Abomination: It's What's For Breakfast
Shouts rang across Red Barge.
They reached the uppermost platform, echoing off the rattling bulkheads.
Top Dredger Skagra stumbled out of his office, chewing on something as he squinted into the sunrise. His eyes crookedly locked on the sight of Monket's ship coming in to port between the western struts. He spat a quasi-edible wad against the floor and cracked his neck joints.
“Mrmmmff... good thing I'm feeling pretty this morning.” He slapped his silky red bangs ineffectually. “Round up the boys!” he barked towards the guards standing behind him. “Shark prods all around! Not even mucking kidding!”
“Shock sticks!”
“Whip out the shock sticks! Top Dredger's orders!”
“Cheese and crackers, could they be any stiffer in echoing me?” Skagra motioned to his lackeys as he descended the ramp. “Come on. Gushie time.”
A filly galloped down into the orphans' hold, panting and wheezing.
“He caught 'er!” Her voice cracked: “He's caught the monster!”
One by one, the foals sat up, stirring and groaning.
“Grnnnghh...” Quint rubbed his eyes with a frown. “What, now?”
“I was about to drown in hot sirens,” Whony muttered. “This had better be good.”
“The Rainbow Rogue!” the filly yelped, pointing up towards the sun-lit struts. “The Slaver of Waves has nabbed her! He's bringing her into port right as we speak!”
“Monket's caught the freak?!” Whony suddenly gasped, spinning out of bed. “No friggin' way!”
Gritting his teeth, Quint hopped down to the floor. He slapped his own muzzle, shaking the cobwebs of drowsiness loose. “Don't everypony go nuts. I've got first eyes on this.” He slapped a bulkhead and whistled to a few fellow colts one bunk over. “Keep an ear out for the dredgers! Knowing Nixkit, he'll be paving a way towards the southern strut by now!”
“What's in the southern strut, again?” Whony remarked. Whack! “Ow!”
Quint frowned, leaning back from swatting the foal. “The only friggin' place that will hold a beast like that, of course! Now move it or lose it!”
In chattering layers, a crowd of frenzied orphans galloped up towards the top level. Quint, Whony, and a bunch of other colts threaded their way through like a hot knife through butter, spearheading the surge of curious hooves.
The workers, dredgers, and families of Red Barge had gathered thickly along the edges of the Western strut. They formed solid lines, craning their necks and murmuring towards one another.
Panting, Swab stumbled around the legs and fetlocks of the older ponies. He hopped, strafed, and craned his neck in desperation. Eyes wide, he struggled to see through the forest of limbs, catching only the slightest sliver of light, color, and shapes from across the channel. Monket's ship had stopped completely, its engines dead and dormant for the first time in countless hours of smog and strain.
“Do you hear that groaning?” uttered a mare, clutching her child. “Could that be the beast?”
“Not likely,” murmured a soot-stained stallion. “I heard she's got the lungs of twenty griffons and the claws of a wyvern. Something like that would be able to bellow like a howling blizzard.”
“She doesn't need lungs or claws! Haven't you heard?! She's got a magical death jewel that burns ponies alive!”
“I swear... I'm hearing somepony moan.”
“I hear it two. But that's more than one pony. Maybe... maybe she's slain the crew?”
“Then how did they get into port?!”
“Shhh! Somepony's shouting!”
Swab jolted, for he heard it too. It was the unmistakable voice of Monket, full of angry sneers and cuss words. Between the flicking tails of two Red Barge citizens, the colt saw a yellow figure with green dreads hopping onto the strut and growling into the face of one of the arriving dredgers.
“Don't mucking look at me like that, shitheap! Get some bandages and first aid onto my ship! Pronto!” A stomping hoof. “I know that half-headed arse has got it stowed away around this heap of junk somewhere!””
Swab heard Nixkit clear his throat as he shuffled up to meet the livid slaver. “Problems, Monket? Please don't insult Red Barge before Skagra gets here. It steals his thunder.”
“Shut the buck up about Skagra and his thunder! Goddess dammit—I've got ponies bleeding all over the decks of my ship!”
“You cruised into a nightly storm again, didn't you?”
