The Things That You Bring Back
When the Midnight Dreary took off for the southeast horizon, Rainbow Dash expected nothing but wide open seas. While this turned out to be more or less the case, what she didn't expect was the copious amount of coral reefs forming all along the yacht's course. There were patches of underwater formations so close to the surface that several seagulls gathered every half-mile or so to rest before continuing their migratory paths.
“Where do you suppose they're headed?” Rainbow inquired.
“Northeast!” Theanim Mane exclaimed, steering the ship with remarkable grace. The scientist's muzzle took on a completely different expression while on the open sea. He looked three times as alive and his wide blue eyes reflected the rippling waves on either side of them. “There's a strip of uninhabited atolls between here and the northern Rohbredden outreaches!”
“No ponies live in these atolls?” Rainbow asked.
“They wouldn't survive the high tide six months out of the year,” Theanim explained. “Nah... nothing here but unblemished nature.”
“No kidding,” Rainbow remarked. “Is that why we're moving so slow?”
“Hmmm?” Theanim glanced over at her. “Oh. You mean to not disturb the coral and its wildlife? Quite astute. But, relax, it's a great deal swifter a venture than attempting to circumnavigate the formations entirely.”
“Still, we wanna get to Rust, don't we?”
“Patience, Miss Dash,” Theanim remarked, stifling a chuckle or two. “Honestly, what's the rush?”
Rainbow exhaled, gazing out at the shallow waters with a slight shudder. “Yeah. Good point.”
“You should head down below deck!” Theanim remarked. “Get some shade! Fraternize with the other passengers?”
“Yeah, just who are they anyways?”
“Heheh... why don't you find out for yourself?” Theanim smiled. “They're harmless, of course—at least by Nealend standards.”
“Some of your Colonialist buddies?”
“Frost Flanks, Dr. Sands, and Mr. and Mrs. Cobbletrots,” Theanim said. “They each had their own vessels at one point...”
“...but Ultimo made a meal out of them.”
“Let's just say they're quite grateful to have their necks in one piece. Hmmm?”
“Do... uh...” Rainbow fidgeted. “Do they mind taking a detour through Rust? I mean, it's not like I enlisted any of them on this trip.”
“Hah! There's absolutely nothing to regret, my dear!” Theanim exclaimed. “Rust is a major trading post. Once there, they'll surely find transit to Central Rohbredden and the Eastern reaches abroad!”
“Well, that's kinda cool... I guess...”
“You really should try socializing with them, though,” Theanim said with a smile. “Every pony is absolutely dying to know how you helped us in and out of the space beneath the lagoon.”
“Why? Haven't you told them?”
Theanim nodded, steering the ship carefully. “And they've seen my photographs, most certainly. But that's not the point. It'd be far better for them to hear the truth from the horse's mouth—if you catch my drift.”
“Jee, I dunno,” Rainbow muttered. “Not everypony is as curious as you, Doc.”
“I'd rather describe myself as... as...” Theanim tapped his chin in thought, smiled, and said, “'Exploration Friendly.'”
“Well, let's keep the exploration between you and me,” Rainbow muttered, trotting across the deck. “If you don't mind.”
“I... don't mind...” He blinked after her. “But I do feel a modicum of sympathy towards a mare who would feel the need for such introversion...”
“Heh... trust me, Doc...” Rainbow gave him a lasting glance before going to recline on the far side of the vessel. “I'm not as alone as you think.”
Theanim contemplated those words, but felt it best not to bother her about it. They resumed the rest of the daylight sojourn in silence, and the Midnight Dreary eventually cleared the shallow reefs by nightfall. When evening came, Rainbow Dash offered to pilot the ship while Theanim rested. After convincing him that she had learned enough from riding so many days and nights on the Swan Song, Rainbow Dash earned control of the rudder wheel.
That's how Rainbow Dash found herself cruising over the glossy black waves of an open ocean late at night with a celestial canopy of stars overhead. If it weren't for the gentle, persistent touch of a warm wind against her brow, Rainbow Dash may not have realized she was even moving across the onyx liquid surfaces. The only source of light was the dim haze wafting out of the yacht's lower deck windows. If Rainbow glanced to her left and right, she'd see light ripples rolling across an otherwise immaculate reflection of the constellations above.
“Somepony, please pinch me,” Rarity cooed, nearly drooling. She hovered over the cool waters, twirling about and seeing two sets of stars in every other glance. “It's like I'm flying through the heavens!” A tiny squeal came from her lips, and soon she flashed a pouting expression in Twilight's direction. “I do believe I asked to be pinched, Twilight, darling.”
“Rarity,” Twilight sighed. “I love you, but I am not going to rush over to your side every single moment you need physical interaction!”
