"Soooooooooo..." A tiny filly's fangs flashed in the lunar runelight of the Bleak's Plummet interior. "...are you getting dizzy?"
A colt blinked. "Feeling sick at all?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Nicole hung from a suspended bleakweed root structure dangling from a grand ceiling. Several other families dangled around her in the habitat section of the underwater dwelling. The mare's eyes blinked as her ears twitched. "...actually... believe it or not..." Her tail flicked. "No! Not even in the least!"
"Hmmmmmm..." A mother smiled from two roots away, cradling her young in her folded leathery wings. "It is natural. They can take the night out of you, but not the blood."
"They... didn't take anything away from me, really," Nicole said, glancing at the other interested sarosians gazing her way. "You're talking about the Rohbreddenites who adopted me, right?"
"They didn't mistreat you at all?" a filly asked.
"Beat you up?" A colt dangled a few inches away. "Clip your wings? Shave your mane?"
"I..." Nicole squirmed slightly. "Okay... so maybe there was some name-calling and insulting..."
Shrieks and chirps.
"Hah!"
"I knew it!"
"Now hold up..." Nicole held a hoof upside down. "I was still fed. Loved. Hugged." She stifled a giggle. "Nuzzled." She sighed warmly. "I had several adopted siblings who cared very deeply for me. It's just that... the one in charge of it all?" She gulped. "He turned out to be not so swell."
"Bet you hate all Rohbreddenites 'cuz of him."
"Mmmm..." Nicole stared up (or down) into the depths of Bleak's Plummet. "No. Not really."
A stallion cocked his velvety head aside. "Why not?"
"Because... I can understand why he felt the way he did... and he said the things that he did. There's... a lot of sorrow in Blue... er... my caretaker." Nicole gulped hard. "Just like... y'know... there's a lot of anger in those who've been performing the Vigil."
"We're not angry!" A young colt's fangs flashed. "We're proud! We're strong! Someday... I'm going to give my life for the Maiden of the Moon! Just like my older brother and sister!"
Nicole threw him a shocked look. "Did you really lose your siblings?"
The colt shook slightly, but bravely blurted, "They died pillaging a juggernaut in the northern reaches! We were able to eat for five whole seasons thanks to them! The local patrol avoided our waters for eight seasons too!"
Nicole glanced at the others hanging alongside her. "How many ponies here have also lost loved ones to piracy?"
Somber silence filled the air. The adults clammed up. With stifled whimpers, young foals hid their faces into their parents' chests.
Nicole let loose a melancholic sigh. "Well, don't you think it's high time that changed? I mean..." She bore a hopeful smile, fangs showing. "With the arrival of Rainbow Dash, she's proven that Nightmare Moon is a thing of the past. Your Matriarch, Princess Luna, is alive and well in Equestria! Isn't that fantastic! Isn't that... enough to give up the whole pirate bloodshed thing for?"
"I... cannot pretend to know," a stallion said.
Nicole looked at him.
His slitted eyes glimmered in the runelight. "We have known nothing but fear and pillaging. Such is the sacrifice of the Vigil." He gulped. "I do not think we know how to change."
"Hmmm..." Nicole smiled. "You know, there was a time when I thought I wasn't cut out for adventuring beyond the fenceline of my farm." She winked. "But if I didn't... then I'd never have met you fine ponies and learned what it was like to properly sleep from the ceiling." She giggled inwardly.
"You think... we're fine ponies?" a mare remarked.
"Why... s-sure!" Nicole nodded. "And with the help of Luna, you can only be finer!" She glanced at the others. "I mean... wouldn't Xarchellus agree?"
"I don't know..." One sarosian remarked. She squirmed in place. "Mmmmm..."
Nicole looked at her curiously.
"That is..." The sarosian looked up, eyes moist. "...I really hope she does."
Nicole slowly nodded. "Change is frightening... but for the best."
"You sure of that?"
"Not... always..." Nicole smirked. "Perhaps what we both need is some help finding our way."
"Would... you help us?"
Nicole opened her muzzle. A sigh, and she folded her leathery wings about herself. After several dull seconds, she murmured warmly: "I would so very much like to..."
"I think we would like you to... too..."
