Utaan

by Imploding Colon

A Bat Pony Pow Wow

Xarchellus squatted on the balcony of Bleak's Plummet, gripping her cane.

She wasn't alone.

Over the past hour, dozens more spheres rose from the depths of the gnarled structure, carrying the excited and curious residents of the pirate habitat. Hundreds upon hundreds of sarosians soon perched on the large brambles and looming spires. Several had to cling upside down to the glistening thorns just to make room. Every slitted eye and leafy ear was trained on a single glowing point: Rainbow Dash's pendant. The mesmerized crowd—numbering over a thousand—listened intently as Princess Luna's voice rippled over the thunder and crashing of waves.

"H'cylsialym y'lynwyn h'lyn h'jymsyln H'Luun lyn'ym yln w'lywymym l'synym m'rhylym H'qyslycym m'lynym l'syll H'dscym. Rainbow Dash, W'ynlppa yln H'luun, l'synylym l'syll H'qyslycym y'wynsym yln w'sppyl H'rmymnm lsy H'dscym. H'yml y'wynymym y'hnyrr yln h'lyppal lsy Urohringr, wy'nym y'myslym yln Austraeoh..."

The silver glow in the air intensified. Rainbow Dash had to sit still the entire time, projecting the energy from her Element skyward. The volume of Luna's voice was almost deafening, but she braved it—allowing the long-distance monarch to educate her forsaken flock with what Rainbow could only guess was an enormously loaded monologue of relevant information.

"Whew... can't be easy for her," Logan said, watching from the deck of the Stardust.

"Yeah..." Flynn nodded. "The moon princess is almost as chatty as Wildcard." He smirked and called towards the balcony. "Ain't that right, Bard?!"

There was no response.

"Bard?!" Flynn remarked.

"Shhhh!" Kepler insisted, hobbling over from the stern. "Keep it down, frriend." He pointed at the mass crowd of midnighters. "Can you not see that they arre currrently being brriefed on the enorrmity of the last ten centurries?!"

"Yeah, well, they'd better get briefed faster," Ariel muttered, hovering in place. "We've got places to be."

"It's not that simple, my dearr," Kepler said.

"I know..." Ariel sighed. "It's just we've all come a long way... only to sit down for a bat pony pow wow." She blinked. "Say... where is Bard, anyways?"

"Over there," Flynn droned pointing to the far end of the balcony. "Ignoring me."

"I'll go see how he's doing." Swoooooosh! Ariel crossed the distance in a blink to do just that. Passing over several leafy-eared heads, she hovered at the cowcolt's side. "Yo! Bard!" Ariel leaned in with a smile. "So, what was it like down below?" She winked. "Was the guano buoyant?"

Bard said nothing. He stared off towards the furthest end of the balcony from Rainbow Dash.

"Bard?" Ariel cocked her head aside. "Is everything okay?"

At last, the Desperado snapped out of it. "Oh... uh... yeah! Sure thang..." He cleared his throat, continuing to stare. "Everythang's all hunkey dorey..."

"Hmmm?" Ariel craned her neck. "What are you looking at...?"

It was then that she saw. Echo and Nicole were gathered along the edge of the balcony. Because so many adult sarosians were focused on Princess Luna's voice, several dozen fillies and colts overflowed outward from the rest of the crowd. Distracted, the youngsters huddled closer and closer around Nicole and Echo until the two ponies were awash in a sea of bright eyeslits and tiny fangs.

"You mean you've never sucked anypony's blood?" one colt remarked, leather wings flexing. "Ever?"

"Well... no!" Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Why, have you?"

"Well... no. But my big brother has!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!" The colt hopped in place. "He's a strong, menacing pirate! He's sucked the blood of thousands of ponies at sea!" His tiny fangs flashed as he spread his limbs menacingly. "Hressssssssh!"

"Thousands... huh?" Nicole smirked.

"Has he brought you a single drop of blood from these kills?" Echo droned.

The colt blinked at him. "Uhm... well..."

"Lemme guess..." The stallion smirked. "He only tells you about all of these feats by word of muzzle."

"Hey! My brother's a big, brave warrior!"

"And it takes a lot of courage to shovel that much bullshit," Echo said.

Nicole cleared her throat.

"Errr... doo doo," Echo corrected himself. "Look, kid. All of those 'big' and 'strong warrior' siblings of yours? Training under Enix and company?" He yawned. "They don't kill half as many ponies as they claim to. After all, if we bathed the oceans that red, then there'd be nopony left to rob." He winked. "It's way more profitable to hiss in sailors' faces and give them something to be scared of... just like your siblings give you something to be proud of."

