The Matter of Our Discussion
"The elders are willing to talk to Celestia," Rainbow Dash said. "Through... erm... the sword."
"Truly?" Pilate remarked. He and Bellesmith looked up from where they sat on a couch inside the Noble Jury's Lounge. Kera was curled up beside Bellesmith, a contented smile plastered on her slumbering face as the mare stroked her mane. "That was rather quick."
"Er... they want some time to prepare, though," Rainbow said. "So... erm... w-we're gonna be here at least two more days." She winced from where she hovered over the mess hall's table. "You think that's doable?"
"Rainbow, this is major development that could very well determine the future of these remarkable ponies," Pilate said. "I'm sure the crew will let you take as much time as you need."
"Mmmm..." Belle chewed on the edge of her lip.
The zebra tilted his head towards her. "Or... erm... am I-I wrong?"
"I'm all for staying here personally," Belle said. "But what about Val Roa? Certainly we plan to get there sooner than later."
"We'll still be making it there faster than Chrysalis could ever have expected us!" Rainbow said with a smirk. "Going around the Sky Stabs would have taken ten times as long!"
"Yes, but still..." Belle took a deep breath, glancing across the mess hall. "There is no telling how swiftly she might regain her strength."
"Pffft. Without her brood? She's chump change!"
"And I appreciate your optimism there, Rainbow," Belle said with a smile. "But, logically speaking, there is no real way to tell just how powerful she might become."
"There is no real reason to tell anything," Pilate remarked. "All things considered—we really don't know all that much about what Chrysalis is up to in Val Roa, aside from what she's capable of."
Rainbow rubbed her chin in thought. "Hmmmm..." Her eyes darted up. "Has Props been able to make contact with her Uncle Prowse?"
Pilate shook his head. "Not sense we've entered this crater."
"Though I doubt she's put much effort into contacting him as of late," Belle said. "She's been distracted as of late."
"Distracted?" Rainbow blinked. "How?"
"Oh... well... er..." Belle gulped and smiled nervously. "You know Props!"
"Heh. Yeah, sure."
"I must say, Rainbow," Pilate spoke up. "These Durandanans seem to be taking all of this rather nicely."
"Ehhhhhh..." Rainbow winced.
Pilate's ears twitched. "...No?"
"Things could have gone down a lot smoother," Rainbow said. "I only have myself to blame for a lot of that."
"But apparently they're willing to communicate with the Princess directly."
"Yeah. But who the hay knows where that could go," Rainbow muttered in mid-hover. "I did get them to agree with one thing, though."
"Hmmm? What's that?"
"I still can't make heads or tails out of how Duranda and the rest of the ponies got here in the first place," Rainbow said. "I mean, that inner sanctum thingy of theirs is sooooooooooooo a piece of the Machine World. And the structure above it is a piece of Stratopolis."
"You're certain of that, Rainbow?" Belle asked.
"Sure as I am awesome!"
"Well, no arguing that," Belle said with a smile.
"But I don't buy that the piece of Stratopolis smashed into this place and caused the crater! I mean... the structure is just too dang small! Those buildings aren't exactly indestructable. Like, we all saw how Stratopolis crumbled once it hit the skystone fields." She winced, then smiled nervously in Pilate's direction. "Erm... most of us saw it. Sorry."
"That's quite alright," Pilate said with a nod and a smile. "I got a front row seat. I'm not complaining."
"Then what do you think caused the crater?" Belle asked. "Or exposed the machine world?"
"That's what I wanna find out," Rainbow said. She tilted about. "So, I got the elders' permission to bring somepony to the sanctum so that we could study the place together and hopefully come up with some answers."
"Hmmm?" Pilate tilted his head aside. "Like who?"
Rainbow was silent.
Pilate gulped. "Me?"
"You and Belle got the O.A.S.I.S. thingy working again, right?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"Pilate, you've always been my go-to zebra for figuring all this Austraeoh crap out," Rainbow said. "Granted, you've been my only zebra—but you catch my drift. With your brains and that scanning orb thingy, maybe the two of us can come together and figure out from the site just what happened."
"But—Rainbow—it's been several thousand years!" He chuckled helplessly. "I mean... I'm flattered! But just what could we possibly find?"
"Isn't it a smart thing to have a naked hypotenuse?"
"Null hypothesis," Belle corrected.
"Yeah. What she said."
