Out in the middle of the Rohbreddenite ocean, far east of Upper Shoggoth and beneath a glittering sunset, an enormous body breached the waves. Salt water erupted high into the air and white sea foam formed rippling fountains in every direction. From deep within the center of this phenomenon, a scaly beast of gigantic proportions settled, its dorsal fin and tail dribbling all over with moisture. As its massive body floated to a stop, the sea monster tilted its snout up and opened its jaws.
Almost immediately, three figures came darting out. Rainbow Dash flew up into the air while a pair of Desperadoes—sputtering—hovered loftily beside her. The pegasus calmly settled down, perching in the middle of Ultimo's wet scaly brow. She looked up at Bard and Wildcard—who were far too busy shaking the slime and willies off their coat/feathers to possibly mimic Rainbow's calm poise.
“Brbrbrbrbrrrr!” Bard grimaced. “Goddess almighty! I hope we ain't havin' to take the Super Trout Express ever again!”
Wildcard gestured with his limbs.
“Dayum straight.” Bard adjusted his heavy saddlebag. “I almost envy Theanim's midnighter friend. A prison's gotta be far less dank than that sort of an experience! Whew!”
“Oh hush,” Rainbow grunted. She pivoted her side and raised her head. “Uh... Camellia? Your Highness?”
“Rainbow Dash,” the voice rustled in her head. It was incredibly soft, now. Distant, like a gentle whisper fluttering up a deep, tall well. “I trust that you found the improvised trip... accommodating?”
Rainbow Dash spoke into the air. “Your Majesty, I once had to share frequent flier miles with Josho, the Grand Emperor of Farts.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Rainbow Dash giggled. “Rest assured, Princess, that I've ridden far... far less comfortable rides than the inside of a slimy megashark's gullet.”
“Yeah right,” Bard muttered. Clang! A metal talon slapped him from behind. “Dang it, Dubya-Cee!” He frowned, rubbing his head through his hat as he glared at the catbird. “Couldja at least use yer real hand next time?!”
“I've already appealed to the creature who brought you out of Shoggoth,” Camellia explained. “He's willing to provide you further transit.”
“H-hey! No kidding?!” Rainbow turned to beam up at the two Desperadoes. “Princess Camellia says Ultimo's willing to carry me further east!”
“Dun dig the spurs in. Ya might regret it.”
“However...” Camellia's voice faded in and out like the distant crashing of waves. “...even large subjects of the ocean have tasks that need being done. At some point, he will have to part ways with you. I trust—by then—your wings will be rested enough to make the next leap towards the closest island of the surface world?”
“Hey... you've done so much as it is, Your Majesty,” Rainbow Dash said, plopping down on her haunches. She reached a hoof out and... gingerly patted the wet scales beneath her. “And I totally appreciate the lift that Ultimo's giving me. I mean... eheh... considering that there was a point in the past when I was trying to shove sharp metal spears deep into the dude's flesh—”
“If you must know, he holds no grudges. After all...” Rainbow's mind clouded. A few seconds later, Camellia's voice broke through again. “...quite himself at the time. Seems...” More interference. “...standing issues with Queen Verlaxion.”
“Uhhh... Your Highness?” Rainbow gulped. “You're breaking up. I... uh... I'm thinking this might be the last time we have to chat.”
“….case indeed, Rainbow Dash. The sea ponies … … … forever in your debt. I would... … ...good fortune and mirth in your travels.”
“I'm... just gonna assume that you wished me good luck.” Rainbow smiled into the salty winds. “Back at ya, Your Majesty. Of all the magical princesses with bodiless voices that I've miraculously talked to over long distances, you... uhhhh... well let's just say you rank pretty high up there.” She chuckled nervously. “Eh heh heh...”
“... cannot communicate for long. Please be sure to respect all cultures. Remember... … …her blessings everywhere. If faith cannot assist you... … ...surely answer your questions... … ...accordance with the will of Verlaxion.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash tilted her head up further. “Your Highness?! What did you say about Verlaxion?”
“... eastward, you'll... … ...protecting their shrine... … ….great difficulty, but... … …persevere.”
And with that, the siren's melodic voice... faded from Rainbow's head.
“Camellia? Princess Camellia!”
Silence.
Up above, Bard gulped. “Guess ya ran out of fish princess juice, huh?”
Rainbow sighed, ears sagging. “Uh huh.” She looked down. A few spaces away, a giant bulbous fish eye blinked in her general direction. “How about you, big guy? You got all that?”
