Would You Accept a Collect Call?
“Miss Dash,” Theanim spoke calmly. “If there's something you're wishing to tell us...”
“Huh?” Rainbow rubbed her head, looking up from where she sat across from him inside the Undertrolley. “Oh... uhm...”
“About what just happened?” Theanim remarked, eyebrow raised. “At the checkpoint just now?”
“Pffft! I'll tell you what happened!” Bard smirked proudly, dropping his satchels and guitar case beside his seat. “Them guards quit bein' hardflanks and took sympathy for my story!”
“Like wyvern shiet they did,” Echo spat from where he lay on the floor.
Schiiing! Wildcard unsheathed his dagger with emphasis. He gave Echo a pointed glare while whittling new toothpicks from a block of wood.
“I'd... be careful with the way I refer to wyverns when around Dubya-Cee, buddy,” Bard said with a nervous chuckle.
“Don't you talk to me about being careful,” Echo seethed. “I nearly got a new blowhole in my neck thanks to your dumbassetry.”
“How would I know they'd be so dog blame'd anal?!”
“I've taken diarrhea dumps with better foresight than you!”
“Pffft. Considerin' yer kind crap upside down, reckon I know where yer mouth gets its conversation skills.”
“Oh for the love of—” Echo thrashed on the floor.
“Gentlecolts—” Theanim began.
“Everypony shut up!” Rainbow barked. The rest of the group actually rattled from her outburst. A few ponies looked over from the other seats inside the undertrolley. After a few blinking seconds, they returned their attention elsewhere. With a pronounced sigh, Rainbow leaned against the porthole and stared out through the glass. “What matters is that we made it through. Let's not attract any more attention than we already have.”
“Yeah, well...” Echo sighed, lying limply against the floor. “What I want to know is how did we make it through that mess?”
“We're safe for right now,” Rainbow Dash said. “At least... f-for the trip into Shoggoth.”
“And how do ya know that, Missy?” Bard asked.
“I just know, okay?! You're gonna have to trust me!” A few flakes of wood sprinkled across her fetlock, and she pointed two seats over at Wildcard. “Gary Stu here. He trusts me.”
Wildcard yawned, rattled his beak, and resumed whittling.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, sighed, and leaned once more against the porthole. She stared out onto the water-swept bluffs of upper Shoggoth. The dim light of the cabin reflected the bodies of more and more ponies filling in the available spaces. It was starting to get crowded... but not too crowded. Soon, Rainbow figured—perhaps in a matter of minutes—the vehicle would begin its descent.
Twilight Sparkle floated up alongside the mare. “Rarity and I trust you, Rainbow,” she said. “But it would still be very helpful to everypony if you opened up with us.”
Rarity floated up this time. “You... saw something, didn't you?” She blinked. “Or heard something?”
“I haven't seen you this rattled for no reason since the day I first appeared to you at Kihutaja,” Twilight remarked. “Was... was it some message from the machine world?”
Rarity cocked her head aside. “Perhaps something related to...” She twisted her muzzle to pronounce: “Yorr-fear-duh?”
Rainbow's head dipped down. Her heart skipped a beat.
The Yaerfaerda symbol was directly beneath her, albeit still distant. Pulsing—pink and bright.
She shuddered slightly, curling up into a blue ball where she sat. “Mrmmmff...” She exhaled through her nostrils. “You're right, Twilight,” she whispered. “I am spooked.” Her eyes wandered out the porthole again. “It's... something I haven't felt since Emeraldine.”
“Emeraldine... Emeraldine...” Twilight chewed on her bottom lip, then eventually blurted: “Whitemane.”
Rainbow nodded. “Although,” she continued to whisper, “Running into Chrysalis and her drones sent a similar chill down my back. But this was way... way more intense.”
“We saw your eyes roll back, darling,” Rarity said. “'Preoccupied' would be an understatement.”
“If somepony... or something could send a message that clearly into my skull...”
“—you think they're the ones responsible for saving us from that one guard?” Twilight remarked.
Rainbow gulped. “I hope it's just one.”
“Camellia,” Rarity cooed.
Both Rainbow and the other spectre glanced at her.
Rarity folded her forelimbs, phasing slightly through the seats. “Well, it's the most obvious conclusion, wouldn't you agree?”
“Maybe... maybe not...” Twilight remarked, tapping her chin in thought. “There are just... so many creatures and races out here beyond the edges of Equestria that are mysterious to me.”
“But you've read a lot, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Do you recall anything on sirens?”
“Legend has it that Starswirl the Bearded once contended with a troublesome school of them,” Twilight thought out loud. “Particularly a trio of regal siblings who controlled the mood and contentment of the Equestrian populace through enchanted song.”
“So, that nails it,” Rainbow Dash said out loud. “Sirens are mind controllers.”
“Oh, not quite, Miss Dash,” Theanim suddenly spoke up. “At least...” He chuckled slightly. “Not all of them.”
