“Heh, what did we tell you about biting off more than you can chew, land walker?” Kaji smirked, his wings blurring as he guided the raft back to shore in a gentle glide. The boat was full of fish and the rest of the ponies were binding them tightly in their nets. “We're flattered you would wish to pay tribute to the Shard of Verlaxion, but she placed it there for us to gawk at, not ponies used to scraping the sky!”
Rainbow Dash was still wheezing to catch her breath. She sat slumped in the back of the raft, thoroughly soaked—yet no longer numb or dizzy. “I only learn things by almost dying...” She gulped. “...or just plain dying.”
“Verlaxion can do many things. But bring back the dead?” Flare shrugged as the group reached the shore. The sun was setting, and a delicious melting crimson bathed the sandy stretches of the Atoll. “If she had the mercy to spare, this Atoll would be filled to the brim with our ancestors by now.”
“Say... where do you bury your dead, anyways?” Rainbow asked.
“That's a good question!” Sora grunted, hopping overboard and wading in the surf. He helped pull the raft to shore. “It depends on where the sharks and orcas of the sea decide to spit their bones!”
“You just... toss them to the sharks...” Rainbow muttered with a squinting gaze.
“Absolutely!” Silver smiled, using his telekinesis to set the ship firmly against the wet sand. “We feed the fish, and the fish feed us.”
“Only a land walker would do something as useless as a burial,” Kaji said with a slight chuckle. “But that's okay. We think you're awesome anyway.”
“Yeah! The way you speared Ultimo and went throwing your wings into the depths?” Flare winked. “You're practically born to be one of us!”
“That's all well and good, but I have no intention of staying,” Rainbow wheezed.
“Hahahaha!”
“Hah hah hah!”
“Ohhhh... that's rich, Rainbow Dash. Of course you are staying!” Sora said.
“So long as Ultimo's out there to give us sport—which is forever—everypony who comes to Nealend is staying.” Silver shrugged, heaving his bag. “Not that it's a problem. I mean, we've got the fish! Whoop!”
“But do you really wanna hunt the same ol' sea serpent forever?!” Rainbow exclaimed, leaning up to the edge of the boat as her mane continuously dripped. “I saw the big chunk that was bitten out of Verlaxion's Shard. He—like—totally defaced your Queen's sacred gift and stuff!”
Sora shrugged. “Again, if she wished it, then who are we to deny our fate?”
“Besides!” Kaji grinned. “The sport is fun! It boils the blood inside as well as out! Isn't that right?!”
“Hah hah! Yeah!”
Two of the stallions butted heads with ritualistic grins.
Rainbow clenched her jaws. “Do you guys always just roll over and accept circumstances as 'fate?'” She shrugged. “Don't you believe in personal choice?”
“Well, we personally chose to save your dumb flank, didn't we?” Kaji said with a wink.
“Catch of the day!” Silver chirped.
“I'd say.” Flare giggled, and the laughter spread across the group—even infecting the other rafts full of natives coming ashore.
Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “I... uh... I'm really thankful for that, y'know. Don't get me wrong.”
“Hey, don't swim against the current,” Sora said with a casual salute. “We really liked saving your life.”
“Yeah! You're too spiffy to let the sharks chomp on you!”
“At least not this early!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Heheheh...” Kaji trotted towards the treeline and the village beyond. The group closely followed as he glanced back at the mare. “The sun's setting! Come on in and make yourself at home!” He patted his netting with a lopsided grin. “We've got lots of dinner! You'll never guess! It's fish!”
“Heh heh heh heh.”
“Whoop! Hah hah!”
As the Nealenders shuffled across the red-lit sand, Rainbow Dash remained sitting in her raft, hugging herself while the last warm winds of the day dried the moisture off her coat. She took several calm breaths, becoming more and more gradually aware of a glaring lavender expression in her peripheral. So, with a defeated sigh, she muttered without tilting her head the slightest.
“Go on, Twi. Let it out.”
“Rainbow, what happened to you back there?!”
“I impaled the Ocean with my body. The Ocean didn't like it.”
“Rainbow, I'm serious!” Twilight's face grew long as she phased through the boat in order to squat directly before the pegasus. “You just... collapsed in the middle of the water! Without any warning! I tried telling you to move! I tried and I tried! Surely you heard me!”
“And I did, Twilight—”
“Then why didn't you move?!?”
Rainbow grimaced, glancing aside. “Ermmm... uhhhh...”
“I've never been so scared in all my life!” Twilight's voice cracked. “Well... at least n-not since you brought me back, but still!” She leaned forward. “Don't scare me like that! I can't afford to lose you.”