“Nightly storm, my butthole! Dammit, it's the Rogue! She tore my crew to shreds!”
“Wait, she what?”
Digiff's voice: “Slow down and get ahold of yourself, Mudtopper. What the Hell happened to you last night?”
“I caught Chandler's damn trophy, that's what! And now I'm down at least a dozen legs of property! Verlaxion damn it! It's going to take me for friggin' ever to recover my assets! Chandler had damned-better pay up or I'm spearing his flank and hanging him upside down before the entire Court in Frostknife!”
Skagra shuffled up, his voice frighteningly melodic: “Now there's something worth saluting! Wanna throw in some of my kidney stones? That'll make the Council blanch like snow!”
“Skagra, pull your lip over your shitty face and swallow! I am not in the mood!”
“Awwwww... Monket, darling! Our honeymoon went off so well! Ahem. So did you snag the bitch or didn't you?”
“Just what the Hell is up with you being hundreds of miles south of the previous location?! I thought we had a deal!”
“Yeah, and I once had two shits to give over your godless whining, but I guess I misplaced them too. So did you grab the Rogue or didn't y—”
“Rrrnnngh—Dammit, Skagra, you can friggin' have her! What I want to know is how I can expect to be paid back for the slaves who got torn to bits last night!”
“You telling me that the Rainbow Rogue tore your slaves to bits... and somehow didn't bite off a single one of your dreads? Hmmmf! And here I thought it was a beautiful morning.”
“Skagra...”
“Monket Monket Monket... relax. I'm not Chandler. I sleep in two beds just to handle the weight of my jewels. I gave you a barge to use as a base of operations, so come on. Follow me to my office and we'll operate.”
“I just... just... rrrrghhh... this all feels like a damned setup! Chandler knew what he was sending me into. He must have!”
“Pffft! That insufferable slab of grease with a side of shit fries?! No way in Hell he knows what you've been dealing with. And it's we who are doing the setup, remember? Now cool your salt tits, Nasty-Nasty. I'll have Nixkit provide refreshments again. Hey Nixxy! Uhhhh... Canteloupe!”
“Digiff!”
“Swaaaaaaab!”
“Eeep!” With that cue, Swab boldly burst out through the line of gawking Red Bargers. Sunlight glared in his yellow eyes, and he squinted. “R-right here, Digiff!”
Through his peripheral vision, he caught the sparkle of electrified tasers. Dredgers met with Monket's slavers on the ramp connecting the steamship to the barge. Something limped into view, a flash of tattered colors—and then all Swab saw was Digiff's frowning face.
“You heard the Top Dredger, ya nosy little sea foam!” Digiff shook Swab around. “We've got a lot riding on this meeting! So go fetch something fresh from the mess and book it to the Skag Hole! On the double!”
“S-sure thing, Digiff. But...” Tasers flashed behind Digiff. A pained grunt filled the air, followed by multiple gasps from the crowd. Blinking, Swab looked over—
Digiff gripped the foal's neck. “I said... move!” He shoved Swab backwards. “Nothing to see here!” He turned towards the crowd. “You all hear me?! Go back about your business! Or no nibbles!”
That barely worked. A few of the gawking onlookers dispersed, but most of them hovered around a line of bridges connecting the western and southern struts. While Swab galloped off for the mess hall, Quint, Whony, and several other foals snuck along the pipework. They shuffled past grates venting with steam and scaled hull after welded hull. At last, the orphans stole the best vantage point they could, watching as a mixed train of dredgers and slaves led somepony towards the brig situated on the southern edge of Red Barge. There were too many bodies to make out the center of their attention—only the occasional shred of color or flicker of bloody bandages.
“Move! Move!” Saxon's voice rippled across the bulkheads. He leaned in, shoving a pole-arm with electrical bolts at the end. Zzzzt! Zzz-zzt!
A pained breath squeaked, and blue hooves stumbled across the rusted decks, only to pick back up and limp along while the frowning dredgers crowded tighter.
“Heheheheheh...” Saxon chuckled, his dirty teeth grinning in the sunlight as he twirled his prod and shoved it again and again. “Not so tough now, are ya, Rogue? Huh?! Huh?!” Zzzzt! “This ain't no vacation in the Quade! Here in Red Barge, we're gonna carve your heart out! Heheheheh... kick your teeth in til you bloat! Hah! Dance!” Zzzzt!
