“Aaaaaaagh!”
“Aaaaaaaiiieee!”
“Ohgoddessohgoddessohgoddess!”
“What the friggin' Hell is happening...?!”
“We're drowning! We're drowning!”
“Shut up! No we're not!”
“I can't believe it! We're in... in...”
“Hold onto somethang, Dubya-Cee! We're movin' somethin' fierce!”
“... … …!”
“Twilight! Rarity! Pinkie! Where are you guys?”
“Right here, Rainbow! And... and is Pinkie really—”
“Hold on, darlings! I do believe this creature is taking us somewhere.”
“Yeah? But where, Rarity? Can you sense—?”
“Just stay still! Things are about to get bumpy...”
“Heeheehee! Somebody needs a breath mint! Don'tcha, big fella? Awwwwww... what a soft, squishy uvula! Hey! How come I can't hug it?”
“Pinkie, please, now is not the time for—”
“A light! A light!”
“Look out!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaa—”
Sp-Sp-Splooooosh! Rainbow Dash, Bard, Wildcard, and over thirty terrorized stallions were suddenly spat out of the mouth of the huge, scaly beast. Propelled by the force of Ultimo's tongue, the huge group flew through a wall of magic water. They came out the dry side with wet splatters, blinded by bright manalight.
Catching her breath, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and stopped in mid-air. She caught the weight of Wildcard and Bard in her hooves, and soon both Desperadoes were flying right-side up along with her. The trio glanced down, as did the three spectres circling Rainbow.
“—aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!” Revan, Jeryn, and their collective henchstallions fell several feet—only to be caught in a floating sphere of telekinetic water. Their bodies jostled to a stop, gasped bubbles for breath—and then the ball of water popped like a balloon. “Aaaaiee!” TH-TH-THUD! The entire group of sopping wet thugs fell hard on the stone floor... right in the dead center of the Marine Auction House.
“Hello, Boss Jeryn,” spoke the head of the Council of Shoggoth. The aged stallion turned to look at the rest of the gasping, sputtering Syndicate. “And hello to you, Boss Revan of Rust, I presume.”
“Rrrrrnnngh!” Revan hopped up to his hooves, teetering slightly. He was covered from head to hoof with salt water and slimy saliva. “What is the meaning of this?! I demand to have an... answer...” His muzzle gaped open. Cold Stone and Jeryn looked up, and they too collectively whimpered.
Princess Camellia loomed above them, treading water gracefully in a levitating sphere. The monarch of Shoggoth was flanked by a group of bruised and angry-looking guards from the tombs. Several seaponies swam in the sphere around her.
All eyes—amphibious or otherwise—were locked on the sopping wet Syndicate. An entire ring of Shoggoth's finest peered down from the seats of the Marine Auction House.
“How nice of you to join us,” continued the head Council member. He paced across his balcony, his shadow stretching over the guilty party in the watery manalight. “Especially considering that you are—in fact—the center of this conversation. It would appear that both the Northern and Southern Hooves have a lot to answer for. The first and most immediate issue—naturally...” He glared down at the group. “...is why did you see it necessary to violently and illegally force your way into the forbidden Siren Sepulchers?!”
“Most esteemed Council...” Jeryn stood up, shivering all over. “This is... is...” He smiled nervously. “This is all a severe misunderstanding! We were merely—Gaaaah!”
Revan shoved him over and marched up to the balcony's edge, snarling. “Enough bullshit! I know what this is!” He pointed at Camellia. “It's a setup! It was always a setup! She instigated this, didn't she? From the very beginning! She orchestrated the collapse of the Northern Hoof in Rust with her telepathic antics!”
“Oh, did she, now?”
Revan flashed a look over to his right, and his ears folded.
Echo stood across the puddle-strewn floor of the Auction House. He stepped forward, slitted eyes narrowing on Rust. “Do you think Princess Camellia ordered all of those explosives... set plans to place charges across the city... and wrote documents proving the Syndicate's desire to assist the Southern Hoof's criminal seizure of royal Muddredge property?”
“You have no proof of such things!” Revan spat.
“What?” Theanim Mane stepped up, waving several documents in his hoof. “Aside from the photographic evidence of your organization's string of arson in Rust? Over two dozen lists of names that the Syndicate has willfully and purposefully exploited for the sake of furthering a criminal organization?”
“And—right now, as we speak—the Royal guards of Her Majesty Princess Camellia have come back from a thorough search conducted in the Southern Hoof's hold,” the head Council Member said. His eyebrow raised. “There appear to be over a hundred items located there—all of which perfectly match the description of numerous royal heirlooms that have mysteriously gone missing from the tombs over the last few decades...”
Cold Stone collapsed on his knees. Several other thugs dropped their weapons with pale expressions.
While several guards closed in, Theanim Mane looked at the group with a smug grin. “Curious... I wonder if today is the first time you've illegally entered the Royal Sepulchers.”
Jeryn gulped hard. “That's it! We're boned.”
“Like Hell we are!” Revan stomped his hoof, frowning. “I came here on a matter of business only! All of these declarations are slanderous and absurd!” He grinned wickedly. “In fact, until I was thrown into this chamber like a stinkin' ragdoll, none of you idiots even knew I was around! So where do you get off claiming I had anything to do with the craziness going on down here?!”
