Theanim Mane paced and paced. His shuffling hooves dragged him in an endless ellipse. Meanwhile, his eyes remained fastened to the double doors in front of him.
Echo blinked blearily at the scene. He glanced at the guards, at the pair of heavy doors before the group, then at the circling scientist. At last, he muttered: “Try and relax, Theams.”
“I am relaxed, old chap!” Theanim grumbled, nevertheless twitching. His ears folded back as he glanced at the doors once again. “I'm simply... getting my exercise.” He gulped. “There's no telling just what I may need to be in shape for, as of late. Nope... no t-telling whatsoever...”
“It's only a Siren Princess,” Echo muttered. “It's not like she's summoned the world's only pegasus with a fruit-colored mane just to dine on her entrails with a bunch of telepathically controlled sharks.”
“I wasn't even remotely thinking that, Echo.” Theanim scuffled to a stop, frowning. “But, rest assured, I most certainly am now!”
Wildcard exhaled heavily out his beak's nostrils. Turning towards the others, he gestured with his metal and flesh talons.
“Look, just have a lil' bit of faith in the mare!” Bard frowned. “For cryin' out loud! She's been through a heap more worse straits than this! I mean... ya reckon?” Huffing, he tilted the brow of his hat back. “Besides, ain't like there's a lick of good we can do about this here situation. From the look of them doors, I can't kick 'em open without shatterin' my legs somethin' awful.” He eyed the glowing prongs of the guards' spears. “Let's not forget what them pokers can do to a stallion's juices.”
“I'm just trying to piece it all together,” Theanim muttered. “The Princess summons Rainbow Dash. She lets us get deep enough into her very own city to expose and purge it of corruption. Then—out of nowhere—she intervenes, but not without further warning Rainbow Dash of Revan's arrival.”
“Ya reckon she just wants to have this shindig go down her way?” Bard remarked.
“But if she's had the power to manipulate our very movements...” Theanim squinted into nothingness, then gasped. “Verlaxion's Sleet!” He gulped. “What if... what if the Syndicate has won her over?!” His teeth chattered. “This could all very well be a work of grand deception!”
“Yeesh,” Echo murmured. “I'm the one coming out of an addiction. Why do you sound like the paranoid one?!”
“You have to admit, old chap, that it's a very logical possibility!”
“I'll admit the same thing I did when I first met you,” Echo said. “You're full of it.” Just then, the double doors groaned, and Echo's slitted eyes darted up. “Don't look now...”
Wildcard, Bard, and Theanim turned around.
Rainbow Dash trotted towards them. She took one glance at the guards, cleared her throat, and uttered: “At ease.”
Cl-Clakkk! With a rattle of their spears, the guards shuffled back, making a clear path between Rainbow and her companions.
“Well, I'll be!” Bard smirked. “Back from the Princess Summit?”
“Mr. Bard, please.” After chiding him, Theanim rushed towards Rainbow's side. “Rainbow Dash, is...” He squinted nervously. “Is it truly you?”
Rainbow's brow furrowed. “You think I'd let a psionic fish goddess take control of my brain?” Rainbow remarked. “Besides, I think I got more out of us just chatting.”
“Just chattin'?!” Bard squinted suspiciously.
Wildcard flung his talons through the air in several jagged movements.
Bard nodded. “Yeah, what about?”
“Look, here's the long and short of it,” Rainbow said, raising her hooves. “She wants to help us kick the Syndicate out of their high seat.”
“Whew...” Theanim exhaled, plopping back on his haunches. “Well, that's certainly a relief!”
“Only it's not gonna be easy.” Rainbow tongued the inside of her muzzle. “Erm... lemme rephrase that.” She leaned forward. “It's not gonna be simple.”
“Hell...” Bard smirked. “When is it ever?” He cleared his throat. “Still, the Princess is fixin' to lend us a hoof... er... or fin?”
“She's going to help me get to Pink—er... ahem... she's going to help me get to where I need to go,” Rainbow explained. “But... I've got her solemn promise that she's going to help you two—” She pointed at Bard and Wildcard. “—as well.”
The Desperadoes exchanged glances, then looked back at Rainbow Dash. “We're listenin',” Bard said while Wildcard nodded.
