• Published 13th Oct 2015
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Utaan - Imploding Colon



Rainbow Dash endures many trials to reach the edge of the world.

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The Twilight Dialogues, Part Two

The wind in the air picked up.

It happened quite suddenly, almost as if the Herald had passed some invisible demarcation of meteorological significance. Consistent gusts measuring upwards of thirty-miles-per-hour persisted in pelting the group's wagon as well as those on board. For the first time since leaving Blue's Ranch, Logan had to struggle with pulling the cart evenly forward. Flynn and Bard trotted alongside the wagon—using their combined strength to help balance the vehicle. Remna—in the meantime—supported it from the rear.

Wildcard and Ariel could no longer perform air reconnaissance with much ease. For a while, they instead chose to scale the atmosphere in alternating shifts. When even this proved next to impossible because of the wind gusts, Rainbow requested that they remained grounded. The group relied on Fluttershy's and Twilight's senses for the remainder of the trip.

The winds came mostly from the east, pressing against the Herald—practically resisting them. Kepler explained that this was due to the proximity to the eastern ocean... which was—by extension—connected to the edge of the world. The wyvern insisted that the winds would be more manageable once they scaled the waters. The surf—however—would be another matter entirely. Seeing as they were going to rely on Flynn's vessel, they had mana-powered resources to look forward to in stabilizing the ship. Rainbow didn't quite understand how such a thing would be possible, but she didn't bother asking. As she listened to Princess Luna, she kept her eyes locked on Yaerfaerda—which drew ever closer despite its erratic fluctuations.


Even then, the colors danced and wavered, never settling for any single hue for more than a half-second.

"And Verlax never gave any sort of indication as to what you would find at this 'Sixth Seed?'" Luna's voice asked.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. She tilted her head, leaning an ear to the sky so she could make out Luna's voice amdist the whistling winds. "She was vague, as always!" Rainbow lifted her voice so Luna could hear her as well. "She insisted that it was... some sort of 'final trial.' But how it could possibly be any crazier than all the crud she's put me through is waaaaaaay beyond me."

"Oh dear..." Rarity gulped. "I shudder to think!"

"Call it positive thinking," Rainbow exclaimed, "But I like to think that Verlax's influence stopped at Frostknife! She was always anticipating Austraeoh to come from the west! If she actually did anything to mess with Utaan like she did with the rest of the entrances to the machine world, then I'll friggin' eat this pendant!"

"Utaan?" Luna questioned.

"I believe she's out of the loop, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "Tell her she can join the club! The loopty-loop club!"

"Errrr..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted. "'Utaan' is the name of the Sixth Seed."

"How do you know this, Rainbow Dash?"

"The vision I had at the Fifth Seed confirmed it," Rainbow said. "I'm... not sure what it means, but it's what's waiting for me at the next machine world entrance. That much I do know."

"In the old angelic tongue, it trranslates to 'beyond!'" Kepler exclaimed. He clung to the wagon's side, holding his spectacles in place as the wind pelted him. "I do apologize forr interrrupting, but I felt that such needed to be rreinforrced!"

"Yeah! What he said!" Rainbow shouted against the winds. "Kepler and Mortuana kept a bunch of books at Wyvern Point that detailed some of the meaning behind old pegasus stuff! Consider it the closest thing we have to a Urohringr Lexicon!"

"... ... ...was that a wyvern speaking, just now?" Luna inquired.

Rainbow blinked.

"Why, yes! Quite so, Yourr Most Esteemed Majesty of the Moon!" Kepler saluted the air with a tusked smile. "And I am most blessed to serrve yourr loyal and trrusted trravelerr frrom afarr! Ha Hah!"

"How very fascinating. It has been a long, long time since I've heard the bombastic voice of a wyvern. I had feared the entirety of their fragile race extinct from this plane."

"They almost werrrrre," Pinkie hummed out the side of her muzzle.

"I assurre you, yourr highness, we are most definitely still alive!" Kepler said. "And as joyful as everr to explorre the intellectual lengths of this marrvelous univerrse of ourrs!"

"Indeed. Your kind of enthusiasm has been sorely missed, Sir Kepler."

Rainbow squinted at the cosmos. "Did wyverns once live in Equestria?"

"Yes, child. And seaponies and sarosians a'plenty. Our kingdom was once a great deal more diverse than it is today."

"Huh..." Rainbow blinked. "I guess so many folks got separated when Verlax forged the Grand Choke. She had to get her Tribes from someplace."