A deep, bass groan rippled through the scaly lengths of the beast. The thing's massive tail swished left and right, kicking up huge waves of water.
“Heheheh... cool.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “You think you can carry me east for a little bit? I mean, assuming you're not so sore about... me making you sore back in Nealend?”
In response, the giant sea serpent twirled its fins. With a slow start, the thing cruised its way towards the dimming horizon, its dorsal fin casting a wide shadow from the setting sun behind it.
“H-hey! Cool beans!” Rainbow grinned wide, standing up. She watched as the ocean's surface passed by, faster and faster, with the top half of Ultimo breaching the waves. She had a lot of clear space to trot dryly between the creature's snout and a few feet behind its towering dorsal fin. “It's a little smelly, but it sure beats flapping my wings over a bunch of blue nothing.”
“So... uh...” Bard stammered as he and Wildcard flapped their wings to catch up. “...it ain't cross or nothin'?”
“Huh?”
“Ya dun reckon it'll just up and eat ya when the occasion fits?”
“Dudes...” Rainbow smirked calmly. “I've got Camellia's full assurance. This guy's gonna carry me part of the way. You're welcome to join me for a bit.” She shrugged. “Y'know, to rest your wings and all. I mean, that's a lot of junk you're carrying on your backs, and Celestia knows it's a long, grueling flight towards the next island.”
Bard and Wildcard exchanged glances. The griffon gestured with his flesh and metal talons.
“Uh huh...” Bard swallowed. “Look, darlin'...” He turned to smile awkwardly down at the pegasus. “About that. We was thinkin'.”
“Yeah...?”
Just then, Twilight Sparkle breached the surface, phasing up through Ultimo's body. “Up here, Pinkie! Quick! Come look!”
“Yes, listen to Twilight, dear.” Rarity flew out of Ultimo's frame with a shudder. “Enough fiddling around through the wretched beast's innards. Honestly.” She turned to glance at the sky, and instantly her blue eyes sparkled. “Ooooooh!” She cooed, cupping her muzzle in her forelimbs. “Sweet Celestia! The surface! Oh, how terribly joyful I am to once again feel the embrace of warm, dry air!”
“Rarity, please...” Twilight rolled her eyes with a smirk. “It's not like any of us actually got soaked from the whole ordeal.”
“Oh, can't I live vicariously through our beloved anchor, dear?”
“News update, girls,” Rainbow spoke in a low tone. “I've lost contact with Camellia.”
“Awwww...” Rarity pouted.
“But...” She smirked, pointing at the dorsal fin above and behind her. “She was nice enough to convince Ultimo into carrying me a bit further east!”
“Oh...” Rarity grimaced slightly. “My. How charming.”
“Rarity! Be kind!” Twilight frowned. “This is extremely fortuitous for Rainbow Dash! After all, now that Theanim and Echo have stayed behind, it's not like she can just afford another boat.”
“Yes, but still...” Rarity fidgeted, not wanting to make contact with the glossy scales beneath her, despite being a ghost mare. “...does the current transportation have to be so... garish?”
“Garish?!?” Pinkie Pie poked her head out, grinning like a mule. “More like gnarlish!” She flipped over and hovered upside down in front of Rainbow Dash. “Dashie! Dashie! You should come back below and look! There's—like—at least ten license plates stuck inside this thing's squishy parts!”
“I... don't think Rainbow will be going 'below deck' anytime soon,” Twilight said with a nervous titter.
“Hey Pinkie,” Rainbow said.
“Heehee!” Pinkie waved, floating by. “Hey, Dashie!”
“No. I mean it.” Rainbow took a deep breath, gazing at her. “Hey... like really... hey.”
“Hay?!? Hay is for horses!” Pinkie reached forward. “You should know that by now, silly!” Her hoof phased through Rainbow's muzzle. “Uhhhhh...” She squinted, brow furrowed as she shoved her hoof over and over into Rainbow's headspace. “Huh... my nose-booper isn't working for some reason.”
“Pinkie, haven't you noticed just how... strange things have been lately?” Rarity remarked.
Twilight dove in: “Like the fact that only the three of us can actually talk to you? Or that you can fly through just about everything but Rarity and myself?”
“Have you, by chance, noticed the distinct and haunting absence of—oh, I dunno—Equestria all around us?”
“Hey... come on, girls...” Rainbow frowned at Twilight and Rarity. “I know she's Pinkie Pie, but have some friggin' respect. This should all be just as crazy and ridiculously heavy for her as it was for you two when you too came out of my Element.”
