Another Mane; Another Monologue, Part One
“Nah nah nah... you got it all wrong, landwalker!” Sora reached over, rearranging the spear in Rainbow Dash's grasp. “You have to hold it like this! Underhoof, see?”
“Underhoof?” Rainbow's face grimaced as she struggled to hold the spear in the way directed.
“Yeah! For an upthrust, yes?”
“I don't get it,” Rainbow grumbled, wings twitching. “Ultimo is a sea serpent. The darn thing lives beneath the ocean's surface. Beneath us. Why would I wanna hold the spear any other way besides overhoof?”
“Because to best get at the beast's soft underbelly, you swim underneath it while it charges through the surf!” Silver shouted from several waves away in his and Flare's canoe. “But you're a pegasus! Bet you can steal Flare's trademark skyward strike! Hah!”
“Hah hah hah!”
“Eat coral, Silver!” Flare swatted Silver's shaved head with her wing. “Nopony can steal that!”
“Hah! Look at me!” Silver's voice reached a high pitch. “I'm a winged child of Verlaxion! I'm soooo original! Whoop!” He got swatted again, but kept on laughing.
Rainbow smirked slightly, examining one spear after another. “Yeah, well, maybe I can try knocking one of its teeth out... or something.”
“Pffft! Knocking its teeth out?!” Kaji grinned as he flapped his wings, pushing their canoe over a high crest. “How in the Queen's name do you expect to do that?!”
“You'd need a hammer made out of the Goddess' ice itself!” Sora said. “Don't you get it?! Ultimo's chompers are huge-huge!”
Rainbow Dash gave a prolonged sigh. “I dunno... just a silly thought, I guess.”
“We'll be lucky if we ever get close to wounding the mighty beast!” Kaji said.
“Doesn't mean it isn't sporting to try,” Sora said with a wink.
“Presuming Ultimo ever shows his grinning face.”
“Hah hah! Yup!”
“Whoop!”
While the Nealenders in the other boat chuckled, an earth pony with golden goggles sat in the back of his raft. Resting between two bulky camera bags, Theanim Mane glanced at the oceanic scene. He took a long, calm breath of the sea air, then planted a pen between his teeth. With a sheet of parchment stretched before him, he began to write.
The following is the one hundred and twenty-fifth field report of Dr. Theanim Mane, writing to the Ninety Seventh Rohbredden Scientific Order, blessed by Queen Verlaxion.
Today marks my one hundred and forty-second morning waking up on the Nealend Atoll alongside the well-meaning but altogether simple-minded populace. However, this particular week brings with it a rather striking change, and although there is nothing yet that I can state as being categorically different, I—a scholar by trade as well as a child of Verlaxion by faith—am inclined to believe that a curious shift in fate is in order, and I hope to chronicle such in the days to come.
There have been several unique individuals who have been stranded on this island as a direct result of the beast Ultimo's wrath. Only now, for the first time, one of those figures has dared to challenge the might of Ultimo head-on. As you can imagine, this has been a major delight for the Nealenders, whose thirst for blood is only bested by their ardent love for colliding their dense skulls together.
I speak of a mare by the name of Rainbow Dash, a pegasus with an unrecognizable accent that favors neither western Colonialists or Eastern Continentalist tongue. She wears a peculiar piece of fabulous jewelry around her neck which she simply refuses to take off. What's more—though this seems like a completely innocuous detail—she sports a rather strikingly colorful mane, and she possesses a youthful vigor and guile that are quite unmatched even among my head-shaved peers.
There is nothing in this world that delights me more than an enigma. As a scientist, it is my duty to follow any intellectual pursuits until all that is unexplained and cryptic about Verlaxion's glorious world vanishes completely. Rainbow Dash is one such mystery. She's arrived with very little explanation, and almost zero ties to her two disastrously Kihutajan companions. And yet, despite the fact that she's a total stranger with an obvious backlog of secrets, she has spontaneously made it her task to not only hunt down Ultimo—but to vanquish the monstrosity altogether. To what end? Well, she proclaims the rather selfless desire to restore a broken piece of Verlaxion's gift to the heart of the Nealenders' lagoon. But to accomplish this, she has utilized some rather... bold tactics that dance upon the line of courage and heresy.
It is my deep desire to get to the bottom of this mystery—this Rainbow Dash. After all, with the Midnight Dreary beached and my laboratory far, far away, it's not like I'm accomplishing much as it is. However, I do have my camera—and my wits. Perhaps I will discover something interesting and record the findings here in this journal. So far, it seems, there hasn't been much to capture at all, though I would hardly blame Rainbow Dash for such.