“Well...” Rarity's ears folded back. “...if you are not going to hug or pinch me, then who will?!”
“We're going to yank Pinkie out of the ether next, aren't we?” Rainbow muttered. “Can't you wait until then?”
“Yes!” Twilight chuckled. “Just like Dr. Mane said earlier: what's the rush?”
Rainbow Dash exhaled with a shudder. She held a hoof to her ruby lightning bolt pendant while chewing on her bottom lip.
“Rainbow... won't you just... won't you just take a look around you?!” Rarity cooed. “I know you're minding the handsome Mr. Mane's boat and all, but must you keep your eyes aimed ahead of you all the time?” She pointed at the stars above. “This is beauty itself! Why... I've never even been on an ocean cruise!”
“This isn't a cruise,” Rainbow mumbled. “We gotta get somewhere.” She adjusted the weight of her saddlebags. “And I gotta keep paying attention to Sinrar's maps.”
“She has a point, though, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “It would be a shame to ignore so much...” She sighed, bearing an intoxicating smile. “...gorgeous sights.”
“Eh...” Rainbow shrugged. “...I've seen it before.”
“But how could you say that?” Rarity exclaimed, her voice taking on a squeaky edge. “You've ventured further than every living Equestrian combined and you can't even allow yourself a moment to drink it all in?”
“I was more concerned with—y'know—speeding it.”
“What ever for, darling?”
“Rarity, I... I didn't exactly have a reason to drink it all in,” Rainbow said. Her ears pulled back slightly as she murmured: “I... didn't think I'd have anypony to share it all with.”
Rarity and Twilight looked on.
“And with the Jury, it was different. I mean... heh...” Rainbow's muzzle curved. “It was awesome. It was awesome a lot.” She exhaled. “But I was more interested in my traveling buddies than the places we traveled past.” She glanced back at the two spectres. “Does that make any sense?”
“Perfectly, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a nod.
“But things are different, my dear,” Rarity said, floating around until she hovered in front of the mare. “We're here now! You've got your friends back!”
“I know...” Rainbow said with a nod. She looked past the fashionista, minding the waters ahead. “I'm still trying to get used to that.”
“What?” Twilight smirked. “Having somepony to talk to?”
“It's more than that,” Rainbow said. “All this time—before I found you guys—I felt... well... I kinda sorta expected this whole thing to be a one way trip. If I was lucky, I'd get to the Midnight Armory. But boom... that was it. Like... who in their right mind could make it back from such a crazy place to even speak of it to anyone, friend or not?”
Twilight's lips pursed. She and Rarity exchanged glances.
Rainbow leaned against he rudder wheel, nostrils flaring. “But... but now the trip means so much more... hrmmf...” She smirked slightly, rolling her eyes back so that she took on the chaotic arrangement of dazzling, twinkling stars. “Circles... it's always about circles. One big circle broken into a dozen little pieces... wanting to get back together. And here I am—flying some crazy-flank circle to get it all clicking again.” Her eyes blinked. “By going in one direction.” She glanced back at the girls, smirking. “... … ...can you believe that I once thought I was unlucky?”
“It... does seem like an awful burden, Rainbow,” Rarity said in a low tone. “I... I wish there was a way we could... make this entire endeavor easier for you...”
Rainbow gazed at her, then at Twilight. Turning back towards the bow, she steered the ship forward through the glittery waves. “Do you two remember the mountain we all climbed to wake up the dragon whose breath was clouding all of Ponyville?”
“How could we not, darling?!” Rarity gasped. “That dragon encounter was positively dreadful!”
“I remember it as though it was only yesterday,” Twilight added, though she winced. “Erm... you know what I mean.”
Rainbow smirked. “Well, I've climbed mountains at least four times the height of that.”
“Mountains... that are higher?” Twilight remarked.
“Surely you jest!” Rarity added.
Rainbow slowly shook her head. “Tall, snow-covered summits... with barren rock untouched by any other pony soul.” She raised a hoof, gesturing with a “cruising” motion. “I flew through these super deep canyons—like seriously deep—that had been chiseled into the dead stone of the Grand Choke. I'm talking crazy, jagged ravines full of sand from hundreds of thousands of years of windstorms filling them up... and then emptying them... only to repeat, I beat.”
Rarity flew in a tight circle around Rainbow. “My word... I daresay very few ponies have witnessed what you have.”
“And how about the top edge of the world?” Rainbow glanced aside, eyes full of starlight. “Nopony can cross the north edge, of course, but I've seen it. Rows upon rows of jagged red crystal called skystone.”
