The heart of the Princess Stardust roared with a deep bass hum.
"Got it!" Flynn shouted, poking his bald head out of the cabin doors. "We're good to go, Rainbow Dash!"
"All aboarrd, brrotherrs and sisterrs!" Kepler hollered, gripping the rudder wheels. "We must be swift if we arre to surrvey the edge and rreturrn!"
"Rainbow?" Bard stood at the edge of the bleakweed balcony, his wings spread. He looked up at the mare. "You heard the wyvern. Time to get hoppin'."
"Yeah. Uhm... just one second, Bard." Rainbow Dash hovered above the sarosian crowd. "Gotta take care of something first."
Wildcard gestured something to Bard.
Bard blinked. "Ohhhhhhhh... right right right..."
"Ahem..." Rainbow Dash looked down at Xarchellus. "By the time we return, the lunar window will likely be closed."
Xarchellus nodded sagely. "We understand."
Rainbow gulped. "Your Highness?!" she spoke loudly to the air. "Sorry to put you on the spot and stuff... but if you've any final words to say to your... uh... to your flock, then now may be the time."
"Very well, Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna's voice boomed. "My little ponies, it fills my spirit with great joy to be reunited with you and your families. For a thousand years, I have suffered much guilt and regret over the actions I've committed as Nightmare Moon. And while I feel remorse for so many things, I have not and shall never be ashamed of the dreamly ponies that I helped bring into this realm. You are all so very priceless and special, and the fact that you have decided to abandon your nefarious 'vigil' is a blessing to everyone around you, but most of all a blessing to me. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel a spirit of retribution blooming in the shadow of my past mistakes. I have fretted and worried over the well-being of my forsaken followers for countless generations, and now I sense a sliver of hope. With you returning home, it can only mean a victory for life, harmony, and the union of all hoofed kind. It pains me that I cannot join you in this epic journey that you are now planning. However, I hope to be present with you in spirit—so long as you stay committed to peace, prosperity, and the ultimate serenity of all living things. You are all guardians of the night—down to the core. Believe in yourselves. Be proud of yourselves. For you have conquered more adversities than most civilizations could ever hope to face, and your arrival in Equestria will serve as the ultimate testament—not only of your redemption—but of mine in turn. And I long for the moonlit moment when we can all collectively share in the heart-welling ambrosia of salvation together."
The sarosians murmured in moonwhinny, bowing low with respect.
Logan whistled, then leaned in towards Ariel. "She really knows how to put it on thick in a pinch, doesn't she?"
"Alicorns will do that," Remna muttered, forcing the two ponies to blink at her.
"Thank you, Maiden of the Moon," Xarchellus replied, gazing up into the silver-tinted air. "Thank you for steering us in the right direction. We will respect all living things and honor the night with your blessings for as far as we tread." She swallowed. "My only regret is that—in my age and my feebleness—I will not be able to greet you face to face, dearest Matriarch."
"Do not dismay, Xarchellus," Luna's voice spoke. "Our spirits have communed, and it makes my heart sing. In dreamwalking, I'll look forward to trotting side by side with your spirit as you make your voyage to the Harmonic Plains."
Tears welled up in Xarchellus' eyes, among others. She took a shuddering breath. "Y'hnyrr yln l'mywynym, H'Luun."
"Y'hnyrr yln l'mywynym, Xarchellus," Luna's voice said. "Nightblooded warriors. You are no longer attackers... but protectors. Those entrusted in defending the population of Bleak's Plummet in their voyage, you have my blessing. Those pledging to protect the Austraeoh, you have my pardon. Your tenacity and courage is respectable, but be sure to value life above all else—for it is what you are ultimately fighting for."
Enix bowed low. "We shall obey your words of wisdom to the bitter end and beyond, blessed Matriarch."
"Follow Rainbow Dash's words of wisdom. Avoid the scrutiny of Rohbredden. Prepare cautiously for the trials of the Grand Choke. Head for Val Roa. There—by the wills of good fortune—you shall open communication with my sister, Princess Celestia. Then—I promise—we shall speak again. Be strong and have faith. In the end, we shall all be rewarded with each other's company."
Several sarosians murmured in acknowledgment. Tearful exclamations of praise and admiration filled the air.
