“Mrmmf... gnnghh...”
Rainbow Dash twitched. Rainbow Dash curled and uncurled across the wooden floorboards.
“Mmmm... hfhhff... heheh...”
Her blue muzzle curved.
“Silly encyclopedias,” she cooed, eyes fluttering. “Those freckles don't belong to you. Now come back to the hammock.” She yawned, and her lids lifted. “...don't worry, Roarke, they don't bite—” She froze in place.
It was daylight.
The golden haze of dawn wafted through the window.
The suite was empty. It was just Rainobw, the bed, and her breaths.
“... … ...” Her ruby eyes darted around. “...Twilight?”
Silence.
“Twilight?!”
No response.
Hyperventilating, Rainbow hopped up to her hooves. With a rattle of her pendant she paced about, furiously. Her eyes glazed over with tears as her voice reached a fever pitch:
“Twilight?!?!”
She seethed and shouted, looking every which way.
“Twilight?!?! Where are you?!?!”
“Who?!” Twilight Sparkle's head poked up out of the bed with a lavender beam of light. “What?!” She looked everywhere, gasping. “Huh?! Where?!”
Rainbow spun, smiling in ecstasy. “Twilight!” She galloped forward. “Omigosh-omigosh-omigosh—” The pegasus slamed muzzle-first against the bedframe. WHAM! She fell back, rubbing her aching nose. “Grnnnnghh-ghhh!”
Twilight winced. “Uhhh...” Nervously, she trotted out of the bed and stood above Rainbow, phasing slightly through her lower legs. “S-sorry about that, Rainbow, I—”
“Grnnngh—Friggin' A!” Rainbow gawked up at her, wriggling her pained nose. “Twilight?!?! Where in Luna's blue crotch tits did you go?!?!”
Twilight recoiled from that. “Okay... uhm... can we start over from square one?” She gulped. “And not quite so colorfully this time?”
“For real!” Rainbow stomped her hoof. “Don't do that on me, girl!”
“I... I-I don't even know what I did!”
“You mean you didn't mean to go all ghosty-corn through the floorboards just now?!”
“Did I?” Twilight blinked. “Honestly, Rainbow, I-I...” She rubbed her head, gazing around the room. “...I'm not sure where I went!”
“How could you not know where you went off to?!”
“I'm serious!” Twilight gulped. “One moment, I was trying to rest... to sleep, like you told me to! It was so nice and comfortable having a friend nearby, that... that...” She blinked awkwardly. “Time just flew by.”
Rainbow's eyes were thin. “Time just flew by.”
“Don't look at me like that!” Twilight frowned. “I... went someplace.”
“Someplace? What kind of 'someplace?'”
“It's... hard to describe. It was someplace safe, secure. Dark... b-but somewhat bright at the same time.”
“Wait...” Rainbow blinked awkwardly. “Why does that sound stupidly familiar?”
“Because I've been there before. I've mentioned it.” Twilight fidgeted. “It's... it's just like the place where I was when... when...” Her features paled. “...after Discord. All this time.”
Rainbow simply gawked at her.
“But... but I feel rested now,” Twilight said, gazing curiously at the window. “Did I really sleep? Was that my way of sleeping?” She turned towards Rainbow again. “Or did I just go someplace?”
Rainbow nearly wretched. “Are you asking me?”
Knock knock knock.
Rainbow jumped. She grabbed a coat-rack from the corner of the claustrophobic room.
“Hellllooo!” Nick sing-song'd as he opened the door and softly trotted in with a levitating tray of eggs and sausage. “Good morning! Since you're our special guest here at K.M.C.A, the student body thought they might treat you to—”
The hard end of the coat-wrack came to a stop against the soft of his neck.
“—nothing!” He gulped, sweating instantly. “Nothingatall!”
“Rainbow!” Twilight frowned, phasing through Rainbow and standing beside him. “Stop being so jumpy!”
“B-but he shouldn't have knocked so hard!” Rainbow sputtered, frazzled.
“He... I... they d-didn't mean no harm, Miss Dash, honest!” Nick squeaked, eyeing the coat-rack.
