Utaan

by Imploding Colon


There Will Be No Room

"Defense Minister!" A griffon along the ship's stern lowered a spyglass and looked towards the center of the vessel. "The Rainbow Rogue! She's escaped the grasp of the Talon"

"What?!" Chandler hollered from his chariot. "How badly is the Commander's team hurt?!" Before he could be answered, the ship rocked as a loud grating noise pierced everyone's ears.

Scraaaaaaaaaaaaape!

"Rnnngh!" Chandler steadied himself as the ship finished grazing the edge of a jutting rock along the port side. He reached out and slapped a random soldier. "Easy does it!"

The soldier winced and shouted towards the bow. "Keep us clear of the rocks!"

"Sorry! But..." A charter grimaced, his eyes reflecting countless shoals and splashing waves. "...there are so m-many of them!"

Chandler leaned forward, shouting into the noise of roaring water. "At least tell us our sister ship is making headway!"

"Yes, from the look of it!" Another pony stared down a spyglass. The hull of the other privateer vessel appeared in brief glimpses between the rock structures ahead. "It should be gaining on the Blighted vessel any moment now!"

"Keep an eye on them!" Chandler exclaimed. "We need to destroy the source of that artillery barrage as quickly as possible!"

"Sir!" the spotter at the ship's stern stammered. "Our forces!"

"Shhh!" Chandler waved a blind hoof, squinting beyond the bow. "Yes—yes! They're chasing the Rogue! As I ordered them—"

"That's... th-that's just it, Minister! They're not!"

"Overpowering the Talon is one thing, but the entire squadron—" Chandler did a double-take. He looked back at the stern, muzzle agape. "Whaaat?"

"They're... holding position in the air!"

"Stationary?"

"Aye, sir?"

Chandler's emerald eyes darted around. The hair beneath his armor stood on end as he scowled. "The Commander... is he among them?"

"I... I believe so, yes."

Chandler gnashed his teeth, pacing about inside his chariot. "Dammit... dammit..." He clenched his eyes shut. "Blast it, Seraphimus, where are you...?"

The Defense Minister was too distracted to see their sister ship ahead of them passing right between two ancient shipwrecks.


"Here it comes..." Bard leaned forward over the Stardust's rudder-wheel, staring intensely at the incoming vessel. "Here it friggin' comes..."

"They do not suspect a thing," one sarosian said, squatting beside his companion with a brightly-enchanted bleakweed cannon. "Even with the silence of our runes."

"And the ship behind them?"

"Keeping a safe distance." The sarosian squinted. "But... they also appear distracted."

"Well, they're fixin' to get more flummoxed." Bard took a deep breath. "Just say the word... once the first ship's halfway through the strait..."

"Aaaaaaand..." The sarosian's leafy ears perked up. His fangs flashed. "...they're in position!"

"Now!" Bard hollered. "Light it up!"

The first sarosian patted his partner's shoulder.

"Y'mnym!" the warrior hissed into the cannon's runes. They flared up with brilliant sparks. He followed it up with a bold: "M'wynhrm!"

Pffffffffffftchoooom! The thick missile of enchanted runes flew brightly—and loudly. Carrying an extra dense payload of lunar dust, the projectile hurled like a screaming banshee over the forest of rocky structures...


...and trailed sparks over the front ship of Chandler's armada.

Dumbfounded, the crew ponies on board watched it fly overhead. Their bodies turned—necks craning—as they nervously watched the culmination of its arc.

The projectile flew harmlessly past the vessel's bow.

"Whew..." One pegasus turned to smirk at a griffon. "Dumb midnighters. They missed!"

That's precisely when the missile flew in between the twin shipwrecks behind them. The runic aura triggered the explosive enchantments placed within the separate structures hours ago and—

PHWOOOOOMB!

A solid wall of burning flame stretched across the rocks, blocking the strait entirely. Meanwhile, layers of splintery debris rained down on the ship.

The crew shrieked and flailed. They hadn't a moment to react to the debris—for their ship was being propelled forward by a miniature tidal wave of boiling proportion.