"Yeah," a foal gasped. "You're really interesting."
"And pretty!"
Nicole giggled—only to let loose a sharp shriek. She covered her muzzle, wide-eyes.
The adults around her laughed.
"Just let it out, land-dweller," a mother chuckled. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."
"No... I-I guess not..." Nicole nevertheless cleared her throat. "Nor should you feel awkward about... wanting to have peace."
The sarosians merely glanced at one another.
At some point, a nervous shudder ran through Nicole's body. "I... uhm..." She unlocked her legs and flipped down off the root. Flapping her wings, she hovered close to the ceiling. "I gotta go find my friend."
"Who?"
"Echo. Y'know..." Nicole gestured. "The flightless wisecracker with a heart of fool's gold. Knowing his reputation, it's probably a bad thing to have left him alone for so long—"
"Down in the dining hall," one sarosian said, pointing a hairy fetlock. "That is where you will fine Ryckmun."
"Uhhhh..." Nicole did a double-take. "Excuse me—what?"
"Ryckmun," the sarosian repeated. "The true name of your friend before he was banished."
"Yeah." A nearby colt giggled. "Only the lamest sarosian would name himself 'Echo'! Heeheehee-ee-ee-ee-ee!"
"Ryckmun has done many terrible things," a mare said. "But he also comes bearing the blessings of the Mother of Nightmares." She took a deep breath. "If it weren't for him, we'd have no idea the Vigil had ended."
A nearby stallion nodded. "It is nothing less than a sign of true honor. Something to be respected."
"Yeah... no kidding..." Nicole glanced down at the distant floor of the chamber, then back up at the dangling batponies. "Would you... care to tell me more about 'Ryckmun'?"
Huh...so it appears that the opinion of Echo's bad reputation isn't shared by all of the Sarosians. Or perhaps it's just changed with Rainbow's and Luna's arrival.
Also, apparently he used to be named "Ryckmun".
Gawsh, I love me some Echo development.
Well now, Ricky is Redeemed, or so it would appear. We can only hope for a backstory.
Poor Echo is never going to live his true name down. Several ponies will be sure of it.
We haven't gotten a T.Mane chapter recently.
Cool, I didn't think Nicole and Echo had place in the dark side of the world, specially Nicole. I can totally picture them standing with the Sarosians and helping them to change their ways to a more pacifical style of life. Not with the Rohbreddenites, though, maybe they all can go with the colonialist... or, whatever were called those ponies that didn't believe in Verlax were Nick and the old man were.
Hmmmmm...
Establishing a setting as being fairly friendly and cute at heart, where Dash and company have made a good impression. Check.
Potentially leaving behind a character or two who have become important to Dash at said setting? Check.
Being pursued by whacked out military extremists? Check.
Yeah I'm not seeing any problems here. Carry on. Verlax certainly hasn't somehow used her uber-tier plot twisting powers to engineer almost the exactly same conditions as Lerris. Well, minus the detail that the targeted population consists of a bloodthirsty warrior culture as opposed to peaceful farmers, but its not like that's going to make the situation any easier on Dash to deal with.
I just realized, Bard's real name is Johnny, Wildcard's real name is Jordan, Echo's real name is Ryckmun and Remna's real identity is Axan...
Is there anyone on the Herald who doesn't have a false name?
Anyway, it was pretty cute seeing Nicole talking to other Sarosians, that's a nice break from the serious tone on Rainbow's and Chandler's end.
Ryckmun... Rickman? *Gasps.* Echo sounds like Snape when he talks!!!
Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down.
Chandlers going to get Rickrolled?
I can definitely see Nicole as batpony ambassador to Robhredden, but even if the Sarosians become less bloodthirsty, it'll only go halfway; they'll have to do something about that entire Rainbow Rogue craze first.
I'm beginning to think Rainbow should have told them the truth about Verlax, after all. I had better hopes of Robhredden being able to brave the windigoes without their religion than of them coming to peace with the Sarosians with it...
7538471 Well, in Remna's case, Remna is still Remna, seeing as Remna is the name of the body, the one inhabiting it, is Axan, so both identities are correct.
Ariel doesn't, nor does Kepler.
So yes.