“You've seen skystone with your naked eyes?!” Twilight gasped. “And lived?!”
“Yeah...” Rainbow nodded. “And through a hurricane powered by a giant flying city.” Rainbow bore a proud smirk. “You might remember that tale, Twilight, but not Rarity.”
“You didn't tell me about the skystone... wow!” Twilight plopped down on the deck, grinning dumbly. “Only a few Equestrians from the age of Starswirl the Bearded have managed to write about the topic.”
“Yeah, well, some of the ponies in Ledomare and Xonan powered their cities with the stuff. Try to imagine—like—cities running off of pure, unbridled magic. Huge skyscrapers half-standing... half-floating. Even a big friggin' city of smog and rusted metal just... floating over the mountains! Like Cloudsdale but harnessed out of steel and bits!”
“That... sounds positively mesmerizing,” Rarity murmured. “Please, Rainbow... do tell us more.”
Rainbow opened her mouth, but lingered. She gazed at the two mares, their friendly gazes locked on her muzzle. “Yeah...” She breathed warmly. “I think I will.”
Rarity sat down next to Twilight, her tail wagging like an excited foal's. The Midnight Dreary rolled on through the rippling drink, bathed in stars and in the cracks of Rainbow's voice.
“The desert stretches of Silvadel—I mean before Silvadel... like in the western wastelands? They have these huge... huuuuuge structures built out of stone, rock, and metal. Luna Poop... how can I even begin to describe them to you...?”
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What's the rush? -- so very ouch.
Rainbow is so very old before her time.
Rarity with a wagging tail...too cute!
Storytime for the ghosties! Yheeey!
Indeed Dash, try not living up to your name, relax, Pinks ain't going nowhere.
-Memories given light,ease a lonely flight.Ynanhluutr
Rainbow is talking to herself again.
6090181 I'm so worried for her after the story ends. She's going to be unable to truly cope with "normal" life ever again. She's died. She's killed. She isn't like her show counterpart at all. What will she do? I hope she elopes with Roarke and helps the goblins not be so evil, but you never know.
But you were, Rainbow. As much as your friends being there is helping you, it's also hurting you. It's making you feel all the more alone with the secrets you bear.
Slipped a bit Rainbow, saying you saw this as a one way trip. Surprised neither of them asked why you didn't plan to survive, or what your goal was before you knew about resurrecting your friends and reuniting the rings. Back when the elements only might stop her from dying in a few months. Though I think we need to get the rest of the 6 back before that gets revealed.
Well, more like an oval than a circle, but whatever. Symbolism is still valid.
Rainbow's going to have to tell them eventually, and it's just gonna suck so bad for everyone involved.
6090212
I think she's referencing creeper Verlaxion.
I hope Rainbow likes telling these stories, because there'll be three other ponies who need to be filled in.
Also, Cobbletrots? Sounds like a medical infliction that would not be fun to have on a boat.
Maybe she'll finally tell them about Roarke.
AHahahahahaha, as if.
Rainbow Rainbow should Rainbow Rainbow to Rainbow.
6090271 Oh, well. That's disturbing. A giant dragon that can watch whatever you do. I wonder what it would've been like if Twi and Rares appeared when Rainbow and Roarke fell in love? It'd be so cute, but how would they get their privacy?
This was a really, really sweet chapter.
In a way, seeing all the amazing landscapes largely ignored in favor of the journey east made them all the more beautiful to me. The sense of scale and insignificance of things.
6090317 Roarke Most Real Talk
6090212
Ahh, but is it necessary to live a normal life in order to live a happy one? How do you define normal for a group of ponies from a town that is attacked by various monsters so much, it doesn't warrant almost anything at all when a freaky bug/bear abomination attacks?
Sure, she may not be quite the same as the show equivalent ( not to the degree you suggest; her mannerisms are still quite our Dashie), but that is because she has grown so much through her adventure. She has killed, but only to protect others. She has died, but come back stronger.
And that isn't even considering all the good this journey has caused, both for Dashie and those she has met. I feel that Dash is a better pony having gone through all of this hardship, than her show equivalent.
As for being alone, I'm going to have to disagree, to an extent. I do agree that the other five can't truly relate to her difficulties, as they weren't forced to do any of the things Dash has. But it's a bit of a stretch to say that Dash is being consumed more and more by secrets. If anything, she is reconnecting to her friends, and opening up.
...and now I'm going to stop deeply analyzing the motivations behind a bunch of pastel horses.
Hey RD, you did tell them about Commander Hurricane and
Stratusipolis(Nghhh you know what I mean) yet? I don't remember.The names of this story though. Someone spell Zubazubaba (or something like that) right for me!