"To be perfectly honest, Rainbow, I'm not sure how much I can even scrounge up in just two days!" Pilate remarked. "Even with O.A.S.I.S. at full capacity."
"Yeah, but think of it!" Rainbow hovered down until she was directly in front of where the stallion sat. "This is the one opportunity in thousands of years that anypony with science has been allowed to study this site! And what we discover could possibly provide answers to these ponies that they've been missing out on for eons!"
"Well... yes..." Pilate fidgeted. "I do suppose that does carry an air of excitement to it."
"Rainbow, how do we know that the Durandanans truly desire to have these answers?"
"Huh?" Rainbow turned towards her, muzzle scrunched. "Well... b-because it's the truth, Ding-Dong! I can't be leaving these ponies in the dark!"
"They seem to be doing quite well for themselves, Rainbow," Belle said with a gentle smile. "Why, they even have a way of harnessing the light on their own."
Rainbow squinted at her. "Are... you suggesting that we just leave them the way they are?" Rainbow gestured blindly with a hoof. "That we just let them keep believing that they're the only ponies who've ever existed? That Commander Hurricane is some Goddess Valkyrie Mare Thingy and that there're no Alicorn Princesses?"
"It's worked for them for so long, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, but it's not..." Rainbow sighed. "Belle, it's not true."
"Isn't it more appropriate to say that it's simply what you don't believe?"
"What?!" Rainbow frowned. "No! No, it's not. This is completely different!"
"How so?"
"B-because I know who raises and lowers the sun!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "I know who the true source of Harmony is! I've seen it with my own eyes! I've lived it!"
"Then how come you didn't stop to preach to the ponies in Darkstine?" Belle asked. "Or Silvadel? Or—heh—how come you've never once taken a swipe at me and Pilate for adhering to the Spark?"
"Because... b-because...!" Rainbow clammed up, fidgeting.
Belle and Pilate gazed up at her.
With a sigh, Rainbow's wings went slack. She plopped down on the edge of the mess hall, balancing her chin on a forelimb. "Hrmmmmfff... it's because I'm related to them. Or at least I feel that way."
"We're all related in some fashion or another, Rainbow," Pilate said.
"Yeah, well, you don't have wings." Rainbow blinked, then winced. "Erm... no offense."
"I think we understand, Rainbow," Belle said with a smile. "You have every reason to believe that these Durandanans are direct descendants from proto-Equestrians. I think it's very noble that you want to illuminate these pegasi to the best of your ability."
"Yeah... but?" Rainbow looked up with bored eyes. "You're dying to tell me otherwise, aren't ya, Belle?"
"Truthfully, Rainbow?" The mare paused in stroking Kera's mane to shrug. "I think we should keep in mind what's best for the Durandanans. Evidently they express a legitimate curiosity in what you have to share with them."
"And it's a good sign that they're willing to let another outsider help you in conducting a study on the area," Pilate added.
"But... there are so many possible ramifications to what's being unveiled here," Belle said. "For better or for worse, it could deconstruct the entire system that they've established after all these years. Why... just the act of acclimating to even a sliver of modern Equestrian societal values could shock them to the core!"
"I... that..." Rainbow gulped. "Nopony ever said that they'd have to change who they are!"
Belle raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think Princess Celestia and Luna would be accepting of the Durandanan 'family' structure?"
"Or more appropriately, the lack of one?" Pilate remarked.
Rainbow squirmed on the edge of the table. She squeaked forth, "M-maybe? I mean... Celestia's used to this sort of diplomat stuff! It's her bread and butter! And... and it's not like the Equestrian idea of Harmony can be forced—" She stopped dead in her speech, blinking.
Pilate and Belle were silent.
Rainbow sighed heavily, running a hoof through her mane. "I guess I haven't put a lot of thought into this." She gulped. "Not like I should have."
"Nopony can blame you for being enthusiastic, Rainbow Dash," Belle said. She then smiled. "Did you enjoy your day spent in Central D?"
"Oh girl... lemme tell ya!" Rainbow grinned, her wings fluttering and carrying her back into the air. "First, we showed these leatherbacks who's the boss. Vrmmm-nyeeeeuuuur! Heh! Felt just like cloud kicking back home! Erm... with less kicking. They wouldn't make nice milk that way."
"Heehee... I imagine not..."