“Pffft... oh please, Dashie, you don't need to get your saddle in a twisty twist!” Pinkie Pie “swam” through the air above Ultimo. “I mean, what's so ridiculously heavy about being zapped to ashes and presumed dead, only to miraculously come back several months later as a happy harmonic horse haunt in a super duper faraway land?”
Rarity and Twilight stared, slackjawed. “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...”
“Heeheehee!” Pinkie gigglesnorted. “I dunno about you, but I just hung ten on a giant kaizo beast shark and right now I'm staring at a flying cowcolt and a griffon with a sparkling metal can opener for a hand! Heehee! Even the absolute best party planner couldn't come up with stuff this fun!”
“You can't eat cupcakes in this form, Pinkie,” Rainbow droned.
Twilight and Rarity performed shrill gasps. “Rainbow!” Rarity hissed.
But Pinkie was already grasping her pale face, shrieking: “You mean I can't eat cupcakes?! For realsies?!? AAAAAAAAAAAH—!” A deep, wheezing breath, and her mane flounced back as she smiled. “Ehhhh...” She waved a hoof. “I'm over it already.”
Twilight did a double-take. “You are?!”
“Mmmhmmm!” Pinkie pony-paddled through the air. “I've been meaning to go on a diet anyways. Woohooo! Ghost Fat Camp! Ooooh! Lookie, girls!” She held her nose, “cannonballed” down into Ultimo's flesh, then popped back up with just her smiling chin breaching the scaly surface. “It's a game of 'Whack-a-Pinkie!'” She rose up and down, her fluffy skull appearing in random places across Ultimo's backside. “Here I am!” “No, right here!” “Bet you can't hit me!” “Ooga booga!” “Reaganeighmics!” After a considerably long dip, she came up once more, pouting. “Guyssss! Come on! One of you is supposed to whack me for pizza tickets!”
“Pinkie... this is seriously no time for—” Twilight began. She felt Rarity's hoof on her shoulder. Both ponies looked over to see Rainbow Dash giggling hysterically.
Rainbow hugged herself, laughing harder and harder. “Heeheehee! Whewwwww...” She wiped her eyes dry, smiling in a delirious manner. “Omigosh, I can't get over the fact that you're here...”
“Sure ya can!” Pinkie winked. “You've got wings! You can go over anything!”
Rainbow sighed long and hard. “Don't I know it...?”
Twilight cleared her throat. Rainbow looked at her, and the unicorn pointed up. Rainbow's gaze traveled her hoof until she found Bard and Wildcard staring down at the scene.
“Oh. Uh. Right.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “I guess I'd apologize, dudes... but you're probably used to all sorts of crazy crud by now.”
“More or less.” Bard smirked. “I take it that cleanin' house beneath Shoggoth paid off?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded. “It totally did.”
“Well, that's good news, I reckon.”
“You... uh... you dudes got your cut of the Rust job?”
Wildcard nodded.
“Quite frankly, after all that's happened as of late, we're darn lucky just to get through with our coats and feathers intact,” Bard said with a wink. “Hell, I got my hat back! That's reasons enough for celebration!”
Wildcard rolled his goggled eyes.
“And dun you start!” Bard pointed, frowning. “You was as helpless a popsicle as I was down there!”
“Well, no need to worry about any of that anymore,” Rainbow said. “Again, you're free to stretch your wings a bit. I'll... uh... see if I can get Ultimo to brush us past a boat or an island or something.”
“Huh?”
Rainbow squinted up at the duo. “'Cuz you'll be wanting to take off, right? I mean, somepony's gotta cash in all of those bars. Now that both Echo and the Syndicate are out of the picture, it's on to the next mercenary job, right?”
Wildcard and Bard exchanged glances. They hovered in dull silence.
“Ah jeez...” Rainbow grimaced, her ears folding back. “It's happening again, isn't it?”
“Listen, darlin'...” Bard took his hat off and fanned himself. “Dubya-Cee and I was thinkin'... well... maybe just I was thinkin', seein' as the griffon's so keen on gabbin' his beak off...”
“Uh huh... … …?”
“We saw some pretty crazy shiet down there, didn't we?” Bard's eyes narrowed. “More than enough to know that y'all ain't just blowin' hot air up our tails when you talk about 'harmony,' 'chaos,' and all this hooey over 'invisible friends' and such...”
“Your point being?”
