Ynanhluutr

by Imploding Colon


When In Doubt, End With Giggling

The night passed, and then another night. All the while, the ocean remained a continuous flat expanse of waves and foam. Rarity kept informing Rainbow Dash about the “marvelous” fluctuations in the seabed's depths below, but it did very little to calm the pegasus' spirits. With day after day of the same nothingness, Rainbow Dash grew a little stir crazy. She spent most of the daylight hours stretching her wings, flying loopty-loops around the Midnight Dreary and its sail, much to the two ghost ponies' exasperation.

The Continentalists on board Theanim Mane's ship were seemingly unaffected by the oceanic monotony. Twilight Sparkle suggested that—born into sea life—they were more than accustomed to gratuitously long ocean voyages. Though they were less than enthusiastic about communicating with Rainbow, they more or less kept an air of pleasantness between each other, talking up old fish stories and tales of scientific exploits within the perview of Robhredden exploration.

The only truly exciting thing to happen was the occasional moment when the Midnight Dreary would cross paths with another ocean-going vessel. These were poetically sluggish moments, with both ships slowing their speed and literally stopping side by side so that the passengers on board could exchange word of muzzle. At first, Rainbow Dash didn't understand it, until she realized that this was a Rohbredden custom as old as time.

“Aye, we've heard about the Blight's end!” uttered a bearded earth pony as he leaned along the cargo ship's outer railing. He smiled down at Theanim's blue yacht and its occupants. “That's why our Company's shipping this huge load west! We wanna get as many goods to the western archipelagos as possible!”

“Best to get a jump on new commerce, eh?” Theanim remarked.

“Hah hah! Yeah! Though I suspect it will be a wee bit perilous!” The ship's captain adjusted his hat. “Heard rumors by the wind of a violent sea serpent terrorizing the central atolls!”

“Well, you needn't worry a bit about that anymore!” Theanim grinned wide. “The beast Ultimo has been vanquished!”

“Is that a fact?!”

“We just came from the Nealend Atoll ourselves! The waters are clean! It's smooth sailing from here to Kihutaja!”

“Well, Verlaxion's Blessings!” The captain chuckled. “Things are just getting brighter and brighter!”

“Yes. Indeed.” Theanim nodded, then glanced sideways in Rainbow's direction. “Harmony seems to be spreading a lot lately.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“Rainbow,” Twilight whispered. “He was being complimentary.”

“Yeah, well, jury's still out on his motivations.” Rainbow winced just as she said that.

“What's wrong, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing. Just...” Rainbow sighed. “...some sayings don't mean quite the same as they used to.”

In the meantime, the captain on board the cargo ship said: “You've done us a lot of good with your news! Is there anything you want to know about Continental waters?”

“You came from the Unfrosted Shores?” Theanim asked.

“Aye.”

“Did you pass through Rust on the way here?”

“Hah! How could we not?”

Theanim leaned against the side of the yacht. “Tell me. Is... the Syndicate still in charge?”

Rainbow glanced over, blinking curiously.

“Ohhhhh...” The other ship's captain leaned back, rubbing his mane. “I don't rightly dig my nose into any of that business. When in Rust, I know it's best to just load up and ship right out.”

“Have you heard any rumors, at least?”

“Laddie, if you're concerned about the Syndicate, fear no more.” The captain chuckled. “They're just as large and in charge as always. Had to pay a damn docking fee about twice the size as normal.”

“Hrmmm...” Theanim nodded, muzzle scrunched. “I was afraid of that.”

“Eh. From the looks of ya, you can afford it.” The captain nodded. “Lemme guess. You run with the Order?”

“As a matter of fact, we do, fine sir.”

“Hah!” The captain smirked. “I could smell it in your breath! I'm surprised you're headed to Rust! It ain't exactly luxurious!”

“It's a necessary stopping point,” Theanim said. “And, besides, I've been there several times before.”

“An explorer, I see. Very well.” The captain saluted, then signaled to his mates to resume sailing west. “Verlaxion's Blessings! Thanks once more for the news on the serpent! Now we can get to our destination in twice the time!”

