Bleak's Plummet, Where The Shadows Lie
“What, the ol' Doc?” Bard shrugged with a smile. “He went out for a stroll with Dubya-Cee to get their bearings on the ship, I reckon. If we figure out just what Rust is deliverin' to Shoggoth right under our flanks, then it might give us a better idea 'bout how long 'til the Mark Two ships back out.”
“Why's that important?” Rainbow Dash muttered, rubbing her head.
“Well, once the Desperadoes have collected, we ain't fixin' to stay long.”
“You do know that our whole business with the Southern Hoof in Shoggoth is gonna last longer than a day, right?” Rainbow Dash frowned. “And that the only place the Mark Two is going is back to Rust?”
“Well...” Bard shrugged. “Sure beats takin' the hard rock-hops due east,” he said. “Besides... heh... odds are the Northern Hoof are totally wrecked. The best place for Dubya-Cee and I to avoid scrutiny would be the most ironic place. We'll hop back through Rust, breeze past all the baddies, and high-tail it to the northern archipelagos!”
“And then what?” Rarity asked.
“Ahem...” Rainbow Dash cocked her head aside. “And then what?”
“Lavish ourselves on the spoils of sweet, sweet victory, of course!” Bard slicked his mane back and plopped his hat down with a smirk. “Until the next contract, at least.”
“Yeah, right,” Echo suddenly droned from the couch he was reclined on. “Meanwhile, I'm wasting away in a prison somewhere.”
“Pffft! Dun ya go all sour on us again, bucko,” Bard said, rolling his eyes. “T'ain't gonna be a Syndicate no more to flog ya!”
“Syndicate... Council of Shoggoth... Rohbredden Scientific Order...” Echo shrugged and shrugged. “One way or another, somepony's gonna catch up with me now and I'll bite it real hard.” He huffed. “I was doing just fine in the dark until you morons pulled me to the surface for these shitty charades.”
“Hmmmf. You in the dark with coral ya mean.”
“Go huff a cow,” Echo belched, rolling over with a twitch of his leafy ears. “'Bout all you're good for anyways.”
Bard sighed, nevertheless smiling. “Leave it to a Midnighter to have a sunny disposition.”
“Ream me.”
“Well, alright!” Bard waved and trotted out the luxury suite. “A drifter knows when the wind's shiftin'. I think I'm gonna go get some... slightly less stuffy air.” The metal door groaned and clattered shut behind him.
Twilight Sparkle sighed. “Sometimes I wonder why our little sarosian here is so much worth fighting for.”
“Twilight!” Rarity suddenly gasped. “That's no way to speak of the poor soul!”
“But all he does is barrel himself down a path of self-destruction with no care or thought for the consequences!” Twilight exclaimed. “No wonder so many factions want him imprisoned or dead or even worse!”
“Who here couldn't imagine themselves in a desperate place or scenario?”
Twilight frowned. “Rarity, just a day or two ago you were of the firm belief that this 'ruffian' should be left to his own devices.”
“It's not very ladylike to put words in my mouth.”
“Well?!” Twilight's voice cracked. “Was it or wasn't it the truth?”
“Girls...” Rainbow sighed, rubbing her head some more.
“Admittedly, I had a very low first impression of the stallion. That is true,” Rarity said. “But I did some thinking, and I realize that many ponies back in Ponyville used to have incredibly disfavorable opinions of me—only to have such presumptions change after prolonged exposure.”
“Rarity, when were you ever a drug addict who was willing to sell out her own friends or family?!”
“Girls...” Rainbow growled.
“Twilight, that's not the point!”
“Well...?” Echo muttered suddenly.
Rainbow looked over at the couch. “Well what?”
Echo's thin body stirred as he groaned towards the walls. “Are you going to stand there, murmuring to the shadows forever, or are you gonna buzz off back to bed?”
“Who's murmuring to who, here?”
“Hey...” The sarosian stirred, turning over. Thin slitted eyes peered out from beneath the sheet draped over him. “I know a feverish state of mind when I see one. You had Theams freaking his shit right out... what with you flopping all over the place like a gutted rainbow trout.”
Rainbow Dash winced heavily. “Er...” She clasped her pendant again. “Yeah.” A gulp. “Right.”
