The Balance of Power
The light of day came in a great burst. Rainbow Dash shoved Nightshade into it. The tips of both ponies’ ears burned with rushing blood as she rocketed the pair onto the edge of a cave indented into the lower edge of the floating mountain that was the Sacred Hold. Two miniature manacraft hovered, docked along a metal platform. Far beyond, sharp ridges loomed at an angle. The entire body of the Hold was starting to drop, to plummet. Chunks of rock fell constantly from its upper surfaces, blotting out rays of the dying day as the mountain ran its doomed course slowly towards the earth.
Rainbow flew to the end of the platform, and she came to a stop several feet off the precipice. She held her hoof out until Nigthshade dangled in the crook of the pegasus’ drift.
“You disgusting piece of crap!” Rainbow Dash snarled. “I’ve tolerated keeping your miserable self around all this time only because I had no choice. But now--”
“Now what--Snkkkt?!” Nightshade hissed through gritted teeth as she struggled with Rainbow’s grip. Her legs dangled anxiously in the high winds. “It’s easy to hold malice deep in your heart, but to suddenly be able to make it manifestttt--hrkkkt…” Nightshade sputtered and wheezed. “P-power is envied by far too many ponies, and all of th-them fools!”
“Stop preaching to me, lady…” Rainbow snarled. “You’ve done nothing but murder ponies--”
“And you haven’t?!” Nightshade’s eyes rolled back as she struggled to hiss. “All those soldiers. All those poor, noble creatures--defenders of the Queen and penitent victims of Lasairfion alike. Just because you’ve dr-dropped equines like flies doesn’t make them any less worthwhile in the eyes of the Sp-Spark!” Nightshade grabbed onto Rainbow’s limbs for support, wheezed, and glared at her as she slurred, “You think I’m blind to what enrages you. I’m n-not! For you too must look into the dark pools of your heart and reach for slippery excuses to put your mind at ease each night: the pursuit of harmony, the cost of loyalty to your friends?! Friends are merely fragments thrown loose from the overall picture, my dear. Do you think you’re actually any b-better than I am?! Listen to me, Rainbow Dash. I’ve languished in the dungeons of evil. I’ve stared into the face of Prime Enforcer Shell himself, and I know how little a soul carries weight in the vacuum of that stallion’s being. There’s no denying that he kills ponies without mercy and he burns forests without qualms, but he only… chases… monsters, Rainbow D-Dash!” She spat, “He hunts you and only you! I didn’t have the capacity to believe it at first, but now I see that you are the most dangerous wildcard, the most destructive catalyst this continent has ever seen! And somehow your stasis as a fargone fossil of harmony excuses you for every wound you have inflicted upon this landscape?!”
“You did not have to kill that stallion back there…” Rainbow seethed, pointing at her glowing pendant with her other hoof. “He could have been saved.” Her ruby eyes flared. “I could have saved him!”
“And I could have saved you!” Nightshade howled back, her neck turning raw and red as she nearly slipped in Rainbow’s grip. “You and Doctor Bellesmith and the ch-child! And I still can!” Her eyes darted to the pendant. “You are whole again! The book is in our possession! Let us take it to the machine fissure, return it to its rightful place before Lasairfion can get there first! Th-then we can finally be done with the entire holocaust!”
“You miserable little turd…” Rainbow sneered. “You think I’m still gonna keep you along for the ride?!”
“If you want to know where the flame goes, yes, because only I can take you there,” Nightshade whispered, her cheeks and brow turning blue. “But, then again, you knew that all along, as soon as it occurred to you what Lasairfion wanted, despite her insanity.”
Rainbow Dash said nothing. She hovered limply in place, sweat running down her leg till it condensed in icy pools around Nightshade’s neck.
Behind her, loud hoofsteps scuffed to a stop. Basso stood, panting, with Kera dismounting off the stallion’s back.
“Rainbow Dash!” Kera stammered, her eyes widening at the sight of Nightshade. “What… wh-what are you doing?”