The helmsman struggled to keep the vessel straight. It was a futile endeavor. Within seconds they were ricocheting off one rock formation after another—until at last the craft grinded to a halt against a chunk of smoothe granite. Water thoroughly soaked the Frostknifers as they fought to maintain their balance.


THOOMB!

Chandler gasped, spinning around in his chariot. What he saw nearly blinded him. He raised an armored forelimb, shading his eyes from the solid wall of fire erupting before the bow of the ship.

Waves of salt water rolled westward, tossing the ship from side to side. The soldiers on board groaned in discomfort. Moisture evaporated off the hull from the sheer heat of the runic discharge.

"Flames!" a charter sputtered, reeling. "We're headed straight for it—!"

"All stop!" Chandler exclaimed. "All stop, damn you!"

"Allll stoppp!"

The gears of the ship's engines rattled. Smoke erupted through the deckplates. Nevertheless, they were miraculously able to hault the vessel's movement before the bow could kiss the vaporous plasma erecting a burning wall ahead of them.

"Nnnngh..." Chandler clenched his teeth. He squinted into the blaze, gazing north and south. "More blight..." Sweating, he glanced frantically at the shoals around them. "Can we find a way around?"

"I... I see no path, sir!"

"What do you mean you see no path?!"

"The shoals are too dense here!" a crew pony hollered back. "We'd have to double-back about two hundred meters and bend south for the fastest alternative route!"

Chandler panted and panted. He squinted once more through the flames, scarcely making out the shadow of their sister ship. "Blessed Verlaxion, what next?"


The two sarosians on board the Stardust lowered their cannons as they paused to admire their hoofwork.

"V'wylynm syl'm H'Luun!" Grinning fangs. "Direct hit!"

The air echoed with flapping wings. Several shadows from the east skirted over the hull of Flynn's vessel.

"Yeeeeeeeeee-haaa!" Bard pumped a hoof in the air. "Give 'em Hell, Job Squad!"


The shadows approached the beached ship just east of the flame, but the crew members on board were too frantic and panicking to notice.

"We have to dislodge her!"

"Is she taking on water?!"

"One thing at a time!"

"Can we signal Chandler's ship for assistance?!"

"Lieutenant, we can't even see the Minister's ship!"

"Quick! More fuel to the engines! Maybe we can force her free with—"

"With what?! We'll burn out!"

Just then, a griffon shrieked. A shaking talon pointed skyward as the shadows descended. "Incoming!"

"Incoming?" The lead officer on board the ship turned about with a frown. "What do you mean, 'incoming'—?" His frown instantly vanished.

Six sarosians flew in, but they did not land. They did—however—drop their cargo directly onto the vessel.

...cargo in the shape of a draconian mare and an obese stallion downswinging a murderously heavy axe.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand—" Big Show landed in a way that could only live up to his nickname. "—brown your pants, daisy-chainers!"

His war cry was punctuated by the deafenning impact of metal against metal. CLANNNNNNG! The sharp blade of his axe split a length of deckplates into ribbons, knocking hapless Rohbreddenites off their hooves and talons.

Gasps and yelps filled the air as half-a-dozen troops collapsed in an instant.

The rest galloped straight for Logan's flank...

...only to be pummeled against the railings by Remna's figure as soon as she landed. WHUD! WH-WHUD! Without a second's hesitation, the violet mare spun around and savagely bucked two other crew members off the starboard side—screaming.

Hyperventilating, a panicked pair of guardians raised crossbows and fired them at the mare.

Cl-Clink! They ricocheted harmlessly off her invulnerable hide. She turned towards them, glaring. "No." Thud-Thud-Thud! Unstoppable hooves carried her across the deck. She impacted the shrieking soldiers and shoved them past Logan's axe-swinging figure.

"Wooooooo!" CLANGGGG! Logan tore more holes in the ship, knocking crew members onto their flanks. CLACKKK! "Welcome to the end of the world, assholes!" WHUDDD! "What were you expecting?! A god dayum photo-op?! HA!" THWACKKK!