“What's your vice, exactly?” he murmured. “Snow clouds? Aurora streams? Wind crystals? I hear lots of pegasi from the upper spires of Rohbredden get a real buzz huffing the magic built into the atmospheric modulators.”
“Haven't you figured it out by now?” Rainbow muttered. “I'm not exactly from around here.”
“Heh... right...” Echo's eyes fell briefly on her pendant. “You've met the Mother of Nightmares and all that bull hockey.”
“So... you believe me?”
He stifled a yawn. “Does it friggin' matter?” His body turned over again. “When I'm of no use to you anymore, you'll dump me like a cuddy log and fly off to Verlaxion-knows-where.” His body shuddered. “One way or another, everypony does...”
Rainbow bit her lip. She looked over her shoulder. Twilight gazed at the floor. Rarity, in the meantime, motioned her hoof in Echo's direction, her expression sympathetic.
“So... uh...” Rainbow looked over at the bat pony again. “...Bleak's Plummet.”
With a jolt, Echo's body shrank into a fetal position. He sighed, gradually stretching his limbs under the sheet again.
Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “What's that all about?”
“Mrmmmff... who the buck cares?”
“Maybe I do,” Rainbow said. She glanced back at Rarity. “...maybe somepony else.”
“You're full of it.”
“Good.” Rainbow shuffled a few steps over. “Poke me with some words so I can spill it all loose.”
“Ask Theams,” the sarosian grumbled. “He seems keen on filling you in on all things encyclopedic.”
“From what I've gathered, the Doc doesn't know jack about what you've been up to before and after the two of you hung out together,” Rainbow said. “You're right. It's not like you're gonna know me forever. So... how about it?” She cocked her head aside. “What's up with Bleak's Plummet and why do the 'midnighters' there want to tear you a new one?”
Echo sighed... then sighed some more. With a groan, he forced himself to sit up on wobbly legs.
Rainbow reached in to assist him, but a coarse tail whipped her back. She watched as he tilted his dizzy head towards her, fangs showing.
“I'm not a welcome sight.”
“Dude.” Rainbow shrugged. “I never said that you—”
“It's a friggin' fact,” he grunted. “Colonialists? Continentalists?” He shrugged. “Nopony who sails these seas smiles on my kind. They call us 'midnighters,' creatures so ugly and despicable that the only kind of life we can live is under the shroud of darkness. We're vagabonds of the night, scattered like dead water fleas on the surface of the swirling toilet that is life. Legend has it that eons ago, our nocturnal ancestors spat in the face of Queen Verlaxion. We remember it differently. She didn't extend the same graces to us as she did to the other Six Tribes. But it doesn't matter. One way or another, Verlaxion didn't allow us to partake in Unification. We were exempt from her warm blessings, left to die in the frosted howl of night. So we flew to the furthest ends of the world, where the waters drop off into a void where they too can be forgotten. The end of elements is the last bastion for our survival.”
Rainbow Dash gulped. “Bleak's Plummet.”
Echo nodded. “'Inhospitable' is the very word. A series of jagged shoals stand defiantly against the rushing waters, constantly drenched with moisture, in a maelstrom where there is no peace or silence... ever. There, one finds a home for denizens of darkness, banished from every other safe harbor this plane can afford. It was there that I was born, and from the first night of my existence I was told that I wouldn't live very long. If the foals of Verlaxion didn't choose at random to spear me from their ships, then I'd grow sick of feeding on all the dead matter floating east from the grand ocean's population, and I'd do the same as so many forebearers ahead of me: toss myself to the drink and let the waves carry me into the stars, where a cold kiss of death would offer life's only reward.”
“How... how could anypony live like that?” Twilight stammered.
Rainbow Dash stared fixedly at him. “I'm guessing you chose not to stand for such a lifestyle.”
Echo slowly shook his head. “I had seen life west of the falls. I had seen the warmth and the riches that this world had to offer. No longer did I want to dwell in a poisoned place. My biggest mistake was thinking that I could bring others with me. It would be my last attempt at kindness... ever. My tribe—as a reward for my daring—branded me a traitor to the honor of the Mother of Nightmares. The ponies of Bleak's Plummet hold firm to the belief that we are all descendants of the Maiden of the Moon, the very mare who led our exodus to the edge of the world to begin with nearly a millennium ago. When I suggested we abandoned this... this 'post,' I was immediately labeled an outcast among outcasts. There is nothing lower than this... believe me.”