Bard cocked his head aside. “Just how big is this picture anyways? This... this whole crazy tapestry that's been hangin' over yer noggin'?”
Rainbow gulped. “It's pretty dang big...”
Wildcard gestured methodically.
Bard interpreted: “'Perhaps somepony will be needin' help in drawin' the whole thang out?'”
Twilight and Rarity flashed Rainbow a surprised look.
Rainbow squinted at the two. “You can't be serious...?”
“Heh... do we look anythang but?”
“Dude... is this some sort of lame-ass 'life debt' thingy?” Rainbow groaned. “Cuz that sort of stuff gets super old, super quick.”
“Hah!” Bard smirked. He plopped his hat back no and gestured to himself. “Do we look like the kind of bastards to believe in 'life debts?'”
“No, you strike me as a pair of well-meaning opportunists who'll do whatever's convenient, so long as you earn bits in the end.” Rainbow took a deep breath. “And that's not exactly conducive to suicidally long adventures.”
“Oh, we ain't sayin' we're gonna follow you until the end of time or nothin'. Just that...” Bard fidgeted in midair. “Seems like yer dealin' with an awful lot of stress right at the moment—what with all this Queen Verlaxion frost-curse nonsense. Considerin' all we've been through...” He turned to glance at the nodding griffon beside him. “...and all the help you've so freely given Dubya-Cee and myself...” He looked back at her. “...seems an awful shame to leave ya high and dry like we never done crossed paths. Ya feel me?”
“Think about what you're proposing.” Rainbow's gaze narrowed. “There's no profit in this, cowboy.”
“Is there or ain't there somethin' fishy goin' on with Verlaxion?”
“Huh?”
Bard spoke in a curiously serious tone. “All that crud that happened to us down there in the basement of Shoggoth.” He gulped, fighting the urge to shiver. “All the thangs Queen Verlaxion did to mess with you... it's all part of somethin' super huge... super big... and super threatenin', ain't it?”
“I... I...” Rainbow glanced at her marefriends and shuddered. “I'm not one hundred percent sure, yet...”
“Well, there's one thang I'm sure of,” Bard said. “Down in that crazy machine place, it was Verlaxion's talkin' statues that done froze me and Dubya-Cee into blocks of ice. But... it was you who set us free. Wasn't it?”
Rainbow merely nodded.
“You've got a lotta power... a lotta magic in ya, I reckon.” Bard cocked his head to the other side. “And if there's truly somethin' evil that's gnawin' at this world... seems like the most profitable thang for us Desperadoes is to make sure a hero like you puts an end to it.”
“I'm no hero,” Rainbow said.
“And just who toldja that?”
Rainbow opened her muzzle. Her pupils shrank a bit, and her ear canals rang with the haunting tone of Verlax's telepathic voice. Somewhere, a few hours ago, a mare stood above a pool of angry Syndicate thugs, and she reached for the only barrier between herself and chaos, prepared to dissolve it.
“Just... just the way things are,” Rainbow muttered. “I'm not entirely sure what I am. All I know is...” She cleared her throat. “It's... not very safe hanging around me.” She fidgeted, glancing down at the churning waves beneath Ultimo. “I'm actually kinda glad for Theanim and Echo. Though it stinks leaving them behind, at least I know that they'll be in... uh... tamer waters, so to speak.”
“And just what's so dayum fun about swimmin' downstream?”
“Huh?”
Bard chuckled, adjusting his hat. “Face it, darlin'. You've done wow'd us somethin' awful. Dubya-Cee and I have enough to float on for a while, but you? Ya ain't that far from yer destination, so escortin' ya to the edge is only the gentlecoltly thang to do.”
“Awwwwwwwwwwwwww...” Rarity cooed, her cheeks rosy.
“If... you're talking about Bleak's Plummet...” Rainbow cleared her throat. “...I'm... heading for a place a tad bit beyond that. Eheh...”
Bard shrugged. “One thang at a time. Right, Dubya-Cee?”
Wildcard swung his talons back and forth.
“Yeesh! Not so loud!” Bard rolled his eyes, then smirked down at Rainbow again. “At least let us help ya get through Rohbredden Proper. Hell, we both hail from there. It'll be like a nostalgic road trip! Erm... in the air...” He fidgeted. “And atop the back of bigass ferocious sea bass.”
“Heheheh...” Rainbow smirked. “See what I mean? It's easy to talk big, but if you wanna commit—”
Fwooosh! Wildcard glided down, landing effortlessly besides Rainbow Dash. The griffon looked up and smirked, his goggles reflecting Bard. He motioned with a metal talon.