"And then I raced Sivrem and Kitsune and the rest!" Rainbow grinned, gesturing with her hoof. "Fwoooooosh! We soared on through this bigflank Ravine like it was nopony's business! I mean... pffft... it ain't got nothin' on the Ghastly Gorge back in Equestria, but I totally schooled them! Even made a sonic rainboom out of it!"
"Sonic... rainboom...?" Pilate remarked.
"Hah! Yeah! Boy, you shoulda heard them gasp! And then they applauded and cheered! It was like being at a Wonderbolts Airshow!" Rainbow grinned wide. "And don't get me started on their campfire stories!"
"Their stories or yours?" Belle remarked with a cool grin.
"Pffft! Mine, of course! I told them about kicking Nevlamas' tail and I had every single one of them instantly floored! Not a single lowered wing in the crowd... heh... if you catch my drift..."
"Loud and clear, Rainbow," Pilate said. "We're quite happy you hit it off so well."
"Yeah—and... y'know... it got rough there for a second—but only a brief second, ya feel me?!" Rainbow said, smiling. "Fawful—the Gray Feather I'm communicating with—she's a lot cooler than I expected. Hell, all of them are super cool! Even the elders who sometimes lose their cool!" She giggled, hugging herself in mid-air. "And Sivrem's so badass and Kitsune's so confident and Rayvinne..." She rolled her eyes, cheeks blushing. "Don't get me started. Ahem. But... everypony's so chillaxed and they've got everything so together! There's no bullying, no wars, no enslavement—it's just a perfect flock, y'know!"
"Wow, Rainbow Dash," Belle uttered, smiling warmly. "It's been a while since I've seen you this... this..."
Pilate interjected, "Toasty?"
"Hah! Yeah, sure!" Rainbow giggled again. "Heeheehee! Whew... boy would it suck to leave a place like this—" Her muzzle froze in place, and her ears folded slightly. She added with a squeak: "So soon, I mean. But... I-I've got things to talk out with Celestia, to get her prepared and all." She cleared her throat. "And... of c-course, there's the sanctum that deserves studying... and... uhmmm..."
Silence.
Pilate tilted his head towards Belle. Belle glanced at him, then up at Rainbow. "You say there's an exposed piece of the machine world down below?"
Rainbow gulped and nodded. "Yeah. Just a patch. It responds to an artifact of Commander Hurricane's—like... a piece of her mane hair attached to a helmet."
"Just like the metal responds to you?" Pilate asked.
"Right."
"And..." Belle squinted. "...is there a door in there?"
Rainbow shook her head. "If there was, I would have noticed right away. Heck... I'm sure the Durandanans would have opened it centuries ago with that helmet of theirs."
"So... there's no way of getting close to the ruby flame?"
"Er... I don't think so, Belle," Rainbow said in a low tone. "Besides, I... uh..."
"What?"
Rainbow shrugged. "I'm not sensing any nearby. The last few times I've come close to the stuff, I could sense where it was at all times. That's not the case here. Beats me where the heck the next flame is—but I'm guessing between here and Val Roa."
"Or beyond?" Pilate asked.
"Yeah, I guess."
More silence.
"I... uh... I guess I should get some rest... heh..." Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. "I need to talk to Celestia in the morning. Lonnnnng talk."
"I can only imagine," Belle said.
"Pilate, you on board or not?" Rainbow asked. "Sorry to put you on the spot, dude, but I need your talents here. Can't do squat without 'em."
"Heh..." Pilate sat up straight. "I am as willing as I am intrigued. I'll do the best I can. Besides..." He smirked. "I doubt these pegasi will feel threatened by a blind zebra with a metal plate wandering around their sacred hovels."
"Now that's the spirit!" Rainbow smirked, patting Pilate's shoulder as he flapped past the pair. "I gotta hit the hay. Wish I could say goodnight to all the Jurists, but—not much time."
"Right."
"Say, where's Roarke? Any of you seen her?"
"Errrrr..." Pilate pivoted his head towards Belle.
"She was... with Kera all day," Belle said. "But, otherwise, she's made her scarce."
Rainbow nodded quietly. Eventually, she said, "Well, the hammock calls. Thanks for hearing me out, guys." She smiled, waving as she hovered away. "You're swell... as always!"
"What are best friends for?"
"Heh... I know, right?" And Rainbow was gone.
