Utaan

by Imploding Colon

Could Have Gone With "Shortdust"

Wildcard marched up out of the cabin, dusting off his flesh-and-metal talons. The griffon came to a stop, his goggles reflecting several equine faces. At last, he gave a thumb's up.

"That should do it!" Ariel exclaimed, turning to face the rest of the Herald. "All of the supplies are loaded!"

"Well..." Nicole took a deep breath. "...there goes my contribution."

Echo leaned in. "We could toss you overboard," he murmured. "But that'd boil the ocean to a mist."

Nicole sighed. "Has anypony ever mentioned that your pick-up lines suck?"

"I have," Ariel muttered, trotting past them.

"Hey, what can I say?" Echo shrugged. "Several weeks in—"

"Stop using the damned 'prison' excuse!" Ariel scuffled to a stop, frowning at the others. "Can we please cast off?"

"Yes. We shall." Remna turned to face Kepler and Logan. "Might I kindly ask what is taking so long?"

"Yeesh..." Logan muttered, fiddling with a rudder wheel positioned directly above the rearmost cabin compartment. "...she's like a talking enema every time she tries to be polite..."

"A thousand parrdons, drraconian one," Kepler remarked, reaching in to assist Logan with fixing the steering mechanism. "Simply attempting to rremedy some gearrs that had grrown stiff with time and neglect."

Remna raised an eyebrow. "I thought Flynn was supposed to be piloting this vessel."

"I'd love t-to!" a voice sputtered from below deck. Flynn stuck his sweaty head out as steam and manavapors rose from the depths of the metal vessel. "But I'm the only unicorn in the group! I'll be needed below deck, enchanting the manacrystal engines!"

Bard tilted his hat back. "Then who steers?"

"Ah!" Kepler raised a claw. "I do believe that humble task shall fall upon me, good desperrado frriend!" He adjusted his spectacles with a tusked smirk. "Do not let my many yearrs of a monk's lifestyle in the mountains fool you! I've had my fairr sharre of time at the mast!"

"Oh yeah?" Bard squinted. "When?"

"Why... fourr decades ago in the waterrs norrth of Rrust!" Kepler's mouth hung open... but then the wyvern squinted into the twilight horizon. "...orr... perrhaps... was it thrree decades ago below the Bay of Frrostknife?"

"I think we have a winner here," Nicole said, stifling a giggle.

Echo blinked. "I just can't get over how old the guy is. Quick! Someone cut off one of his tusks! Count the rings!"

Remna cleared her growling throat. "Can we please get on with it? We should be casting off by now."

"Got it!" Logan wheezed, giving the wheel a good spin as he sat up. "All yours, K-pal."

"Ha-Hah!" Kepler grasped the rungs of the device with his wing-claws. "Glorrious! Glorrious! Shall we drraw anchorr?"

"Are you kidding?" Ariel droned. "This whole dang ship's an anchor!"

"Are you saying that my Stardust is heavy?" Flynn's voice hollered from down below.

"No! But you're going to be light-headed in a minute if you don't get this thing operating!" Ariel's voice cracked. "I mean it! Remna looks ready to rip somepony's head off!"

"I'm just cl-clearing the leylines!" Flynn's voice reverberated. "Should be ready any m-minute now! Mrmmmff... h-has anypony seen Rainbow Dash?"

Wildcard turned about. He hand-signed and gestured towards the sky.

"Hrmmmfff... well..." Bard took a breath. "The moonlight's gonna follow us good'n'proper to the Sixth Seed. Somepony go and tell her that we're ready to mosey on over the waves."

"I'lldoit!" Ariel chirped and—Fwoooosh!—she was airborne.

Bard rolled his eyes. "Do we have a volunteer?"

"Uhm... is it just me...?" Nicole turned about, blinking her slitted eyes. "...or does that mare really... really enjoy having an excuse to talk with Rainbow Dash?"

"Eh..." Echo waved a hoof. "She's just catching up on her interior decorating."

