Urohringr

by Imploding Colon

A Dizzying Account of Things

"So... uh... is she..." Rainbow Dash scratched her chin and turned to gaze sleepily towards Pilate. "Is she pulling on through?"

Pilate cracked the door shut to Belle and Kera's crew quarters. He then tilted his head towards the pegasus. "It is difficult to say. There really is no measure for this sort of a thing. She'll most likely be dealing with these scars for the rest of her life, as will the rest of us."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "I understand. Believe me."

"I'm simply glad that Elma came to us when she did. The sheer amount of magic that Kera can channel is unbelievable. We were quite close to losing another part of the Noble Jury."

"I heard a lot of screwy stuff went down while she was losing it."

"Nothing we can't live without," Pilate said. Then, with a nervous chuckle, he said, "Nothing Mr. Floydien can't live without."

"Yeah, but we all know how much you like maps and books n'crap."

"Regardless, most of that stuff is behind me. Behind all of us." Pilate leaned back on his haunches. "I'm good at following maps, Rainbow Dash. I'm not quite so good at making them."

"Val Roa's east of us, right?"

"Er... from what I understand."

Rainbow smiled wearily. "Then all we need is for a few good ponies to point us towards it and we're good. Who needs a map?"

"Well... erm..."

She shrugged. "I got along just fine without a map for the longest time."

"Yes. And it served you well."

"It could serve us all well, you know."

"But it's unknown territory, Rainbow," Pilate remarked with a gaping expression. "I know we haven't yet got evidence of any wars or tyrannies taking place, but it's still a whole new continent with hitherto undiscovered—"

"We have the Sword of Solstice," Rainbow said with a smile. "We have first access to the voice and wisdom of Princess Celestia." She winked. "I think we've got things covered in the safety department."

Pilate took a deep breath. "Yes... yes, I suppose we should look on the bright side of things. Erm..." He winced. "All puns forgiven."

"Spoken like a true blind zebra."

"Props has the skystone working. Kera may be struggling, but at least she's speaking again. Roarke's on our side once more. You're no longer having your dizzy spells. We're about to make landfall at any moment—"

"Four times."

Pilate's ears flicked. "I beg your pardon?"

Rainbow sighed out her nostrils and murmured, "I've had dizzy spells four times since we left Stratopolis."

"Four... t-times...?"

"Mmmmf..." Rainbow Dash nodded, gazing off down the second floor corridor. "I can't very well count the moments that happen in my sleep."

"Rainbow...!" Pilate hissed with a shocked expression. "Why haven't you told anypony? Are they happening more frequently? I-I mean, are they worse than before or—"

"Eh, it's about the same, really," Rainbow murmured, kicking at the floor with a loose hoof. "Truth is, they never go away. I'm just super thankful that they haven't recently screwed me over while I'm having to kick monster butt or fly at the speed of sound with tons and tons of ponies' lives depending on me."

"Is..." Pilate gulped. "Is it the book?"

"It's me, Pilate," Rainbow said. "Everypony knows that."

Pilate sighed, hanging his head. "But nopony as well as you." He swallowed. "I suppose, with all of the many-many horrible things that we do battle with on a regular basis, it's so terribly easy to forget that the biggest crisis of all hasn't ceased to plague you."

"I wouldn't call it the 'biggest' crisis, dude," Rainbow said. "The 'lamest,' sure, but that's my thing to deal with."

"Not by yourself, Rainbow."

"Pilate..." Rainbow leaned forward with calm eyes. "Everypony here is a super awesome group. I have no doubt that—if they all wanted to—they could keep the Noble Jury flying forever. But that's not gonna work for everypony. And besides, who wants that? You all need a place to settle."

"And what of you, Rainbow Dash?" Pilate asked quietly. "Have you put more thought into that now that we're almost clear of the Wastes?"

Rainbow stood up straight. "There's only one way for me to ever settle."

Pilate was silent.

Flexing her wings, Rainbow shuffled past him. "You should rest. Stick close to Belle and Kera. They need you."

"Rainbow—"

"With the observation room wrecked, I really have no snazzy place I like to sleep. Not that I could get much shuteye anyway." She headed towards the crawlspace and pulled herself up the ladder rungs. "I think I'll hang out up top and wait for sunrise. I still got lots to chat with Her Highness about."

Once she was gone, Pilate silently hung his head, turned towards his room, and slid inside quietly.

---

Inside the mess hall, Eagle Eye sat on a sofa facing the port side windows. He was slumped down with his chin resting on his folded hooves. Silken violent hair draped over his head as he gazed lethargically into the metal surfaces of the bulkheads.

Something cast shadows against the manalight. Ebon trotted over, exhaling with relief. "Yeahhhhh... feels like it's been ages since I gave the kitchen that good of a scrub down." He paused, blinking down at Eagle Eye. A tiny chuckle escaped his lips. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's sleepless."

Eagle Eye said nothing.

Clearing his throat, Ebon leaned against the sofa. "I heard there was... er... some unpleasant business downstairs where Elma was bunking."