“Eeeugh... me'n'my big muzzle.” Clearing his throat, Bard coiled his wings in. “Here goes nothin'.” He landed with a dull splat, his body settling on the springy scales besides Rainbow Dash. “Huh... squishy.”
“Let's make something crystal clear right here and now, though,” Rainbow said. She leaned in, brow furrowed. “You listening?”
“Yes'm.”
“If you two are gonna follow me, then I'm the one who will be calling the shots.”
“Yes'm.”
“That means if the going gets tough and I tell you guys to scram, you beat it, for your own good.”
“Yes'm.”
“And if we actually encounter Verlax and her stupid wicked magic again, I'm gonna be the one to deal with it, not you. Got it?”
“Yes'm.”
“... … ...can you say anything else?”
“No'm.”
Rainbow blinked. “Wow. Talk about the easiest stallion to travel around with ever.” Twilight giggled.
“I know, right?” Bard smirked. “So long as ya dun mind the show tunes.” He jostled his guitar case. “It's Dubya-Cee who'll throw you for a loop.”
The griffon sighed, shaking his head.
“So... uh...” Bard glanced at the rolling horizon. “Where to, exactly?”
Rainbow twirled around. She looked across the horizon. To the northeast, a flashing yellow Yaerfaerda lingered at a distance. She tilted her head down and looked into one of Ultimo's large eyes. “Think you could... uhm... bend north a bit?”
The beast rumbled deeply from within. Its fins shifted, and with a splash of its tail it headed northeast, carrying the three travelers with startling swiftness.
Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie ooh'd and aaah'd into the warm salty breeze.
Wildcard nodded approvingly, smiling at Bard.
“Well... t'ain't so bad, I reckon,” said the stallion.
“I know.” Rainbow smiled, sighing calmly. “A kind wind.”
Huh. Well alright then.
Was anyone else worried when they read the chapter title and then saw the massive number of words in this chapter, remembering that IC usually makes longer chapters when characters leave?
Whew...for a moment there, I thought those two were already heading out, too.
Heh...only Pinkie.
Hmmm...not sure what to make of this...
Rainbow has gotta ask at some point if Pinkie has some long lost relatives who went east now that she can ask her.
Oh Pinks... so glad to have a little comic relief back.
I guess Ultimo can't digest metal.
Also hee hee....squishy parts...
Enjoy the calm Dash... you've earned it.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Yay, more Goggles!
...well, fuck. That's gonna be stuck in my head all night
Hey, we haven't come up with a name for Ghost Pinkie.
Ghosty Pie?
Pinkie Boo?
New companions, new dose of heartache in the future. Oh joy.
It's a shame Echo didn't stick around longer. More batponies is always good.
26 chapters to go. Better enjoy the calm before the storm while we still can.
I'm of the mind that these farewells aren't really 'goodbyes', but more like 'see you later'. Who knows, maybe we'll see all of the Ynanhluutr gang again later!
I went into this chapter with my hands poised in table-flipping position, but thankfully it didn't come to that. I'm glad these two will tag along (presumably) well into the next installment.
Also, I love the mental image of a rainbow-colored pegasus, an equine folk-singer, a mute griffon, and three ghosts riding into the falling night on the back of a gigantic fish.
It was nice to see Rainbow actually laugh again. It seems like she's only had three moods for awhile now, serious, depressed, and angsty. Hopefully she'll get to lighten up with Pinkie around.
Aww, now that was really nice.
Good to know Bard and WC are sticking around for the long run. Still sad about Theanim and Echo though.
I called this!
I like how we're all already getting set for phase 3-2. Though I guess we were all set and ready for the end of phase 2-3 a full 50 chapters before it actually happened.
Of course Pinkie Pie already knew what happened to her and her friends.
Ok so now we have some permanent (non ghost-like) companions. I hope they stick around for the long haul for sure, I really like these two.
yup, I knew they weren't gonna leave. Rainbow's not going to continue on alone (well, at least not without company that's not the Ghost 5) until she gets to Bleak's Plummet and the edge of the world. And I wouldn't be surprised if Bard and WC stayed with her the whole way. Then we'll get another tearful goodbye when she has to continue on alone.
I wonder if Rainbow's going to have to do anything drastic like removing the pendant when it comes to freeing Fluttershy... Sooner or later, she's going to have to come clean to her friends.
