Utaan

by Imploding Colon

From One Avatar to Another

"Rainbow, darling?" Rarity grimaced at the pale figure hovering in front of them. "I know you're negotiating and all, but..." She swallowed some ghost bile down her ghost throat. "...must you stand so close to this particular... creature?"

"Shhh!" Twilight Sparkle insisted. "Let Rainbow hear what this sarosian has to say!"

"But she's so... so..." Rarity shivered. "Pierced."

Applejack rolled her eyes and continued to listen in as their anchor approached the mare hovering off the edge of the Stardust.

"I must speak with the rest of my brothers and sisters in the waters," Enix said, her eyes pulsating with the lunar enchantment emanating from Rainbow's pendant. "Some in the depths are likely confused, and they must be properly instructed regarding the mighty words of our Mother of Nightmares made manifest."

"Uh... sure thing..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "You need some bicycles and neckties to do that, or...?"

The pale warrior tilted her scarred aside. "Huh?"

Applejack swatted a ghostly hat through Rainbow's skull. Rainbow blurted: "Yes! Of course! Filling in the rest of your fleet would be... uhm... awesome! Yeah..."

"A thousand pardons for our transgressions, Blood of Luna," Enix said. "If you so desire, I shall bring you the bodies of those responsible for the initial strike. You may be allowed to draw blood first—"

"Look... uh..." Rainbow waved a hoof. "I think we've driven blood enough for an afternoon. You just... go get situated and I'll... get situated too, alright?"

"Very well." Enix drifted backwards, flanked by other warriors. "Curious. For the avatar of the Mother of Nightmares, you are... uniquely petite."

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and spoke: "Princess Luna works in mysterious ways."

"Indeed she does. Skreeeeeeee!" She took off in a gray blur—accompanied by other sarosians. The group flew from submersible to submersible in the choppy waters.

"Well..." Ariel touched down, still shaking off the shivers of the recent battle. "For a horribly vicious warrior marked by the scars of countless victims..." She looked over at Rainbow. "...she can be remarkably articulate."

"Indeed." Kepler stood up, adjusting his spectacles. "It would appearr as though the worrds of yourr Prrincess Luna made quite an impact on their nocturrnal earrs!"

"Or they're just a bunch of stupid idiots who'll listen to a talking nightlight," Echo muttered, spitting blood.

"Echo..." Rainbow Dash rushed over and sat beside where Echo and Nicole were squatting. She rested a hoof on the wounded sarosian's shoulder. "This... Enix character... she says she's a 'Nightblood' pony. What's up with that?"

"She's the sword of the Maria Matriarch," Echo grunted, rubbing his sore cheek. With a shuddering sigh, he leaned back into Nicole's supporting limbs. "The Nightblood's job is to protect the night tribes while migrating. As you can guess... these bastards have been 'migrating' for a long time. Thousands of years, according to your world's lore."

"Really?"

"Well, that's the shitty textbook version." Echo's eyeslits narrowed. "Truth be told, ol' Enix is good for one thing—and that's slaughtering hapless sailors and tradeponies in the eastern waters surrounding Rohbredden."

"Good Goddess," Logan grunted, frowning at the vessels surrounding them. "And just how long have they been at this?"

"Longer than any of us or our nameable grandparents have been alive," Echo muttered. "Every sarosian who's foaled is taught from pre-flight age that the other Six Tribes are selfish, xenophobic bastards and that they get what's coming to them." He spat some more blood and sighed. "It's like a whole friggin' bandit empire built on angst."

"So that's where you got yer smoothe charm," Bard said.

"Now you're catching on," Echo said.

"Uhm..." Rainbow grimaced at Echo's battered limbs. "How are you... uh... holding up with the whole 'beaten to a pulp' business?"

"My body's covered with sores and bruises. Want to lick one of them?"

"Maybe in another life." Rainbow's eyes met his. "This Enix... have you met her before?"

"Unfortunately." Echo's fangs showed beneath a frown. "Can't say I've ever seen her act this polite."

"Well... has any midnighter heard the directly spoken words of the Mother of Nightmares?" Ariel asked.

"Nope." Echo's eyes flickered from the proximity of Rainbow's pendant, and he calmed slightly. "And... yeah... sure... it rocks me to the core as well... but this?" He sighed, gazing off towards the vine-strewn vessels bobbing in the waters. "I've never seen the likes of this before."

"What? These ships—?"

"No. I've done cartwheels in those stupid floating balls before. What I'm talking about is... is this!" Echo waved dramatically towards the calm, starry sky. As thunder rolled, he muttered: "I've never... never seen my kind just... pull their punches like this before."