“What... what did they do?”
“What do you think?” His nostrils flared, and he stretched one of his leather wings out. As the blanket draped off, Rainbow noticed—for the first time—a crooked set of joints set deep within his wing structure. “They took away the Moon's blessing, permanently.”
Twilight's jaw dropped. “They... they broke his wings?”
“I was shortly thereafter thrown to the seas. A continentalist ship picked me up... but anypony on board would rather swallow a sear urch than bother to doctor a midnighter's wounds.” He exhaled slowly. “The damn wings never mended properly. And now, I'm about as airworthy as a rock. This was before I met Theams. He doesn't talk about it because I don't talk about it. So buck you very much, ya sack of shit.” Echo turned over, drawing the sheet back over himself with angry punctuation.
Rainbow opened her muzzle to say something, when she heard a sharp gasp from her side. She looked over to see Rarity covering her face with two forelimbs. Tears leaked out as the unicorn shook, quivered. Twilight, bearing a long face, leaned over and nuzzled the mare.
“How... h-how...?” Rarity lifted her puffy expression, sniffling. “How could anyone in this world be so cruel?” She shuddered and strove in vain to wipe the tears away.
Swallowing a lump down her throat, Rainbow looked up and said, “But... but I heard they still want you dead. Why else would they put a bounty out?”
“'Cuz of pride,” Echo muttered. “You think I'm sad over what those bastards did to me?” His body shook as he chuckled bitterly. “When they dumped me into the brine, they dumped about forty pounds of immaculate moonsilver...”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “You stole from your brothers and sisters?”
Echo tilted his head back just enough for one slitted eye to peer at her, like a crescent moon. “And I would do it again in a heartbeat. I never asked to be what I am. Then again, I didn't ask for a lot of things.” He drew himself under the blanket once again, shuddering. “All I want is just for everypony... everypony in this dayum world to leave me the hell alone.” He sighed, his body deflating against the couch. “But... but beggars can't be choosers...”
“Rainbow...” Rarity whimpered. She rushed up to the mare, trying to grasp her shoulders—but only phasing through. “Tell him about Equestria! About Luna!”
“Rarity...” Twilight sighed, ears folded back melancholically.
“Tell him that there's a joyful place! A harmonic place!” Rarity wept, shaking her head. “That not every country in this accursed world has to be so heartless and dreadful!”
“And to what end, Rares?” Rainbow whispered. “You know as well as I can that I can't stop going East. It's not like I can bring him back home or nothing.”
“Bring who back home?” the sarosian muttered, leafy ears twitching.
Rainbow grimaced. “Uhhhh—” But just as she turned to face him again...
The metal door to the suite creaked open.
Echo glanced over. “...Theams.”
“Old Chap.” Doctor Mane wandered in, followed by a griffon. “I do hope that you've eaten something healthy since we talked last.”
“No, but you're welcome to bite me.”
“Ah yes, and so the circle remains unbroken,” Theanim muttered through a sigh.
Wildcard walked across the the room. Rainbow watched, blinking, as the griffon paused, rested a metal talon on her shoulder, smiled, and shuffled off.
“Miss Dash...”
Snapping out of it, Rainbow turned towards the stallion. “Doc! Uh... I-I just wanted to say 'thank you' for what you and the other guys did for—”
“Do save it, Rainbow.”
“Look, I'm just trying to show how thankful I am—”
“And I'll be glad to hear it, but I'm afraid at the moment we haven't much time.” He smiled. “We've arrived.”
“We've... arrived...?” Rainbow blinked.
Theanim turned and pointed out the door. “Come see for yourself.”
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Something something Mordor bat ponies
Somehow I don't think Echo could survive the trip west. I do think he would benefit from a talk with Luna though.
Pause
Many questions raised here.
The Sarosians cannot be the children of Luna (surely not?), so where did they come from?
Were they ponies loyal to Luna before she was banished, who were somehow changed by the association and thus metaphorically her children?
It doesn't sound like these batponies are in contact with those on the dark side.
