Farewell and Adieu, Fair Nealend Ladies
It took Rainbow Dash ten seconds to determine which way was up, another ten seconds to swim there, and about five more seconds to brace herself against a heavy wave of water disrupting the ocean's surface. When finally—finally—she could breathe, it was with a sputtering wheeze. Her eyes twitched in the bright sunlight, and she flapped her wet wings like a pelican breaking the water.
“Guh! Mmmfff... Twilight?!” Rainbow hollered, wincing. “Twilight, where are you?!”
A lavender shape emerged harmlessly out of the water. “Rainbow, I'm untouchable, remember?”
“Oh... er... yeah...” Rainbow winced while bobbing in the choppy ocean water. “Guess I just... uhhh...”
“Quick!” Twilight glided beneath the surface and emerged on the other side of the pegasus. “To the northwest! About ten feet?”
“Huh?” Rainbow twirled to face her. She followed the direction Twilight was pointing and saw a brown shape beneath the waves. “Ah jeez!” She inhaled, dove, and swam deep. Twilight guided her towards a floundering pony figure. Rainbow gripped a panicked Theanim Mane from behind, then swam the both of them to the surface.
“Mfnnghh—Verlaxion's Sleet!” Theanim spat with his first breath.
“Just try and stay calm and pony paddle like normal!” Rainbow said, floating beside him. “I'll try to find out where the others went!”
“Never mind me or the others?!” Theanim clenched his teeth, wading about in frantic circles. “Where's my camera bag?!”
Before Rainbow could respond, Twilight darted up. “Rainbow.” She pointed straight down.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, dove, and came back up—shoving a wet canvas bag into Theanim's chest. “There! Maybe it can use you as a flotation device!”
“Ha HA!” Silver's voice shouted from the distance. “Now that's one way to wake up!”
Rainbow spun to see the unicorn surfacing on a waterlogged canoe. “Dude! We can laugh later! Where are the others?!”
Flare dove up from the depths, hauling a bunch of soaked spears which she tossed into Silver's boat. “I dunno,” Silver said, pointing past Rainbow with his oar. “Maybe where the big huge mass is headed!”
“Huh?” Rainbow blinked.
“Oh dear.” Twilight dropped through the water. A few seconds later, she hovered back to the surface, her face wrought with a pale blanching expression. “It's coming back!”
“Verlaxion spare me,” Theanim stammered.
Rainbow gulped. “Don't panic, dude. I'll keep you safe.”
“No, I-I think my camera got wet inside my bag!”
“Really?!” Twilight Sparkle barked in the stallion's oblivious face. “That is all you're worried about right now?!”
“Twilight, leave the obvious emotional outbursts to me,” Rainbow said.
Theanim glanced over. “Now I know there's relevance to that name for sure—”
“I gotta find Sora and Kaji!” FWOOSH! Rainbow soared northeast with Twilight trailing after her. “Flare! Silver! Pick him up!”
“But the hunt's on!” Silver hollered. “We want to spill blood!”
“Save his first!” Rainbow sneered, skimming the waves as her figure grew more and more distant.
“Wait up, Thunker Meat!” Flare smiled, beating her wings as she guided the water-slick canoe towards the floating stallion. “If you wish to capture a glorious moment, now's the time to whip out the box of stolen souls!”
“Please...” Theanim sputtered while Silver telekinetically floated him on board. “You can't possibly pretend to be that naive.”
“Hehe... we can if it gets your dander up!” Flare said.
“Yes, then we can use your scent to attract the beast,” Silver said. “It's your fault for growing your mane long.”
“Meh.” Theanim pulled his camera out and slipped his goggles over his eyes. “It's my fault for even being here.” Gulping, he gazed nervously at the patch of ocean water directly northeast of them. “Verlaxion, give them strength.”
“If she's feeling really generous, she'll give them lots of blood to bathe in!”
“Ha ha!”
“Whoop!”
“Charming to the last breath,” Theanim muttered, aiming his camera.
Rainbow glided low over the rippling currents. She clenched her teeth, glancing left and right.
“Come on... come on...”
Foamy waves broke and cleared, but otherwise the ocean's surface remained spotless.
“They can't be completely gone!” Rainbow stammered. “There have to be parts of the boat somewhere at least—”
Twilight surfaced beneath Rainbow, facing her as she glided upside down. “I'm not seeing anything, Rainbow!”
“Well keep looking, Twi.” Rainbow looked dead ahead. A dark spot formed beneath the ocean, heading her way. “There's gotta be a good reason Ultimo's charging this way.”
“Rainbow, he's charging to get at you!” Twilight exclaimed. “You saw how high up that thing can lunge! Fly higher or else you'll be mince meat!”