“Don't venture too far into the former Blight!” Theanim spoke louder as the ships parted ways. “There's nothing but desolate waters for miles and miles beyond!”

“How in blazes do you know that?!” yelled the captain from afar.

“Pretty soon... everypony will know!” Theanim leaned against the rudder wheel as he resumed the Midnight Dreary's cruise east. After a few seconds, he noticed Rainbow staring at him, and he said, “Well... eventually everypony will know about it. I just have to get a book started.” He exhaled, nostrils flaring. “I greatly suspect Professor Sinrar will have started his own by now. Meh.”

“So... uhhh...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted where she stood. “Just who's the Syndicate?”

“Hmmm?” Theanim blinked. “Oh, well... they're... uhh—”

“Lemme guess,” Rainbow droned. “A bunch of big bad guys with blunt weapons and oodles of expendable thugs.”

“Pfft! No! Don't be so obtuse!” Theanim Mane rolled his eyes. “The Syndicate's simply the largest and most powerful monetary organization in the city of Rust! They monitor all the ins-and-outs of trade in the city and regulate the flow of goods! They're really quite essential to the local economy, and even Shoggoth would suffer if it weren't for the Syndicate's influence in the southern trade line!” He gripped the wheel, navigating the oceanic swells. “Mmmm... and... uhm... so what if th-they may occasionally possess blunt weapons and employ oodles of expendable thugs? Eheheh...”

“Unnnnngh...” Rainbow face-hoofed. “Doc, why didn't you tell me that we were sailing muzzle-first into a mob town?

“It is not a mob town!” Theanim frowned. “I... rather like to think that the place has rustic character.” He bore a frazzled smile. “Quite literally. Heheheh.”

“Dude, I'm serious!” Rainbow Dash flew until she hovered in front of him. “I know trouble when I can smell it. More than anything, I gotta get into Shoggoth in one piece and I need your help in getting down there! So if this place is as nasty as it sounds, I'd rather scratch it off the list—”

“A few things, my dear,” Theanim said, looking past her while he steered the ship. “Number One: we are running low on supplies. Aside from the fact that Rust is the only reasonable place where we can drop off my Continentalist companions, we are in desperate need of a restock, and there simply isn't another port within leagues that can supply us.”

Rainbow pointed at the cargo ship behind them. “Then why not bum a few crackers off those dudes?! They're salty enough!”

“They're making an even longer trip than we are, Rainbow,” Theanim explained. “With five times the crew complement. I'm not about to rob them—or any other ship, for that matter. Besides, it's very much against Rohbredden custom.”

“Rohbreddeners refuse to be generous?

“No, they refuse suicide and stupidity,” Theanim said. “And, Number Two about Rust...” He squinted at Rainbow. “It is not I who can get us into Shoggoth.”

Rainbow sighed. “It's Echo.”

“Quite. And so long as he may be holed up in Rust, then that's where we need to go.”

“But... but...”

“Relax, my dear,” Theanim said with a smile. “The Syndicate has nothing against weary travelers such as you or I. So long as we conduct normal business and pay our dues, they have no more quarrel with us than sunlight has with seaweed.”

“But if we somehow were to cross them?”

Almost instantly, Theanim's face paled. “Then... we would be made to face their rather unorthodox translation of Verlaxion's wrath.” He cleared his throat and instantly smiled. “But such would be a gross improbability. Understand?”

“Meh.”

“You really must learn to relax, Miss Dash. Everything will be just fine.” Theanim grinned, looking ahead. “Talk to your spectral companions—perhaps—if it will ease your troubled mind.”

Rainbow glanced lethargically at the floating unicorns at her side. “So... how about it, girls? You got anything to offer on this mess?”

Rarity stared off in blank thought.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. “Well?!

Rarity snapped out of it. “Petticoats!” She blinked Rainbow's way. “Huh? What?”

Rainbow sighed, then looked in the opposite direction.

Twilight glanced between the two of them. With a goofy smile, she squeaked: “...books?”

“Ugh!” Rainbow trotted below deck. “That's it. I'm headbutting a pillow,” she grunted under the cadence of the two mares' giggles.