Rarity and Fluttershy sniffled, slightly overwhelmed by the emotional exchange.
"Until we meet once more, children of the night. Princess Luna's voice paused for a solemn breath. "Make for the edge of the world, Rainbow Dash. Swiftly. There is very little time left, and yet we have a great deal many things to talk about."
"Heard ya loud and clear, Your Highness," Rainbow Dash said, hopping onto the Stardust. "Okay, Herald! Let's go!" She craned her neck and shouted in Xarchellus' direction. "We'll be back soon! I promise! Then we'll plan this all out, okay?!"
"Night's blessings, Austraeoh," Xarchellus said as she and her fellow advisors waved. "We await your discovery with great vigor." She glanced aside at Enix.
Enix nodded back. "Yes, Matriarch. I shall accompany her." She shrieked to her side, and three warriors followed her as she hovered above the Stardust.
Wildcard whistled and joined the sarosians in midair.
"I'll join ya in a sec, Dubya!" Bard exclaimed, hopping onto the Stardust. "Figured I'd check up on Flynn's engine work first—"
Nicole glided down onto the Stardust beside the Desperado. "How about I join you below deck?"
"Huh?" Bard glanced over his shoulder. "Nicole, the Edge could be very hairy. We'll be back in a blink. Just hold tight, okay—?"
"Johnny..." Nicole's eyes narrowed on her older sibling. "You heard Princess Luna just now?"
"Yeah, she gave a grand ol' speech. What about it?"
"She's got 'very little time and yet a great deal many things to talk about.'" Nicole gulped. "Well, the same is true for us as well."
Bard's lips hung open. He blinked, then glanced past Nicole.
Echo hopped down awkwardly onto the Stardust's deck. He gave the Desperado a distant look... then headed towards the far end of the boat, carrying a deadpan expression.
Bard took a deep breath, ultimately shuddering. "Hoboy..."
[worry and concern for Sarosians intensifies]
Echo..... Tell me you didn't.
Next up, some good ol' fashioned family drama.
7562996 Agreed. The anticipation is killing me.
Heeey, points for me, we are catching up with Abridged.
So cool, hopefully we'll be able to get Celly acting as a go between for Dash and the Jury.
..though the end of Abridged mentioned the Durandanan's were delayed by bad weather... so I'll keep from getting too hopeful.
Anyway, family talk with Bard and Nicole?
I don't think she's getting romantic with Echo, not yet anyway. But it's obvious she cares about him, and is worried.
I'm disappointed we won't be able to know how the meeting between the Sarosians and the other species of Val Roa will go, it'd be interesting.
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
Hmmmmm I wonder what is going on here.
All of this build up is killing me. After the sixth seed, and all the energy in those chapters. I feel like this is the windup for the end.... I hope.
Wait, what?
Rainbow, no!
You haven't the time for this! You can see the route to the edge already! The Sarosians need to make themselves scarce, not sit around waiting for you!
Inb4 they get back and everyone in Bleak's Plummet has been slaughtered.
I say that hoping that my saying it makes it less likely. Because I seriously have a bad feeling about this.
Echo and Nicole are both going?A
You just had to go and say it, didn't you Luna? And then to top it all off you had to mutter this little gem:
In one fell swoop Luna ensures denying herself any kind of positive closure to her stint as Nightmare Moon if the batpones die. While also reinforcing the idea that no matter how willing somebody is to change their ways, redemption may not always be possible.
I swear, Skirts has turned me into a pessimist!
Does Luna have the Tantabus in this universe? Since Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep didn't happen, is this the first time that she was able to feel catharsis from all those repressed feelings of guilt?
I mean, she literally went from Equestria's public enemy #1 for a thousand years, to the sole functional ruler of the entire kingdom and guardian of harmony, in a little over a year. Surely that must have produced a little bit of impostor syndrome.
7563256
You just doomed them!! Now IC will do this!
Something is gonna happen soon... I can feel it...
Skreee!
Run Silent, Run Deep Bleaks Lerris Plummet.
Lest you become Valley Forge.