Several wet splashes echoed from above.
Camellia smiled. She didn't even look as a group of seaponies leapt like dolphins through the water barrier and plunged inside. They landed in the floating ring of water—but they weren't alone. A dazed and dizzy stallion floated with them, his head protectively encased in a bubble of air. The seaponies gently lowered Remna onto the dry floor, where he landed on his knees, gasping and sputtering for air.
Revan blinked.
Looking up, Remna wheezed. He caught sight of Revan, then instantly frowned. “Grrrrr...!” He tossed his head back, dropping Bard's wet hat to the floor. “Him!” Remna pointed at the Boss of Rust. “He's the one! The no-good dirty psychopath who tossed me out into the ocean depths to drown to death!”
“... … ...” Revan slumped back on his haunches. “Well... shit.”
The audience filled with deep murmurs.
The Head Council Member glanced up at Camellia. They shared a glance... a knowing nod... and then the elder gazed once again upon the guilty party. “By the power invested in me by Her Royal Highness Princess Camellia—as well as the governing body of the Muddredge Council—I have no choice but to put you, Boss Revan and Boss Jeryn of the Northern and Southern Syndicate, under arrest. The charges include illegal trespassing on royal ground, theft and possession of royal artifacts, arson, murder, larceny...”
It literally took the Head Council Member over a minute to list all the charges, during which the jaws of the Syndicate members dropped lower and lower.
In the meantime, Theanim looked at Echo, then patted the sarosian's shoulder reassuringly. For once, Echo didn't shrug it off or roll his eyes. He stared in Revan's direction with a heated glare, his lungs expanding and retracting with righteous breaths.
Theanim Mane twirled about. He stared up... up... up... then finally caught sight of Rainbow and her friends. He smiled, then performed a tiny salute.
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, nodding back as she hovered over the dramatic scene.
“Well... will ya fancy that?” Bard murmured.
“Yeah, I know, right?” Rainbow gulped. “Even after all the near-death crud we went through, sweet justice is totally worth—”
“That sopping wet dude brought my hat back!” Bard hollered. With a beaming grin, he dove down towards the Auction House to retrieve the article. “Yeeeeeeehaaa! Come to Poppa! I missed ya somethin' fierce!”
Wildcard rolled his goggled eyes. He smirked at Rainbow, shrugged, then dove after his buddy.
Rainbow blinked. Rarity and Twilight Sparkle floated closer. The three watched as the guards escorted Revan and Jeryn and the rest of the criminals off towards the lower levels.
“All things considered, that worked out quite marvelously,” Rarity said.
“Yeah, well...” Rainbow shuddered. “It almost didn't.”
“Rainbow Dash...” Twilight looked at the mare. “What were you even trying to do with your pendant a moment ago?”
Rainbow bit her lip.
The unicorn's brow furrowed. “If Camellia didn't send Ultimo to come save us... would you have found a way to get us out of there?”
“Uhm...” Rainbow fidgeted in midair, dripping from salt water and saliva. “I... uhm...”
“Hey! Hey hey hey! Girls! Look at what I can do!” And with a flash of fuchsia, Pinkie Pie shoved her upside-down skull through Rainbow's spine so that her head came “bursting” out of her chest, smiling up at the pegasus and her friends. “Boogaboogabooga! Heeheehee! 'In space, nopony can hear you party!'” She giggle-snorted. “So who invited all of the seaponies? I bet they'd like to party too! Hey! Ever wondered if seaponies eat themselves on Fridays? Cuz I always have! Heeheehee-snrkkkt!”
Rarity laughed, laughed, then sniffled. “You know what? I don't quite care anymore.” Wiping the tears from her muzzle, she leaned in and nuzzled-nuzzled Pinkie cheek to cheek. “Welcome back, Pinkie, darling!”
“Yes...” Twilight shuddered. With glossy eyes, she leaned in and hugged Pinkie from behind. Together, all three ghosts formed a floating cuddle ball in orbit of Rainbow Dash. “It's so good to have you back. You have no idea...”
“Hey! It's good to be back! Heck, it's good to have back! Uhm... speaking of which, does my rump look extra squishy to you all of the sudden? Salt water does that every time to my family's metabolism.”
“Heeheehee!”
“Heheheh... ohhhhh Pinkie...”
“Jeepers, girls! Why are you crying?”
“We're not crying... we pr-promise.”
“Pinkie Promise?”
“Yes. Yes, we Pinkie Promise...”
“Now and forever. Oh Celestia...”
Rainbow gazed at them with a soft smile. She floated closer towards the group—until a twangy voice from below caused her to wince.
“Awwwww hell! He got barnacles on the dayum thang! Here, Dubya-Cee! Peck at 'em with yer beak!” Thwap! “Ow! Dang it!”
Justice...is served.
...Whut.
*no chapter posted on 9/11*
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"Now, nobody panic, I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason--"
*everyone else*
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It fills me with such a warm feeling to know that Pinkie Pie is back to stay. It sends shivers through me seeing Twilight and Rarity's reaction to finally seeing her again.