"Then what's the thrill in hunting above surface?" a filly squeakily asked.

"There's enough excitement in going places. But spilling blood?" Echo sighed. "It's not as snazzy as it sounds." He gulped. "Trust me."

"But... uhhhh..." Nicole brightened with a forced smile. "Princess Luna's reunited with all of you, now! That means you won't have to live the life of blood-sucking pirates! Isn't that wonderful?"

"Yeah, I guess." A colt yawned. "So are you two married or something?"

Nicole blanched. She and Echo looked at one another. "Uhhhhhh..."

Another squeaking sound. Nicole gasped as she felt a filly crawling over her shoulder and digging her face into the mare's mane. After a pronounced sniff, the filly chimed: "Your mane smells funny."

"It's called hay." Nicole winked. "I've been around it all my life."

"Is hay anything at all like fish?"

"It's tastier. I promise you that."

"Is that what you came out here for?" The filly dropped down—only to dangle upside down from Nicole's outstretched hoof. "To find more hay?"

Nicole giggled. "Actually, we came here to help a friend get to the Dark Side of the world!"

"You mean where the Dark Vigil is?"

"I... guess so..."

A colt's fangs flashed as she chirped: "I heard Mommy and Daddy saying that Princess Luna doesn't want us to keep on doing the Vigil."

"Yeah." Echo nodded. "That seems to be the case, bud."

"Sooooooo... why would you be going to the Dark Side?" The colt's slitted eyes blinked. "If the Vigil's over, there's no need to hide among the stars."

Nicole blinked. She and Echo exchanged glances.

"Erm..." Nicole cleared her throat. "That's a very good question, young sir. One that... I-I suspect we'll all find the answer to soon enough." Her eyes darted across the way.

At first, Ariel thought Nicole was looking at her. She glanced aside... and it was only then that she realized that Bard was gone. Curiously, she glanced across the balcony. Among the crowd, she saw a cowcot halt disappearing, then lingering on the far end. She chewed her bottom lip in thought while Luna's voice continued to echo and boom.

Comments

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Poor kids, don't really understand what is going on.

[CasualMarshmallow]

They're so adorable

[IceKitsune]

The kids are super adorable here, so innocent of what is happening. I'm guessing Bard is feeling like he is losing someone he thought of as a sister.

[Nevlamas]

It's strange how the children of such a warrior culture can be this innocent and... well, childlike. Their training would have to begin rather late and in turn be ridiculously intense.

[xXshaydXx]

Guess bards wondering where Nicole truly belongs.

[Hazard]

So Bard gained a sibling in Rainbow, and now he thinks he's losing one he had...

With an army surely on the horizon, he might be right...

[Cynderfall]

Hee hee hee~

[Merula]

D'awww, the babby Sarosians are cute!

NEEDS TO BE DRAWN. NOW.

[krakentoa]

I literally sqweed when I saw I had two chapters to read before sleeping. Ty Mr. author.

[Super Trampoline]

Everyone is talking about how Bard might lose his sister, but I think he is staring melancholically at all the foals, remembering when he had a filly.
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[Revan]

*ADORABLENESS OVERLOAD*

[Hap]

7510341
That's my guess. It's tough to be around kids in a situation like that.

[Super Trampoline]

7510608 7510608 oh geez I just remembered why this would be so relatable for you Hap. I'm so sorry.
( if this is too personal let me know and I'll delete this comment)

[VNilla]

"Has he brought you a single drop of blood from these kills?" Echo droned.
The colt blinked at him. "Uhm... well..."

This, along with the "Prove it" thing from earlier, make me think that the general theme of batpony culture is essentially "Pics or it didn't happen."

[MercySewerPyro]

Ah yes, the general upheaval it causes. I like the perspective of seeing it a little from the children's point of view, how they've grown up with pirating and such- And now to have that all change.

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

Baby bat ponies that screech are adorable.

[arancaytar]

"Yeah, I guess." A colt yawned. "So are you two married or something?"

Everyone ships it.

[Prism Break]

"Yeah, I guess." A colt yawned. "So are you two married or something?"

No, but we all wish you were.

[hypervelocity]

At first, Ariel thought Nicole was looking at her. She glanced aside... and it was only then that she realized that Bard was gone. Curiously, she glanced across the balcony. Among the crowd, she saw a cowcot halt disappearing, then lingering on the far end. She chewed her bottom lip in thought while Luna's voice continued to echo and boom.

Hmm...I think Bard is realizing that Nicole should stay with the other batty bats...