“The true art of power is not gaining it…” Nightshade stammered, at the end of her breath. “...but knowing what to do with it. I… snkkkt… suspect you’re not a pony who’s used to being the fulcrum of a machine far bigger than you can see.” Her eyes grew thin, the lids heavy. “Sacrifice… is hardly as noble as poetry would make it seem. Hckkt… For… in the end, the greatest heroes simply can’t afford to be g-good, Rainbow Dash.” She limply swiveled her head from left to right. “Not… if they want to g-get true business done.”
Rainbow Dash frowned at that, but a part of her blue coat paled over in the wind. She clenched her eyes shut as her upper body shook.
Basso bit his lip.
Kera’s mouth quivered. “Rainbow…?”
“Grggggg--Mmmmf!” Rainbow tossed Nightshade.
Kera gasped--
“Ooof!” Nightshade landed roughly on the platform. She hunched over and grasped her neck, coughing and wheezing for breath. Basso rushed over to examine her, but stopped as soon as Rainbow’s shadow hovered over him.
“The only reason you’re not rock paste on the side of a mountain is because I need you,” Rainbow Dash said. A second or two passed, and her face winced as she reluctantly said, “And also because you’re right. I’m not a pony who’s used to having the power to change the fate of a continent.” She then hovered lower, tilting her head down to glare at Nightshade face-to-face. “And if that makes me a horrible hero in your dirty eyes, then so be it. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to save you.”
Nightshade twitched at that. She looked up with confused, glossy eyes.
“I’m going to save you… save the Noble Jury… and save every Celestia-forsaken pony on this miserable continent.” She took a deep breath. “And if your narrow mind finds that too friggin’ hard to believe, then that’s a pitiful way to live. After all, I once found myself in a place where I couldn’t even save myself, and even still I made it.” She flapped her wings and hovered higher. “Miracles are miracles; I don’t care how much they smell of crap. I think you’ve been too busy for too long trying to make awesome things happen that you’ve forgotten what it means like to be them. So you wanna help out? Watch. Learn. And live.”
Rainbow shot a glance at the stallion.
“Basso. Take Kera, the book, and this slimy little thing on one of the zeppelins. Meet up with Zetta’s team and get as far as you friggin’ can from this falling piece of garbage.”
“Okay…” Basso nodded.
“And whatever you do!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew her way back into the dark cavern from which she came. “Do not let that lady drive! Heck! Don’t even let her speak! She doesn’t need a tongue to help guide us to the flame pedestal inside the machine world!”
Nightshade instinctually covered her muzzle upon hearing that.
Kera flashed a look from her to Rainbow Dash. “What about you?! Where are you going?!”
“To find and save a bounty hunter who’s probably gonna refuse my help!” And the pegasus was gone in a prismatic blur.
Basso gulped. He glanced at Kera’s capped horn, then at Nightshade’s collapsed figure. “You know… you could have lifted that thing off your head at any time just then.”
“I know.” Kera nodded, smiling faintly.
Stats
Page generated in 0.063 seconds
Total duration
949 users online
465,574 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Rainbow ... you and your refusal to give up on ponies. I guess that's what makes you a hero.
Huh. A hero giving second chances to ponies who don't deserve them, despite committing unforgivable atrocities? Where have we seen that before?
I like Kera... she's just manipulative enough
Nightshade, I still don't like you. I likely never will. But for the sake of everyone, get it into your head that everyone can be saved. Every single pony has a side to them that will lead to peace. Even Shell, as hard as it may be to believe.
Wait. Lifted what thing? The Ordsjot to make RD collapse?
To make her drop Nightshade, I guess, though Kera seemed to judge RD to be stronger than that.
I still don't get the Innavedr's role in all this, especially if its Kera. I'm having a bit of trouble figuring out what she does to help the Austraeoh that everyone else isn't doing.
And whether Ordsjot going to be an inanimate object this time around.
Where the heck do these ponies get their long speeches when they've been having so much action in such a short period of time?
Also, when are we gonna read more mundane things? All this action is getting boring.
3620182
My my, dear fellow. How mistaken you are.
This is just near the end of the prologue! The precursor that encompasses far, far more than a simple war and hundreds of lives!
The action's just getting to the good part. Go grab some popcorn and enjoy.
