As Lasairfion shuffled forward, the interpreter kept abreast of her, waiting dutifully for her mistress and ruler to speak. At last, coming to a towering stop before Rainbow Dash, the Princess bore a calm smile and did just that.
“Verrak’tyum malasuu’drenna’duuros m’jaas’rekhalla thriel’m, dre’t?”
The interpreter spoke, “It is is something more powerful than death that brings it here, yes?”
Rainbow Dash blinked. She glanced at the interpreter, then back at Lasairfion. “Brings what?”
Lasairfion’s head leaned slightly to the side. “Oss Tray Oh.”
Nightshade glanced aside at the pegasus.
After a deep breath, Rainbow fought her dizziness to say, “You have things mixed up. If you knew anything about me, you’d realize that I pretty much am death.”
Lasairfion giggled, filling the air with distorted bell-song. Her earth-brown eyes lit up as she said, “Y’taasu’ramnas thrie’len vree, Oss Tray Oh. Malaseen’drenna’duuroen hraa’kaat’seem, less’tenneraat vm’bassa’kun nela’driel.”
The interpreter droned, “If only that were true, Oss Tray Oh. It could easily have carried death into the grave instead of flying distance so long.”
Lasairfion paced around the pegasus, continuing to speak. Her rich voice tickled Rainbow’s ears. The mare remained locked to the floor, her heart pounding. It wasn’t fear nor dizziness, but something else that grasped at her heart, as if something in the regal equine’s very voice was stabbing straight through her gut and into her heart. She felt like she was standing on the balcony with Whitemane again, only all of the gentleness and sincerity had been stripped viciously away. Before she knew it, the Xonan regal’s sentenced finished with staccato punctuation.
It was the interpreter’s turn: “Its mind is full of more colors than its hair. All of them misleading. But not those blessed by Nagu’n. We have seen only one light, and it has prophesied its arrival.”
“The machine world…” Rainbow Dash guessed, eyebrow arched as the Princess passed another time. “Your soldiers got a look into the machine world, and somehow the place lit up in such a way to show that I was coming? Is that it?”
Lasairfion came to a stop, shaking her head with a teeth-glinting smile. She spoke with utmost confidence, her tongue like a conductor of waterfalls.
“It is the light given up by warmth, by sincerity most burning. It is a pony most lost, but its element bonds it to flames that never die.”
Rainbow’s lips pursed. Her eyes narrowed as she breathed, “Loyalty…?” Something flickered out the corner of the pegasus’ eyes, like a lavender shadow. Her head darted to the right.
Lasairfion was already there to stare her dead in the eyes. Rainbow didn’t see her lips move; she only saw her fiery gaze.
Sooner than later, the interpreter said, “Its love has brought it here, a love that surpasses death. Nagu’n blesses this moment, for it shall witness the power of love bring righteousness to this land. Death will dissolve, and no more ponies will be lost, by the power of Nagu’n.”
“You think what you’re doing here is righteous?!” Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. “I know a thing or two about those pale crystals you’re flinging around, lady! There’s nothing in your bloody campaign that screams of love! It’s all chaos!”
Lasairfion tilted her head towards the interpreter. The servant mare leaned in and clarified a few key words to the monarch. Slowly, Lasairfion turned back, and there was a briefly raspy tone to her voice when she spoke.
The interpreter delivered, “Then I am glad Oss Tray Oh has arrived at my doorstep, for it will be a timely addition to the glory of Nagu’n.”
“What…” Rainbow Dash blinked. “...do you mean?”
Lasairfion’s words had already dripped out, and the interpreter was swift to provide: “Texts of ancient words speak of the east bound horse, the deliverer of a righteous spark. Only now, the sunrisen scythe shall be mine to wield.”
“Oss Tray Oh.” Lasairfion smiled. “N’deraat’sien k’lassta’klen threm.”
“Oss Tray Oh. The final summon.”
“Final… summon…?” Rainbow’s face tilted towards the guards as she sensed them moving in on her suddenly. Her breath rode the serpentine lengths of the snake patterns on their armor. “No… no!” Rainbow jolted forward, only to be held in place by the Xonans’ criss-crossing pole-arms. “I am not your friggin’ sky monster to fight battles for you! Go summon something else!”
