• Published 13th Oct 2015
  • 10,048 Views, 18,189 Comments

Utaan - Imploding Colon



Rainbow Dash endures many trials to reach the edge of the world.

  • ...
44
 18,189
 10,048

PreviousChapters Next
Nicole and Echo's "Fool Us!"

"But I thought that all land dwellers were taught from foaling to hunt down and murder sarosians."

"No, ya friggin' idiot," Echo grumbled. "You see... that's what they want you to think."

"Who's 'they?'"

"Take your pick," Echo said with a shrug. "Those who want you to fight to the death? Those who want to protect you? Those who want to get rid of you?" He slicked his mane back and leaned casually against a knot of bleakweed. "Certainly not those who want you to know the truth. Truth's powerful, you see, and it compromises a buncha shit. Not everypony wants everypony to grasp it."

Nicole wandered into a large chamber where a huge crowd of adult sarosians had gathered. The velvety sea of bodies faced Echo in the center, lingering under cold runic manalight.

"So... what you're telling us is that not everypony wants to kill off the 'Seventh Tribe?'"

"Eh..." Echo shrugged. "If push came to shove, and all the 'Tribes' were on fire, then—sure—the Seventh would be the last group that most Rohbreddenites would piss on." Echo cleared his throat. "But ponies to the west of us are... like... too busy in-fighting and toying with politics and waxing religious poetic to ever bother dealing with you guys straight-on."

"Really?"

"Hate is a fickle thing, you see," Echo droned. "True animosity is only useful in a pinch. Like... just days ago, everyone in Rohbredden wanted to murder the wyverns—like... all of them... down to the last goofy tusk."

"So they turn against their own kind." One sarosian blinked his slitted eyes. "How barbaric."

"I know, right? But..." Echo gestured. "...usually, ponies just... don't care." He shrugged again. "Say what you want about hate, but nothing matches the divine power of apathy."

"I see..."

"Shit heaps like Rust and Mudtop only existed because they could. But when those criminal empires crumbled, only a few psychopaths actually wanted to go through the effort of rebuilding them... and they found themselves with very little support. It all leads to collapse, really."

"But the Blood of Luna," one sarosian murmured, her ears folding back. "She held the heart of Rohbredden in the crook of her fetlocks. How come she didn't assume control?"

"If she tried, it would have backfired. Horribly." Echo shook his head. "The cards were stacked against her. Still are."

"But she murdered the frost Queen, didn't she?"

"No, she took credit for it."

"Did that not make her a prime target in the eyes of Rohbredden?"

"You bet your velvety plot."

"But... why put herself in such jeopardy? I do not understand."

"Because she's a pony who gives a shit."

The sarosians merely glanced at one another.

"Look..." Echo leaned forward, gesturing. "Rainbow Dash doesn't enjoy having a bunch of enemies at her back. But... she enjoys ponies tearing themselves to shreds even less." His eyebrows rose. "She's not a Rohbreddenite, after all. She's Equestrian—born and raised—and those sappy folk are super big on peace and harmony and all that stuff."

"She... sacrificed her own security so that the Tribes would not collapse..."

"Precisely." Echo nodded. "It wasn't much of a choice, in her case, I suppose. But she rolled with it anyway. Because she knew that far less ponies would suffer and die in the here and now." He took a breath. "That very same spirit brought her here... at the doorsteps of Bleak's Plummet. She knew she was putting herself at risk—as well as her friends—but she made the trip anyways... because her mission means bringing harmony to more ponies... to more souls than we could ever hope to friggin' count."

"And her trip to the land of the Dark Vigil," a sarosian remarked. "It's another risk for the same thing?"

"Right. So... you see..." Echo leaned back, sighing. "Luna chose her avatar for a good damn reason. The Austraeoh's out to save the world. That includes you guys. And... uh... it includes me as well." He nodded gently. "Believe me. She's saved my sorry ass more than once. Especially when I didn't deserve it."

The batponies murmured and squeaked amongst one another.

"It is... starting to become clear now," an elder said. "I can understand why Xarchellus is taking so long to contemplate it."

"I know, right?"

"It... must not have been easy for you to come here either," another sarosian said. Her eyes narrowed. "I used to hear stories told about you... about what you took from us..."

Echo gulped. "Uh huh..."

The mare cocked her head aside. "... ... ...I do not see that same coward standing in front of us now."

Echo blinked.

"I see a stallion who has experienced many things... perhaps more than the rest of us." Her fangs showed. "Usually, only warriors can boast of such things."

Nicole smirked at a distance. "Some are just damned lucky to be alive."

Several heads turned, murmuring.

Echo nodded, pointing across the way. "Yeah. What she said."

"I... uh..." Nicole strolled forward a bit. "I was wondering if I could have a few words with my friend here.."

More murmurs.

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Echo trotted across the chamber, leaving the crowd behind. "I think it's high time that the convention wrapped up anyways. You've been a nice audience," he said, waving. "I'll try to perform more magic tricks next time."

A few chuckles lit the air. Gradually, the crowd began to disperse, lingering in conversational pockets.

"I... uh..." Nicole fidgeted slightly. "I hope I didn't interrupt something special."

"Nah..." Echo waved a hoof. "We were just kicking the ol' moonrock around. Catching up. Nothing too snazzy."

Nicole looked squarely at him. "It's more than luck that brought you here, Echo."

"Yeah. A goofy-ass hunk of rust powered by a bald dork did most of the gruntwork as of late."

Nicole's brow furrowed.

"What? Wanna fight me, girl?"

"No." She motioned with her head and trotted out of the chamber. "Follow me."

"What for?"

"I want to show you something..."

PreviousChapters Next