"Hrmmm... I wasn't privy to the conversation," Eagle Eye muttered. "Something to do with poor little Kera."

"Or perhaps you couldn't hear over Josho's snoring?"

"... ... ..."

Ebon fidgeted. "I... I-I'm sorry. That was inappropriate timing for a joke—"

"No. It was..." Eagle exhaled. "It was pretty funny."

"You seem exhausted. Perhaps you'd rather sleep where it's less bright?"

"It's not sleep," Eagle Eye droned.

"Then what's bothering you?"

The stallion didn't say anything.

Ebon bit his lip. At first, it looked like he was collapsing in slow motion. Whatever the case, with little hesitant shudders, he drooped down until he was lying on the sofa besides Eagle Eye. Leaning over, he softly rested the weight of his head and mane against the ex-mercenary's.

"We've been through so much... but we're past it now," Ebon murmured in a shaky voice. "We should be happy. Don't we deserve to be happy?"

Eagle Eye took a deep breath. He reached over and wrapped a hoof around Ebon's shoulder. "I am happy. I'm just... I'm just tired as well. But... it's different." He sighed out his nostrils and gazed at the portholes once more. "Everything is different."

Ebon fought the urge to reply, but failed. "I don't want you to be different."

"Hey." Eagle Eye raised Ebon's face so that they were gazing at each other. "Hey. Look right here. It's me. Okay? I haven't gone anywhere and I'm not about to."

Ebon gazed anxiously at him. After several seconds, he cracked a soft, weak smike. "Okay...."

Eagle slid both forelimbs forward, enveloping Ebon into a tender hug. Ebon sniffled once, but quieted as he nestled his chin into Eagle's soft mane. All the while, Eagle remained staring quietly—pensively—into the corners of the room.

Hours passed. Somepony fell asleep before the other. The night carried on.

Comments

[AppleTank]

Damn, she's lucky. Unless that was an asspull because RD would've died if it happened.

[Pilate]

Hours passed. Somepony fell asleep before the other. The night carried on.

I like this line.

[Booster Spice]

Wonder, if we have Ebon,EE, would Props, working in the engine room, be Ivor,E?

Obscure childrens TV joke is obscure.

[IceKitsune]

RD is going to have to find a way to keep the spells under control completely (or at least even better) eventually. If there even is such a way to do so.

[destinedjagold]

hm...

[Lightning Bearer]

Ugh, it's been so long since a dizzy spell that I nearly forgot about them.

Also, I wish EE would freaking say something to someone! The suspense is killing me.

[RoboRed]

Hours passed. Somepony fell asleep before the other. The night carried on.

And the group carries on with it...

Also, EE/Ebon cuddles.

[Arcanist Ascendant]

I'm really starting to like Elma, hope she doesn't get killed off immediately in Val Roa

[SilentBird93]

And I thought she stopped getting dizzy spells or something...

[Luz]

I haven't even read Austraeoh..

Oh maaaan... gotta read a LOT of words...

[AppleTank]

4591908
Go back and read, filly.

[CyborgSamurai]

Where is my hot sweaty gay horse sex scene

[Luz]

4591913

B-but.. I'll end up reading like 1 million words!
It's too much for my little brain

[AppleTank]

4591928
Read long enough on this site and you'll get a million. Might as well start now. If you like this, you won't regret it.

[Luz]

4591936

I started reading it like 8 months ago, ended up liking it, but dropped it for no apparent reason.

Oh well might as well start some day this summer.

[VNilla]

4591679 I know, it's so awwww. You can almost hear the soft piano in the background.

[Zaid ValRoa]

Did IC delay the "There's something about Ebon" thing until after Eagle Eye and him got together so he could rip that away from us?

[durandana]

4591928 I'm at, like, 2 million and counting, bro. After a while it's not such a big deal

[Pilate]

4592164
If that was going to get ripped away, it would have already happened. Eagle is anxious and nervous, but you'll notice that they've still fallen asleep embraced in one another.

Frankly, I don't think this is Eagle fretting about Eagle, I think it's Eagle fretting about Ebon. Eagle is all good with what's happening, but clearly Ebon isn't fully aware of his own self. Embracing a sudden and unexpected existential crisis of that literal magnitude is not exactly easy. I think Eagle is worried for Ebon, hence the talk with Elma.

[Phoenix Kitten]

Is it really only chapter 115?
It feels like we should be at around 195 with scenes like this.

4591908
Have fun with that. I think I clocked Austraeoh and Eljunbyro in just over 40 hours for both of them...

Day 1. 22 hours 45 minutes. Austraeoh...finished.
Day 2 17 hours 34 minutes. Eljunbyro...finished.
400 chapters...just over 40 hours.

yup.

[Zaid ValRoa]

4592242 I think that too. And I know the tension building inside Eagle will increase until it reaches a critical point.
I just hope that when it inevitably explodes, it won't hurt too much...

