Navigators Come In Shades of Grey
“I've been carefully and systematically pouring over every bit of text I have on the Western Seas, the Blighted Shores, and the Fringe Colonies,” Sinrar said, his body hunched over a dusty desk in the dusty corner of his dusty apartment flat. “And I can only come to one single conclusion.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, standing next to Nick and Twilight. “Right.” She nodded. “You'll give us all your maps, Dr. Dude.”
“Enfin!” He spun about, shaking his cane while his muzzle took on a grizzled frown. “Think with your brain and not with your connard, ya selfish harpy!” He took a deep breath, leaning on his cane as he tilted a smiling chin upwards. “Quite simply, if you and your petite étalon plan on making a seafaring trip to the next Seed, then I am going with you.”
Nick winced as if struck with a cannonball.
“Ahem...” Rainbow Dash casually leaned forward. “...what?”
“Has the Blight made you deaf, harpy? I said I'm coming with you!”
“Uhhh...” Nick fidgeted. “I have to echo her sentiment here. Uhhhh... what?”
“Zut alors!” Sinrar rolled his yellow eyes and adjusted his grimy bifocals. “It's like pissing into a sponge...”
“I think he's serious, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight whispered.
“I friggin' know he's serious!” Rainbow growled. “Seriously demented!”
“Ohhhhh!” Sinrar folded his forelimbs, leaning back. “So you don't want my expertise in cartography after all? Think you can navigate the bluffs and shoals of this ill-begotten sea by your lonesome? Negotiate with the sporadically-farted natives without causing a Goddess-damned stick war between the archipelagos?”
“I think we can manage, yeah!” Rainbow's voice cracked. “It's hard enough trying to look after ourselves on a boat without croaking to death in the hot sun without having to worry about your wrinkly flank!”
“Rainbow...” Twilight sighed.
“Trimaran,” Nick droned.
Rainbow gave him a double-take. “What was that?”
“Trimaran.”
“What the buck is a Trimaran? Some kind of lemur?”
“It's what I built.”
“I thought you said you built a boat.”
Nick blinked at her. “It is a boat. A type of boat.” He glared Sinrar's way. “A very fast... small boat.”
“So what? Ehhh?” Sinrar shook his cane. “Afraid of sharing the wind with the smell of my insides, ya fruit-scented pansy?!”
“I use gentlecolt conditioner, thank you very much!” Nick grunted, giving his mane a slight fluff. “Besides, you can barely walk out of your house without tripping on weeds and shouting at squirrels. How in the blue Hell are you gonna be of use to us on the high seas?!”
“How the hell are you gonna get by with that bump on your forehead?”
Nick felt his skull. “What bump?” WHACK! “Augh! Dang it!”
“Okay...” Rainbow sighed, waving a hoof. “That's gotta stop...”
“Then show me the respect I deserve!” Sinrar spat, lowering his cane with a frown. “You barge into my home, introduce me to a wild cornucopia of mythological western lore, and then expect me to just hoof over my maps?”
“Do you even have detailed maps of the archipelagos east of here?” Rainbow asked.
“I'm a busy stallion! And my days are full of research and writing and studies—”
“Do you even have detailed maps?!” Rainbow shouted, even causing Nick and Twilight to shiver.
Sinrar bit his lip, fidgeting. “Well...” He avoided the mare's gaze. “No...”
Rainbow tossed her hooves and fluttered around in an angry circle.
“But it's all in here, I assure you!” Sinrar pointed at his skull. “Like a sheet that keeps unfurling! I see sights, hear sounds, smell smells... and it all comes washing over me! Mon dieu! Just seeing the Tower no longer marking the Blight yesterday filled me with youthful vigor! I do not wish to join you on this trip simply to learn... but to live!”
“I've given you information... knowledge...!” Rainbow Dash faced him, frowning. “The whole friggin' history of Equestria! Val Roa! Ledomare!”
“Pfft! You've only given me notes so far, harpy!”
“Point is...” She flew into his face, teeth gritting. “I thought we already had an exchange! Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?”
“I could ask the same of you, mon petite cheval.” Sinrar smirked. “There is more to you than you're willing to tell us... more than you're even willing to share with Princess Luna, I think.”
Rainbow Dash flew backwards. Her nostrils flared, but she said nothing.
Nick glanced curiously at her.
As did Twilight.
“Being old does not mean stacking up years and filth, Harpy.” Sinrar shook his head as his voice took on a firm tone. “Non... I have experience that neither of you can even begin to grasp. If you wish to get to your destination, then you need to do so safely. And if you wish to do so safely, then you'll need me. It's as simple as that.”
“We weren't kidding, old stallion,” Nick said, glancing up at the former Professor. “This sounds like a wild ride. Even for me.”