“Will you stop it already, Rainbow?!” Twilight exclaimed. “Honestly! You're like my B.B.B.F.F. after his first tour of duty!”
“Look, I've seen some crud, okay?!” Rainbow barked to the side.
“Why?” Nick winced, dropping the tray altogether. “Oh dear, did crows nest in here overnight again?! I-I'll clean after them, I promise!”
“No...” Rainbow leaned back, dropping the coat-rack with a sigh. “It's okay. We're fine. I mean, I'm fine with the crap—I mean there's no crap—”
“Crows? Around here? Really?” Twilight tapped her chin. “But we're in a tropical zone—”
“Nopony cares about the damn crows, Twilight!” Rainbow hollered.
“Twilight?!” Nick blinked. “It's Nick, remember?”
“Listen...” Rainbow faced him, raised her hooves, and took a super deep breath. She finally said, “I'm... sorry for being on edge. It's just... I-I've been through a lot lately. What you're doing is totally nice and awesome, but I'm not exactly—”
“Wait... is this supposed to be breakfast?” Twilight remarked, rubbing her ghostly nose up close to the tray.
“—hungry at the moment.” Rainbow was already wincing.
“But... but...” Twilight recoiled, pointing in horror at the cooked black strip. “Is that... meat?”
“Yes, Twilight,” Rainbow grumbled aside, gesturing at the tray before them. “It's sausage, actually.”
“You know what kind of flesh it is?!” Twilight grimaced. “But... b-but how could anypony eat something like—”
“Look, will you stop questioning the stallion's meat already?!”
Nick's cheeks went red. “...I beg your pardon?”
“Don't... grrk...” Rainbow spat, stuttered, and finally grunted: “...listen to me, I just... need...”
Twilight was already reeling. “Fresh air...”
“Fresh air.” Rainbow droned, facing forward.
“Some ground for trotting.”
“A walk.” Rainbow sauntered forward.
“And lots and lots of books,” Twilight whimpered, phasing through the wall ahead of Rainbow. “Therapy books.”
“The nearest library.”
“Uhm...” Nick pointed awkwardly down the stairs. “...exit the first floor, go across the main campus, and enter the long three-story building. You'll recognize it.” He blinked crookedly. “But, Miss Dash, I thought you said you hated—”
“Go huff a boat!”
Nick gulped, picking the tray up and scurrying off with his tail between his legs. “Yes'm! Huffing!” He slammed the door to the suite shut behind him.
Sometimes when I'm reading stories I try and imagine what would happen in reality. For example, what would you do if a crazy homeless lady showed up to your coastal college yammering on to someone you can't see, yelling and screaming at everyone else? Hilarious chapter, though. Now let's go get Twilight up to speed and get on with this. Harmony isn't resurrecting itself now, is it? Gotta go and do it the hard way. Symbolically, one by one, element by element.
Midnight circuit breaker indeed.
It simmers for thee, Dash.
L-lewd...
Nick the real mvp
It simmers for thee.
Inb4 senpai jokes.
Don't try me SS&E. I know your fucking game.
Twilight is disgusted by sausage?
HEY, SWAN SONG! I THINK YOUR SHIP GOT A HIT!
I am surprised how I wake up after getting almost no sleep only to find a new chapter posted closer than I ever managed to read it. This new feeling is strange, but kinda okay.
5821561
Good to know your not dead friend.
I'm starting to like this Nick fellow.
What kind of a student is Nick?
I hope psychology, because otherwise he has a pretty unhealthy obsession with the clearly crazy mare.
Though, to be fair, I suppose her relation to the magic returning to the area would be pretty curious.
5821625 Earlier, Nick said he was hoping to graduate in nautical engineering.
err. . .
Luna: ". . . how. . .wat?"
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee . . . oh my.
But why sausages? Is that what you're having for breakfast? What time zone is IC in anyway?
I like Nick. I can't wait to see Rainbow Dash breaking his heart.
What the shit, IC?
5821648
and crotch tits are now canon
Well, it looks like Rainbow's channeling her inner Littlepip.
Well.
The titles are milking Sunset puns, the contents are filled with innuendos.
...