Slowly, Pilate and Belle leaned against each other. A quiet breath was shared between them as they lingered beside Kera's slumbering form.
"What... what do you think, beloved?" Pilate said quietly.
"I was going to ask the same of you," Belle muttered.
A collective sigh. They nuzzled each other.
"Just... give it time," Pilate said quietly. "Whatever happens... it will be for the best."
"Can we honestly believe so?"
"Do we have a choice? Should we?"
Belle bit her lip. Her eyes grew misty as she closed them. Pilate rested his chin atop her head, holding her close as the seconds drifted by.
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Yeah, Dashie. Might want to reconsider destroying their entire way of life. Just sayin'...
Fifty crunches, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Science!
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/211/2/9/time_for_science_by_zedrin-d58w4xz.png
Wouldn't it be the most amazing twist if, for once, Rainbow Dash and co. arrived in Val Roa and completely steamrolled the antagonist? I mean, with all the talent and strength they're consolidating, it's bound to happen sooner or later.
BWAHAHAHAHA SWAN SONG APPROVES HEARTILY.
And so the finest ship departs on her "maiden voyage"! *victorious trumpet blares*
I'd pay a hundred bits to see this be a new OC name in the coming chapters.
Rainbow Dash, meet Cultural Relativism. Culty, Dashie. You two get along spiffingly, now.
Mare don't you even start. You sent poor lit' pretty-in-pink to bed. Alone. With nothing to keep her company.
...Except maybe hooves.
Since when did RD say Hell? I thought she always said Hay instead.
4810745
Woe to the mare who comes between Rayvinne and her interests.
Unless that mare is Roarke, because then there will be explosions. A lot of them.
I really hope there comes a point where I can yell "you just got scienced, bitch"
Dash is definitely considering staying here. There were hints of that earlier, but I think this is the most concrete indication of it yet.
4810762 Ya know, I was hoping for a drawn-out Kera/Roarke fight scene way back when, but I think a Rayvinne/Roarke fight scene would be pretty swell too.
We just need a motherbucking fight scene.
Why dosent anybody talk about zaid and props!! I can't be the only one who has noticed this. Interesting times ahead in durandana.
This will only end excellently.
Corrosion Of Conformity - Man Or Ash
It'll be really good to talk to Celestia again. Maybe, if things go well, we won't have a book ending with Rainbow dead, or the group seperated, or just following the final battle with ***** after the Lerris Incedent. That would be a nice change of pace.
4810762
That's a tough one. On one hand, beating them over the head with new information and shattering their way of life might not be smart. But at the same time, isn't sheltering them from new information, itself, a form of meddling? Shouldn't the Durandanans be allowed to decide their own lifestyle and fate based on the best data they can get? I dunno. There's looking out for them, and then there's thinking you know what's best for them better than they do.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a ruby flame under there, but the piece of Stratopolis is obscuring it, or covering the door, or whatever. Maybe Pilate will uncover it with his poking around.
Really, really looking forward to the conference call between Celestia and the Grey Feathers.
4810762 Oh, btw Raybaye. Here's some dating advice just for you.
i.imgur.com/I5xDXAS.jpg
4810768 On one hand I kinda wish for Rainbow to enjoy life a little bit before she dies, but on the other hand I think it would be best for the whole world for Rainbow to keep going.
I'm glad I don't have to make that decision!
I can see where Belle is coming from. However I think this line kind of makes me angry
that is just stupid since you know, Rainbow has actual proof of what she believes. Its not like its a religion she subscribes to that she is trying to convince them of. There is also the fact that if Belle really cared about this she would have tried to make them leave right after they got repaired. I just think its to late at this point to be caring about how this will affect them.
4810796
We haven't been seeing much of them because this story is rated Teen.
Capice?
4811084 well im not talking about seeing them, I meant every time they come up in a convo recently someone just diverts it to something else. Is nobody happy they found cutesy love!?
Josho, Ebon, Farms, Props, Smoke, Kera, Leris, Elma, Turtles, Dash, Awsome Lost World.
Each member has a given location, but I cant work out what overall yet.
4810745
Probably.
And then we'll learn that Chryssi was actually keeping a worse menace at bay.
We need to see more of this. You can't hold this talk off forever!
MAKE IT HAPPEN. CALL FORTH THE SUN PONY!
4811239
Rayvinne: A bed.