“It's just to the First Seed,” Rainbow said. “No further.”
Sinrar squinted at her. “Are you so sure of that?”
Rainbow glared his way. “The point I'm trying to make, Dr. Dude, is that—even as short as a trip it may be—there's no telling what sort of damage it could do to you. This isn't exactly my first rodeo. I don't care how nicely you all paint Kihutaja, Rohbredden, and all the other mounds of dirt floating across this ocean. Adventuring isn't easy. There's bound to be a lot of death and chaos involved.”
“Wait... th-there is?” Nick squeaked.
Rainbow waved him off, staring Sinrar's way. “I dig the fact that you wanna... y'know... live again... but wouldn't golf or shuttlecock do? This isn't exactly going to be a walk in the park.”
Nick bit his lip, then glanced at Sinrar.
“I've been holed up in this miserable Academy for a long time, harpy.” He leaned back against his desk, huffing. “I'm sick of walks in the park. Either you take me with you, or you're on your own... in the dark.” He spat. “I doubt you'll do much with your 'journey' for even a day without me.”
A long bit of silence ensued.
Rainbow Dash hovered close to the ceiling. With a sigh, she pivoted around, facing the shadows.
Twilight took this as her cue to float up and drift near her. “Rainbow, he's offering his help. He's being very generous.”
“Yeah, well...” Rainbow muttered aside. “Skunks can be generous.”
“Uhm... how?”
“By dying.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rainbow...” She spoke quietly. “...remember when Rarity made us her beautiful dresses for the Gala?”
“Ahhhh jeez...” Rainbow grumbled. “Are we really going here?”
Twilight continued: “I learned a lot from that. I even wrote to Celestia that it's best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Literally.” She smiled. “He can help us. Same with your handsome friend here.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Handsome?”
“They've shown immense faith in you. Can't you show the same in them?”
“Twilight, I just came out of leading a rag-tag band of adventurers,” Rainbow said. “And... to be perfectly honest...” She gulped. “I-I don't think I'm... r-ready to go through something like that again.” She exhaled. “Especially now that I've got you and... the other girls to worry about.”
“Then don't think of it like that.” Twilight smiled. “Just... take it easy... one day at a time...”
“Unnnghhhh...”
“Are you...” Sinrar squinted. “...quite done talking to the shadows, mademoiselle?”
“Heh...” Nick chuckled nervously. “I-I'm not freaked out if Dr. Dude's not freaked out!” THWACK! “Augh!” He rubbed his head right above his horn. “How come she gets to say it and I don't?!”
Fwooosh! Rainbow touched down between them. “Because I'm awesome.” She turned to look at the old stallion. “Okay, ya old coot. It's a deal.”
“Génial!” Sinrar smiled wide, the wrinkles briefly disappearing from his muzzle. “When do we set off?”
“Well...” Rainbow gestured aside. “We gotta get to Nick's boat first.”
“And where is that? Hmmm? Outside the Academy?”
“No.” Nick shook his head. “It's harbored at East Kihutaja.”
Sinrar recoiled so hard his beret fell off. “Are you serious?!”
“'Fraid so.”
“I am not walking that far! Out of the question!”
“Well then...” Rainbow smiled. “So much for our voyage, huh?”
“Bite your tongue!” Zinrar swept his beret back up with the tip of his cane. “You're getting me there one way or another!”
“Uhm...” Rainbow squinted. “What do you have in mind?”
“Faster! Faster, you stupid meatjobs!” Sinrar thwacked the ponies' flanks and leaned back in his wagon seat. “Salt air and blue skies await! Hah hah hah!” He laughed triumphantly.
Nick huffed and puffed, galloping quickly alongside Rainbow Dash as the two pulled the carriage eastward. “Somehow... I-I didn't think this was what we had in store!”
“Suck it up, pal,” Rainbow exclaimed, wings flexing as she pulled the bulk of the weight. Together, the two young equines drew Sinrar across the westernmost bridge connecting the K.M.C.A. behind them to the heart of the Archipelago. “If you wanna get places, you gotta flex your muscle a bit.”
“But... I-I didn't sign up... for a voyage!” Nick wheezed. “You enlisted me!”
“Would you rather sit on your flank for several months while the mares around you get older?”
“You know what... I'll pull for a while,” Nick panted through a sweaty smile. “How about you relax?”
“You kidding? I haven't relaxed since the Blight disappeared,” Rainbow said.
Just then, Twilight drifted lazily beside her. “I, for one, am enjoying the cool breeze!”
“Don't you friggin' start,” Rainbow grumbled aside.
The phantom unicorn giggled, and soon the group was spanning the rest of the ancient bridge.
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How many?
50.
