//------------------------------// // A Midnight Conversation, Part Three // Story: Utaan // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// "Okay... okay... uhm..." Rainbow Dash paced back and forth across the balcony. Thunder rolled as the tempestuous waters lapped around the exposed surfaces of Bleak's Plummet around the Herald and gathered sarosians. "Let's see... let's see let's see let's see..." Rainbow sweated as she stressed over the details. "Psssst!" Twilight Sparkle leaned in. "The Sword of Solstice—" "Princess Celestia!" Rainbow Dash blurted, swiveling to face the twilight heavens. "Present, Rainbow Dash." "Are you... like... still in communication with the Durandanans?" "You mean through the Sword of Solstice?" "Righto." "Affirmative. They contact me approximately once a week. I speak with both the elders and the First-Bornds quite regularly." "Do you contact them or...?" "They must initiate conversation—and only in the daytime Such is the nature of the Sword of Solstice." "I see..." "Usually Spike and my sister have to help facilitate communication, considering the sarcophagus that I am always situated in. But—I assure you—I have formed quite a healthy rapport with the descendants of Commander Hurricane's expedition." "And... uhhhhh... h-have they made contact with any of their neighbors?" "You mean beyond the constraints of the crater that houses their civilization?" "Right." "Several of the First-Borns have elected to venture beyond their prior confines—as you had nobly educated them—and have thus engaged in multiple acts of ambassadorial relations. All fortuitous and peaceful, I assure you." "Sweet..." "However, I only ever find out about this second-hoof, seeing as the Sword of Solstice is housed consistently within the Central Tower of their dwelling. And—judging by the slow pace at which they perform their exploratory endeavors—I doubt that they will venture far enough eastward to encounter Val Roa within the year." Rainbow Dash winced. "Oh..." "Such was the aim of your inquiry, yes?" Celestia's voice implored. "If you feel that there is a divine purpose behind their making contact, I could certainly pass the message along to them. The elders still hold much persuasive influence over the First-Borns. Surely they can be convinced to embark upon such an eastward expedition—especially with the foreknowledge of the peaceful state that you had left the Val Roa countryside in." "Awesome sauce..." Rainbow Dash hovered in place, gesturing. "Because... like... here's my idea." She smirked at the Herald and sarosians alike. "There are these two snazzy groups of pon—er... harmony-folk living in the first continent beyond the Grand Choke. Dealing with the huge desert is something you're gonna have to figure out on your own. I dunno what you plan to do; I'd say stock up on a crapton of fish and mangoes. Whatever bat ponies love to chew on while on the move. Anyways... the first place in the Alafreo continent beyond the Grand Choke is this super nifty kingdom called Val Roa. It's run by a bunch of super magical elk, deer, antelope—basically a bunch of royal dudes and dudettes with magic glowy antlers." Rainbow gulped. "The last thing I did before making my way east through the Blight was... like... save their entire friggin' kingdom from a nightmarish changeling coup. To put it lightly, they super-respect me and owe me big time. Heh." Enix glanced at Xarchelus, then at Rainbow Dash. "You would advise us to make contact with these... deer?" "J-just so they can lend you a hoof!" Rainbow Dash said. "No offense, but—uhhh—I'm pretty sure they haven't got any room in their kingdom to house the likes of you guys permanently. But if you can prove that the whole lot of you are friends with me—Rainbow Dash—then I can totally see them giving you food, shelter, and enough resources to recover and prepare for the next leg of the journey. Also, I've got some old friends from the Noble Jury hanging around that side of the world who would totally help you out in a pinch too. Believe me. Plus..." Rainbow Dash smirked, winking up at the silver-tinted air. "There's a place just west of Val Roa populated by a bunch of pegasi who call themselves the Durandanans. These guys and gals happen to be descendants of Equestria too, and they possess the Sword of Solstice—which, believe it or not—keeps them in constant vocal contact with Princess Celestia." Enix said, "Much like you are in contact with the Maiden of the Moon." "Right! Only—like—they get to talk to Celestia more often. And this means... like... in the time it takes for you and the rest of Bleak's Plummet to reach Val Roa, Celestia and maybe-hopefully convince the Durandanans to open communication with Val Roa..." "That way their kingdom will be properly prepared for our arrival from the desert," Xarchellus wheezed. "Exactomundo!" "And... you are certain they will welcome us in open arms?" "Like I said... half of them owe me," Rainbow Dash said, gesturing. "And the other half respect me... or—at least—they respect Princess Celestia. Heh." "It's a most plausible plan," Princess Celestia said. "Otherwise, you might see yourself having to cross the lengths of Alafreo on your lonesome. And after enduring the trials of the Grand Choke, I seriously doubt that you would desire that." "And..." Enix blinked at Rainbow. "...what of the landscapes beyond?" "Okay, look..." Rainbow Dash held her forelimbs up. "I exagerrated a bit when I rambled earlier." "In what way?" "Yes, I encountered a bunch of cruddy meanie-heads... especially in Ledomare." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "However... that nation's called 'Luxmare' now. Wanna know why?" "Why?" Xarchellus inquired. "Because I really... really cleaned-up shop the last time I was there!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Not only did I expose an entire nation to the ugliness of their Queen's Council, but I brought an entire war to a stand-still... mostly by slaying a giant freakish chaos—" Her words trailed off, and she looked guiltily in Remna's direction. "—creature." "Hmmmmff..." Remna exhaled. "Long and short of it..." Rainbow turned to face the sarosians again. "Luxmare and Xona were in a state of peace the last time I left it. And I'm willing to bet it's still that way." She smirked devilishly. "You can say the same of Silvadel, Darkstine, Windthrow—heck—most of the kingdoms west of them." "All on account of your influence?" Enix remarked. Her leafy ears twitched. "You are a far more tenacious warrior then you give yourself credit, Austraeoh." Rainbow bit her lip. "Oh please, Dashie." Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Of all the times to be stupidly humble." Rarity and Fluttershy giggled. "It is the truth, my foals," Princess Luna's voice answered for Rainbow Dash. Her voice boomed unabashedly. "If you stick to the route that Rainbow Dash took to get to where you are now, then surely you will find a path of least resistance." "Uhhh... except for Rohbredden." Rainbow Dash winced. "I-I'm afraid I had to break my winning streak at some point or another." "Indeed." Enix nodded. "Hence, the fall of the Queen of Frost." "Right. It sucks fetlocks. Still..." Rainbow Dash gestured. "There's an awful lot of ocean to the south of Rohbredden." She glanced aside at Kepler and Flynn. "Isn't that right?" The Heraldites nodded. "Right..." Rainbow smirked. "So getting to the Grand Choke should be the easy-peasy part. Then—once you've crossed the desert—reunite with my buddies at Val Roa." She waved a hoof. "Ask for Pilate. He should definitely be able to draw you a path west through Ledomare." "The best path to be taken?" Xarchellus inquired. "Totally. And west of Aridstone... er..." Rainbow gulped. "Beyond Ledomare? It should be an easy glide... especially in Emeraldine." She smirked. "And... shucks... you're just about at the doorstep to Equestria." The sarosians glanced at one another. Bard whistled, tilting his hat back with a smirk. "Sounds like you did all the gruntwork for these nocturnal yokels, Missy." "Yeah..." Ariel stuck her tongue out while winking. "Wasn't that swell of her?" "Maiden of the Moon..." Xarchellus bowed low before facing the enchanted air. "...do you give this plan your blessing?" Luna answered swiftly: "If the Austraeoh suggests it, then I already do—no question." "Awwwwwwwww..." Twilight and Fluttershy cooed. Rainbow Dash hugged herself, smiling toastily. "This... this is wonderful!" Nicole exclaimed as the rest of the sarosians murmured in agreement. "At first, I had my doubts... but now I'm convinced that Rainbow Dash has made the whole trip super easy for us!" Bard threw her a double-take. "What do you mean 'for us?'" Nicole's ears instantly drooped. She bit her bottom lip with her fangs. Echo cleared his throat. "Uhm... so... we've been talking—" But before the stallion could finish... A loud rush of water could be heard from the west. Startled, Rainbow and her ghostly companions spun to look. Splooosh! A bleakweed submersible surfaced rapidly, splashing salt water high into the air. Nightblooded warriors hovered overhead, their guarded bodies tensing. Within seconds, however, they relaxed—for the top hatch rolled open to reveal sarosian sailors. Two rushed out, approaching Xarchellus breathlessly. "Matriarch!" The two bowed low. "Bless the Mother of Nightmares we found you!" "What is the meaning of this?" Xarchellus hissed. "We are in conversation with the Maiden of the Moon presently—" "A thousand pardons, Matriarch." One of the two messengers sputtered, "We could not wait to convey this most alarming message." Bright, slitted eyes reflected the silver enchantment. "Our underwater scouts have just detected two ships coming this way. They appear to be on an intercept course." "Two ships?" Enix inquired. "Who's on board?" "Land dwellers," one messenger rasped, fangs showing. "Rohbreddenites. Armored and drawn for battle. They easily number in over a hundred." Gasps and high-pitched bat-shrieks emanated from the crowd. "They will be here in less than two cycles!" one messenger exclaimed. "They arrive even as we speak!" Flynn and Logan exchanged glances. Wildcard tensed up, his metal knuckles clenching. Rainbow's friends looked worriedly at their anchor. "Well then..." Rainbow inhaled. "...sounds to me like the fan-blades aren't brown enough yet."