6426002 It seems IC is following a pattern here. Gain a couple of friends at one seed, Solve their angsty issues at the next. Pick up a couple more along the way. Part ways with the previous set. Rinse and repeat.
The question is, is he using that as a means of carrying the story along, or is there some hidden twist in all this?
6426053
Pooka Pie.
And meanwhile a mare was falling from space
And every day I wore your face
Like an atmosphere around me
Set a life inside me.
I knew it!
6426053
How about Pinky ?
Had anyone else noticed that WC swears a tad often?
How did no one else mention/notice this?
West? WEST?! What is this madness?!
And they're staying for what hopefully is the long-haul, yay!
Ahh, the good old Screwball Express, into the lightning filled skycrystal changeling trap of doom. But that was northwards, nothing to do with this story, move along.
Someone drew a map of 6 points, with the longest continously eastwards path zigzagging between them, so I take it thats whats next? fluttershy in th top right corner? Trouble is, if Shoggoth is in the bottom left, the most direct route goes through the centre of the beacons, through Rhobedron, Through Verlaxion.
Either they're backtracking a bit, or Ic forgot all about going east...
6426775 That would be a nice use for the last 25 chapters, right?
6426053 I suggested Pinkie Geist
uhhhhhhh...
6426053 Pinkie Sprite
6426887 I've been calling her Pinkie Phantom and Fluttershy is Fluttershade.
6426807 6426691 I think the six "seeds" are at the corners of a giant hexagon.
Spookle was far west. Scarity was southwest. They just got Pinky at the southeast location. I guess they'll be going northwest, northeast, and then the far east seed. After that, it's over the edge I guess.
6426971 I like Fluttershade. I'm using that from now on.
Also, I think it's a bit apt that there isn't a unanimous decision on Pinkie Pie's ghost name.
All aboard the Fish Train!!! Woo Wooooo. I'm really uneasy about how quickly we left shoggoth.... This isn't enough time to save Fluttershade, which implies shit's going to go down. At least it's not going to go down in nice happy fishland. I have the worst, nagging feeling. The impending Lerris feeling.
I coveted that wind, I suppose.
Well, let's see where the next 26 chapters will take us. Ynanhluutr's last chapter will be published on October 9th.
6426983 Yeah... I expect Pinkie herself will list off a few herself at some point. Maybe she'll decide upon one?
6426973 I think it was a typo, in the next sentence, Ultimo turns northeast
Well alright then.
Ultimo is best pony.
Camellia's warning seems pretty in line with what we've heard, from the fractured information we've been given. Be respectful, do your Austraeoh-ing thing, watch out for Verlax's tests.
Here's to another handful of travelling chapters, hopefully!
I will forever refer to Pinkie, Twilight, and Rarity as super legendary, ultra rare, and highly expensive mounts. I almost wish I was playing World of Warcraft now . . .
Yeah, but only because they don't let him blaze coral.
Ewww...
Glad to see Bard and WC are sticking with RD. Adventures are always better with a party.
6426056
Indeed, bat ponies are always great to have, they're a bit of a rare thing. I think Echo would have been a good addition to the team, despite his faults. Plenty of room for character growth.
You dumb mother-Buckers.
6426652 NICE!!!! Headcannon updated! A bunch of folks came up with some good names for ethereal sugarpone, but I really love the clever simplicity of Pinky. But, if we can't agree and end up calling her all manner of crazy names, well that works too. I can't help but think she'd approve.
There's something here that bothers me. It was shown during Dash's fight with Bard and Catbird that her friends disappear when her pendant comes off. Yet IC is dangling that particular revelation over their heads as though they will, sometime soon, bear witness to her in all her horned, branchy, violent glory. Probably whenever said revelation would be the most soul-crushing.
So, if we assume that Paintbucket Boomer won't just -tell- her friends, and they vanish when the chaos comes out, then just how will they find out about it? I posit a third possibility... I think that prolonged exposure to chaos mode will have a direct effect on her friends. I wonder if they might become discorded again, or worse.
6430563 My choice Polter Pie, Like Poltergeist It Looks weird in text but it rolls off the tongue right. Phantom pie was the other one I thought of, looks nicer doesn't roll quite as well.
6426971 Fluttershade is perfect Not so sure about Pinkie Phantom. I'm also going with "Appleghast" for Farm pony.
Oh, thank goodness. WC and Bard are here to stay.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
The nice thing about longer chapters is a higher chapter text word count to comment text word count ratio.
why do I have the urge to use this quote?
Move over, Appa. Ultimo confirmed best animal transport.