"That's a good thing, though, right?" Nicole looked up at Bard and the others. "They were about to slaughter us all just minutes ago... and they stopped." She smiled hopefully. "Maybe the same spirit of peace that Luna absorbs me and Echo with is... appealing to their midnighter sensibilities!"

"Or they're just being hypnotized," Logan muttered. "And boy would it suck when that spell runs out."

"I assure you, my little ponies," a regal voice echoed from Rainbow's pendant. From a distance, leafy-eared ponies instantly glanced in the direction of the Stardust—eyeslits flickering. "There is no hypnosis involved."

Logan shivered.

"Heehee..." Pinkie Pie smiled. "I love it when she does that."

"Nevertheless, I knew that my voice—so magically channeled—would appeal to their sarosian sensibilities," Luna continued. "Again... my chief excuse for putting so much time and energy into preparing such a speech."

"Your Highness!" Rainbow exclaimed into the air as more thunder rolled. "Glad to hear your voice. Are you no longer down for the count?"

"I assure you that I am currently in possession of my full faculties, Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna said. "Please forgive me for such a sporadic presence until now."

"Dun you worry, yer Highness," Bard spoke. "It's come in at quite a pinch—just when we needed it."

Wildcard nervously nodded.

"Rainbow Dash," Luna spoke. "Among the pack that assaulted you... there is an elder. A warrior elite. I sense the authority in her spirit."

"Yeah... uh..." Rainbow glanced at Echo, then back up at the silvery glow in the air. "Her name's 'Enix.' She calls herself a... Nightblood warrior?"

"That would be most accurate. She is in charge of her military attachment."

"Well... erm... they're more like a bunch of amphibious pirates."

"All the same—she is the closest thing you have to an ambassador—at least until you make contact with the Maria Matriarchs of the tribe."

"Is... that something I wanna do?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Meet up with a Matriarch?"

"Ugh..." Echo rolled his eyes.

Rainbow glanced at him. "I think... somepony might protest that idea."

"Nah... it's cool," Echo muttered. "Cool for you, at least."

"What do you mean?"

Echo stood up—wincing. "Just that..." With Nicole's help, he stood evenly with Rainbow Dash, teetering slightly. "...the last time I was in the presence of the Maria Matriarch..." He pointed at his limp wings. "I had this done to me."

Ariel glanced at where Enix spoke with her fellow pirates in the distance. "Was Miss Beauty Pageant responsible for doing it?"

"No. She just had one of her lackeys do it."

"So you've met this Enix lady before," Bard asked.

"Yeah... and I fully expected her to kill me on the spot," Echo said. "All things considered... she still might."

Nicole grimaced.

"I wouldn't put it past these bastards to stab us in the back," Logan grumbled.

"You have my full assurance," Princess Luna spoke, "They shall not harm a single hair on your head."

Rainbow fidgeted. "Yeah, but Your Highness—"

"I have informed them collectively that you are the Avatar of the Mother of Nightmares," Luna said. "You are blessed with my blood. All things considered, this is an absolute truth in and of itself, and my children are charged with following my word to the bitter end."

"They've been separated from you and the rest of Equestria for a very long time, Princess," Rainbow said. She gulped. "How can we be sure that they'll play along?"

"Rainbow Dash..." Nicole said.

Rainbow looked at her.

The farm mare's eyeslits flickered from the proximity of the enchanted pendant. "I... feel Luna in every heartbeat. It... it's something that I feel has always been a part of me... even on cold, lonesome nights spent in Blue's farm." She smiled tearfully, sniffing slightly. "I can't explain it... but it's there... deep inside me... almost as if it's always been hiding... just waiting to be opened." She took a shuddering breath. "If these pirate creeps feel even a smidgen of the same thing... then I'm pretty certain they're gonna trot in line from now on."

"Or at least as long as Princess Luna keeps speaking," Ariel said.

"It goes far deeper than that, my child," Luna's voice said. "Sarosians originate—in essence—from the very first dream ever crafted... which was a metaphysical event that I was present for. I fostered the spirit that brought them into the waking world. Figuratively speaking, we are cut from the same cloth... and are attuned to the same wavelengths."

Rainbow Dash looked over. "Echo?"

Echo brushed a hoof over his disheveled mane. "Yeah..." His eyes flickered as he calmed slightly. "What she said."

