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Gazing to the Ocean of the Sky

by David Silver

Chapter 54: 54 - We Can Do It

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Things became hectic. While the sea ponies were drafting up parts and keeping the smith busy when they weren't busy fitting the pieces together and constructing the shared device that would ferry the fuel safely, the unicorns were all abuzz about their portion of the task.

The three horned ponies had used chalk to make countless circles, lines, squares, and other patterns across the entire hull of the thing while chatting in a constant, excited, babble.

Indigo leaned towards his two mare friends. "They're really into this."

Cherry nodded. "Who doesn't like to get something big done? We had lots of fun making this train work, why shouldn't they enjoy their part?" She looked over as Moon Dancer slowly trailed along one of those lines and smudged out a bit, just to redraw it slightly differently. "They're taking it seriously, and I'm glad. We'll make this work."

Twilight dropped down with a flutter of her wings. "About that! There's one thing that hadn't been accounted for, but I think we can manage without too much difficulty, and it gives us a use for the heat the engine produces that isn't being used for the actual driving of the train." She pulled out a strange two-headed beaker. "Water, as you may know, is actually comprised of two kinds of air. One, the kind we breathe, is also what fire breathes. So--"

Berry blinked at Twilight. "Water has air?"

"Why, yes." She bobbed her head. "With this, we'll combine that extra heat and some magic and bust apart the water into the two kinds of air, so you'll have the air you need for the fire. The other kind of air we don't have much use for." She shrugged. "You can just let it go and it'll turn back into water on its own." This wasn't strictly accurate, but was good enough for all the ponies involved.

She wandered off, humming a tune to herself as she got back to work.

Cherry watched her go and looked back to her friends. "I have no idea what half of what she said meant, but it sounds good. Dry power needs air, so if she can make more, that's good." She clopped her hooves lightly. "Now let's get this fuel pump working."

With a shared rallying cry, they got back to their own labor.

It would be several days before all six of them collapsed in a pile of hard worked, but satisfied, pony flesh.

Starlight sat up with a weary smile. "She should be ready to go."

Cherry thrust a hoof into the air. "Then off we go!"

Twilight gently pressed at that leg, drawing it back down with her magic. "Don't be that eager. We should test it before you rush into the depths of the ocean. I don't... expect issues, but better safe than sorry."

The train was transformed. Thin lines of neon cyan and purple ran along its red frame, carrying the thaumic power and along the vital patterns that would protect it and enable it to do as it needed to do. It was a spectacle to see, even when not moving.

Berry shook her head. "The only way to test it is to do just that. We'll go back to the beach where we began and roll it into the ocean and it will work or not." She flashed a grin at the unicorns. "I have no doubt in your performance."

Moon Dancer smile a bit more awkwardly. "We tried our best to account for every reasonable expectation."

Twilight rolled a hoof. "Be that as it may, this is no small undertaking. We can't assume everything will be perfect, even if we want it to be." She pointed at the train. "It's important we be ready in case anything goes wrong. If we're careful, we can fix it and try again. Let's not look at it as a setback, but a chance to learn. We'll do this."

That attitude was more to Cherry's liking and she offered a hoof, to be met almost instantly by her aquatic peers. Twilight met it, clopping her hoof in, soon to have Starlight and Moon clopping in with a show of solidarity.

Moon smiled as she adjusted her glasses. "Well, let's get some rest. We're all fatigued after a day's work. We can set out tomorrow."

So they did that, retiring to the castle where Spike had thoughtfully prepared a dinner for the herd of exhausted workers.

"So, uh..." Spike rubbed behind his head. "Twilight?"

"Yes?" She took a great big bite of the hay burger that had been made for her, chomping a bit messily. "What is it?"

"Am... I a familiar?"

Twilight blinked softly. "What? Who said that? Don't be ridiculous."

Spike squirmed a bit in place. "Trixie said it, 'cause you kinda made me, and I do all the things a familiar would do, so..."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Let's start by looking at who's talking. Trixie? You're taking her word?"

"Hey!" Starlight scowled at her mentor in clear defense of her friend. "It was, perhaps, a bit... harsh, to bring that up with Spike, but it was far from unfounded."

Cherry tilted her head. "Are familiars bad?"

Spike blinked. "No?"

Cherry shrugged softly. "Then does it matter if you are one or not? You're Spike, the most amazing and friendly dragon I ever met." She reached with a leg and pulled Spike close.

Twilight joined the hug. "You are also my #1 assistant and one of my best friends."

Starlight nodded. "Nobody here doubts your worth, as a pony, a dragon, or anything else you care to be. You're great, Spike."