"... ... ...huh?" Nicole blinked.

Echo smirked. "She wants some carpet to match Rainbow's drapes."

"... ... ... ... ... ...huh?"

"Wow..." Echo squinted at her in the twilight. "...you're awesome and all, but really? You still haven't caught on?"

"Ahem..." Bard trotted up... and stood directly between Echo and Nicole. "Imagine that. Almost like she lived on a farm all her life."

"Er... y-yeah..." Echo cleared his throat, nervously shuffling away from Bard. "Just imagine."

Nicole sighed. "Your friends are weird."

"Reckon so." Bard nodded. "Just... dun be so quick to get all their weird on you."

"No promises."

Comments

[RoboRed]

"Uhm... is it just me...?" Nicole turned about, blinking her slitted eyes. "...or does that mare really... really enjoy having an excuse to talk with Rainbow Dash?"

"Eh..." Echo waved a hoof. "She's just catching up on her interior decorating."

"... ... ...huh?" Nicole blinked.

Echo smirked. "She wants some carpet to match Rainbow's drapes."

"... ... ... ... ... ...huh?"

Istillshipit

[IceKitsune]

Oh boy if I didn't think Nicole was going to be fun before I sure do now.

[Cynderfall]

Lesbians!

Fillyfoolers!

[aRestlessCreativeGamer]

"Eh..." Echo waved a hoof. "She's just catching up on her interior decorating."
"... ... ...huh?" Nicole blinked.
Echo smirked. "She wants some carpet to match Rainbow's drapes."

XD

[Metal Aura]

"Has anypony seen Rainbow Dash?"
No, she dashes too fast for anyone to see her.

[Leftover of Saikano]

She just wants to be gal pals with Dash.

[Revan]

The boat is really heavy?

s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/34/82/d4/3482d42c3712d1248bfefbaf935e837d.jpg

[Hazard]

Echo, she's just a country girl. She doesn't understand your mean street innuendos.

7428141 Roarkebow will never sink!
But Rainiel is an acceptable substitute in the absence of cybernetic bounty hunters.

[Nevlamas]

Kepler would look amazing with a captain's hat, I'd wager. I mean, just think about it!

[Lunarius]

7429843

"Admirral Keplerr rreporting forr duty! Ha-Hah!"

[MercySewerPyro]

God dammit Echo!

Well, here's hoping the ship doesn't blow up. That'd be a pretty explosion though!

[Ms_Fruit_Bat]

7428318 Harold, they're lesbians.

[Silly Words]

Echo blinked. "I just can't get over how old the guy is. Quick! Someone cut off one of his tusks! Count the rings!"

Yeesh...

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

Ariel would be able to decorate an interior faster than rainbow can clear the sky! One day, Dash will succumb. One day!

[8542Madness]

I love how Bard is starting to be the protective older brother to Nicole. Should make interactions with Echo pretty interesting.

[arancaytar]

7429304

Best Friends.

[5plus5seconds]

"No promises."

[Prism Break]

I love Echo and Nicole together, I hope we'll get more moments between them!

"Reckon so." Bard nodded. "Just... dun be so quick to get all their weird on you."
"No promises."

memegenerator.net/img/instances/35067522/no-promises.jpg

[meanderingNekomata]

7620614
Am I the only one who wants Rainbow to remain faithful to Roarke? I mean, I'd be all over this ship if it happened pre-Roarke, but it didn't and Dash being Loyalty and all, her being disloyal to a pony she loves of all things just doesn't sit right with me. Heck, I mean, I'd be fine with it if Roarke so much as affirmed that she was okay with it, tho from her protective attitude towards Dash, I sort of doubt that she ever truly would be without some major character development in specifically that direction.

[Zecoro]

"Eh..." Echo waved a hoof. "She's just catching up on her interior decorating."
Ok THAT is original as hell! 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

[hypervelocity]

Echo smirked. "She wants some carpet to match Rainbow's drapes."

...oh my God Echo.

[SnowOriole]

9765544
Not the only one.