The waters falling over the edge simply can't be lost from the system, so any batpony throwing themselves over in despair might perhaps end up on the dark side. Is that how Sarosians came to be over there?
Moonsilver?
Roll on the next full moon.
Temba, his arms wide
Now if that doesn't sound like the most likely candidate for the last stop on the Light Side.
But for now, welcome to Horsefisharc-ia.
A hater of odd numbers, is Verlax.
Unless that's just what she wants us to believe...
6272007
exactly.
i wonder how he would react to nws of others like him that ARENT living so horribly?
So...Bleaks Plummet is where the 'Kindness' beacon is, I'm guessing.
I felt kinda bad for Echo, what with the whole "exiled for not enjoying misery" thing. But since he got kicked out for stealing, meh.
6272167
well, flutters did do a stint as batpony
And thus, we have arrived at Shoggoth. This will be interesting.
I'd like to see how the hydrology works here. How does the water cycle back? For that matter, out at the edge we might be seeing a gravity vector that's far from normal to the surface. I suppose I need to do the math...
It occurs to me that Bleak's Plummet sounds like a Kerbal toponym.
I get the feeling that during the unification Verlax came to the Sarosians with the ultimatum to renounce Luna and follow her. It's cold and calculating, but it makes sense in that you wouldn't want a foreign power to hold a good deal of influence with a large portion of the population.
It seems like these guys have been suffering for awhile. Hopefully Rainbow and Luna can work something out to help them.
Order works better with even numbers I guess.
Kinda makes sense. If there's an even number of tribes, she can't be accused of favoring some of them over the others due to the fact that whatever gifts or land she'd bestow would be distributed unevenly.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Wow, they weren't kidding when they said that boat was fast...
Happy prediction: Echo gets to talk to Luna (probably before something really bad happens to him - either by his own volition or some other force), and gets a reformed outlook on life.
One can hope, at least.
6272167
Hmm...it very well could be.
Well, Bleak's Plummet sounds like a charming spot. I kinda hope Rainbow gets there when the moon is full.
Also, is it just me, or has there been an uneasy vibe since Rainbow woke up?
If they have arrived, and the Syndicates boat is much slower than the Arrowfish 1, they have between the length of time it took them to get there, and twice that at most, before the Mark 1 makes the return trip. How many days has that been will that be now?
Now with Bleaks Plummet, are tehy going to take teh Diving Bell, or are they going to take The Fish Eagle.
6272108
Probably children in the same sense of the word that the Durandans used it.
The Syndicate will show up at the only time that they can : when it is most inconvenient for Dashie and Friends
Damn, Echo's life has been janked.
I hope his luck takes a turn towards the best, but knowing our dear author only bad things can happen to him now.
And Echo is just stuck on this side of the Choke...even without the blight, it'd be very difficult for someone as frail as he is to make the trip. We learned that old "you can't save everyone" lesson way back in book 1 (even though Rainbow ended up saving the Silvadel ponies anyway), but it's still a bitter pill to swallow.
Ooo that backstory... Here's hoping something or someone somewhere heals his wings. Flightless Pegasi/Thestrals are always tragic.
I really want Luna to be able to talk to these guys and give her a piece of her mind. It really would be an interesting sight. I do feel bad for Echo but he did steal from his own people for no real reason other then anger it seems. So that does dampen things a bit.
6272605 We had a number of magicless unicorns in the main cast of previous books, IC isn't the type to hand out miracle cures as anything short of the end result of the entire epic adventure, I very much doubt that Echo will ever fly again.
And now Spookle and Scarity get another taste of the cruelty far from Equestria. It's probably a very good thing that they were dead/asleep while Shell was alive.
6272337
The question is whether he'll stay for that long.
6272497
my name is Echo, and you will not remember me.
6273029 To be honest, I'm not even surprised anymore.
SS&E has ruined any form of trust I had in them.
Damn that was heavy...
Also
No you won't.
You think that's bad? Ask Dash about Shell sometime.
*sigh* While part of me is not looking forward to when Dash reaches Bleak's Plummet because she'll be dealing with an entire culture of manic depressive bat ponies, I can hold onto the hope that she can give them all a swift, harmonic kick in the plots.
Haha! Take that, Syndicate; they're already at Shoggoth.