Indigo bobbed his head. "Don't worry about it, Spike. You're Spike, and not many people get to be that."

Berry pointed up at her horn. "I'm a sea pony unicorn suddenly, but I'm still Sea Berry, and that's more important. You, as the others pointed out, are Spike, and that's a fine thing to be."

Spike was blushing in the group-wide admiration and support. "Y-yeah!"

The matter was gently set to rest and ponies resumed their feasting. There was work to be done.


The Red Rocket was pulled along by one of the trains in active service. No matter how loudly they had argued, they would not permit the Red Rocket to roll on its own power on the company lines. That matter aside, they had arrived. It was the city where everything had started.

A pony met them after they hopped off their train.

"Good day," said the familiar unicorn stallion. "I have a present." He moved for Indigo and furnished a set of legs. They looked even better than the others, sleek and finely articulated. Its insides looked finely cushioned and it had a nicely crafted space for fins. It was... enviable.

Enviable enough that both sea mares were glaring at it.

Indigo accepted it with wide eyes. He squirmed into it with some help by Starlight and soon was standing in the new rig. "Wow! Why? I mean, thank you!"

The inventor nodded. "Consider it part of my fee for your idea. I have a feeling I'll be selling a lot more of these. Good luck." He raised a hoof in a salute and trotted off.

Cherry prodded the harness. "It's... better than mine."

Indigo shook his head. "Yours has you in it. That makes it... better." He was blushing as he said what he hoped were smooth words.

Cherry burst into gentle laughter and hugged Indigo close. "That was sweet, but you're going to let me look at that later, no buts."

Berry butted in between them. "Not without me."

Twilight coughed into a hoof softly. "Let's focus on the task at hoof. They're unloading the train from the tracks, then we'll roll to the water's edge. I added some wheels that should adjust to work better on the sandy floor of the ocean and the beach itself. Follow me." She hopped up into the engine and soon all were gathered at the controls, which had several new buttons.

She pointed at the one that looked like a puffy doughnut of a wheel. "This one activates the soft-surface wheel adaptation." She pressed it and a loud humming was heard as the train began to sparkle wildly, magic clearly being put to work. It raised upwards as its wheels inflated like balloons, becoming huge and soft. "There we are. On firm surfaces, just press it again."

Twilight began going over what did what and what let them see what and what they wanted to see, didn't want to see, and what to do if they saw something they didn't want to see. "Does that make sense?"

Cherry gave an unsure nod. "I'm not sure I rem--"

Twilight pushed an operator's manual against Cherry. "Here you are. I made one for all three of you."

Berry blinked in amazement as she flipped through a few pages, then set it down. "I think we're ready."

Twilight began to go over more safety features and procedures, but Starlight gently lifted her mentor. "We'll get out of your mane. Good luck!"

Soon the three unicorns, and Spike, were parked on the beach, cheering among a crowd that had quickly gathered to see the amazing train power itself down towards the water's edge. The big wheels were doing the job, rolling on top of the sand instead of making big holes and getting stuck in them.

It was time.

Berry put out a hoof towards Cherry. "Well, rival, let's show the world what our combined might can do."

Cherry met the hoof with a clop. "Let's bring the dry to the ocean, and the ocean to the dry!"

Indigo bobbed his head. He wasn't as invested as the other two were, but he was invested in them. He would not abandon his friends. "Let's do it."

They assumed their positions and turned on the air seals. The coal bin snapped shut and a new humming came from deep within as air began to be manufactured for the train. The rest of the compartment would flood, but none would get into the places it didn't belong.

It would be a very wet engine of dry. The idea pleased all of them.

With a lurch, the train started forward and began rolling into the water. A new sound reached them as sea water began to be sucked up and fed into the air-maker to keep things going. The metal around them quickly grew damp, wet, then flooded as water rushed into their cabin.

But the engine kept rolling.

"It's working!" cheered Cherry as the entire train submerged and kept right on rolling, powering out towards the sea.


Twilight looked towards her friends. "Well... That went well, but our work is just starting."

Spike blinked. "Huh? I thought that was it?"

"Oh no." Twilight shook her head. "The prophecy starts now. We have to get the station ready to receive their train when it returns, and they'll have friends with them, I suspect. The tsunami begins now. The ocean rushes to the land in a mighty wave." She nodded softly. "Though I think we'll like this wave."

Author's Notes:

And so ends the story.

They did it, and that prophecy mentioned many chapters ago comes true, proven to not be a big fat typo.

Did you like this journey? Let me know! I get especially nervous around endings.

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