Between Logan's merciless swings and Remna's trampling limbs, the remaining guardians panicked completely. They flapped their wings and took off—only to be blasted back to the deckplates by exploding runes fired by the six sarosians circling around the fresh wreck.

"H'rhnum!"

"H'rhnum!"

"H'rhnum!"

P-P-POW!!!

"Rrrrgh!" Logan whalloped a few grounded soldiers with the blunt end of his weapon before spitting on them. "'I pledged my life for Verlaxion and all I got was this lousy concussion!'"

Wham! Remna punched a griffon in the beak and spun around, glaring. "Bombastic buffoon. The wyvern's tools!" She blocked another attack.

"Harumph... I was getting to it." Logan upswung his axe, shattering a jabbing spear into metallic bits. Crasssh! He headbutted the pegasus to the deck and charged towards the open cabin. "We've got a boring-ass elevator ride ahead; I was getting my kicks."

"Kick less, mortal." Remna backtrotted from a flurry of bladed attacks as sparks flew off her unnatural skin. "The Austraeoh's waiting on us."

"Yeah, yeah." Logan untied the satchel, reached his teeth into the bag, and pulled at a burlap drawstring. "Nrnnngh..." There was a bubbling sound. The jars inside the satchel rattled... and a thick plume of smoke billowed out from the opening. "Whew-wee! Smells almost as bad as Blue's ranch!" He tossed the smoldering satchel down into the heart of the cabin as the air around them heated up exponentially. "Hey! Everypony down there might wanna plug your noses! And then your skulls!"

Shrieks of surprise filled the air.

Remna whistled shrilly into the air. The sarosians stopped circling. They swooped down in one accord. Galloping, Remna ran towards them.

Logan joined her, shouldering his axe. "Time to make like a fart and flutter!"

"Your silence would be appreciated."

"Too late, scaley-cheeks!"

As the two were briskly carried off, the recovering crew members aimed crossbows and fired a volley of arrows. Not long later—however—the smoke from below deck tripled. Engineers came galloping out, coughing and screaming. They hollered words of warning to their compatriots, but they fell on deaf ears.

...deaffened by the huge fireball erupting from the heart of the ship as Kepler's chemicals combusted completely. With a mutual shriek, the crew leapt overboard—just in time to avoid a violent chain reaction of tiny explosions that ripped the vessel apart from the inside out.

Remna and Logan were carried east to safety...


...but the hovering forces of Rohbredden did not see them. Gathering around Keris and Starstorm, they could only gawk at the rising fireball east of Chandler's ship. It illuminated the sky with a blinding aura, forcing most of the griffons and pegasi to squint.

"Verlaxion's sleet!"

"By the Blight!"

"Did you see that?!"

"We... we only have one vessel now!"

"We c-could be stranded out here!"

"The Rogue! This is her doing!"

Several glaring soldiers looked towards Keris. "What now, Commander?"

"We've gathered like you said! We must engage!"

Keris leaned into Starstorm's supporting limbs, breathing steadily. His eyes focused on the flame-lit waters of the rock formations below. "Over a dozen of our brothers and sisters are stuck in the surf down there. Chandler's ship can't get to them."

"What are we to do?"

"What else?" Keris pointed. "We must rescue them! Bring them to dry ground! Safe from the flames!"

The soldiers exchanged glances, blinking.

"But..."

"Commander..."

"The Rainbow Rogue...!"

"She's getting away—!"

"And if we lose any more of our numbers, we're useless against her Blighted forces!" He turned to face the guardians around him. "Don't worry! We shall engage the Rogue! But we need to rescue our comrades as well!"

"Separate squadrons?" Starstorm suggested.

Keris was already nodding. "Two companies! Head down to the shoals! Drag the crew members to safety!" He pointed. "The rest of you—get ready to join me in engaging the enemy!"

"Aye, sir!"

"On your mark, sir!"