“Why should I?” the interpreter was already murmuring. “This is its one opportunity. An instrument of chaos becoming an instrument of love.”
“No! I will not do anything for you! Do you hear me?!” Rainbow Dash hissed, thrashing back and forth as the guards gripped her on all sides. “Nnnngh--Buck off!”
“Rainbow Dash--” Kera started, only to feel herself being tugged telekinetically backwards by one of Dalen’s fellow soldiers. As she, Zaid, Nightshade, and the others were shoved into a far corner of the room, Dalen trotted forward with a dull expression, hovering the lavender tome higher and higher.
Rainbow’s weak eyes reflected it, and her voice cracked from the nucleus of armored plates where she struggled. “I’m not a weapon! Darn it, I’m not… not…” Her eyes rolled back as she caved to the power of the lavender light. “Totally… totally about harmony… just… just…” A tear or two squeezed from her lids. “Just a little m-more cider… please…”
“Shhhhh…” Lasairfion cooed from beyond the spreading shadows, her voice just as thin and wispy.
”Relax, for it has been starved too long of love…”
And all turned black.
Yet another madman seeks the weapon of ultimate destruction, sure that THEY will be the one to control it.
Dumbass.
Forty situps, ):(. Knock 'em out!
that's... ominous.
…oh. Ok.
"East bound horse" - I see what you did there.
~Basso
Watch out for the pokeball Dash.
Awww shiet. Rainbow Dash, Harbinger of Chaos. Princess Laser doesn't seem to have a good grasp on the concept of 'love'. Final summons? I really hope they don't plan on taking off that Harmony necklace.
Woah, Rainbow might have to actually succumb to the power of the book and follow Lasairfion's orders. Unless a certain metal mare decides to join in on the fun.
And I've finally caught back up! Boy, it's been an amazing journey too!
Khao's devout, little cult.
The additions in character of Zaid, Basso, and Zetta.
The revelation of Uncle Prowse actually journeying to the lost kingdom of Zabu, Zadu- you know what, I'm not even going to bother trying to spell it, but in all seriousness, I'm glad I'll be able to enjoy it all in present time!
Also, got say thanks to Jake for posting those excercises, because I was able to lose 20 pounds!
Ah that delicate cadence that whispers sweet promises of untold riches; only to speak so many untruths and wrap the warmth in its twisted lies of chaotic hatred and death. Trust her not.
Yay, three lines of Xonan bitext!
Eugh, that is some tough love.
Someone remove the damn pendant, damn it. I want to see their smirks wiped off their faces.
Fuck. Well this isn't going too well.
um... dun dun duuunnn...?
Reminds me of the martians fro Mars Attacks! "Don't run, we are your friends" as people are vaporized
The Xonans aren't aggressive, they express their love by slaughtering people
It all makes sense
Darn it, it's like the whole freaking world is against Austraeoh.
The only cult that actually wants to "help" her simply does so in pretty much every wrong way possible.
This, this totally ruins my RD/Princess shipping....
Sometimes I wonder if IC makes would-be random lines into tearjerkers just for the fun of it. And sometimes I get a definite answer.
But what does that book, and the powers it contains, actually control? After all, each and every control tower prior, Dash has been the one to bring the flame to it, and activate it. Then the flame is soul tortured and ripped from its machine world base, held in an experimental laboratory, then taken up and held in that book. What constraints does the book have that prevents its contents being rpiied free and back into teh true vessel of tranfer, that of Dash, to be returned to its rightful place, the Machine World?
I would so love to run up some of my DEM class gear on these guys. Maybe a small amount of asymetrical time chaos weaponry.
Until then, I hope Roarke is able to put something most unpleasant into just the right place at the right time, and get the tornado to twist itself into something new and horribly destructive.
Yep. Death and chaos inbound.
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Huzzah, I might be able to update the translations on the forum page...
Maybe RD will have control over her partial-chaos transformation, after this arc finishes up...yeah, I don't think so either.