Quint and Whony craned their necks in futility. They exchanged glances, then galloped down towards a lower series of bulkheads in pursuit of the procession. The crowd shifted, watching, gawking as the thick metal doors to the brig were swung open and an emaciated figure was led down below... and out of the light of the rising sun.
Minutes later...
Swab arrived at Skagra's office with a plate of fruit and rice. He winced painfully... for Monket's booming voice rattled across the walls of the room.
“...and I've got a bent smokestack on top of it all! I don't know how she did it, but the damn freak nearly crippled the steam pipes leading up from the dredge furnace!”
“Wow, Monket...” Skagra reclined in his chair, yawning. He twirled an empty mug with a little paper umbrella in it. “...for a dude who's lived all his life on the ocean, you're really hell-bent on crying me a river.”
“Skagra...” Monket stood above the top dredger, fuming. “...I'm serious. Chandler hasn't given me enough money to handle these damages. If I don't gather the funds to pay back what I owe in Mudtop, I'm a dead stallion.”
“And so here you are... deep in the Skag Hole... ready to brown nose.” Skagra stifled a yawn. “You see this here empty jar?” He lifted the mug with a smirk. “I prepared it just in time for your tears.”
“Don't do this to me, Skagra,” Monket snarled. “Don't yank me by my own anchor!” He pointed, shouting. “Last time we talked, you were willing to make a veritable blood pact with me over Chandler! I'm in no friggin' place to hold court to your sass!”
“Excuse you!” Nixkit frowned from where he stood on the sidelines. “You're in the Skag Hole, pal! This is precisely the place to accept whatever mercy the top dredger gives you!”
“Whoa whoa whoah—there, Nixxy...” Skagra stood up, shuffling over and patting the stallion's shoulder. “I love you like a brother, dude, but get off my dick. Seriously.” He cleared his throat, gesturing towards Monket. “There's a mare present.”
Swab glanced over from where he was putting down the plate of refreshments.
Skagra trotted calmly towards Monket while Nixkit and Digiff looked on. “This is not about sass, my little pissant. It's about education. You came here over thirty-six hours ago, all gung-ho about doing your part to fluff Chandler's jade serpent. And look where it's gotten you.” He took a “sip” of the empty mug, and hummed. “Mmmmm... Anticlimax. The best tasting irony.” He tossed the container limply behind himself, then slapped a hoof down on Monket's shoulder, grinning. “Now... what have we learned?”
Monket's nostrils flared. “Never to trust power-grabbing flankholes from the mainland...” He turned towards the refreshment bench, then rushed forward, snarling. “...and Goddess dammit, I don't need your party favors!” He bucked the table savagely.
“Gaaaaiee!” Swab flinched as spilled rice and orange slices flew all over him with a loud clatter. Digiff rushed in, breathing hotly into his ear: “Beat it!” He shoved the colt away.
“Yo yo... Monket, don't take it out on the fruit!” Skagra's voice said while Swab scampered out. “Also, be careful with my refreshments. Shit doesn't grow on muck, y'know?”
Swab stood outside, panting. He looked up at the guards.
The guards had their heads craned towards the doorway. Curious, they listened in on the conversation.
With a gulp, Swab made to trot away... but he lingered just beneath a porthole. Turning his head to the left, he aimed his right ear at the window.
“... … ...it's simple, Nasty Mister Monotone,” Skagra's voice rang. “Chandler owes you for all of the collateral he's caused. Chandler owes me because he's a stupid rat bastard who messed with the wrong sea diva. We do as we originally planned.”
“You mean we hold the monster here?”
“I will hold the monster here. You... in the meantime... will head towards Mudtop. You'll carry a bunch of valuable gold and trinkets with you. Tell them it's a loan... to get them off your back while we milk platinum from the Consortium.”
“Wait... how in the Hell did you come up with gold trinkets while I was gone?”