Please continue.
At least it wasn't a nightmare.
I wonder if Rainbow will even bother trying to explain the ghost thing to anyone?
The best part of wakin' up is sausage in your-...heywaitaminute....
5821700
I doubt it. Although Rainbow solving that complex equation a few chapters earlier could be used as evidence, also the part with the book being read by Twilight.
I have a feeling Verlax will see/feel Twilights presence when she appears later in the story.
A new chapter after a crappy day? I'm okay with this.
And thus Rainbow talking to Twilight and everyone thinks she's crazy begins.
Im pretty sure the "dark place" twilight is talking about is inside the element of harmony. Anyone else have a different theory?
I look forward to Rainbow trying to pass of the twilight conversations without seeming lik ehse needs to be institutionalised.
5821787 I think you're on the right track here. Another potential theory is the midnight armory maybe? Darkness from being on the other side of the plane, but bright due to the harmonic presence
Poor nick.
5821524 All canons to portside, we must defend the ship!
*cough* If I recall, way back in Austraeoh, Rainbow had the same reaction to meat. Twlight will come around.
THE SHIP MUST GO ON
Oh the hilarity rises. Crazy wanderring rainbow dash gonna lay down the truth of the world on these naive college students.
that 'go huff a boat' line makes me think she's going to start calling Nick 'sailboat'.
...I can't be the only one thinking that can I?
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
I loved that conversation, this is going to get more hilarious as time goes by. I really hope my theory of Rainbow collecting a troupe of ethereal ex-ponies following her around is correct, so that the conversations she has to ignore while talking to
saneboring ponies get more and more elaborate as time goes on.5821666 Rainbow has referred to crotch tits a few times now, and Jake yelled the phrase out randomly a few times besides, so I think they have been canon for a while.
Rainbow Dash doesn't watnt a sausagefest.
Considering this is a military academy, I wonder how long it is before somepony diagnoses her with PTSD.
A very early chapter!
Heh heh heh. Remember how Rainbow Dash freaked out regarding leather and meat when she first encountered them.
5821984
I don't know for certain, but I think that Marine is used in the aquatic sense here, rather than the Naval Infantry sense. It wouldn't make sense for a small archipelago to have a military academy dedicated to a single subtype of service member (service pony?).
Still, if any kind of Doctor were to examine her, it would be interesting hear what they would say.
Sorry I dont know how to link to the Actual person who did this, Im still stuck in ACSII copy paste years.
Anyway, to keep in the feels of this chapter, I wonder if Nick is going t be average and try and design a better boat, (Duun dun) or if he is going to turtle down, and design a submarine.
C'mon Twi, have a bit of Nick's sausage for breakfast...
Oh boy time to confront the whole meat eating thing again! I really hope Nick sticks around for a while
Well, he doesn't think Rainbow is crazy yet. That's good.
It's only a matter of time...
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
5820108 I'm sorry, I won't do it again.
I just got used to say ghost-twi because I can't for the life of me pronounce spook correctly, being the horrible french person I am.
Well, this was an..interesting chapter.
I spy with my little eye a typo.
5822678
How dare you nicely point out mistakes. Why I never!
Three days straight, from 101 of two books ago to now. I'm caught up. About 100 chapters a day.
I'm slowing down.
Now how long before she manages to convince someone who isn't herself that Twi's there...
5822459 IIRC, it would be pronounced as "spuque" (at least in American English)
5822867 Lol. I'm not sure about how it'd translate in French, really. The "oo" sound doesn't exist here.
So... it would be close to something like "spouuk", but in a weird, alien way, for me, with a long "ou".
Phonetics, bleh.
5822905 The oo sound absolutely exists! "Ou", "Louis", "fou".
Was it Cumberlands?
i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01851/sausage_1851403c.jpg
5822917 Et tu?
5823041 ??? There are a couple of ways to take this comment and I'm not sure which one to use? "Am I French?" Nope, American.
Hey, look, I made a picture of Nick!
i.imgur.com/1eVP3i9.png
5821524
swan song's face when
s27.postimg.org/btlwe23qr/blowing_holes_in_my_ship.gif