” Dolus ‘soothed’ over the radio. She didn’t really need the added pressure of knowing her failure would result in another death, but she didn’t feel like bringing that up right now.