JK I mean 7, for the colors of fruit basket. At least I think so. .. .. .
Someone with an editor please grayscale a Rainbow. . . ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Sorry too technical here
Heehee
How many times now?
Close.
Unless Sinrawr is just being incredibly crass. Or he's making fun of Dash's roguish charms. Which means he's clearly turned on by them.
The harem begins.
That's normally how they work, yeah.
I take back my previous statement, Sinrar will get all the hot island mare flank to the despair of Nick and Rainbow.
5892627 I'll have to remember that one...
Twilight Snarkle.
Why.
Why do you have to go on with the unnecesary characters again. Why do you need to bring Old Fart and Femenine Stallion 2.0
Nick alone would've been okayish, but why do you torture us like this?
5892626
Twilight is best walking chastity belt.
Man, Sinrar is a jerk.
5892622
We really should make a counter for this.
By the Stars. Sinrar nags more than WinRAR.
memecrunch.com/meme/3JR6Z/foreshadowing/image.jpg
The voice in my mind for Sinrar is now somewhere in between the TF2 Spy and Scrooge McDuck. I don't even.
Sinarar reminds me of future Biff Tannen from Back to the Future 2.
live2times.com/imgupload/event/106787/300311115511/normal/retour-vers-le-futur-2retour-vers-le-futur-2-1989-1406-941948712-.jpg
I wonder if Sinrar was just being crotchety, or if he gathered that Rainbow was hiding something. If it was that she's dying, Luna knows that.
... Has Dash ever... "come out" to anybody from Equestria? I can't remember her ever mentioning anything to the effect that she had a thing with Roarke to Luna beyond "she's awesome and I made her leave" in... Urohringr, was it? Then Twilight focusing on the Durandananananans being sexually backwards as opposed to peaceful or isolated.
... Wonder if her reluctance to talk about Roarke is because Equestria has a homophobia problem of massive proportions?
5892626 Believe me, you're not the first one to ask that question. It'll be a hilarious scene if anything, but let's not forget that Rainbow Dash is not a sex-crazed mare. She didn't even get any until late Urohringr, and was actively spurning the advances of others until right up to that point, including mares she was clearly attracted to.
Also, they must have established boundaries, because Rainbow Dash must have had to use the restroom at least once within the last few days.
5892654 Because they're necessary and this would be an incredibly boring story without some form of social interaction. There's no guarantee we'll be sticking with this crew for long anyways.
Also, Nick is super-not feminine. He builds ships and plays hoofball and digs chicks like hardcore. He might as well be a jocktard.
5892677
> Sinarar
Zinrar*
oh god its Josho all over again
Why. why would, what would posses someone to do........I don't even want to know why
5892654
redpandanetwork.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SponsoredSilence-Icon-300x300.jpg
Precognition of all the cane hits all at once?
And it starts to continue.
This has got to be the weirdest party ever.
5892721 But I am traumatized. Every night, I dream of old hairballs eating, farting, and calling people fruit baskets while a dream that is actually interesting plays in the background, obscured by the hair and it's farts.
If this goes well, I may go back to normal dreams. Maybe. I hope.
5892750 Honey, you need help.
...eeyup. Twilight definitely likes Nick.
>Hmm, I have a feeling IC put Zinrar on this voyage just so he could do a 170 chapter long 3 Stooges skit.
5892627 Actually, it's one of those brilliant utility swears French has that can mean anything from "jerk" to "bastard/bitch" to "piece-of-shit motherfucker". It all depends on the context of the rest of the sentence (according to one French guy in my dorm).
Also, since you're the expert Swanny; if a ship happens on a ship is it ship-ception?
5892622
Greyscale Rainbow? Pfft, I can get you one in 10 seconds flat. Totally by me. Not just a Daring Do image. Nope. (insert Liarjack face here)
img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131209171102/mlp/images/e/e3/Daring_Do_ID_S4E04.png
And so a new journey begins. Nick and Sinrar sure do have a lot of mannerisms in common with the other characters from the noble jury. Now all we need is a Kera and Bellsmith analogue.
Well it's time to finally build up the group again.
5892880
Hencetoforth and forthwith,
be it gloriously ordained by both Old Gods and New:
were it such that a ship be made consummate upon the bow of a ship,
it shan't be designated "inshiption" by spectators determinate,
lest the vessel itself or its numerous appurtenances
be appropriated as a physical participant
at the behest of no less than one
of parties attendant.
So Sayeth the Shipping Standard of Swan Song the Salacious.
5892942
33.media.tumblr.com/d9222131b345feb0b70403d28dd8b288/tumblr_inline_n3b7h4oTIK1rvbbcf.gif
That's not foreshadowing, that's Foreclipsing.