"Which is precisely why it burdens my heart that they've been so terribly misled," Luna said. "But we must deal with the issue at hoof. The Sixth Seed—any way of knowing if it is situated over land or water?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow stared off at the dark horizon. "I'm pretty sure it's not on land, Your Highness."

"This, I can confirrm!" Kepler said. "Mortuana stated that an anomalous prresence of harrmonic enerrgy existed off the east coast! She expected it to take on a new state of animation with the arrrival of the Austrraeoh!"

"So... like..." Rainbow glanced aside. "...could it have been underwater before I showed up to make contact with the other Seeds?"

"A verry rreal possibility, Rrainbow one."

"Great..." Rainbow sighed. "...another stupid tower."

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled.

"No doubt Verlax anticipated this," Luna said.

"Oh. For sure." Rainbow nodded. "She anticipated dang-near everything. However... she's not my biggest concern for when we breach the coastline."

"My lost foals..."

Rainbow looked at Echo. "I've heard nothing but cruddy stuff about Bleak's Plummet. Supposedly the seas east of the Rohbredden coastline are just buzzing with sarosians."

Echo weathered a sigh. "Pirates, robbers, and assholes—the whole bunch of them."

Nicole winced. "Now you're starting to sound like Blue."

"Sorry Babe. You can't have prejudice without an ounce of truth." Echo looked at Rainbow. "Not all midnighters are jerkaholics, of course... but the ones that matter on this side of the world will friggin' skin you alive." He gulped. "There are tons and tons of seafaring gangs who pride themselves on attacking ships, stealing cargo, and making life all-around Hell for those who brave these waters."

"How do Rohbreddenites cruise the waves?" Rainbow asked. Her brow furrowed. "Do they even cruise the waves?"

"In numbers, sure. And the big... big flagships are waaaaaaaay too much for the midnighter punks to bother taking on." Echo cleared his throat, glancing aside. "However... a tiny, singular skiff in the middle of the ocean...?"

Flynn looked up from where he trotted alongside the wagon. His one good eye narrowed. "What are you implying?"

"We should have brought a battleship, that's what."

"I can't be that bad," Nicole murmured.

"No. It's worse... at least for me." Echo sighed. "There are tons of midnighters out there who want me dead. And although running into the same motherbuckers is slim-to-none... the fact that my wings are clipped is a sure sign that I was banished from Bleak's Plummet for a reason."

"Meaning...?"

"They'll kill me dead on sight, that's what," Echo muttered, causing Nicole to wince. "Assuming they don't torture me first."

"That will not happen. I assure you," Luna's voice said.

"Your Majesty," Echo began. "With all due respect... these aren't your same fuzzy-eared protectors of Horseland that we're talking about—"

"Nopony is more acquainted with the ravenous heart of a sarosian than I. You were born from nightmares to become something more... something wholesome. But unchecked emotions of the night—much like Nightmare Moon's—can still be changed with enough harmony and focus."

"I hate to remind ya, Princess... but... uh..." Rainbow gestured at her ghostly companions. "The Elements of Harmony are more watered-down than soup at the moment."

"Beg yer pardon?" Applejack blurted.

"It's okay." Fluttershy smiled crookedly. "I like soup."

"How exactly are we going to calm the hearts of multiple, leather-winged savage beasts?" Rainbow asked.

"It is not so much about calming as it is about redirecting," Luna said. "Leave it in my capable hooves, Rainbow Dash. I shall be the voice of command and authority in this scenario. Your friends—Echo and Nicole—shall be the avatars. Together—with my magic as the vessel—we shall convince my lost foals to channel their passions elsewhere. If these 'midnighters' seek to be warriors, then we shall give them something to war over. It has been a very... very long time, but I do believe destiny is at hoof to realign these forsaken tribes into pursuing something righteous."

"Do you... uh... care to be more specific... Your Highness?"

"It will come down to a matter of opportunity. But, indeed, we must prepare. We will begin by channeling my energy in a concentrated fashion into your pendant, Rainbow Dash."

"Erm... h-how are we going to do that?"

"With much patience. If what you say about the Twilight Lands and their cosmic heavens is correct... than this is exactly the window we need to give you an edge... on the edge... if you understand my impulsive turn of phrase."

"Hey-heyyyyyyyy!" Pinkie smiled aside. "Princess Luna made a pun! I'm super proud of her!"

"Now you're proud?!" Twilight cackled.

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