That was it, the band that collapsed in on itself, the runes you see become the runes that are, like origami, but in more dimentions. The Spark, Transformers.
Im glad these guys have no idea what I worked on, they can just about handle the Machine World. Imagine how hard it would hurt if they found out everything was a hologram, a dream. 8}
Reality is really weird.
I think roarke will be to stunned to see rainbow up and fighting to refuse help lol
LET THE ASS KICKING COMMENCE
I thought for sure that Nightshade would end up becoming blood paste.
But then again, Dash is much better than that.
The end.
Holy Luna poop, three chapters in a day. Harmony's been held at the mercy of Chaos for long enough. It's time to see the wrath at the end of the rainbow strike.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/11/4/464172__safe_solo_rainbow+dash_animated_flying_messy+mane_may+the+best+pet+win_loop_dashabetes_s02e07.gif
Meh. At some point, enough is enough. Nightshade isn't due for any more goodwill or any more chances... She basically just killed off an ally for no good reason, and not only did Rainbow do nothing more than scaring her a little, she isn't even gonna get locked up?
Bogus, i say.
3620051
oh well, they will probably explain it again when they hook back up with Belle and Pilate
still a bit confuzzled
When it comes down to it, Roarke likes RD really; so I don't see an issue with her accepting some help.
Thus ends Nightshade's pitch for power.
I think she understands exactly who she's dealing with now.
*sigh*...And I still had the tiniest bit of hope that Nightshade would finally get her just desserts.
Well, fact remains that she's on an even shorter leash than before. Kera, please slap her shit if she talks on the way to the zeppelin.
3620840
I wouldn't say there wasn't a good reason for Nightshade's justification. Dalen betrayed the entire Lightning Bearer, and as far as she knew, he also was trying to brainwash Kera against the group. She had reasons, just not the most justifiable reasons.
She reminds me of Long Feng from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She manipulates everyone to gain power. She struggles to keep power under a supernatural force of harmony. Those under her have cast her out.
I didn't really have a lot against Nightshade. But she is acting dislikeably. I'm not sure anymore.
3621831 She probably just couldn't imagine a Dalen that was just and honorable. She didn't see how Dalen changed around Kera. We did. And thus, we have enough insight to be angered by her choice.
Nightshade may have made a ruthless choice, but based on what she knew to be true at the time--Dalen's betrayal onboard the Lightning Bearer resulted in their imprisonment and current predicament, and doomed countless Ledomaritans, including several long-time friends, to a cruel and merciless death--it makes perfect sense why she made it.
Nightshade and RD have the same end goal: to save as many people as possible. However, Nightshade operates on ruthless, logical caution, whereas Dash uses pure and reckless emotion. They both generally work, but the natural cynic in Nightshade makes it tough for her to realize that optimism is at least possible when Dash herself is in the picture. But one only need mention Silvadel to be reminded that Dash's mentality has failed her before.
I think the title is evocative of that pendulum constantly swinging between cynicism and optimism. Or I could just be spewing BS.
3620140 I'm sorry everypony...
3620247
That doesn't stop the action from getting repetitive, TBH. Not to mention all the killing is starting to get really jaded. Even in the own writing, I think.
3622650
All the skilling?
She really is Gehn and Claire Zachanassian at once. I love, love, love this woman so much, I can't even, I shan't even, I won't even! She's also the most resilient old lady that ever was or ever will be; probably tricked the reaper into thinking she's already dead or something.
Aside from that, what have we learned? As every harmonious force worth its salt, the Odrsjot is powered by a forsaken child - literally!
Oh, and I also just remembered: a couple of chapters ago I failed to wonder about Nevlamas talking about "the ashes of her sister" - does she think Axan is dead or does she know more than we do? - which is unacceptable already, but when Nightshade left Dalen to die in that crevice I failed to post this video, which is absolutely unforgivable.
Hopefully some of what Rainbow said will get through Nightshade's thick skull. I mean, it hasn't in the past, but maybe this time.
Oh well, if things don't work out, then killing her is always a viable option in my opinion.
1337 words in this chapter...