I get Dash's reluctance to form a whole new crew. That's why she's being so... rough/distant right now, but she's going to need the physical help.
I hope the field that the spirit 5 can move in will expand as they gather otherwise Dash is going to be very very crowded.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
No normal french speaker (at least Canadian ones) says "Zut alors!"
...
Carry on.
Woohoo, this is fun!
I wonder if Nick'll surpass Zaid in head injuries when all's said and done.
Also, NickxTwilight Spookle, I'd ship it.
5892750
Alright, let's be real here. I absolutely see where you're coming from. I personally found Jake to be incredibly tiring, but he's the only one I ever really found objectionable- it was just far too... I can't even put it into words. It was extremely verbose without being very funny, most of the time.(Sorry Mr. Army Guy, for insulting your character's honor I will accept whatever workout regiment you see fit.)
Remember that for every character that's supposed to be fun, whether you like them or not- personally I loved Josho and Zaid, especially Zaid, because of his speech to Rainbow Dash in the beginning of Urohringr about her sending Roarke away- you get 10 Sam Roses, Pilates, Bellesmiths, Crimsons, Arcanistas, Lasairfions, Seclorums, etc. Just about every character in this series has been fantastic. Have faith in IC.
5892942 The Bellesmith and Kera analogue is Twilight. Isn't she?
Trimeran is an intresting design, as you take an ocean going canoe, which used to be made from hollowed out trunks of giant trees, then an outrigger was added for sabilisation, even though it was asymetric. Adding a second outrigger allowed a sail to be added, in that it was now equal leverage each side. A Trimeran should be when the outriggers themselves increase to the size where they are made using canoes or other storage hulls in their own right.
Something to note with sail based designs, is because the sail acts as an airfoil, the force graph for wind direction is actually butterfly shaped, with zero force for directly ahead, and very low from behind, depending on the design and layout of the sails. Because the fastest speeds are reached when the wind is from the side, you need a way to stop the ship sliding sideways so much. Large ships have a V hull and keel, yaughts use a keelboard, but this requires deep water and frequently gets broken on reefs and other shallow water. There are retractable centre keel designs, others use oversized rudders, again on hinges for beaching and reef crossing etc.
Would be intresting if Nick had researched and designed a Magnus/Savonius sail system, possibly with pedal propellar for the becalmed regions.
Ride a White Swan.
Rainbow getting some down time and being able to reconnect with Twilight was nice but I'm glad the journey is about to get underway again.
So is this the start of the Noble-r Jury?
Alright, it's time for the adventures of Noble Jury II!
CODE NAME: JULY BONER
5892986
It disturbs me ever so slightly that by those rules, the ship in question could be the only party in favor or the resulting menage a trois.
5893628 thank you for the info!
I have a feeling that cane could be be used for a little more than just punishment...
5892806 Does she crave the Nick?
5893985 Noble Jury II Court is back in session.
10/10
If Nick, Sinrar, Dash and Spookle don't run into gangplank pirates on their quest I will be sorely disappointed.
Nick better get some before this book is over I swear to god.
5892880 . . .Kay den. 5 colors is it?
5892790 Oh sorry.
All HAIL the Boss.
5892685 Can you code?
Huzzah! Sinrar and Nick are both officially recruited. And they think they'll only need to stay for the First Seed. That makes me laugh. Hah! Hah! Hah!
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
Okay, Sunshine. Time for some French lessons.
In French nouns have a gender, affecting the spelling of all the other words around them. Vive la différence! Therefore please verify each noun's gender in a French dictionary before spelling out adjectives, articles, etc. (The different gender variations of each are also in the dictionary - or you can cheat by using google translate with the words boy and girl:
Little boy -> petit garçon
little girl -> petite fille
Using this cheat you can easily verify that étalon (stallion) is male (duh!) and thus it is "petit" étalon (little stallion) and not "petite".
5893133
The way we swear in French Canada (pas juste le Québec, 'sti!) is way too raw for exposure on FIMfic (and all these tender Anglo ears). Zut alors! Is just fine for the context.
5895084
Wait, I'm sorry, but I think you were saying something. Could you speak a little louder? Maybe something about 'tender Anglo ears?' I couldn't quite hear you because I was
on THE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!
new2.fjcdn.com/thumbnails/comments/America+has+50+stars+50+stars+gt+part+_9c394a2ca5a9f5273282583ea4b3aa18.jpg
Yes, I am aware that solar radiation would have bleached the flag white by now. Now it just looks like your cheese-eating surrender-monkey ancestors went there instead of us ;)
if it wasn't already clear this was a joke please don't hate me ;(
5895223
I found your identity, Ankou Scythe.
i.imgur.com/aXG8k3e.jpg
Dear god, how patriotic.