Theanim Mane sat on the edge of the canoe, aiming his camera out onto the high seas. The sun was setting, and a brilliant sheen of crimson light rippled across the waters. He took several shots, waiting until a flock of seagulls crossed the scarlet ways in a poetic fashion.
After the shutter snapped for the last time, he leaned back with a contented sigh. His ears tickled to the sounds of the Nealenders gabbing and chuckling.
“...and then Sora swiped an entire piece of Ultimo's fin!” Kaji grinned. “You should have seen it! The plate looked hard enough to use as an anvil, yet thin enough to act as a cutting board!”
“Coral bright!” Flare gasped from just a few feet away. The waves were calm, and the Nealenders lazed about on their canoes. There was no sea serpent in sight. “How come it doesn't hang from his door?”
“Pfft! How else?” Kaji winked. “The sponge headed fool dropped it into the drink!”
“I did not simply drop it!” Sora frowned. “A porpoise bumped the canoe and knocked me off balance like I was a landwalker!”
“A porpoise, eh?” Silver droned, stifling a yawn. “Probably thought you were presenting her a dowry.”
“Hah hah hah!”
“Heeheehee!”
“Grrrrrr...” Sora promptly stood up, grabbed Kaji's skull, and slammed his forehead against his. Whack!
“Augh—!” SPLOOSH! Kaji plunged overboard, much to the heavy laughter of his companions.
Theanim Mane winced, tilting his camera away from the splattering bits of water. While Kaji surfaced and climbed back on board, the Continentalist glanced eastward.
Rainbow Dash hovered closely over the waves, gazing every which way with squinted eyes. The sky grew darker and darker, but that didn't stop her from struggling to get a view of the ocean's surface—or, better yet, what may have lied beneath it.
As she glided by closer and closer, Theanim became acutely aware of the mare's lips moving as she muttered over and over again: “How about now? … … … No? 'Kay... … … And now, Twilight. Anything? … … … Guhh... where is he?!”
“Ahem...” Theanim smiled politely. “Miss Dash, is there a problem?”
“I'm good. I'm good.” Rainbow waved at a distant, adjusting her pendant as she scanned and scanned the waves. “Just keep your camera ready. The ugly dude'll pop his scaley head out any moment.”
“It's... getting rather late, Miss Dash.”
“Nah. I can still do this. The Nealenders aren't sleepy!”
“They practically cartwheel with their eyes shut,” Theanim droned. “Erm... might I ask who you're talking to.”
“Huh?!” A pair of ruby eyes flickered Theanim's way, reflecting the melting sunset. “Talking? Who's talking?!” her voice cracked. “I've got a sea serpent to bag!”
“As I've noticed,” Theanim said calmly. “But perhaps you may want to call it a day?”
“Look, Professor So-And-So, I'm telling you that I've got this! If I could only—” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. “Darn it, Twilight,” she hissed. “I'm not being rude! It's called assertiveness! Jeez... Since when did you switch places with Belle?!”
Theanim raised an eyebrow. “Belle?”
“Look, just...” Rainbow waved her forelimbs, sighing. “...save your film. I'll let you know when the actions starts, okay?” And she zipped off to patrol the nearby waters in a close orbit of the canoes.
“There she goes again,” Sora's voice droned.
“Should we tell her that Ultimo only shows up when he feels like it?” Kaji said.
“Nah.” Silver shook her head. “Let her spin her circles. Besides...” She leaned against the edge of the canoe. “I wanna see Kaji get Sora back!”
“Wat.” Sora blinked, before a hoof bucked him in the back of the head. Whack! “Dammit—” SPLOOSH!
Theanim winced again from the spray of water. The natives laughed, rocking their canoes. While Sora treaded water, growling at his companions, Theanim returned to his sheet of parchment.
To put it lightly, Rainbow Dash hasn't had much luck in summoning the dreaded Ultimo, much less crossing spears with his scales. It's at such a time as this where one's faith in the mare should logically be stretched. As a scientist, I am obligated to say that there is little to no evidence supporting the strange pegasus' authenticity as a sea serpent hunter. However, I am still drawn to observe her for various minute reasons. When I was accepted into the Order, I took the Ice Scholar's Oath, where I proclaimed that in all things mysterious I would ultimately lean on my trust in Verlaxion, the Queen of All Things. In a land full of frost and despair, our Majesty forged peace and Harmony. Thus, in good faith, I shouldn't be surprised to find reason in the depths of madness.