-----
Nicole's gonna stay in Bleak's plummet when the others go to the dark side I bet.
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
Still no Dashie. Tell us what happened!
7538430 Professor Mane's gone. The last time we saw him, we left him exactly the same way we found him- taking pictures of a butterfly. His character arc is completed, and there's nothing more a PoV in Frostknife can do to further the plot.
7538461 Cool? Don't you see where this is going? Do you not remember? A friend with deep ties to Rainbow and her party is staying behind... Another piece of Lerris is falling into place!
Whether we're doomed or not, this is terrifying. And not seventy chapters ago, ):( confessed to wishing he could redo that arc...
It just hit me that no matter how awesome Rainbow's beatdown of Shell was, Lerris is something I do NOT want to be repeated.
The sarosians are just too likeable to be massacred in that way. R.I.P, residents of Lerris.
Erich Hartmann, Top WWII fighter ace, on being asked about his opinion of the Soviets after his treatment in a Gulag. Seems like Nicole, Echo and Rainbow have taken this lesson to heart very well. Hope nothing happens that will cause them to change their minds
durandal.dnsalias.net/imgur/ed.png
Oh man this was very adorable, and it seems we will be sticking with this for a bit which is good. Glad we didn't just leave Nicole and Echo until Chandler and the army showed up there. And now we know even more about Echo, really I kind of have a feeling that he did some worse things (or at least much more things anyway) then what he has told everyone.
Pretty neat batpones stuff. Looks like Nicole and Echo and Bleak's Plummet are going to be right in Chandler's crosshairs while Rainbow and the rest of the Herald are off at the tower.
A warm and fuzzy chapter. And that's Batpone fuzz: best kind of fuzz.
Do not joke aroud sarosians... Unless you have earplugs. Got it.
That'll be fifty bits for being lewd.
Ooh, very intemeresting...
I'm really liking these batponies. And, as much as I was on Nicole's side in the whole "To go or not to go (to the Dark Side)" debate, there seems to be a real good reason for her to stay here. She and Echo would be great, and much needed, ambassadors between Bleak's Plummet and Rohbreddon. Assuming, of course, they can survive the coming storm.
Nothing like cute moments like these for forgetting the impending carnage.
Ryck and Munty. In one person!
...now that I think about it, that's a pretty good fit.
I ship it,
Ryckmun. Dude I bet he hates it.
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Plus the Austraeoh series is rather chiasmus-orientated; so one should expect a mirrored repetition.
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7538305 Dash turned down Ariel because she still wasn't over Roarke. I don't think anything has changed.
I had to visualize this part a couple of times. What way one looks up when one is upside down?
They may want to hold off on "improving" for a few hours. Something tells me violence is imminent.
7539570 I'm assuming it means up relatively to their perspective.
Knew there was more to Echo than meets the eye...
Careful Nicole, you will probably regret wanting to know about his past. Echo/Ryckmun seems to have wanted to start anew and have a clean slate, yet here you are digging into the past. Depending on what kind of 'terrible things' he's done, I can sadly see this ship sinking before it's really had a chance to sail.
7538468
You know, you're right. Things are setting up a bit too neatly as a repeat of Lerris. I wonder if IC is going to use this as a way of 'hardening' Dash for what's going to happen on the dark side. We've been told/hinted that it's going to be a much darker fic, perhaps with a gore tag, maybe this is what helps to harden her mind against the horrors to come? Perhaps even causes the Ghost Five to come around to the 'peace isn't always the solution' way of thinking?
...Or it's going to completely break her before being forced to continue to the Dark Side and we'll get to see depressed/suicidal Dash again (ala book 1) .
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I like the direction you guys are going with Nichole and Echo becoming ambassadors or at least some form of representative between the tribes. Echo I could see being a help on the Dark Side but Nichole really isn't ready for that kind of journey and this would give them a 'good ending' as it were. We've seen it before with Roarke and the like getting set up pretty nicely for when they were left behind. I... kinda feel that this is wishful thinking though. The 'seventh tribe' has in all but writing been declared rogue similar to Kepler's people by Chandler and their blatant pirate actions against the other tribes isn't helping matters here. If the Sarosians somehow survive the coming bloodbath, along with Nichole and Echo... they've got such an uphill battle ahead of them to get the Sarosians to be seen as anything other than enemies of the state.