Rainbow glanced over, blinking. “Huh?”
“Oh, do forgive me,” he said with a smile. “Your... erm... 'private conversation' became audible just now. No doubt you and the other girls are deliberating on recent events.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow said. “We could sure use some help, Doc.”
“Gladly.” Shifting his weight, he crossed over and took the seat to Rainbow's left. “Eughh... mmmff... well, sirens are the oldest and most mysterious race among ponyfolk. I suspect it's a different situation in the waters around Equestria, but out here in Rohbredden's corner of the plane—the sea equines owned the oceans long before their land-trotting and sky-soaring neighbors ever tried venturing forth with skiff and sail.”
“Very poetic, Doc,” Rainbow nodded, blinking blearily. “The Clop Notes, please?”
He smiled. “Are they telepathic? Yes. But only specific breeds. As far as the Order knows, mind-reading and mental communication is a gift reserved to oceanic royalty. So, yes, it's quite possible that Princess Camellia had a hoof in our recent breakthrough. Or—in this case—a fin.”
“But... why?”
“Did she tell you anything specific just now?” Theanim asked. “I trust that she did have a message for you.”
“Uhm... well... yes.” Rainbow nodded. “She told me that 'it was taken care of.'”
“I see.” Theanim nodded. “Siren communication with surface-dwellers is a very rare thing.” His brow furrowed. “I believe it's a biological thing. It's far easier for sirens to send mental messages to seaponies, water nymphs, sea serpents, and other members of aquatic sentience.”
“But... but then she gave me another message,” Rainbow said, gazing straight ahead of her.
“Oh?”
“She... she said that she was 'waiting for me,'” the pegasus said. She gulped hard. “Then she said that 'she wasn't the only one.'”
Theanim arched an eyebrow. “Curious.”
Rainbow bit her lip, glancing aside at Twilight and Rarity. “What... d-do you suppose that means?”
“I'm not sure,” Theanim said. “If I had to guess, it would seem as though she's sensed our presence. Or at least yours.”
“Oh Doc... that can't be good!” Rainbow exclaimed. She squirmed in her seat as the undertrolley around them filled up. “If—” With hunched shoulders, she leaned in and whispered. “If she knows what I'm here for, then she might have us all figured out! Our cover will be blown!”
“That's an understandable concern.”
“We gotta get out of here, Doc!” Rainbow exclaimed, shivering. “We could be going into a trap! I could be dragging us all into a trap—”
Theanim placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Just... sit still, Miss Dash.”
“But—”
“Do you or do you not wish to relinquish your friend from her hold in the Next Seed?”
Rainbow panted and panted, calming down—albeit with residual trembles. She gulped, staring at him with nervous eyes. “Pinkie Pie...” A shudder. “You... you m-mean you believe what I've said about—?”
“The only real experiment is the one that can be repeated,” Theanim said. He leaned back in his seat, smiling reassuredly. “If there's a chance that what happened at the Nealend Atoll can be repeated, then it's a venture that's worth all the risks, don't you think?”
“But... but...”
“We've all enlisted in this part of your journey, Miss Dash,” Theanim said. “Perhaps it is a trap.” He shrugged. “Until I witness more evidence, I am not convinced.”
“But how can you be so sure?”
“Princess Camellia is the wisest, most powerful siren alive,” Theanim said. “She's second to Queen Verlaxion in terms of influence and authority. If she desired you—or our entire party—eliminated, then I'm certain she would have orchestrated that already.”
“Yeah... yeah sure...” Rainbow watched as an operator called out to the stallions on deck, then shuffled up to the hatch of the Undertrolley. “But... but I can't stop feeling... well... spooked.”
“Telepathic contact is certainly unnerving for non-telepathic creatures.”
“Have... have you ever experienced...?”
Theanim chuckled. “I've encountered many curious phenomena in my travels,” he said. “Be sure to ask Echo about the time he and I encountered a cave full of Shadow Spores.”
“Shadow... spores...?”
“Inhalation of the spores causes one's paranoia to increase tenfold,” Theanim explained. “For fungi, it's a mean of communication and reproduction. For fully-grown endotherms, it's a unwanted key that unlocks a dormant part of the brain receptive to telepathic feedback. We were essentially... exposed to the faded thoughts of past generations of ponies and wyverns who had dwelled within the mountains.”
“No way.”
“Oh, absolutely! So many lonesome thoughts and fears—bouncing between the quartz and crystal—only to finally find home in the mental vacuum the spores had carved.”
“How did you two make it out?”
“Barely,” Theanim said with a shudder. “I... suffered night terrors for nearly three years.”
“I'm sorry to hear that.”
“Well, I'm not sorry that I survived.” He smiled. “Made for a damn good science report.”
“Heh... I bet...” Rainbow smiled back, then grimaced.
Theanim blinked with concern. “What is it?”
