//------------------------------// // We Want You, a New Recruit // Story: Ynanhluutr // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash paced back and forth inside the narrow corridor of the Arrowfish's port side compartment. Despite the savage speed of the mana-powered vessel, it was a remarkably smooth ride, and the splashing of waves against the Mark Four's four separate prows had been reduced to a dull hum. Several evenly-paced portholes loomed to the mare's left, and they all showed a dark sky kissing an even darker horizon. Night had fallen, and the vessel skimmed its way south in an undaunted glide. But this wasn't what occupied Rainbow's attention. Pacing back and forth, the pegasus remained anchored to a metal door to her right, framed in iron rivets. “You know, Rainbow, darling,” Rarity spoke, “If you need to go that badly, I'm certain there's a filly's room situated on the starboard side of this vessel. The Arrowfish appears to be a ship that favors symmetry, after all.” “It's not that and you know it,” Rainbow muttered. “What's taking him so long?” “You took an awful lot of photographs, Rainbow,” Twilight said, phasing out of the room in question. “And since he sold the Midnight Dreary, Doctor Mane has only the bare essentials to work with.” She smiled pleasantly. “For what it's worth, I took a look at his progress myself, and he's doing quite well. So just relax, alright?” Rainbow sighed, slumping against the wall and wrapping her wings around herself. “Somehow, I think I was more relaxed while we were running from bad guys and kicking the occasional flank,” she muttered. Rarity shuddered. “I honestly do not know how you can say that, Rainbow.” She fanned herself. “Just thinking about how you and Wildcard nearly drowned...” “Well, you gotta admit...” Rainbow smiled faintly. “Things got somewhat awesome there in the end.” “You have a most questionable definition of 'awesome,' Rainbow.” “Well, Rarity,” Twilight Sparkle said, “When one experiences tense situations, the adrenaline produced can create a bizarre sense of enjoyment—” “Don't you even try, Twilight,” Rarity grumbled. She pouted, staring out one of the many-many portholes. “The silver lining to all of this is that we get to meet an underwater princess once all of this is over with.” “You mean Camelia?” Twilight remarked. “For all we know, she and the rest of the ponies in Shoggoth may be dancing to the Southern Hoof's tune.” “Ugh...” Rainbow buried her muzzle in her hooves. “And you tell me to 'relax.'” Twilight winced slightly. “I... I'm sorry, Rainbow.” She gulped. “I suppose I dwell too much on the future.” “Meh. Shoggoth.” Rainbow ran a hoof through her own mane, shuddering slightly. “And you thought we were nearly drowning earlier...” Rarity cleared her throat. “Tell you what...! What say we see what the handsome mercenaries are discussing?” “Hmmmm...?” Rainbow looked past the figure of a limp sarosian slumbering like a pile of leather beneath a draped cloak. Bard smiled, gesturing between him and Wildcard. “And so that's when I whalloped him big time with the guitar! ClaAaAaAang! All swift and thud-like, ya reckon? Oh boy, was that varmint down for the count!” Wildcard nodded, casually whittling away at a block of wood. He already had six fresh toothpicks lined up beside where he sat against the corridor's wall. “Whew boy! We sure showed him!” Bard fanned himself with his hat, smiling into the Mark Two's electric interior lighting. “Most places we drift through, punks like him are tearin' families apart and gettin' away with it, and nopony has the guts to hire anyone to stop 'em.” Wildcard paused to gesture with his flesh-and-metal talons. Bard's brow furrowed. “What do ya mean?! It's not like we're workin' for freelance!” The griffon rolled his goggled eyes and hand-signed some more. “Yeah, and what about it?” Bard huffed. He nudged one of the bulging saddlebags with his lower hoof. “We're gettin' a hefty share when all is said and done, ain't we? I mean... the Muddredgers won't be robbing us completely blind... especially after we aim to rob them blind.” “The jury's still out on that, dudes,” Rainbow muttered. Bard looked over. “Ya kiddin', missy?” Bard smirked. “Them underwater pretenders in Shoggoth are in league with Revan's crew!” “Yeah, but until we find out that they've been—like—flooding random families and blaming it on faulty heating devices, I don't think we should be planning to screw them over nearly as badly as the morons who were running Rust.” “And why the Hell not?!” Bard shrugged. “Admit it, darlin', you were built for this sort of savage homewrecking.” Rainbow Dash frowned. “I am not a homewrecker!” “Sure thang, and I'm Dwight Yoacolt.” Bard winked, smiling. “Dubya-Cee told me about the whole escapade y'all had downstairs. Any other mare would have been a tremblin' mess. But you? You knew your way around enemy territory like you was born there! Even under water, you had a magic compass