Ohhhhhh, so they want to use Disco-Dash as a weapon of mass destruction. I guess I should've seen that coming. Hopefully, Roarke or someone (even
fuckingKhao) will swoop in and whisk Dash away, or else this will get ugly, physically and emotionally.Am I the only one who thinks this is a mite ominous? I mean, sure, it may be a translational issue, but "deliverer" suggests that Dash will be taking something, presumably to the Midnight Armory, and leaving it there... namely, "the Spark", which has always been associated with Dash herself. The implication, as I'm reading it, is that Dash will be delivering her life, as a sacrifice perhaps, to reboot the world machine. I guess we've all considered this possibility before, but it's still disconcerting...
Or maybe I'm completely missing / misinterpreting / overanalyzing it.
God damn. this chapter really tugs at what it means to be an individual.
I like it.
Who is the lamb and who is the knife? That first depiction of the princess turned out rather fitting if you ask me. Here, have another one with more arms because arms are always fun:
picsfab.com/download/image/53821/800x600_art-rong-devushka-drakonyi-posoh-mnogorukaya-magiya.jpg
I retract my earlier comparison. She is clearly Yunalesca.
i838.photobucket.com/albums/zz302/minabahamut/final%20fantasy/fmv5108-154.jpg
They're also equally easy to hate. There are no appropriate insults for either in any language I'd know.
So Nagu'n really is a harmonious deity that has been largely misinterpreted. Does that make Xona Europe 800 years ago?
General reminder: Axan is still lurking around somewhere and has been doing so since 400 chapters now.
When this is all over, somepony is gonna be beaten to a bloody pulp, i can assure you that. I'm not sure of Rainbow Dash, but somepony will.
I wonder if we're going to get a little "Wrath of Khao" later in the story?
"I shall leave your companions, as you left me... marooned in a floating fortress... buried alive."
"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOO!!!"
The eerie ominousness of this is making me quiver. It's quite clear that the Xonans are lost in religious fervor, too blinded by the light of their deity to actually think for themselves... and that they will be massacred in much the way Ledomare was.
The further she goes east, the more corrupt their values become.
A Message from MASH-
Don't give me that look. It's Thanksgiving and I'm tired.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Alright, that's to helping at all. I'm assuming that this tome is only speeding up Discord's battle for control of Dash's body, so at some point he'll get enough influence to fight back and get Dash out of there. But what are the consequences of that...? These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Damn. It might sound terrible, but I kinda missed the feels-punches these stories could pull.
Also, aside from Two Steps From Hell, the soundtrack from Thomas was Alone makes for some great companion music for this series, especially these two tracks:
Onward!
-Spirit
i was ready to say all my respect for the xonans just went down the toilet
HOWEVER
since SHE is in power when it should be a HE, things are twisted. things are wrong. in the xonan monarchal integrity.
so for the time being, any possible respect i had for HER just went down the toilet.
Very ominous indeed. The Jury needs to hurry up.
Great, all Dashie is is a weapon to these people and their war. At least the cultists had the right mind to care about Dash's true quest.
Finished The Endless River. It was alright; lots of post rock, but it didn't feel like the perfect ending to Pink Floyd. Division Bell fit that better. Oh well! Tomorrow I dig into Radiohead!
It was all Pink Floyd for three and a half books... I'll never forget my roots, I swear. ;_;7
I despise anything that considers its fellow beings to be nothing more than a tool. Only a heartless and cruel monster would see a tool in someone special
I think she would have rather died with them
Dash will not be a weapon.
It's cool that we get an interpreter this chapter.
Anyways ... Dash won't become a weapon for chaos.
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Especially if the alternative was becoming something that they wouldn't be proud of.
Oh please tell me they're about to do what I think they are.
If they take off the pendant, their day is about to become much worse.
Something smells... changeling-y about all this. They keep talking about 'love' in a manner I've only ever seen from changelings before.
Both sides see her as little more than a weapon, a tool for furthering their own campaigns. I wish I could say I was surprised.
WHy can't these ponies just leave Austraeoh alone so she can save the frigging world???
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Leaders see only the battle in front of them, and not the disaster it will wreak upon the.