This colorful pegasus certainly qualifies as “mad.” On over a dozen occasions, I have caught her... talking to herself, whereas other equines have simply ignored the habit altogether or brushed it aside. In a lot of ways, she mimics the signs of a pony mentally exposed to oceanic desolation for far too long. And yet, I know for a fact that she arrived here with two traveling companions. So what is the source of her insanity, presuming she's afflicted at all? She seems fully capable of functioning as a sane member of society. She's strikingly vegetarian, which is unique among both Westerners and Easterners. However, in between moments of perceivably normal behavior, I still catch her having curious dialogue with the shadows. The name “Twilight” comes up often. This is no major secret. If you stand close enough to the mare, you can hear it clear as day. Just who is this “Twilight?” Is it a goddess that the mare believes in? Could this be the first representative of some far-off archipelago's forsaken religion? If so, it might explain her rather apathetic stance to the legacy of Verlaxion, at least in comparison to her companions.
And her companions are—indeed—vastly different from the cryptic mare. They're as predictable as Colonialists come, with the old one being a pretentious surly heretic quick to defile the name of our Queen. I could smell book dust from the Kihutajan Marine Colonialist Academy before I got a glimpse at his pathetic, overworn bifocals. I very much doubt the old codger will last a single week on this island, whether or not the great Ultimo is slain. Undoubtedly my friends—in a fit of rage and righteous indignance—will toss him to the coral reef along with his inane, outdated maps.
As for the younger one, well, I can clearly see what hormones have done to the wasted apostate minds of that Academy's body...
“Don't fret, Landwalker!” Kaji smiled, sporting several fresh welts across his face and forehead. He, Theanim Mane, and the other Nealenders trotted through the tide's surf and onto dry land under the veil of night. A series of rafts were moored into the sand behind them. “Another day, another sand dollar! Hah! That's an atoll joke!”
“Yeah, I figured,” Rainbow droned. “I just don't get it. We were five tiny morsels—”
“Six,” Theanim said.
“Six tiny morsels afloat outside the lagoon!” Rainbow exclaimed. “How come Ultimo didn't jump for the bait?! He was so quick to attack the Swan Song the other day!”
“Only Verlaxion knows when Ultimo is hungry,” Silver remarked. “Until then, it's simply a guessing game. That's half of what makes a sport... sporting!”
“He'll show up yet, Rainbow Dash.” Sora smirked. “And then you can show him what you're made of!”
“So long as it's not the same stuff that you were made of in the lagoon the other day,” Flare said with a wink.
Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “Yeah... well... there's gotta be some way to get him to show... or something.”
“Don't sweat it,” Kaji said, stifling a yawn as he made for the village bonfire beyond the treeline. “He probably ate—like—ten orcas while we weren't looking.”
“Yeah, orcas are stupid.”
“Hah hah hah!”
“Whoop!”
Theanim Mane was about to say something, perhaps citing a biological factoid that would dispute such an ignorant claim, when Nick suddenly trotted across his way, balancing a tray full of steaming meat.
“Erm... excuse me, Mr. Mane. Rainbow Dash.”
“Hey! Fish!” Silver smirked, leaning in with a glowing horn. “My favorite sort of food! The fishy kind!”
“Erm. Yeah. There are lots more by the bonfire. The Professor's having some. Excuse me.” Nick shuffled straight past Silver and the other Nealenders, stopping before a certain pegasus. “Uhm... hey there, Flare.”
“Nnnnngh...” Flare finished yawning and used the tip of her wingfeathers to pick her nose. “Grnnngh... hmmf? Oh, hello, needle point.”
Nick's purple eyes blinked. “Needle... point—” His eyes crossed, glancing at his horn, and he chuckled. “Ah! Ah hah! Good one. Ahem.” He levitated the plate of smoking fish towards her. “Erm... some of the locals said that... uh... you really like smoked salmon with a side of cucumber sauce.”
“Ohhh?” The mare squinted at him through the gathering starlight.
“And... uh... I-I figured that maybe you were exhausted after a long day of hunting a giant sea-god-thing, so I brought this out for you!” He gave a lopsided smile. “Maybe once it's cooled, you'd enjoy taking a bite or—”
“Graaaughghglkjghghhhkk!” Flare lunged forward, scarfing up the piping hot meat liberally with ravenous jaws.
“Aaaaack!” Nick literally fell on his haunches, flinching all over.
“Mrmmffschlkkk-Grerkkfff-Chomppkkkk!” Flare bit and gnashed her teeth, gobbling the tender fish parts before they could fall from her slimed maw. After the meal was thoroughly inhaled, she wiped her muzzle then belched loudly. After two sniffs, she flicked a hairless tail and smirked. “Hmmmf! You weren't lying, needle point! It was cucumber sauce! Whoop!”