tellin' you where to go!” “That...” Rainbow squirmed, nervously glancing at Twilight and Rarity. “...that's something else.” Wildcard gestured something. “Pfft! Soak yer fat head, ya ostrich!” Bard cackled. “I mean it! She should go into the mercenary business! Like us!” He slapped his hat back on and winked her way. “How 'bout it, darlin'? Ya fixin' to become a Desperado?” Rainbow snarled, “I don't do what I do for bits.” Bard glanced at her bag several paces over, then back at her. “Is that a fact...?” “My business in Shoggoth is different than yours,” she grumbled. Folding her forelimbs, the pouting mare said, “Once we've parted ways, I hope to be done with the criminal heist business for good.” “Once we've...” Bard blinked, incapable of finishing that sentence. “But... but honey, yer a goldmine!” “I've got far more important things on my agenda than gold,” Rainbow grumbled. “And don't call me 'honey.'” Wildcard glanced aside at Bard, slashing his talons through the air. The pegasus stallion blinked at him. “How could ya accept that so easily? She done saved yer life, ya fool!” Wildcard shrugged. “Heh... dun even pretend, mobo,” Bard said with a smirk. “I swear, one of these days, yer gonna meet a lady who lays eggs and then what?” Rainbow squinted. “...the buck are you even going on about now?” Before Bard could respond, the door to the lavatory opened with a groan. Twilight twirled around. “Oh! There he is now!” “Doc!” Rainbow Dash blurred over, hovering before the doorframe. “How... how is it?” Theanim Mane backed out, turned calmly around, and laid down an open briefcase full of freshly developed photographs. “See for yourself, Miss Dash.” Rainbow Dash landed, squatting low so she could observe each photograph. She whistled. “Awesome sauce... they... they look so clear.” “Well, of course they do.” Theanim smiled calmly. “It was my camera you used, after all.” “But... y'know... I'm out of practice with my Shutter Fu,” she said. “I was friggin' scared that they'd be out of focus or something.” “Well, granted...” Theanim exhaled. “You could have framed several of the documents and blueprints better.” Rainbow winced. “But...” Theanim pointed. “I do believe we have enough material properly captured to convey the intended message.” He looked up at the mare. “Combine that with the four or five physical sheets you did manage to grab, and we'll have quite the body of evidence to present to Camelia and her Council.” “And... and you think she'll help us out?” Rainbow asked. “It is... difficult to say, Miss Dash,” Theanim remarked. “My experience with the Sirens is... very slim.” He gulped. “And, suffice to say, she will undoubtedly get a read on us far sooner than we'll ever get a read on her.” “What's that supposed to mean?” “Let's just say that Sirens and all of their seapony kin are quite... intellectually gifted,” the stallion said. “It will behoove us to be as honest with the denizens of Shoggoth as possible.” His nostrils flared. “In mind as well as in tongue.” Rainbow blinked at him. “Are you doing alright, Miss Dash?” Theanim asked. He gestured down the hall. “Echo isn't the only one who could use some sleep, methinks.” “Yeah, I'm... I'm just...” Rainbow gazed down the corridor leading towards the bow of the vessel. Far away, like a flickering speck of starlight, Yaerfaerda lingered, growing closer and closer with alarming speed. “This whole friggin' thing in Rust was like a crazy hump to glide over. And now that we've kicked so much flank and taken names, I... I almost regret it.” She gulped. “And everything went perfectly, too. Not like I'm complaining.” “Victory in itself is one of life's ultimate challenges,” Theanim said with a calm smile. “Though I doubt you need me telling you that.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “I've... felt this before. In Val Roa,” she said. “I... didn't like what came after.” “Well, if it's of any consolation, getting to the next Seed is a challenge I can't even begin to contemplate right now.” With a tired sigh, Theanim slumped down against the wall. He swiveled his briefcase around and carefully rearranged the photographs. “Queen Verlaxion has only shown up in Shoggoth to do one thing... and that is to bless the tombs of the royal Muddredger families.” “So... you're saying...?” “If there's a point of interest in Shoggoth, the only possible candidate is the deep labyrinth of underground shrines,” he said. “Situated at the bottom of the ocean floor, and sealed with Siren magic.” He adjusted his goggles and looked up with deep blue eyes. “Needless to say, Verlaxion hasn't bothered to make another visit in over three centuries.” Rainbow bit her lip. Wingtips fluttering, she turned around. “I... I think I need to go for a walk...” “By all means, my dear,” Theanim said, saluting her as she trotted away. “Arrowfish or not, it's a long glide to our destination.” “Works for me,” she muttered, and shuffled her way down the long, long corridor.