Remna shuffled into the thick of the group. "If the Moon Princess' words are indeed so terribly impactful..." She gazed off the ship's bow. "...then—perhaps—she can order this legion of nocturnal thugs to escort us to the Sixth Seed."

Rainbow stared across the waters. Her eyes twitched at the bright pale flicker of Yaerfaerda, multi-colored and unpredictable... and close.

"Rainbow?" Twilight leaned in. "What are you thinking?"

Rainbow's nostrils flared. "That I can almost smell it." She turned to look towards Echo. "You think that this 'Enix' character could escort us?"

"That... won't be up to her."

Rainbow exhaled. "The Maria Matriarchs."

Echo nodded. "What's left of them." He cleared his throat. "We'd... better get their blessing if we wanna get any help from these sea-bats at all."

"And where could we find such leaders?"

"Down in Bleak's Plummet."

"Down?"

Echo took a breath. "It can't be far from here. If we... stop by there first... then the trip to your underground fart chamber should be a real cinch."

"Oh dear..." Rarity bit her lip. "More sight-seeing?"

"I am sensing a strange warmth just east of us," Fluttershy said. "At first, I thought it was a school of fish... but if it's actually Bleak's Plummet—"

"You mean these guys are living underwater?!" Pinkie cackled. "A little late for a pool party, don't you think?!"

Rainbow spoke above the celestial thunder: "One step at a time." She called into the cabin. "Flynn!" Her voice echoed off the rusted walls of the engine room. "How's it looking?"

"This... is going to take a while to repair, Rainbow," Flynn grumbled. "I hate to be the bearer of bitchy news... but we aren't moving anywhere until I can get at least two of these mana-batteries re-enchanted."

Wildcard gestured briskly with one talon.

"Mmmmm..." Bard scratched his head, then turned to face the others. "'Reckon we should ask for a tow?'"

"Whatever we do, we must be quick about it," Remna said. "While we're in the good favor of these miscreants."

"So then..." Rainbow looked at Echo. "How are these guys' tugboating stats?"

Comments

[thatguyvex]

"No. I've done cartwheels in those stupid floating balls before.

...And you didn't think to, I don't know, warn the rest of the party about the underwater bouncy balls carrying cadres of barbaric batponies?

Echo, are you sneaking coral when no one's looking?

[IceKitsune]

Time to get towed to the next destination.

7476344

Yeah way to go there Echo, kind of a huge misstep.

[Cynderfall]

I really really really want Echo to regain his flight!

[Nevlamas]

Now, am I coming from too Christian a background or does "Maria Matriarch" sound really, really silly?

[Sir Mediocre]

7477384 Not as silly as Mariachi Matriarch.

[Hap]

slaughtering hapless sailors

I can truthfully say that no sailors have ever been slaughtered in my presence.

[Hap]

7477384
Pronounce it as the Latin for "sea" and not the anglicanized name.

As in, the wide, dark basaltic plains on the Lunar surface.

[Nevlamas]

7479106 Latin for sea is mare - German pronounciation is mostly identical to Latin, and calling the virgin Mary by her original name doesn't help one bit!

[Revan]

7479299 Agreed. I'm a Roman Catholic, and I don't find this as amusing, really.

[Super Trampoline]

7479101 you're having fun with this.

[Hap]

7484167 Entirely too much.

[Hazard]

Now that's just batty.

"Midnighter Towing: we'll tow ya or kill ya, it's kinda up to the moon."

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

Enix is pretty much the scariest bat alive.

[Vocal Sonder]

It's super interesting how these beings called sarosians came to be. To have been born from literally a subconcious thought and then tied with their very soul to Luna. That must have been some impressive spellwork.

It does make me wonder however about how a bat pone in equestrian would be feeling on a day to day basis considering the close proximity to Luna. Perhaps they get the cutesy feelings all the time? Or maybe it's a feeling of complete fulfillment that they feel when speaking to her and receiving commands. Intersring stuff!

[arancaytar]

Wow. I kind of assumed that the Sarosians were just somehow mutated ponies (pegasi, presumably), but it seems like they're entirely magically created. Similar to the changelings brought to life by Chrysalis and Tchern?

[Tim the Planes-pony]

7486393
The image you have selected for your profile fits your words way too well
09/05/2017
20:42 UTC

[5plus5seconds]

"Very well." Enix drifted backwards, flanked by other warriors. "Curious. For the avatar of the Mother of Nightmares, you are... uniquely petite."

This never gets old.

[meanderingNekomata]

7479101
Surely these sailors would've been fine had they been with you

[hypervelocity]

Hmmmm....Maria Matriarch...wonder what that's about.