“Are you gonna question the way that I dance or are you going to let me lead?” Skagra's voice hissed. “Now, I am graciously giving you these funds to pay off Mudtop. You can even tell those slaving barnacle humpers who sent you. They might not respect either Chandler or you, but they'll respect the word of Red Barge. All our shit squirts out the same color. Ya feel me?”
“And I am just supposed to trust you to keep the Rainbow Rogue tucked away beneath your filthy bulkheads while I settle things with the debtors?”
“Not like you have much of a choice at this point. You really think Chandler's going to fill the bleeding void from last night with his bits? Pffft... wake up and smell the seagull phlegm, Monket. This is the real way we deal with things. As for your Rainbow Rogue... she's not going anywhere. Not with my top dredgers aiming the shark prods on her.”
“Mark my words, Skagra. This mare... this creature is no normal pony.”
Swab leaned in, listening curiously to the slaver's words.
Monket continued: “At first, we thought her to be weak, starving, sun-bloated. Her wing's a shattered mess, after all, leaving her flightless. So we yanked her on board with no problem. Then, when my slaves started stripping her... she... she changed.”
“What? Was she wearing a diaper or something?”
“No, you moronic asshat! I'm telling you she transformed! She became a beastly thing... full of claws and fangs and horns and... and...” The bulkheads rattled from Monket punching the metal. “Nothing prepared us for this! No rumor spoken over the waves of the seven seas can accurately account for her ferocity! She's a beast, I tell you! The very same demon who trashed the Quade! But worst!”
Nixkit's voice spoke up: “You're telling us that the pathetic little waif you brought aboard our Barge is somehow... capable of turning into a beast and maiming a dozen of your best bought slaves?”
“She is... she was.”
Digiff: “The Hell is he even going on about?!”
“Look... if I'm to clear my name with Mudtop, I'd better take off now. Quite frankly, I want to put as much distance as possible between me and that abomination you've got in your hold. But mark my words, Skagra...” Monket's hooves scuffled. Swab imagined him facing the top dredger with a glare to match his icy tone: “If there's any hope whatsoever of our having a deal... much less a Barge still intact by the time I get back, then you'd better swear to not take that damned pendant off of her neck!”
“Pendant? What pendant?”
“Don't play coy with me, Skagra. I know how much you like to yank shit off of other ponies. Well, in this case, don't. The only way we were able to avoid being dashed to bits against the stormy waves last night was that we got that stupid necklace back on her. Then she turned back to the starving 'waif' that you saw. And it's best that you keep it that way.”
“Pffft. Nice try at scaring us, slaver,” Digiff grumbled. “If any of that was true, she'd be yanking that thing off and tearing Red Barge to shreds as we speak.”
“Well, praise the waves of fortune that she wants to keep it on. Seems like the only creature that hates her transforming is herself. And you know what? I'm fine with that. If there's any ounce of sanity left in you assclowns, then you'll be fine with that too.”
Swab bit his lip, shivering. Slowly, he pivoted about, gazing at the southern strut and the crowd gathered around the entrance to the brig.
“Now I'm off to Mudtop,” Monket's voice grumbled, followed by his heavy hoofsteps. “Verlaxion's sleet... it's all I can do to forget the screams from last night...”
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aw... it's not as long as the previous ones. aw well~
*goes to read*
damn, I love this dude.
...
...
...Whelp, looks like they did end up messing with the pendant after all. I'm damned surprised that some were left to live though it and tell the tale. Moreover, how they hell did they even get it back on?!
whoah dayum
looks like Dash might finally be back
also, at least Monket learned never to take golden pendants off strange easthorses that recently obliterated a monastery for what probably looks like no reason
.... what the hell, why did we see the asskickings from Swab's perspective? There's nothing to see, dammit.
And lol, somebody did go "ooo shiny"
Please make Skagra do it. Pleeease.
"Oh, shiny!"
Fucking called it.
Y'know, I'm kinda hoping this asshole's the one to try to take the pendant.
Aw, and we missed it!
6572324 Don't be too sad, if IC keeps up this average chapter length, then this will be by far the longest book of the series so far. Over twice the length of Ynanhluutr.
Dash is back, but still not relevant to the story as a character, only as a plot device. My guess is Keris is going to find what is left of Red Barge long after Rainbow and Swab have left, as there is no way that the folks here understand 'Do Not Touch' when it comes to shiny things.