“Just... remembering something,” Rainbow murmured. “When I... when I-I blacked out on the Arrowfish...”
“Yes?”
Twilight and Rarity cocked their heads, listening.
“I... had a vision,” Rainbow said. “Unlike any I had experienced before.”
“Camellia spoke to you then?” Theanim remarked.
“I think, yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “And... it wasn't a very pleasant vision.”
“How so?”
“It's... hard to explain.” She gulped. “Then and now... I-I think she's almost trying to fill me with dread.”
“Well, that seems uncharacteristically malicious of the Siren Princess,” Theanim said.
“No. She wasn't threatening me.” Rainbow blinked. “But... but I think she's trying to let me know that I should feel threatened.”
“Interesting...” Theanim rubbed his chin. “But by what?”
Rainbow looked across the cabin.
At last, the hatch closed with a pronounced hiss. The lights above flickered as a dull hum rolled through the trolley.
“...guess I'll find out sooner than later,” Rainbow muttered.
And the vessel began its rattling descent.
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Information and supposition and delay.
Will quarter shell try and call the ride back or will have to wait for the next one like everyone else?
Rainbow should feel threatened? Please, sirens are nothing compared to a near-immortal chaos dragon.
6288030 One should always feel concerned about mind control.
Never enough to treat a telepath any differently but enough to remain on guard against it.
I wonder when Boss Revan is going to pull a "Surprise, I'm Back" shit again.
In my mind, Camellia is now going to be voiced by Cate Blanchett.
RaptureShoggoth, prepare your... whatever reproductive organs fishes have.Looks like I have been proven wrong on my guess of how many chapters would pass before we get to see theknock out grenades getting used. I still have little doubt they will see use before the end of this.
6288042 We're 2/3rds through the book. i give it 10 to 15 chapters until something big happens with Revan. Though, there'll probably be a chapter for exposition on what he's doing before then.
Well...that's not ominous at all.
Shadow Spores huh? What's the bet they'll find them at somepoint in their travels?
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Hmmm I can't wait to meet Camellia I really can't get a beat on if she plans on helping Dash or screwing her over at this point.
Oh, right. WC is perfect. The fact that he speaks with hand gestures just makes him even better.
33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzfpjxsUDm1r17tqto1_500.gif
Theanim's character sure has come a long way since the Nealand days. I'm surprised that the skeptical scientist would be the first to somewhat believe Rainbow about her friends.
I'm starting to wonder if Camellia is actually referring to Revan when she says someone else is after Dash. Something smells fishy in Shoggoth.
sorry, couldn't help myself
Aquaphobia time!
Aww crud. Rainbow Dash do NOT destroy that city!
6285402 I dunno, you did shoot that bird way back in chapter one...
Okay, maybe Jex wasn't the next Magus in terms of bad guys, but from a literary perspective he served an important role. He allowed us readers an opportunity to (eventually) sympathize with an entire race of incredibly unlikable jerks. So... Yay?
Besides, you've been spending time with Roarke, and you're the only character we can confidently say that about. So no complaining!
An underwater city will probably make a pegasus feel claustrophobia. Not to say thalassophobia.
A siren shouldn't threaten Rainbow Dash, not after Nevlamas. Not after Chrysalis.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
I don't suppose Camellia will turn out to be some sort of fun-loving gadabout after all.
6288157
Wonder how easily he could blag his way into Shoggoth if the (mind-jacked) guards are told to keep a certain irate boss out.
And by blag, I mean snag those grenades and wreak havoc.
6288019 Oh, can we please please please call him SeaShell?
6288030
Well, yeah, but her companions are not nearly as durable.
Maybe Camelia wants RD to feel threatened, because Verlax's already on her.
6288490 Talon gestures.
Theanim is quite growing on me... Means Ic will make something jhappned to the poor stallion sooner or later
6290888
I sure hope not.
And into the depths we go!
But who is that waiting next to Camellia? Is she warning her of the Southern Hoof? No, she's too aware of Rainbow to not know she knows about them already.
Verlaxion's agents are present.
Finally going under the sea.
queue little mermaid references
I can't wait to see who's waiting with Sushi Princess for Dashie. I'm hoping she's referring to Pinks. Although that's hopeful thinking.
It wouldnt be the first time we've encountered a being of an omni-reputed good nature that had been corrupted out of it in time for Austraeoh.....I too am distrusting of Camiellia...
What fourth wall?
... No.
mytatuaggi.com/daku/mytatuaggi/someone-saved-my-life-tonight-the-singer-dramatically-tumbled-from-his-chair-in-front-of-falling-out-of-chair-8-539-x-462.jpg
Hang in there, Pinkie! We're gonna save you!
I think this just might be the most scientific thing he's said so far. Duplicating an experiment to ensure consistent results is paramount to scientific understanding.
Yeah, they're basically the Mean Girls of the siren world, I figure.
That sounds beyond shitty, actually.
Off we go into the deep dark drink.