“Not without finding the others!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“But Rainbow, at this point—”
“I know you're not used to tense situations, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “Rule Number One to adventuring outside of Equestria: never give up hope, no matter how dire crap is!”
“And I'm not giving up hope, Rainbow! Just—if Ultimo so much as gets one bite at you—”
“Hey! Landwalker! Over here!”
Rainbow gasped, glancing to her right.
A wet hoof waved wildly. At last, Rainbow could spot Sora and Kaji. The two were floating side by side in the waves. There was still no sign of their canoe.
“Sora?!” Rainbow squinted. She darted suddenly to the right, causing Twilight to jolt against a wall of translucent lavender. “What's wrong with Kaji?!”
“Hah! The wuss conked out!” Sora smirked, nevertheless cradling the pegasus to his chest. “Looks like the only airtime he can handle is the kind he can give himself!”
“Where the heck's the boat?!”
“Beats me! Probably shattered! Hah!” Sora looked over his shoulder as the waves began rising sharply in a trough. “Good times!”
“Rainbow—!” Twilight's voice squeaked as she pointed at the hulking mountain of scales surging towards Sora's and Kaji's position.
Rainbow stifled a gasp. “Hang on!” Swissssssh! She angled her wings sharply, diving towards the two Nealenders. “I'll get you before—”
“Get the spears, ya sand huffer!” Sora hollered.
“Huh?!” Rainbow blinked. Her gaze tilted down, and she spotted a smattering of wooden poles floating sporadically across the ocean's surface between her and her targets. “No way, dude! I'm getting you two out of—”
“Get a damn spear and then you can get me!” Sora let go of Kaji completely, waving emphatically. A gigantic snout with teeth broke the water behind him.
“He can't possibly be—” Twilight's voice cut off as she went underwater.
“Hnnnkkk!” Rainbow dove with all her might, grabbed a spear, and skimmed the surface with just inches to spare. She reached Sora just as the sea serpent reached them. The mare lobbed up a spear with the momentum of her flight.
Sora caught it, spun around—“RAAAAAAAUGH!”—and drove it deep into the nose of the charging serpent. When Ultimo's jaws opened, it lifted Sora skyward due to his grip on the lance. Kaji's body was knocked to the side, meanwhile Rainbow Dash—
“Luna poop!”
—twirled to the side. Whap! Her body pinballed off the scaled headcrest of the sea serpent. She flew upside down. Through her pained vision, she spotted a knife-sharp set of fins slicing through the wet air. She kicked her legs off the beast's hide, avoided the fins by a half-meter, then rocketed skyward to avoid the behemoth's lashing tail. She avoided the appendage—but was considerably less successful when it came to the massive jets of water being kicked up by the thing.
Splooosh!
“Guhhh!” Rainbow toppled, ensnared by a cage of hard water. Gnashing her teeth, she flapped her wings and forced her body through the liquid like a brash bullet. It was only after breaking free that she realized she was plunging straight into the ocean again. “Oh.”
THWAP! Rainbow belly-flopped hard. Somewhere in the distance, a lavender unicorn winced. “Owie.”
“Unnngh...” Rainbow went under, twirled, then came back up to the surface. By now, the oceanwater was undulating with massive swells. There was no sign of the sea serpent; there was no sign of anything. Rainbow looked around, her vision still reforming from the bright white flash of pain her bellyflap had dealt her. “Guh... no bellyrubs for months...”
Twilight finally returned to hovering upright. “Uhhh...” She looked around nervously. “...where did Sora go?”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!”
“... … …?” Rainbow looked straight up. She grimaced, then spread her limbs out wide.
WHUMP! She caught the stallion like an enormous hoofball mit. The force of the Nealender's incalculably high plunge caused the two to plunge fifteen feet underwater. They bobbed back up to the surface with Rainbow safely hugging the native from behind.
“Ow ow ow...” Rainbow shuddered. “My tummy.”
“Hah hah hah hahhhh!” Sora spat seawater and rubbed the residual sea serpent blood off his grinning muzzle. “Even better times!”
“Where did he friggin' go?!” Rainbow stammered.
“Verlaxion knows!” Sora shrugged. “Perhaps back home to its mother's teats! Hah!”
“Mmmffnngh... brother...” Sputtered a weak voice.
“Rainbow, look!” Twilight gasped.
Rainbow and Sora twirled about to see Kaji swimming upright. The stallion was awake, but wincing.
“About time you got back!” Sora said with a glistening grin. “I thought I might have to salvage your feathers for fishing lures!”
“My boat...” Kaji blinked blearily as he swam closer. “Where is it?”