Well 'bout time Rainbow rips apart some baddies. Skagra is definitely going to take off that pendant. Hoo... and when he does...
Swab overheard how to activate the On Switch. This can only mean one thing. Swab is going to tame the rainbow, engage chaos mode, and fly to victory atop the back of his trusty steed.
Am I the only one that thinks that the top dredger might actually be smart enough not to take it off?
His underlings, obviously aren't going to be that smart, but Skagara is just smart enough to realize that if Monket's leaving something that obviously valuable on her and giving him that kind of warning he's obviously trying to trick him into taking it off.
(That's right, I think Skagara is the kind of pony to see the warning as a set up to tempt him into removing it than a warning to keep him safe)
Heh heh heh....Monket's gonna come back to a half sunk Red Barge with Skagra's skull amongst the flotsam.
Almost back in the saddle Dash... come on.
So.. bets on the others having felt the disconnection and reconnection, and were forced out and got to see her transforming back to normal. I hope they did, maybe kick their sympathy drives into gear.
You know, compared to today's double dose of Dashery, this has been a relatively stable ride.
-In the end isolation, hunted by a nation. Utaan.
6572324
Aside from the two holes in her skull where the horns grew out of her.
They're lucky they got that pendant back on.
Who takes it off here time, and who puts it back on?
6572366 pity that the first casualties were slaves of Monket and not himself. Though, he does seem spooked by Chaos-Dash.
Pendant off = problem solved
Oh, poor Dash.
At the very least, I hope her transforming healed her up a bit.
Though what I really wanna know is where the heck are Twilight and co? Surely, they not oblivious to everything that's happening right now, right? They can't hide in the Vanilla Zone forever!
You can stop teasing us annnnnytime you like, IC.
I guess it was bound to happen at some point. Hope the stint of chaos-death-beast fixed up her wing, at least. Ugh, ghosties better have some damn sympathy for east-horse after this little ordeal . . .
And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a full moon right around the corner at this point?
6572330 On the bright side, Rainbows wing should have been healed by the change. I wonder how she's feeling now? Poor thing must be out of her head with grief and regret. Or rage. One of those.
So what are the chances of Skagra taking Monket's advice and leaving the pendant on?
I'd say pretty slim. If you'll rob a corpse, you'll rob a demon.
Damnit IC! Quit teasing us with only glimpses of east horse!
Okay, I'm getting more and more convinced we're never getting Dash's POV this story.
And Monket, you were lucky to get that pendant back on her. Skagra, feel free to take it off, when your alone with her. That should end well.
Well how long will it be till someone on Red Barge takes it off? I'm guessing 5 to 10 chapters if Skagara is smart. Less than 5 if he's not, either way it won't stay off for long.
Edit: 6572576
This is exactly what happened in Eljunbyro, we didn't see Dash's perspective for like 1/4 or so of the book before she properly reentered the story. This is likely to be shorter than that, it's sure not going to be the whole 200 chapters the way this is going.
GAAAAHHH SO CLOSE! Well at least Rainbow wrecked Monket's shit some before she got tossed into the Barge.
6572525 I'm hoping her ghost friends witnessed her change. So that they can, well, I dunno, sympathize? Eh...
Well, now that Rainbow is all safe and snug in Red Barge, let's go to The Council talking about other stuff and Theams still trying to stop their hate.
I'll admit, I'm a little ticked. We get an asskicking scene tht we dont even get to witness and we still have no idea what's up with Rainbow other than the fact that he has 12+ more to add to her body count. I dont mind perspective swaps like Innavedr, nor do I mind a little of what Eljun did, but in eljun, we at least knew that Rainbow wasnt out and about kicking ass/getting her ass kicked.
Also: chances are that if the ghosts saw the transformtion, all they'll do is take it as confirmation of what they said.
6572525
Or all of them.
"When I flew into the ruins of Silvadel the inhabitants were hung on the walls, their hides scorched off, some still alive enough to cry out. A whole kingdom burned and put out on display. This is nothing, your half starved lackies don't scare me, can never scare me. All you can do is hurt me, and nothing you do can compare what I've already gone through. So go suck a steam vent you MELON-FUDGE!"