“Doc...” Rainbow turned towards Theanim. “What do you know about the Royal Tombs of Shoggoth?”
Theanim blinked. “Oh! Uhm...” He smoothed his bangs back, then—once his thoughts were recollected—he spoke: “They... they're ancient chambers carved deep into the rock beneath the Muddredge City. They serve as the final resting places for countless generations of the Siren Royal Family. Aside from the burial ceremony, no pony—commoner, royal, or otherwise—is allowed inside the hallowed chambers.”
“Right.” Rainbow nodded. “Right now, they're building the burial site for Camellia.”
“I'd imagine so,” Theanim said. “The carving process takes the better part of a ruling siren's entire reign.” He squinted. “But... what does that have to do with—?”
“The burial chambers are the only things that lie between us and the next Seed.”
“Then how are we expected to get you there?”
“Not even Camellia can publicly grant us access. However...” Rainbow smirked, staring slyly at the group. “There are ways inside... especially since an estreemed group of landtrotters and seaponies are collectively constructing the latest tomb.”
“Pfft! What are you expected to do?!” Bard shrugged. “Swim yer way in?”
Rainbow turned to stare at him.
Wildcard glanced at Bard while the stallion paled. “Well, then... shiet.”
“According to Camellia, only two organizations here in Shoggoth have possession of deep sea diving suits,” she said. “One group, of course, are the ponies tasked with surveying the construction of Camellia's tomb.”
“And the other group?” Bard asked.
Wildcard suddenly gestured a “throat being slit.”
Rainbow nodded. “Right. The Syndicate. They'll never confess to having them, but Camellia has read enough minds to know that they've got some suits stashed away somewhere.”
“No doubt to access remote parts of Shoggoth,” Echo said. “It's how they sneak in on their economic competition and lay the pressure on thick.”
“Goddess, Echo!” Theanim exclaimed. “You know more than you let on!”
“I always do,” he muttered. “So, how do we stick it to these chuckle-fudgers and make off with their suits?”
“Has the Princess completely overlooked the Marine Auction House?” Theanim remarked.
“That's just it. There's a plan at hoof,” Rainbow said. “A pretty crazy plan. But... I-I can't quite do it alone.” She looked fixedly at those gathered before her. “For us to get through this so that I get to swim to the next Seed, the Desperadoes get to rob the Syndicate of their bits, and Theanim gets to strip the Syndicate of their power, then we're gonna have to be in three places at once. Or—at least—two and a half.”
“Just friggin' tell us what to do already,” Echo said.
“You... might not like what it involves,” Rainbow said.
“If it gets all of this nonsense over with and puts an end to a bunch of douchetards who've been extorting lives between here and the edge of the world, then I'm all for it,” Echo grumbled. “The cowcolt and his birdy boyfriend get their bits, Theanim gets justice, and you get to scamper off with all your imaginary marefriends. On top of all that, the ponies of Rust and Shoggoth get to sleep easier. It's a win-win-win-win scenario, so let's just do it already.”
Theanim blinked. “Wow, old chap. That was remarkably... sober of you.”
“Yeah,” Echo sighed. “I'm starting to hate it.”
“Well then...” Bard fanned himself with his hat and smirked. “Let's get this show on the road already!”
“Right...” Rainbow nodded. “So... it's gonna go like this...”
The best laid plans of mare and fish.
No no no Echo.
You won't be rid of Dash until the next full moon at the earliest.
Why do I have the distinct impression that next chapter is going to start with a shout of "you need me to what!?!?"
Yeah...that's not.. odd or anything.
Also. shoo be doo, shoo shoo be doo. Call upon the sea Dashies when you're in distress...yadda yadda yadda.
I'm a bit late but chapter title and all.
Also also, the saga as a whole hit 6 days total estimated reading time. Nice
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
RD's vocabulary must have really leveled up for her to know and use psionic correctly
Another plan where we won't know what the plan is until the end of the book, just like with Chrysalis' extraction? :3
The general rule in fiction is, if characters get explain their plan out in detail before executing it, then things will hit the fan, and no mater how well thought through the plan will fail and success will come from some 'unexpected' unlocked for source.....
But if the characters do NOT explain the plan to the reader in full before doing it, then the plan will work no matter how strange and illogical it is, even it was dependent on completely insane million to one chance.