That is all.
3622923Fair enough...
Rainbow's right. The party can't really do a whole bunch without Nightshade. She's still definitely a bitch, though.
Both sides have gotten so used to massacres that what really upsets them is anyone trying to change the status quo. That's the best license to kill Dash could have asked for.
3622700
* killing
Mistype.
3625010
Is k
Somepony needs to cut that silver tongue out of Nightshade's pretty little face.
I have said it before, and I will say it once again...
Rainbow Dash is the Doctor
IIIIIt's Dashie's Evasive Maneuvers Get-Backing Adventure!
A testament to RD never giving up on ponies is this chapter. Really, her speech was just great. It east exactly right about Nighthade. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. ZZZ
I'm pretty sure Nightshade is still here just to annoy us all. I'm onto you IC. Either that or she just rolled a 20 on her persuasion check.
Wait, so how "cured" is Rainbow? I feel like she's still Discordy without the pendant, but can now function around the book when Kera has her horn swag on. Or am I wrong? I suppose I'll see later on, one way or another.
Also, Kera's belief in Dash to do the right thing - it shows how much she's grown and matured as a character. She may be a little scamp, but she's got a good head on her shoulders, and a good heart in her...heart area.
Also - Roarke and Dash teaming up again? I'm liking those odds!
Onward!
Kera has the power to say what Dash does and doesn't do.
-Spirit
I thought Dash didn't care about what goes on on this continent? she has a journey to make...
I still have a fresh burning hatred for nightshade...im shaking from it...Rainbow, if you can not kill her, pull a batman. "but i dont have to save you"
if you cant do that, then find a way to leave nightshade suffering....suffering as much as possible, physically, psychologically, or both. dont let her walk away free and clear with what shes done. ESPECIALLY what shes JUST done...
There ya go, Rainbow! Don't stoop to her level! Now help Roarke, so we can finally be rid of this place.
hmmm. as far as I can tell, Rainbow has yet to actually kill a pony. She's beaten them senseless but never has it said implicitly or explicitly that Rainbow killed anyone...I could be mistaken.
Also, I don't hate Nightshade, but she holds a very special piece of disdain in my mind.
Oh boy, more bullshit from the mouth of a self-made mare. Sure, there were some nuggets of truth int here, but they were caked in crap about how her pointless, idealistic crusade is comparable to Rainbow's journey in any way.
Oh, and I guess Odrsjot works after all, haha.
Finished OK Computer.
5897005 The difference between Nightshade and Rainbow, Is that Rainbow wants to Save everyone, even the ones who are trying to hurt her and her friends, sometimes she can't, sometimes ponies get hurt and there is nothing Dash can do about it, But she WANTS to save them all. Nightshade on the other hand Believes that any means Justifies the end, and is all too happy to end a life if it furthers her goals, While as a whole those goals may be "Peace in our time" the methods she is using to try and attain that are as bad if not worse than the war she aims to stop..
And right here we have what makes Rainbow better than Nightshade, Rainbow at least TRIES to save everyone, while nightshade would let them die, then justify it with a logical, but still abhorrent excuse.
This will be the fourth flame pedestal Dash has found. I don't think she really needs Nightshade at all to find it.
The flame is the instrument of change...
I like that Rainbow's finally found the high ground again. I've seen her compared to the Doctor in these comments before, but never because of their most important intersection - they inspire and make better the people around them. RD will vindictively rescue a continent just to prove she can, because she's brazen and clever enough to pull off the impossible. It's that ability to bypass the sediment of culture and pressure, to cut through the Gordian knot of interpersonal conflicts and long dramatic histories, that makes spontaneous, powerful, awesome acts possible.
In other words, they're both agents of seriously shaking thing up, and it's good to see RD back in form.
They have to be much better than just good, otherwise they re not the greatest of heroes. No way nightshade could know that, as she has only seen Ledomare, whose idea of a hero is Shell.
05/26/2017 17:51 UTC
That character development, though.
So true, like Blackjack, or Naverone.
The world eats heroes, and it's the heroes that happen to lose the most and endure the worst.
You must fall from Grace before you can fly.