“So... uh...” Nick sat up, his smile limp and crooked. “You like?”
“Yes. Yes.” She made to trot past him, paused, then glanced at his side. “How much do you weigh?”
“Huh? Oh... well... I... uh...”
WHUMP! Flare slapped him with her right wing, and he plummeted back into the sand.
“Hah!” Flare's teeth glinted with a cosmic sheen. “Just as I thought!” She giggled, trotting off in a gay canter. “Try not to sleep east of the trees or the winds will blow you into the tide!” She called after the others ahead of her. “Hey! Wait for me! I wanna see Kaji's flatulence hit the bonfire!”
“Then you better make swish, starfish! Hah hah hah!”
“Whoop!”
Nick laid on his back, hooves curled to his chest as he blinked. Slowly, a dumb smile graced his muzzle. “'Needle point.' Heeee... I rather like that.” He looked up at Rainobw. “What do you think?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes from where she hovered.
“Hey!” Nick frowned. “Don't laugh!”
“Oh, I'm not.” Rainbow levitated in silence, then pointed to an empty space of air right beside her. “But she totally is!”
“Grrrrrr...” Nick shook a hoof. “Twiliiiiight...”
“Heh heh heh...” Rainbow zipped off towards the main village while the young stallion got up and galloped after her.
All of this, Theanim observed from the shadows. His ears twitched to the sound of crashing surf. With a thoughtful arch to his eyebrow, he swung his bags over his flank and resumed his slow march to shore.
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nice reference
Shifty...as...fuck...
These locals, I swear...
Heh heh heh heh.
Are you enjoying your native island mares, Nick?
5986246 So Velax. . . is the equal if Chryssie. . So what would that make the rest? I remember Theanim was introduced samesame as EE, so flipped? Backwards?
>Part One
OH BOY THE LAST TIME WE HAD PARTS IN A CHAPTER TITLE WAS A WHOLE LOTTA FUN TOO
LET'S SEE WHERE THIS GOES
5986307 Hmm, Theanim has aspects of EE and Ebon... Nick has aspects of Props and Zaid... Sinrar has aspects of Josho and Pilate, but they don't work together. Josho and Roarke, perhaps?
Somehow, I think this detail will prove to be significant.
Ooh, monologues: a nice recap and pile-up of the information we have so far. Less work for us!
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/016/379/1409873479189.gif
But in all seriousness, yes, she is a goddess, you recreant. Hail she who was born mortal yet through celestial grace ascended to the throne of the all-mighty.
Arg......normally I would love exposition, but I seem to have developed quite the case of antipathy for Theanim. I don't know what it is about the equine, but he just rubs me the wrong way.
5986244
I was thinking exactly that. Welcome aboard, SkywardStrike, read this and know that our lord and master SS&E watches over his subjects.
5986341
Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior rainbow dash, the austraeoh?
Wrong "A" word
Yes.
So, the others have taken notice of Twilight: they just don't care. Well... except for Theanim.
And, he also seems to now be aware that Nick also talks to this "Twilight" being/deity(?)/thing.
5986346
Because he's a religious ****, and not in an endearing way, the way Sinrar is.
Well well...shifty as he is good to see he's being... semi unbiased in his report.
I predict he's gonna get dunked when Ultimo shows up, along with his camera's.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
5986385
static.fjcdn.com/pictures/My+little+heretic_bd83ab_5402041.png
That post gave me heresy. Austraeoh is merely a lieutenant of her universal will.
5986341 derpicdn.net/img/2015/5/15/896359/large.png
Theanim continues to baffle me. As far as I can tell, he can have one of two roles in the larger story: 1.) Eventually become an ally, learning the truth of who Rainbow is and becoming disillusioned with Verlaxion, or 2.) Eventually become a means by which Verlaxion becomes aware of Austraeoh's presence (something tells me that reports of a rainbow-maned pegasus with a pendant around her neck would send up red flags for the dragon). It's just hard to tell right now.
Also, I'm liking this smitten Nick. I might wonder if he'd be staying here in the Atoll, except he's Rainbow's ride. Unless option one [see above] comes to fruition, and Rainbow leaves with Theanim.
5986475
From what we've seen of Theanim, I would be inclined to say option #2 is the more likely. Theanim may indeed become wrapped up in Rainbow's quest, but I don't believe it will be because he believes in or actually wants to help her cause. He sees her as an enigma, a mystery to solve, and he many just follow her to unravel the mystery and collect evidence. It appears that he is writing his report to be sent to the "Ninety Seventh Rohbredden Scientific Order". With mentions of heresy already coloring this report, I'm sure the Scientific Order won't take too kindly to Rainbow.