“I know that, Twilight—”
“Our friends can't afford to lose you! Luna and Celestia can't afford to lose you!” Twilight leaned back, frowning slightly. “And in case you forgot from all the water filling your skull—the whole world cannot afford to lose you! Maybe not even Urohringr itself!”
“Yeah... about that...”
“Don't you get it?!” Twilight gestured with her hooves. “You're just too... too important to take crazy risks like that, Rainbow—!”
“And just how do you think I've managed to live so far all this time, Twilight, huh?!” Rainbow scowled. “With every snake-filled cave I've explored, with every mount I've climbed, with every bullet I've dodged?! How much of it was stressing and just how much of it was depending on my own guts?!”
“And what did your guts do for you down there in the lagoon, Rainbow?!” Twilight spat. “The natives here had to swim down and rescue you! Without them, I'd be without an anchor!” She sniffled. “And I'd be without an only friend!”
Silence.
At last, Twilight sighed. She plopped down in the boat opposite Rainbow Dash, and a sunlit space dwindled between them. “Just what exactly happened down there, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight eventually muttered. “Honestly.”
Rainbow twitched slightly. “Honestly?”
Twilight Sparkle's eyes were firm. “Yes.”
“... … ...” Rainbow breathed deeply. She said, “I... reacted to something.”
“That's some reaction,” Twilight said. “Was it because of the Shard?”
“I think it has more to do with something inside the Shard.”
“Like what?”
Rainbow exhaled. “I think it has chaos metal in it.”
Twilight blinked. “Chaos... metal?”
Rainbow nodded.
“You... you mean like the strips you saw in Windthrow?” The unicorn asked. “The stuff the Ledomaritans had constructed in Blue Shelf? The material that Chrysalis and the Xonans were using on Nevlamas?”
“Good friggin' memory,” Rainbow said. “I always had that sort of a reaction to the material.” She gulped hard. “Going limp... numb... dizzy.”
Twilight's lips pursed. “Because... because of the chaos of Discord that's inside you?”
Rainbow slowly nodded.
Twilight gazed out upon the darkening waters of the lagoon. “But... how come you didn't suffer a reaction until you dove underwater?”
“I dunno,” Rainbow said. She sighed and slumped back in the boat once again, her forelimbs draped over the wooden edges. “But from how it looked to me... I-I don't think the stuff was that dense.”
“You mean concentrated?”
“Right.” Rainbow's nostrils flared. “It's like just a teensy bit of it was injected into the shard.”
“But... b-but that doesn't make any sense!” Twilight grimaced. “How would Verlaxion have gotten ahold of the chaos metal? And what would possess her to put it into the Shard she gifted to the Nealenders?!”
“Chrysalis said that Verlaxion pretty much dominates this part of the world,” Rainbow remarked. “I doubt it'd be all that tough for her to find and dig up the stuff somewhere in all of Robhredden. As for the why.” Rainbow shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Axan and her sisters have a habit of being real pains in the flank, so it's not exactly a surprise to me.”
“Then...” Twilight shuddered, her trail drooping. “...wh-what do we do now?”
“Well...” Rainbow stood up, teetering slightly. “I can't swim any closer to that Shard cuz of whatever's inside it. And so long as it's broken the way it is, the whirlpool is gone, so there goes any chance of getting through to the Yaerfaerda beacon.”
“You hypothesize that—when whole—the Shard acts as a gateway?”
“Maybe.” Rainbow shrugged. “But so long as Ultimo has the piece, we'll never know.”
“What do you mean it has the piece?” Twilight asked.
“You saw into the thing's mouth when it lunged at us, right?” Rainbow said. “The freak's throat was glowing. I'm willing to bet that a piece of Verlaxion's Shard is lodged right up in there. That means that there's still a way to get it out.”
“Get it out?” Twilight leaned back, wincing. “But... how?” She gulped. “Do I wanna know?”
“I bet you don't. And me? I kinda wanna sleep on it.” Rainbow climbed out of the boat and hobbled to shore. “But first... to see how the guys are doing.”
“Assuming Mr. Mane and his friends haven't murdered them,” Twilight said, following her.
“Just my luck,” Rainbow grumbled. “Tomorrow morning, the sharks will be munching on purple-eyed adoracute with a side of geriatric sass.”
Ding, fries are done.
not quite what i first read
one step closer to revealing the "i'm dying, and will turn into a discordiant monster when i do"
little steps, little steps
Someone in a previous chapter theorized chaos metal. Good job. I'm interested to see how the natives will react to Dash wanting to put the shard back. Not sure what life was like *with* a giant whirlpool, but the natives seem pretty thrilled to have a new hunting ground. That said, they're also incredibly laid back, so perhaps they won't mind.