Very funny, IC.
EDIT: A lot of people are wondering about these next 30 chapters. I myself think that it'll just be more of an aftermath. I think Pinkie Pie might find it a bit harder to deal with these new circumstances. Secrets may perhaps be revealed. We might get openers into the next book. But of all things, I don't think that there will be much drama at all.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
Ahhhh Bard. You, sir, have your priorities in order.
And PInkie with save! Also, should I be concerned she's wondering about eating seaponies?
Indeed.
In other news, that was highly amusing and satisfying.
...now we've got 30 chapters of travel to Rohbredden. Wahoo.
6413747
Yes. It has.
Huh. 29 chapters to go, and... well... all the dramatic tension seems to have evaporated.
So what's next?
Fast working barnacles.
Use your staff Bard, unless you left it lodged in Ultimo's throat.
White feathers are proof of innocence. Black feathers are condemnation of the guilty.
We are agents of the princesses, coming to bring criminals to justice!
Let justice be done!
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Oh yeah, Bard's got his priorities straight.
Pinkie, happy tears are always okay.
And the syndicate... is all washed up.
Well, at least we know they are out of trouble
All's well that ends well. So what's next. Hopefully a talk with Luna, maybe even a talk with Rarity and Pinkie's families.
Well, that was satisfying and surprisingly tidy. And Pinkie's back, so I guess that about wraps everyth--
*29 chapters remain*
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Crap... I look terrible in jumpsuits.
What'd I tell ya, Remna, all you had to do was trust in the lucky hat! Also, good on Camellia for planning ahead for this.
Now the question is, if Revan is utterly boned now, will he try any last second desperate moves, or just try to take Dash out now that he's got literally nothing to lose?
Also with Pinkie Pie back and in good form I get the feeling the reference jokes are going to increase manyfold. Not that I'm minding that.
A warm and fuzzy denouement. Goodness knows they've earned it.
Oh hey. Nobody died.
Well I guess you can say that the syndicate has gone....
Underwater
6416077 Friday Pie-day?
What's the least wrong explanation here?
A nice and tidy little end for the syndicate! Now we should never see either of them again.
One of the couple of confrontations that i was (and now still am) waiting on. I'm hoping this does get addressed in these last chapters
Wellll a little wrong with Ultimo tearing them to shreds but the Hoofs did get shredded legally. So justice still served, just with less blood
Piiiiiiinkie! *Gigglesnorts*
Applejack is gonna be awfully mad when she finds out she's been replaced by non-romantically-interesting stallion.
(I don't think sea ponies are amphibious.)
Wait, we got a happy ending already? Ic must be sick... or something even WORSE is about to happen
It's been quite a while since the last talk with Luna. I hope for one before the end of Ynanhluutr.
Is it... Is she actually going to-
Of course not.
Well, in this case I was...
*puts on sunglasses*
A Little Late To The Party.
I'm willing to bet even my beloved Fausticorn plushie that Rainbow is gonna keep postponing her explanation of the whole Chaos thing, and the Golden Petals and Roarke explanation as well... at least until Flutters or Applejack or both join the party.
And somewhere beetwen she will somehow also be forced to talk about Lerris (the place, not the turtle).
And of it will be painful and ackward and fuckin emotional for everyone
And everyone lived happily ever after . . . after another 2,000,000 words of terror.
I am very amused. Thank you IC.
6418705
Also the turtle, because RD wouldn't want to bring up how the changeling got that name.
6416271 I seemed to have used all my likes for the day, so let me just say 'like' here.
Aaand served.
This title hits me really close to home.
Cap [Group / Organization].
___________________
6416077
Okay. An explanation is in order.
look at:
and
....
....
Now think about the statement she made for a second with those clips in mind.
Squee, Remna!
shoo be doo shoo shoo be doo
Pinkie Pie, you're creeping me out. Please don't start making cupcake jokes.
Yes! Remna lives! I had a hunch that he wouldn’t leave that easily, he seemed too important of a character to get rid of.
But the REAL gain from this is the hat!! Welcome back!
8753197
It was such a casual disposal of Rwmna that i almost forgot about him.
8753197
He should get a look at AJ's hat. (The first pony in history who will ever have a ghost hat~)
6416271
*sensible chuckle*
6417780
And so ends(?) reavans reign of infamous comments.
7045502
So wait, because Pinkie "pie" is pie which is related to cakes by virtue of being a baked good we qualify Pinkie eating pie as a sort of cannibalism? Therefore, she is wondering if the sea ponies eat baked goods, or baked goods that are related to their names? I'm not sure where I'm going with this.
In the meantime, Meh about the whole pinkie deal. What I'm really happy about is bard's hat. But what I'm really happy about is the fact that Renma us back! Hopefully he's learned a lesson about soiling the well.
You know, if nobody is allowed in the tombs, then how come they know the artifacts placed there went missing.
10/22/2019
22:00 UTC
Pinkie is definitely the only member of the party to totally not require a long ass exposition segment to get her up to speed. She's always up to speed.
Hehhhhh so close.....
Buuuusssteddd.
DOUBLE KILL!
Rainbow....dishonest....