"Go!" Keris shouted, pointing at the two detachments that had swiftly formed. "Report to Chandler once you have finished the rescue!"

Sw-Sw-Sw-Swooosh! Over two dozen bodies dove towards the burning plume.

Starstorm leaned in, whispering to Keris' ear. "We've got smaller numbers now. It won't be enough to overwhelm the Herald and their midnighter allies."

Keris nodded. "That's the idea." Just then, two familiar shadows limply flew in from the west. Keris turned to face his subordinates. "Oh, hello. You're alive."

"Mrmmmff..." Windburst sputtered, leaning weakly against Raptr's shoulder. "Love you too, Commander."

Raptr gulped at the sight of the flame, then looked at Keris. "Did you succeed in intercepting Rainbow Dash?"

"Yes." Keris nodded. "We talked. We're just about to charge her group head on."

"We..." Raptr squinted. "... ... ...are on the same side, still, yes?"

"Of course, Raptr." Keris leaned in close. "We're stretching the battle out long enough for Rainbow to make it to the Dark Side."

"And... the Seventh Tribe?"

"Ultimately—they're not our enemy. Right now, though, we have to keep our priorities straight."

"And that is?"

Keris looked at the rest of the Talon. He glanced east at the looming stormclouds where Rainbow's group was lying in wait. "... ... ...Windburst."

Gathering his breath, Windburst shook off the pain of battle and hovered at attention. "Commander."

"You're with me and the squadron here. The soldiers right now are answering to my commands, and I'm going to need your eyes to survey the situation. Starstorm? Raptr? You're both better off physically... which is why I need you two to do the more important task."

Raptr leaned in. "Which is...?"

"Seraphimus." Keris' glaring eyes crossed their faces. "Find her. Intercept her. Restrain her. Keep her as far away from the battle—far away from Rainbow Dash as long as as possible."

Raptr and Starstorm exchanged nervous expressions.

"And..." Starstorm cleared her throat. "...if we fail?"

Keris exhaled. "Then—I fear—all might be lost." He gestured Windburst closer and hollered towards the troops: "Guardians of Rohbredden! Take wing!"

Sw-Sw-Sw-Swooosh!

As the soldiers darted east for the stormclouds...

...Starstorm and Raptr hovered side by side, nervously eyeing each other.

"Do you really think we can hold Seraphimus back?" the rookie stammered.

Starstorm exhaled. "I'm not sure anything can at this point..."


SW-SWOOSH! Wildcard swung both nightsticks at Seraphimus' face.

CLAKKKK! Seraphimus—bleeding in multiple places—blocked the bludgeons with her criss-crossing forelimbs. Snarling, she threw her weight into the former Talon member.

Hissing beneath his breath, Wildcard threw her weight back into her.

Pressed against each other, the two twirled and spiraled in a mid-air melee. The two skirted the ocean's surface, plowing through loose waves and sprays of water. Sp-Sp-Sploosh! With the next roll of thunder, they shoved against each other, lost contact, then threw their muscles inward once again.

TH-THWUMPPP!

"Grnnngh..." Seraphimus sneered. Gripping Wildcard's talons, she leaned in close to the side of his head. "I wept for you, Jordan." A flicker of lightning against dead charcoal. "But the time for weeping has ended." And she savagely bit into his crest-feathers.

Wildcard's beak flew open—but he did not scream. Not even then. Raising his lower limbs, he wrestled for control of Seraphimus' weight. At last, he wrapped his legs around her midsection and—swooosh!—spun the two of them upside down. Angling his wings seaward, he descended the two of them until her body plowed into the ocean waves. Plumes of water fountained outward on either side as he dragged her body a hundred feet through the drink.

Splooooooooooooooosh!

At last, she released her tight beakhold of his scalp.

He exhaled for relief—only to suffer a gut-punch to the chest. WHUMP! His goggles rattled and he wheezed for breath, but he found the strength to lock the bars of his nightsticks around her wrist, holding her claws in place.