7540438
Yes, but that is why I say that they should move with the colonialist. Those ponies who lived in the west archipelags; they didn't believe in Verlax and they were also considered heretics and were seen with hate by the Rhobedriasn (or whatever they are called, I never can write that name right) , so it's probably that they (the colonialist) would be much more open to the sarosians.
This is, even, if they don't try to come back to Equestria. That's not enterely impossible. They are a maritime/flying sociaty already, taking it slowly, and withouth the blight, they may be able to migrate to Equestria and reunite with Luna in some time, they don't even seem to have a real conection with their actual land, but rathet they considered part of the vigil.
With time, they only real obstacle would be the big choke, but, I always understanded that the reason the big choke was so deadly was because it was affected by the blight. After that, (and withouth the storm of stratopolist, and without the war in Ledomare, and without the dragons in Silverlane, and etc etc) I don't think why they couldn't reach Equestrian in a couple of years, two decades top. Even in Val Rose and Durandana, thanks to the celestial sword, they already could have permanent comunication with Luna.
I said it before and I will said it again, beyond the lit of the machine flames, and the stoping of villains, the real gift of Raimbow to the world is the wonder of communication. She has been opening borders, stablishing bonds between nations and destroying obstacles along the entire half of the globe.
7539396 And I don't think anything ever will change- Dash will not simply "get over" Roarke. ):( wouldn't break his otp for a quick stand, and RD promised Fluttershy that she'd introduce her to Roarke, and they'd get back together once the adventure was done.
Promises like that are meant to be kept. They're the kind that only death can break, or the sweet part of a bittersweet ending. And even if Dash was to move on, the options for actually doing so are really slim at this point- she's said no to Ariel, who is pretty awesome, completely infatuated with her, and in it for the long haul. They're right next to the edge, too, so unless Dash is going to get shipped with a Changeling or something, her pickings will be pretty slim from here on out.
Roarke will not be forgotten and is here to stay, even when she's ten thousand miles away.
7540482 Equestria's sending emissaries to Val Roa to establish a formal diplomatic bond, last we heard. All the Sarosians would have to do is cross the Choke and they're home free.
7540482 The continentalists are better off without another excuse to go to war with the colonists. Better to just skip the colonies.
7541073 you?
Huh, I am now caught up. I didn't expect this to happen when I started reading these stories back in may but here I am.
Now onto the next......oh..wait...this sucks.
7541116 Welcome, comrade!!!
I MADE IT. AFTER TWO LONG YEARS(most of which were spent lurking) I MADE IT!!!!!! So Awesome!!!!!
7538305 because east horse must keep easting
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7541116
Welcome aboard the Noble Jury, as usual, your cabins are on the 4th floor.
The kitchen is on the same floor, and the gym is in the auxiliary hangar.
Hopefully you're both well stocked on status cures and feels resists, because we just left the Bleak's Plummet dock and will not be turning around for a supply run.
7541088 I just did!
7541632 Is it wrong for me to be near tears of joy that I'm finally onboard? If so, too bad.
7541632 Only one of them gets a cabin?
7541116 Hey, at least it updates every few days, so the waits aren't long. It's supposed to be every day, but working retail apparently doesn't agree with that. And welcome to the Noble Jury!
7541287 And a warm welcome to you too!
7541845 Nah. Two years is quite a while, though. Did you take frequent breaks, or never binge or something?
7538471 Don't forget Big Show is Logan (although that's more of a nickname I suppose)
7541888 I have no idea what you're talking about, I welcomed them both with that post.
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7541116 Yeah, I've been there. Expect to wear holes in your F5 key.
7541888 Frequent breaks due to life, other fimfiction series, and too many feels(Lerris and the Quade, specifically)
7541287 Welcome Aboard.
7541116 Oh, I remember that feeling of unable to binge read anymore. One day I look at the next chapter button only to find it not there. I didn't know what to do with my life for a few hours. Welcome aboard!
7541287 Two years? Yeesh, quite the run you've had to catch up. Congrats on making it. Now that your here, do you want some fries with your ketchup?
I missed you, Nicole!