Now to convince some fool to actually grab the shards.
fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/171/a/0/a08dd5289323e0a2bf68d30e1102589a.jpg
5967912
Some fool? Probably RD herself, at this rate.
I'm not quite sure why this stuck out to me, but I think this is the first that I've seen IC use three end points at the end of a sentence. Usually, it's only two, an exclamation point and question mark. Interesting. Anyway, that's me being interested in odd things.
So now we're back at square one, and with one hell of a feat to accomplish. I do believe that things are going to go Pinocchio very soon. This'll be fun.
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I'm sure that if you convinced Nick there's a hot mermare or siren or something down there, he'll jump right in.
Well, we have a plan now.
There is no leaving the Nealend... You'll stay forever, and ever, and ever...
So it was a chaos shard, congrats on everyone who predicted it was.
Time for Rainbow to go diving into a "cave" of an organic variety to retrieve the shard! Won't that be fun
A little surprised that Rainbow told Twilight the truth rather than tried to lie her way out of it, but it's a good sign that she did as it's another mark of her character growth.
Well, they're mode of burial is certainly...efficient, to say the least.
well, Rainbow's theory is that when whole, the shard makes the whirlpool which somehow allows access to Yaerfaerda. I suppose, given what chaos metal has been shown capable in the past, it might be possible to use it as a very potent, efficient, and condoense power source for sustaining the whirlpool. It can open a portal allowing abominations of nature, so seems like a lot of juice. Chaos battery, only costs your east horse multiple seizures.
Heh. Rainbow Dash thinks Nick is cute.
Probably enough to convince him to jump into the water and wrestle with Ultimo.
We now know it is for sure chaos metal...which I think almost all of us guessed it was. Silvery metal that causes favorite anti-west horse to pass out is a no-brainer.
RD is pretty sure the shard is in Ultimo's throat. Capital logic there, but I now have further questions. Namely, what on Uroringhr would possess the serpent to take a chunk out of the shard. I don't think it was Verlax because think about it: it is reasonable to assume she put that shard there for a reason, which I guess is to LOCK this entry, not keep it open (I would assume there would be opening mechanisms, and it would be stupid on Verlax's part to keep something as important as an entrance to this First Seed open ALL THE TIME). Why would she proceed to send a sea serpent, assuming Ultimo here is sentient (inb4 Ultimo becomes Nancy Jane Mk 2. Actually, strike that, I really, REALLY want to see that happen) and takes orders from a frost dragon, to deface something she herself placed?
Either Ultimo is feral, and just took a bite of the crystal because shiny, or is aware, and took a bite because of reasons, reasons I am starting to think have a different source than Verlax. Maybe he wants to open the thing up?
wink wink nudge nudge RD
Chaos strips:
Ah those metal strips. At least it has nothing to do with Shell.
5968001 all of this confuses me as well
hopefully it will pull through and become clear
So Rainbow has to pull a Jonah and set the lagoon on Perpetual Flush mode so she can get to the beacon?
How hard could it be?
Let's all sing: "On our attol, on our attol..."
Or not, doesn't quite flow with the melody. Let me think about it more.
Shipping comments incoming.
You know, since it seem to me that the shard would act as a barrier (and the whirlpool would be formed by whatever weird properties it has when complete), it would have to be moved. But Rainbow Dash can't really move the shard herself, I wonder how. Considering their atiitude, I doubt the Nealenders would be of much help. ("Veralxion put it there, who are we to move it? You crazy land Walker! Hah! Hah!")
Also, I believe the "bite" has been in it quite long (a month, not sure if plural), but the Swan Song sailed just a few days since the pirate run-in. So why did Yaerfaerda choose to move when it did and not later? Did it really move, or just get bigger? Maybe there's a "situation critical" kinda thingy of something?
More conspiracy hypothesees incoming, tune in sometime later.
"The same thing we do every night Twilight.... try to take over the world!!!"
Uhh.... sorry, early morning cartoons
So Nick is adoracute? And Twi is adorkable. I think you all understand where I'm going with this.
Yep, thats right, Dash's favourite A-word is secretly "Adorable."
5967915
Shard in Ultimo's mouth is likely to also have chaos metal. She tries to grab that she'll end up fish food.
Wrong A-wor... oh. nevermind. He gets it.
Well, that's inconvenient.
I wonder which of the natives she will get to get the shard for her?
Twilight is the Austraeoh Fact Checker in-universe.
And yet, back in Windthrow, Rainbow was able to fly Gold Petals, who was holding two concentrated chaos strips, without suffering any adverse symptoms. So why is she unable to come close to what she describes as a tiny "injection" of chaos metal in the shard?