[Jonathon Smythe]

Rainbow Dash is still getting dizzy spells? Well then. That's awkward.

4591908 Welcome to the Austraeoh Saga, we hope you enjoy the trip!

[CasualMarshmallow]

I'm glad that the continuity issue of dizzy spells is being taken care of. It makes sense that we didn't read about it in Urohringr yet, with so much focus on the other members of the crew.

[Lone Gazebo]

Ok. And here I thought RD was just better now after the Odrsjot. Guess she's still definitely dying. Damn.

[xXshaydXx]

What the hell is eagles problem? Now I'm starting to worry. Did I miss something?

[KMCA]

4591860 ... You had to open your mouth, didn't you?

RIP Elma

[Arcanist Ascendant]

4592592

Crap.

I'm dumb. Sorry.

[Tillion]

4592185 wait, people count how many words they read?
why? also, i have a sudden desire to find out how many i have......
over 4 mil...... ok......

[YoshiFawful64]

Well, at least it looks like the whole Ebon thing will be okay eventually.
4591943
Trust me, it's worth it.

[dafiltafish]

Great way to end there. Very blunt and strong.

[not_a_rainbow]

Eagle Eye, wut r u doin.

Eagle Eye, STAHP.

[_00500005_]

4591928

FYI: 12 books in this saga.
We're not even half way there.

[_00500005_]

4592693
How do you find out?

It used to be a feature on the site, but I can't find it anymore.

[Luz]

4592185 it's a big deal when you're not a native speaker

4592258 I think it'll take me like... days finishing just one story..

But hey! I at least have Austraeoh on my iBooks... just standing there, watching me menacingly.

4593099

That's what I figured out yesterday.. shortly after commenting here.

I was like... HOLY MOTHER OF SWEET JESUS
24.media.tumblr.com/3da083db852e9bdb60ad98d5aae1715b/tumblr_my8bbzUsrx1smhyxpo1_400.gif

No but seriously.. I'll eventually catch on. Eventually

---

All in all:
I'm determined to finish these five books.
eventually

[Starlit Skies]

4592577 Eagle thinks/might know Ebon is a changeling. At least that's our speculation.

Rainbow can apparently keep a secret well. We didn't even know she was still having those attacks. Or maybe IC just forgot about writing them

[Alcyone Meissa]

4593560 I'm not a native speaker too. I'm just Polish teenage girl, who learns English at school, and my teacher isn't exactly good or smart or whatever. And I've read this whole thing. Twice.
Sometimes it was hard, but I regret nothing ;)

[Luz]

4593919 I'm just lazy, that's all

heh

[Nevlamas]

Looking up from underneath,
Fractured moonlight on the sea.
Reflections still look the same to me,
As before I went under.

And it's peaceful in the deep,
Cathedral where you can not breathe,
No need to pray, no need to speak
But now I am under.

So cold and so sweet.

[whizzball1]

And suddenly we're reminded of Dash's dizzy spells and imminent death just when we thought it was over.
Also have I said how much I dislike EExEbon? Don't kill me.
4591908 It's a long ride, but you'll pull through! Join the Jurists!

-Spirit

[Arcanist Ascendant]

4593919

Literally no better or fun way to learn a language than to read a fantastic story like this. Seriously.

[ThatPoemGuy]

4593945
Dude, that's...
[Engage sunglass mode]
Deep.

Yeeeaah?

[Nevlamas]

4594737

No.

[Cynderfall]

No sadness please...

[iloveportalz0r]

4591908 Don't worry, it's only a few days of reading. Maybe a bit more than a week if you go slowly

[Super Trampoline]

4593919 that's pretty awesome! Good luck with English! Pronunciation can be tricky!

[tailspin]

You know, this whole story I thought rainbow would end the story doing something awsome and by some mericle she whouldent die. After what rainbow just said I think she's going to die in the most awsome way possible at end the end of the book and that she well never make it back to equstera. But I do believe that the Jury will make it to equstera

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

I read this chapter in class. Someone says my name. Class goes on.

[aRestlessCreativeGamer]

5090444 thats exactly what i was thinking when i finished this chapter.

Also: four dizzy spells?! Thats more frequent than what was mentioned in the last story or 2 combined! Its getting worse. She said that it hurts the same but didnt respond on the frequency

i'm starting to think that Rainbow's journey is a decent bit more self-inflicted than what it seems to be. She really could stop and live what chunk of her life is left. The spark/austraeoh stuff is really the only thing that seems to be pushing her forward, otherwise....the only thing i can think is that she's scared to stop. I dont blame her either. Most places she has stopped at have had massive amounts of hell waiting and the ones that didnt, received it because of her. The other reason i think she cant stop is because she has a restless spirit. She cant settle, not for long before she gets bored.

[**Beert]

4593919 Oł, hej. Jestes drugą osobą z Polski, którą napotkałem w komentarzach pod tą serią książek. Pozdrowionka

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Hours passed. Somepony fell asleep before the other. The night carried on.

A lovely way to end a slice of life chapter.