...
Why do I have a feeling that the Syndicate is just about to get here?
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
6271442 Well the incredible number of short chapters is somewhat strange to me. And I do know that SS&E sometimes has a strange style. But if you do insist that this series doesn't have anything particularly different about it, then I'll give it a shot.
Someone please write that story, it sounds fantastic.
Also, that backstory is full of feels. Best of luck to the broken batpone.
6272130 It took me like a minute to figure out how to read the word Horsefisharc-ia. Now my brain feels funny.
6273029 Too soon, my friend. It's still too soon.
Forget having Echo talk to Luna... Rainbow needs to shake down Verlax and have the Moon Princess talk to all of Bleak's Plummet. There's redemption for a whole race somewhere in here, and I hope Echo lives long enough to help make that happen. It might be enough to get him to buck the coral habit
I know that feel.
6272827 Nuu! I dun want Echo to stay flightless. Fuzzy batpone should flyyyy.
6272121 i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzI5WDgwMA==/$(KGrHqVHJEwFB)nZpCN!BQc8kMIO2!~~60_35.JPG
Seems rather odd that Verlax hates sarosians. Makes me think Echo might actually be the key to defeating her now in some way or another
6273366
Someone already did, several different someones have over the years.
I never cared for those stories enough to store their names, but i did make a few "huh well that's a thing" checkmarks in my long-term memory.
Useful dizzy spell; no need to waffle over the journey aboard.
I'm not sure whether to feel bad for Echo or to be angry with him. I mean, all of this horrible stuff happened to him, and for no reason other than tradition. However, I have a feeling that he picked up the bad habits the first time he escaped, and he did steal. I don't think that was the first time he stole, nor was it the last. Even though things are bad doesn't mean you have to be too. i know that's a flimsy argument, but it feels like he partly brought his current troubles on himself. I just pity him.
6274020 I would love to see him fly, I just very much doubt that it about to happen any time soon.
6273273 I'll level with you, Austreaoh is a slow burn. Skirts' style is amazing, but I didnt really get into it until about 3/4 way in, but bevleive me when I say after the exposition dumping in Eljunbyro, it picks up and keeps getting better, and I think it was at this point Skirts hit the groove of the series bang on.
I wonder if dash could use luna as a bargaining chip... At least get Echos wings fixed.
6273273 I may be completely wrong here but I have a vague memory of reading somewhere offsite that this started as one of those writers exercises where you write about a thousand words a day or some such. I'm probably mis-remembering but if not it seems to have grown into something else.
One advantage of the very long-form format is that it allows an otherwise impractical level of worldbuilding and a lot of people (myself included) are shameless in our love for such things,
It's partly because of stories like this that I put Equestria/Equus up there with Narnia, Middle-Earth and Pern etc.
...give me backstory or give me death!
Forgive my enthusiasm
6272121 Darmok and Jalad on the ocean
6273273 The short chapters are odd, but they work They allow him to do a lot of things that other writers do (Like shifting character focus) in a way that seems more natural than breaking up a single chapter seven or eight times. on top of that I think a large part of why it works is the was SS&E tells a story.
It's also really convenient for reading in short bursts, You can finish a chapter in 5-10 minutes so you always have a good stopping point nearby.
as for the length? Trust me, there is a lot of story to tell and at the point I am at in the story, I cannot figure out how he intends to end the series by book 12. I don't think it'll be long ENOUGH.
Finally, everyone worries about the descriptions, but believe me, They are like that FOR A REASON. Each book just has too much to be shortened by a synopsis without spoiling things or detracting from the story. Once you start reading, The mystery becomes half the fun.
I do hope you'll check the series out, and if you find it to your liking? Well, We'll see you when you get back here.
6278380 Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
I suppose the next full moon will land on the day Rainbow arrives at Bleak's Plummet.
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/legacyofkain/images/3/31/SR1-Intro-096.png/revision/latest?cb=20120710184341
Come on, guys! Come on! I didn't even play Soul Calibur and that reference was preying on my mind! How did no one else bring that up?
Sounds an awful lot like another story written by a certain lemur...
6274080
6283125
6278380
6274080
6272121 I don't get it. But rather remain in the dark, I will Google it.
EDIT: Oooooooh.