Two hours later:
I wonder, did that piece of chaos metal get embedded in the Shard, anable the Shard to be bitten, because it was lodged, placed in Ultimo in the first place, and that the whirlpool is caused by the Shard being not just transparent, but material transmissive, and so acts as a bathplug.
Being, its a whirlpool. the core is open air to great depths, to any small high speed flying object.
The Blight prevented flight.
5968090
That or the choas metal becomes the only reason she survives the trip.
5967912
Do you think Verlaxion could've somehow known? About Dash and her reaction to Chaos Metal? Destiny and fate are big themes in this, remember.
I used to think that she only did the things she did just to prove to the cosmic forces that "she was Rainbow Dash, and nothing was going to stop her" or as some sort of kick in the face to Princess Celestia (at least in Rainbow's own unique way).
Also, Rainbow has had mounts.... actually most caves she's enter has resulted in a temporary mount. Granted, they've all tried to eat her, but still.
5967948
Her growth is one of the reasons I love this story. She started out looking at others as just an audience for her to show off to, and didn't want to form any sort of connection with. She almost formed one with Gold Petals, and had to fly away from it. An act the tormented even after she started to open up and make friends again, as evidenced by her dreams.
There are only a few certainties with these stories:
Rainbow flies east;
and nothing good ever comes from entering a cave.
in before another monster inside the monster. on second thought, the chaos fragments could arguably be a reasonable stand in, what with them still trying to devour her, in a sense
5968063
Never really though about that before. Sinrar had mentioned that the whirlpool had disappeared before they left Kihutaja, so why did it move? I'm thinking that it just got bigger, or as Rainbow got closer, she briefly "saw" the missing piece that Ultimo had taken.
5968356
It could be that those strips were more concentrated. Wasn't she sort of dizzy from them, she just fought through it. It certainly would have been worse if she had touched them herself.
5968535
Addendum:
•Always confirm your kills!
If Ultimo is Jabu-Jabu then I'm outta this story. Fuck that nightmare fuel level!!!
5968090
She could always get a Gold Petal-analogue to hold it for her.
You know, if she needs to fetch something literally from the jaws of death (nice one IC), I bet the islanders will happily take the physical challenge.
New sub-objective for secondary sub-quest added! Hunt the sea serpent.
I don't really think the beacon behind the frost plug beneath the sea will give us Rarity. The story doesn't feel ready at this point. Maybe if they can only reach it after some quest that takes at least 40 chapters more.
I'm going to try contribute to the fanart.
Mind you, it's going to either not happen or be terrible and cringeworthy. Probably the first thing.
Eel murdering time yet? Pls.
5967948
Don't forget, Rainbow has already had a lot of experience in organic caves...
I'm willing to bet that these natives won't be so friendly when Rainbow gets through with their goddess.
It is time to go fishing!
Just don't get another dizzy spell inside Ultimo's throat.
So it really was chaos metal. And Rainbow Dash still hasn't quite told Twilight about her dizzy spells. This is not okay.
Rainbow Dash: Throat Diver Extraordinaire
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
5969035
5968792
Did we ever actually confirm that Rainbow and Roarke got laid?
Like that's not a big dea, but I don't remember if we did.
Also, I'm so not looking forward to Rainbow getting eaten.
Descend into the jaws of death Dashie!
Evidently water is effective shielding against chaos. Bad things just happened because she got too close.
5968373
you mean THE EDGE?
....Not much, to be perfectly honest. It's kind of one of those "The less we know, the more we care" things. The pegasus book contained drawings of these edge with this description (Eljunbyro 125):
And then there's Whitemane's exposition when she went 700 years ago:
Luna and Celestia have visited the edge 5 times but don't describe it. The last time she went was 11,000 years ago.
5969639
I suddenly feel smarter.
5969195 Uh, yeah. The entire Noble Jury watched (the first time), with the exception of Kera, who had her eyes covered by Belle or Pilate.
Rainbow, a plan that involves getting eaten is not a good plan. Please make a new plan and try again.
5969306
Oh, you know, just a flock of birds flying into the library and running amok for an hour.
Also dive-bombing screaming students
No casualties!
5969639
So it's like using water to dissipate radiation from a nuclear reactor? It's a shame there's no Cherenkov Radiation in the water, it'd be pretty.
5969706
Does that mean the Grand Choke is younger than 11,000 years old?!
5970568 Really? When and where did this happen? And why don't I remember it?
5971338 It Was About Friggin' Dayum Time
Also, I really miss Rainboarke.
5971465 Rereading that actually made me a but happier than I was.
Thanks for that.