That title makes me uncomfortable. Now I'm picturing a bunch of rainbow maned seaponies. All would be lost....to the Shoobedash
Plans have been going a little too smoothly lately. Sooner or later the universe is gonna re-establish equilibrium.
I get the feeling he's about to hate what's planned for him a whole lot more than mere sobriety.
6326811
Along with Ynanhluutr breaking the quarter-million word mark. Bar any sudden 15k whopper chapters, it looks like it'll be roughly Innavedr-length by Ch. 200.
6326897 Like Rainbow's plan with Chrissy?
You know, neither Bard nor Wildcard objected to that... and it wasn't the first time, either.
But it's probably gonna be stupid.
First rule of surviving on the streets: always know more than you let on. Second rule:
be Kerabe Echo.6327140
It always is. But as we have all said before. That's how we know it's gonna work
1. Acquire ponk
2. ???
3. Profit
6326901
ask and ye shall receive
img14.deviantart.net/a74d/i/2012/203/a/f/seapony_rainbow_dash_by_0nautile18e26-d588y56.png
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I can definitely relate to theanim's paranoia at the beginning of the chapter.
It's also pretty cool Camellia wants give the desperadoes a cut of the action. Looks like we're not done heisting just yet!
Does crazy still count as stupid? If so, I think Dash's odds of pulling this off just got a little better.
now that ive been caught all the way up I feel so hallow, the only solution must be REREAD EVERYTHING
You know, I have loved all your alternative swearings (get it?), but there's nothing better than a chuckle-fucker, simply put.
Ok so a three pronged attack, at least everyone here is competent enough to do the parts very well. Can't wait to see how its all suppose to work, and the numerous ways people in the comments will pick out how it might fail.
"...we're gonna need to sacrifice you all on some deep-sea altar. Sorry, Camellia's order. And tell Theanim to stop being such a wuzz."
Now that I think about it, this is just about the only kind of situation we've never had so far, am I correct? Her absolutely needing to sacrifice one friend or the other, with no way around it?
Three pronged attack?
Looks like Camille is finally able to put into action,
<sunglasses>
Operation Trident.
We've got 55 more chapters until the end of the book. That's more than enough time for this plan to go horribly wrong.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
Rainbow Dash and the Foolish Plan Beneath the Sea.
6327629
I'd recommend sticking around, actually. Reread if you want to, but keep up with the new chapters. That's where the heart and soul of Austraeoh really come in.
6326825 That guarantees that it'll work.
Unless IC screws us all over again.
6327108
I am now fully loving the notion that Bard has also been gay this entire time and was just hitting on Dash to mess with her.
And more heisting! Although I bet this one is going to be even more complicated than the last, considering Revan's about to barge into the middle of Shoggoth any minute now.
Heist of ages part 2 is a go!
6327629 Welcome to the Lunar Ninth! Congratulations on catching up.
6327629 WELCOME!
6328076 that was really good. You have my respect.
Imploding colon keeps skipping the plan... WHY IS HE SKIPPING THE PLAN?!
Time to plot.
6497839
BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE PLAN!
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
6682113
6497839
What 6326897 said. It's the http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnspokenPlanGuarantee.
6326957
Yep. It's a well known trope that if a plan isn't talked about then it's guaranteed to work [above link]. Although most of Dash's plans fall under Crazy Enough to Work and Stupid plans [not an actual trope unfortunately].
6682113 Even if the plan is horrifying!cdn.niketalk.com/2/2e/2e92a77b_47674010.jpeg
Nothing can possibly go wrong with this plan.
Is it going to be just Camelia plan? Is it stupid?
Getting all Sly Cooper up in here.
Wait, how old IS she?
Ok, so that means she’s not at the brink of death
Rules of plans in storytelling: If the plan is fully explained, it will go wrong at the first opportunity and the action will be all about winging it. If the plan is going to work, the audience will not get a full explanation beforehand, so that the first time they see it will be as it is working.
It's like the pharaohs I guess? Also slightly morbid to think that your grave is being built while you're still alive.
Complicated plan ahoy!
If you hear the full plan before it happens, then it will all go wrong. Hear it as it plays out then it will be fine till the end.