5986321
Didn't we get hints that the maps being used were pretty old (and thus, outdated) back when Rainbow was looking through Dr. Dude's shack? Vaguely recall the maps being described. But I would agree that this might be a bit of foreshadowing, if the maps are outdated... does that Rainbow and co. will become a bit lost looking for the seeds?
5986282 Us Nealenders are classy as fuck.
I find this sort of chapter refreshing. After following the exploits of Color Wheel Boomer (just added 'boomer' to my phone's dictionary) for two million words, being given another perspective on her colorful flank helps me shake the cobwebs out of my head and picture her a little more clearly.
Buddy, you don't even know.
That said, though, Thunker Meat seems pretty sharp to notice as much as he does.
Ahh these Nealenders are going to keep up the fun. It's a party, everypone is invited and they don't have mustard.
Otherwise I fear they'd write on whoever passed out first, though they seem like the kind to do so for the fun of it.
Theres a single sale laying in the lagoon somewhere?
Know thine enemy.
Will be intresting if it turned out to be metallic, or organo metalic construction, you know, fiven fins are usually a couple bone spines with membranes between them at least, and slabs of body otherwise? Depends what other mutations there are, or choice of design.
Im amazed that guy could afford a camera and writing paper that can withstand deep immersion in the lagoon. What do they use? China Clay penciles, which is what normal pencils are made of, mixed with graphite, but without the graphite? Or with an amount for colouring? If you really wanted to, a proper slate can be written on with steel, as the steel is softer and wears off, marking the surface. Aluminium is even softer.
Is it instincts, intelligence, programming, or tracking, roll of the die or deliberate action.
Where is Ultimo.
He's behind you.
Hey Swanny! I think we've got a sprouting new ship here!
Nice foreshadowing.
Also, we need more fanart.
5986246
Soon, we'll learn that there are only 96 Rohbredden Scientific Orders!
Hail Chrysalis 2.0!
And now I associate my username with anatomical confusion.
5986321
5986612
Sinrar's maps are outdated, yes, but outdated in that they contain heretical information, landmarks, islands, names, etc, that no longer exist on any official maps.
Remember that 300 years ago, there was a general purge of all old legends, folk tales, or official cultural histories that predated Verlax's establishment as Queen Verlaxion.
Sinrar may come from a culture that lives apart from the active meddlings of Verlaxion's faithful censors within the academia, but Sinrar still had a hell of a time spending the majority of his mature life recovering what scraps of pre-Verlaxion relics, legends, and oral folklore that survived the purge.
I like the return of the journal/letter writing. It's interesting to see Mane's ideas on what's going on this way.
I must say the locals really know how to live. They may seem simple, but you can't say they don't have fun.
What's with the Manes and letter writing? Family tradition?
I find it funny how you people jump to "Mane" meaning Theanim is related to Ebon.
Even if pony names worked the way human's do, i expect that "Mane" would be one of the most common ones, kinda like "Smith" for the US, or "Novák" in my country.
Then again, the ways of IC are mysterious, and he might have found a different reference than JustAnotherTimeLord's contact.
5987017
The interesting question is, what does Theanim think is inaccurate about those outdated maps? What will be his reaction when it turns out the modern maps are the ones inaccurate?
Also interesting is how we're all already assuming it's the new maps that are wrong. What if the surface of the world has actually changed?
5987366 Rule Two of SS&E's writing: There are no coincidences.
5987778
First of all, agreed.
Second of all, what's rule number one?
5988236 They aren't dead unless you see the body.
5988472
There's always an exception. RIP Golden Happenstance.
Yeah, Nick . . . I think it's time to stop trying so hard. It ain't gonna work.
fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/292/d/a/princess_celestia_as_an_orca_by_mykegreywolf-d4dcl9t.png
I take offense to that.
5986314 Austraeoh Fact Checker, when was the last time we had a multipart chapter? actually, when are all the times it's happened?
This is so, soooo familiar chapter.
he so sneaky
5996045 There've been four multi-part chapters in the entire series before this, unless I missed anything.
1. The Breakfast, Odrsjot
2. The Lerris Chronicles, Odrsjot
3. The Council of Sehlp, Yaefaerda
4. A Most Noble Breakfast, Yaefaerda
EDIT: There's also "Chronicles of the East Horse", Ynanhluutr
Diagnosis: part time insanity.
And I see we've found our new Floydien.
He is methodical, I will give him that.
07/28/2017
20:39 UTC
Triggered.