Just then, a massive set of jaws emerged from the ocean behind him, spitting something out. A battered wooden missile flew at the group.
“Oh, there it is!” Sora grinned. “Hah!”
“Get down!” Rainbow hollered, shoving the two of them underwater. The slimed projectile hit the waves above them, shattering on contact.
SMASH!
“Verlaxion's sleet!” Kaji punched the water, gnashing his teeth. “I just waxed that!”
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It'll be a miracle/convenient storytelling if nopony dies.
Oh wow this might be my first time getting first on this story. yay?
This thing really hates boats.
6011300
Stop trying to make comment spaces reserved for later happen. It's not going to happen.
SURE PLAYS A MEAN PIN-BALL!
Roarke isn't here to give you one anyway...:(
Well Rainbow, you were right... so what now?
6011314 Rainbow Dash is the fastest, so she needs to fly down the sea serpent's throat and wedge herself in place so that it chokes to death on her.
Those Nealenders. Yeesh.
So, not going the Jonah route, huh? Oh well.
6011311 I didn't. That's a legit comment. I fear death is going to strike a member of the party and dash is going to have to face up to it.
Am I not allowed to celebrate happening to see the story at the top of the recently updated page, reading through the chapter, making a comment, and noticing I was the first one to do so?
Duplicity of the Twilight Ghost strikes again!
Now I can't stop imagining skimming a spear along the surface of the water.
Great. He's here. Now all you need to do is find the weak point to strike for massive damage.
This is how I'd react if my camera bag was flooded.
Except I would be crying. $2000 worth of equipment is a lot to lose at once.
Farewell and Adieu, to you Nealand Ladies
Farewell and Adieu, to you ladies of Nealand
For we've recieved orders for to sail for Ultimo
And we may never see you brusque ladies again
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Nealand natives
We'll rant and we'll roar across the Atoll
Until we strike canoes in the maw of ole Ultimo
And soak poor Theanim right down to the bone
The Nealenders and even Nick seems to have their priorities straight.
6011544
Curious lack of self-preservation.
How the hell haven't they all died?
6011563 There may be something behind their saying of Verlaxion's will afterall...
6011302 If I was expecting juicy tuna or steak and instead I got woodchips and aluminum foil, you better believe I'd be agitated and frustrated.
And that, Kaji, is why you don't sleep on the job.
Will Nick hop on his trusted boat and rescue Fla- everyone? Will he use Sinrar as a bait? Will he finally get laid? Probably not.
With what? Cod-liver oil?
6011544 Don't forget Thunker Meat.
6011386
I think he's doing that on purpose now.
what if Verlax IS Ultimo? She is an unparalleled shape shifter.
The moral of this story is: Don't wax your boat, it'll just be eaten and used as a projectile by a serpent.
So... Did Sora make Ultimo nose-bleed?
6011806 Then I imagine she would be much better at offing Rainbow Dash.
All that hard work, destroyed. Good to see everyone is safe though.
I am going to be so sad to see Dash and co leave these guys behind, unless we get a twofer and have two new party members.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
6011888 She's doing about as well as Nev did.
A Nealender dying would be an interesting development. Now that I think about it, I'm quite curious about their mourning practices.
6012027 Nev had to contend with a cultist gunship intervening to protect Rainbow, no such firepower is present this time.
The wooden boat got coughed up? Maybe if they had something a bit larger, more metallic, and with sharper ends, they can get it jammed in Ultimos throat?
You could say,
Ultimos Swan Song?
6011888
Maybe she doesn't want to off her. The "Verlax is testing the Austraeoh" theory is still very much possible.
Daww nopony got eaten... Boring!
Well, won't you look at that. I read the next chapter before I read this one.
Well, I can't wait for Theanim to dog Rainbow Dash about Twilight--although, considering how close we are to getting Rarity, I expect that he'll very soon be even more confused.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
I'm going to laugh when it turns out Verlax has nothing to do with any of this, and its just paranoia about someone described as the most devious of the divine dragons.
Welp, that worked out well . . . I guess. Not really. Maybe they should have just been swallowed. It'd be not only crazy, but they might get a chance to make progress. Of course, there's still time yet for this to happen.
Did everyone miss the most obvious reference?
I expected to see at least one comment about it.
...
Well here's that comment.
I hope the nealanders have boat insurance.
6012088 That is all Swan Song is good for anyway.
6023430 i thought that interpeetation of the camera was hilariously perfect lol
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Neal
For we've received orders to sail to the world's edge
But we hope in a short time to see you again.
How does an island native wax a dugout canoe, and with what exactly?
10/20/2019
16:23 UTC
OWWWWWW
Call your insurance my dude, cause I think it's totalled.