Of course she won't actually say that because RD is sad easthorse right now. Hopefully later, after we get a PoV return to Dash.
30 chapters later, Twilight comes out to for the moonspeak. "What did I miss?"
That IC is the most evil pony in equestria !
Everyone just carves for information about Dash and then last chapter it was so close and now this chapter with this line..
That's just... actually pretty funny.
6572751
From what we could observe so far they always seem to fade out as soon as the chaos takes over, so it is rather unlikely that they saw what happened.
That actually makes sense somehow, they are avatars of harmony, so if chaos takes over their connection point to the world, they won't be able to communicate.
I am still curious if and how their friendship can be saved at all, last time we saw them speak Rainbow acted like Princess Jerkypants and Twilight was so pissed off that she was basically ok with letting Dash die by withholding her help.
Besides the fact that this was kind of a hypocrite move of twilight because she was blaming RD for a similar attitude, there is still a large gap between Friendship and 'i rather see you crippled or dead than helping you'.
To be fair Dash stepped over their friendship first by ignoring Twis speech about stopping if she values their friendship in any way, but there is always two.
Blue Shelf, Red Barge, Green Monket.
Black Blood?
Well, the locals have met Demon Dash, lets see if tey can push her to the point where she takes off the pendant herself. Or if she looks at this as even more of Verlaxions Trials.
Big thick heavy metal door? Well, she could do with some more iron in her diet, but Im wondering if the brig being the ost secure part, is layerred, and the core is chaos metal. Too much Dredge Coal slurry and dust to not have it somewhere, like the bilges etc.
6572525
I'd wager a bit of all three, and probably a bit of "no, I must hurt my wing again - I don't deserve to have it healed like that".
6572525
I give it about 12.7 minutes after Monket leaves before Skagra tries to take the pendant off.
6572957
12.7? bit long don't ya think?
but seriously, Skaga doesn't strike me as the stupid sort.. if he does remove the element it will be with precautions, like being ready to slap it right back on.
Oh Luna and consorts are gonna be so delighted by the next update they'll receive!
How in the hay did they manage to get the pendant back on her without all of them dying?
Also, I sense East Horse pulling off a truly insane breakout soon...
On a whim, I decided to reread the last chapter of Ynanhluutr, in which I noticed this:
This got me thinking...
With RD's friends having abandoned her, will she turn more towards disharmony and danger to accomplish her goal of rescuing Applejack? Presumably, I don't think we're going to see much of the other girls, if anything at all, until Dash frees Applejack. She won't have much left to hold her back from going along the cruel and dishonest route to accomplishing her goals. The selection I quote shows that she regrets not playing dangerously and trying to keep her actions toned down and acceptable more for Twilight and Co's sake than her own. With them gone, I expect to see more of a... not so much "evil" Dashie but a less harmonious one.
Mostly, I think it'd be awesome if by the time Rainbow frees Applejack, she's extremely cold and jaded, and freeing Applejack helps turn her back towards the path of good and helps her to make up with the other four.
I'm really hoping Twilight or one of the others was around when they took off the necklace. Maybe then they'll start taking her seriously.
Yes, IC, us readers all hear you. Nothing to see here. Nope. Certainly no polychromatic pegasus.
Reference: Steak: It's what's for dinner.
Better than nibbles anyway.
Oh! Now I get it: Phoenix Kitten => Nixkit
What a wonderful way to start the morning.
Am I the only one giving Skagra Grunkle Stan's voice? Gravity Falls, anyone? Maybe? Maybe?
6573171
Skim through the comments of the last two chapters of Ynanluhttur
6573313
Beholder: It's what's for lunch.
6573669 Taters: It's what's for elevensies.
6573301 Mmmhmm. Damn this was a cool chapter. Monket has sucessfully been knocked down plenty a peg.
6573820 https://youtu.be/fYiCPmwOV4A?t=26s
Rainbow Chaos mode in two chapters?
So Monket doesn't know about the harvesting of the dead drift, huh? I wonder why Skagra hasn't told him, and what else he might be keeping under wraps.