7563256
Fortunately the inhabitants of bleak's plummet are well versed in CQC:
i.redditmedia.com/4HatNyH6BvXZbtefT0e1ep6EGWcarblkB3R3WCFSXs8.jpg?w=607&s=5784580c30ac6b72d1b8300d1ef65576
Hopefully,
RaptureThe city has a crash dive function somewhere, they might wanna use it soon.Luna, tu
Che conosci il tempo dell'eternità
E il sentiero stretto della verità
Fa più luce dentro questo Cuore mio
Questo cuore d'uomo che non sa, non sa
I'm currently at the last pages of the Book of Ti'ana and it feels a lot like this: you feel like you know exactly what's coming and it's painful to watch the characters fuck it up anyway.
Oh, look who's talking.
7563535 While we're going through foreign languages:
Y en las noches que haya luna llena
Será porque el niño esté de buenas
Y si el niño llora
Menguará la luna
Para hacerle una cuna
The westward party have a basic plan of action, so what other information is worth waiting around for in this situation? That most of the colonial waters are under ice?
Least they could do is dive and stocking up while the warriors group themselves nearby, then hope Dash doesn't get forced over the edge.
7563343 Unlikely, while she acknowledges that she has done horrible things in the past, a combination of becoming sole ruler of Equestria and talking with Rainbow Dash over the course of her journey (who herself is beset by guilt) has allowed her to push past it. The Tantabus likely came from suppressing the guilt she has, instead of accepting it and working to redeem herself, like she is here. Basically here she has had a sort of therapy session series with Rainbow.
That said, I can't help but worry something is going to go wrong, especially as IC has been hinting that it will for a while.
So does this count as the start of Sarostraeoh? (West bat horses. Yes I know that's a terrible translation)
I'm going to miss the moon horse. This will be the last time we speak with her until Rainbow makes it back to the light side. (Assuming she does at all.)
7563256 I don't think so. I think something may go wrong yes, but I don't think that he would reapeat something like Lerris, because it's just too damn similar, it would be too repetitive. I think he has other twist waiting for us.
And as I thought, looks like Nicole and Echo won't be making the trip to the dark side...
This warms the leather-winged cockles of my heart.
Ooooooh, cute little batpony babies!
7563638
Makes sense.
I can't see everything going according to plan either. If they can wrap it up anywhere close to as cleanly as Val Roa, I'll be a very happy reader.
7563703
A spin-off series following the Sarosians' westward journey to Equestria? Yes please.
7563703 Vestraeoh (west horse) might be closer to the mark.
7563691 If that were the case then you could pretty much abuse it to dump entire oceans on attacking forces. We can therefore assume that the enchantment operates under limits like anything else.
We are reaching the point where there has been too much horsing around. There are pressing things to accomplish. The goodbyes are important but I'm itching to see the edge since we are so close.
7565522 Welcome aboard the Noble Jury!
7565522 Welcome aboard the Noble Jury, cabins are on the 4th floor.
We hope you're well stocked for the road ahead, because we will not be docking for a supply run for the foreseeable future. Please, keep your valuables, and status cures, in the provided safe, they are about to become very valuable commodities I think.
7565571
Oh another newbie like me! Welcome aboard!
7565254 Val Roa and the surrounding lands incorporate multiple diverse races within its society, so there isn't much to worry about prior to Xonan.
7565522
I think this is the third time I've caught up, myself. I planned to read Utaan as it would finish at chapter 200. That isn't happening anymore, so I guess I'll be keeping up with the daily updates.
7564980 My still un-finalized story concept of Twilight heading east in a parallel universe to Austraeoh was initially titled that. However, I revised the name to Avestraeoh, which I interpret as "Western Mare".
7564980 yeah, but then you lose the play on words that I was going for.
7567018 Well there's "Vestraleorblakaeon" or "Vestrabakkaeon" for "west bat horse" but I figured that would be too long.
7563703
I find it funny how a story about travelling east has so many potential spinoffs about travelling west
7565001 Lapis Lazuli called...
7565522 congratulations!
A whole bunch of wasted time, unfortunately. They need to get moving!
Every bit of feels you wring out of me for these tufty-eared fuzzballs just makes me more paranoid.
But lerris not dwell on the inevitable horror that lies ahead.
Soon we’re gonna lose communication with Luna for good.
Oh dear, this is gonna be sad...
8892324
Not for good, but for a VARY VARY LONG time.