I expect Dash to start a revolution with the Noble Jury in the middle of it.
Kera will be a big part of it moving rocks or the big part of Stratopolis to expose the door. There is a door here. RD has been having more frequent attacks of her dizziness problem. And when was the last time she actually felt a door? Wasn't that back in the first book when she was alone? Also, two Celestial artifacts might be interfering with the signal.
The previous one was exposed on the battlefield between Xona and Ledomare. The one before that was Blue Shelf where she was confined. The one before that was Darkstine.
Or the Grey Feathers might know of a door and kept quiet about it.
Rainbow Dash and the Noble Jury will leave eventually and open a way for the Durandanans to escape the Sky Stabs.
Just a guess.
"Distracted." Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
So yeah, Rainbow is definitely considering Durandana as a good retirement home/final resting place... I'm not sure how to feel about that. But as 4810704 points out, she needs to not become equus non grata first.
4811444 ...Any bed. Anywhere, any time. I believe the quote from Star Trek: The Next Generation was
So the debate whether or not to disturb Durandana's culture actually is happening. It seems too much has already been revealed to hide the truth, but 2 days is a long time to delay a talk with our sun-raising princess.
If I got a front row seat to Stratopolis, I would be complaining.
ETHICAL DILEMMA!
4811614
Season One, Ep. 7 "Justice"
I believe that was an episode where the natives tried to execute Wesley.
Sadly, they didn't succeed.
4811894 Yup that's the one. I'd forgotten it was 1x07, though... that was super early on, damn.
eehhhh......
i don't like the idea that dash is considering SHELTERING them
they deserve the truth; it might destroy them, but living a lie (no matter how peaceful) is not truly living.
ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge can make life better
4811276 Like that crazy Magic Dragon. Or was that Nevlamas? I knoe there's another crazy one who isn't dead yet. Chryssi had one dragon, why not two?
4810918 My bet is that Hurricane's helmet has part of the ruby flame in it. Like, she (ad Austraeoh) used her armor to collect the flames. Or if Dash absorbs the flame into the sword, that'd be awesome.
On other stories, I started rereading Eljunbyro today. Some of the terms used to describe Shell at first have a grim humor to them. But he's still almost as bad. Shell is best worst villain ever.
Zaid's true lover will always be the toasty melty temptress, Lady Grilled Cheese. The best way to his heart really is through his stomach, in this case.
If Propsy wants their romance to prosper, she'd better get a loaf of bread and start curdling some of that flying manta milk.
I just realized something (and I can't believe it took me this long really), Dash and the Durandanans situation is paralleling Eagle Eye and Ebons situation which is something no one has brought up yet.
4811987
Yeah I googled it, and when I realized that part of that quote was said by Tasha I was like "Dayum that's an old episode"
...Senpai didn't notice me...
But anyway, I wonder how the chat with Celestia is going to go.
4811276 Gettin' all Star Wars up in hurr.
4812941 Wait...
Are you trying to say Chrysalis is actually Rainbow Dash's mother?
Gosh, I didn't think Rainbow was this self-centered...
4815202
Have you even watched the first episode? Cmon, man, the show's depiction of her is self-centered, egotist...
Like me.
Hmm. *COUGH*
Time for Dashie to go do bed.
Feel like this is gonna get bad
>Not sense we've entered this crater
*since
The oldest and most dire question philosophy has always had to ask itself. Is the truth really worth it?
Guess whos back from a month long absence. Hold tight fillies and colts,we're going on a marathon!
4854421 good point, o' ancient and wise (and dead
) mistress of magic
Rainbow's becoming too attached to this place. I sense sadness coming.
-Spirit
4817502 they haven't yet outright rejected what rainbow's saying, nor has rainbow been able to provide any proof of what she's saying. The robots, on the other hand, reject all reasonable explanation solely on the basis of one rather fallacious presumption: that a being cannot create a being more optimized than itself.
It's amazing how such a peaceful place can cause more turmoil within Dash than one that isn't peaceful.
What a hellish decision to have to make: inner peace for outer turmoil and danger or momentary relief for a burn that will never fade?
Considering the number of chapters remaining, this will probably be the last civilisation visited. Therefore, something will happen to keep the Noble Jury here for 40 chapters. Therefore, this cannot end well.
Freudian slip, Someones still worked up after the run-in with the Sexy pegasus earlier.