After nearly twenty drowning seconds of having her head forced underwater, Seraphimus suddenly dug her wings into the depths. Her feathery limbs dragged at the watery friction, and the two jolted to an awkward stop.

Wildcard's weight shifted eastward and Seraphimus capitalized on it.

"Grkkgll!" Spitting salt water, she breached the surface—SPLOOSH—tossing Wildcard's body like a ragdoll.

"!!!" Wildcard flailed through the thunderous air. Thwwwttt! He lost one nightstick from his grip. Panicking, he reached his metal arm out for it. Vrmmmmmmm—!

THUPP! Both of Seraphimus' claws gripped the length of Wildcard's prosthetic and twisted savagely. CRKKKK!

Sparks flew as the magnetized core shorted out. Wildcard's goggles reflected one nighstick falling forever into the dark waters. WHUMP! Just then, a savage talon palmed his face—beak and all.

"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaughhh—!" Screaming into the thunder, Seraphimus flew straight up, dangling Wildcard's body behind her. Within seconds, she had reached the stormclouds, and she dragggggggggggggggged Wildcard's writhing flesh against the western wall of a boiling anvil cloud.

The Desperado grimaced, a few neckfeathers catching fire from the sheer friction of the magical, misty contact. As half his body burned raw from the contact, he grasped his remaining nightstick in his good talon and slammed... slammed... slammed it repeatedly against Seraphimus' ribcage. When the enraged griffon didn't even react, Wildcard calmly resorted to jabbing the narrow end of the bludgeon squarely into Seraphimus' armpit. WHUD!

Finally, Seraphimus lost her grip of the Job Squadder. Wildcard separated them further with a two-legged kick. Wham! Wheezing, Seraphimus twirled westward, flipping multiple times.

Wildcard glided to a stop, wincing. He hovered before the thick, thick stormclouds—his silhouette highlighted against silver strobes of lightning. Taking every opportunity of the breathable moment, he brought a talon to his limp prosthetic and clicked open a hollow compartment. Schlunk!

Seraphimus' voice echoed along the tresses of thunder: "Seems only fitting... that the cold irony of fate lost you to the Blight... as it did my family..."

Trembling, Wildcard reached into his metal arm and produced a scrap of enchanted wyvern papyrus.

The lightning dissipated, but the silver remained. It floated towards him, eyes glaring. Full of charcoal. "But at least I know they perished in innocence... and reverance. They will be ferried to the Spring Havens."

Wildcard calmly rested his goggles on Seraphimus from afar. He breathed into the papyrus... and the Odrsjot symbol lit up with lavender brilliance.

Seraphimus was hollering now: "For us! There will be! No room!" And she flew towards him, talon first. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"

Wildcard stood his ground. He slapped the Odrsjot seal over the length of his nightstick, readied his upper body, and uppercutted Seraphimus viciously upon contact.

POWWW!

The air lit up in a ruby splash.

Seraphimus doubled back... recovered... then charged again.

Wildcard slammed her over and over. POW! POWWW! Translucent phantoms of Odrsjot flickered between them and faded, but the Heraldite defender didn't let up. He punished each of Seraphimus' advances, rivaling the lightning—even when it blinded him.

The air heated up. Wingfeathers curled on their ends. The seal's charge was dulling with each blow, and Wildcard knew it.

Seraphimus didn't, but she also didn't care. At last, she threw herself completely into Wildcard's offense. Two talons reached forward, gripping the nightstick lengthwise. The residual harmonic energy of the seal burned Seraphimus' palms. She merely sneered into the steam: "Curse your damned Blight, Jordan." Tears. Lightning in her eyes. Like a pair of pallid gravestones. "I am the Right Talon of Verlaxion!!!" And she pulled both of her burning palms in opposite directions.

CRACKKK! Wildcard's nightstick snapped in two. The Odrsjot seal burst between them, and Seraphimus reached through the ashes, gripping the Desperado's neck with both bleeding talons. The plunge was already barreling them both eastward so that the two tragic combatants plowed straight through the face of the stormcloud... losing themselves in the thunder and chaos broiling within.