6090595
Stratopolis
Zadubadabu
Story Time:
I started reading these back when Eljunbyro was being written. There have been a couple of times when I have gotten close to being able to read "live", but then for one reason or another was unable to.
But, no longer.
I am here now, caught up, finally!
East Horse leads the way.
-ultim_Lux
6090814
An alarming number of people have been claiming "i am caught up at last!" During this book of Ynanhluutr, relative to previous books.
''Lemme tell ya about Shell''
6090140 Unfortunately not, Takin a day or two off, but I'll be there soon ^_^
6089504 I'm Looking forwards to being a part of the crew, Can't wait to get started.
Sit (float?) back Scarity, it's story time.
This is nice. I mean, all the previous retelling scenes — with the Jury and whatnot — were great and all, but this feels even more... fulfilling, I suppose is the best word. The Mane Six were gone for so long, and now for them to share all those experiences feels just wonderful.
You know, now that I think about it, Rainbow used to tell the Jury about her adventures with Twilight and the others, and now she can do the reverse. That's pretty dang awesome.
6090814
lparchive.org/Ghost-Trick-Phantom-Detective/Update%2004/28-capture_305.png
6090317
Given Twilight's earlier reactions to Rainbow's actions, I don't think she'd approve.
My Gog, its full of stars.
Memories galore right there with Rainbow her "old friends", and the journey she took to get where she is right now
I do wonder if dash will ever see members of the jury again? something to look forward to I suppose!
And now she finally gets to appreciate the beauty.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
Staaaaaars! Soo many staaaars! Spaaaaaaaaace! Dashie is the best at space.
6090814 Welcome to the Lunar Ninth! Congratulations on catching up after so long.
This is nice. A bit of pleasant downtime.
Though I suppose everything has been somewhat nice since we started gathering the Mane Ghosts. Even the bit of action we've seen has been tame compared to most of what Dash has gone through.
I wonder if that'll remain the case, or if the girls are gonna get a bloody introduction to just how dangerous the world can be.
Well Rainbow, you could direct them to the 1281 chapters that have already been written down for you. That should keep them occupied for a while. Or at least 24 hours for Twilight.
I have to concede I am increasingly perturbed by the secrets Rainbow Dash is keeping from her friends.
Of course, when they are finally back, she doesn't want to alienate them with tales of Shell or Roarke or whatever, but to keep the chaos stuff from them is just downright irresponsible. Besides, only the last chapter she mentioned that she was preserved in a chaos state after being mutilated by a dragon - she's going to blurt out something incriminating eventually. Or have one of her trademark dizzy spells. Or the pendant will come off.
I'm totally liking this wiser incarnation of Rainbow Dash, and these retrospective glimpses through the tale are really quite sublime - both to read in the story and to recall from the years past when we too experienced that wonder.
I just hope that, maybe in time, she's going to tell it like it is.
6090986
Why wouldn't Twilight like her? I would think she'd love the story of someone going from an asshole bounty hunter to a sort of mama bear for the Jury. Very harmonic.
I take a few days off, come back, suddenly I'm a city.
WHAT
I kind of wish some of these catch up talks would be something we could read. Yes it would probably get old rereading what already happened but I think it would be kind of cool to not only see how Rainbow tells them (contrasting when they happened where we merely observed the events) but it would also be nice to see her friends reactions to these stories which we don't get if they are caught up off screen, so to speak.
Time for more stories! I just hope that she stops keeping all these secrets from them. I get that it's hard for her to say it but they need to know what is going on here.
As a few people have already pointed, out each seed seems to be somewhat connected with the element of the pony being brought back, with Twilight's restoring magic to the choke and Rarity's being a gift to the Nealanders. I can't wait to see what truth is revealed once the seed connected to honesty is activated.
That's difficult with hooves.
6091655
Her reactions to Rainbow's treatment of the pirates suggests that she would disapprove heavily with even Roarke's later behaviour. Twilight may have come to accept the necessity of violence in some situations, but I can't see her making that sort of leap. At least not yet.
This whole chapter is so img1.findthebest.com/sites/default/files/2307/media/images/Royal_Purple_429561_i0.png
And I love it
6090548 Mostly I'm referring to the sheer amount of psychological scarring Dash will have accumulated by the end of this saga. Sure Ponyville will be chaotic, but not to the degree that Dash has seen and gone through. Let me put it this way, soldiers get PTSD from fighting and killing even though that's what they're trained to do. Dash is civilian without any formal training in fighting, but she's had to fight against opponents and factions that outnumber or overpower her and she's had to kill. Then you have her break downs in the Grand Choke. She's going to have something skewed in her brain by now. And after everything is said and done, she's strong and she shows it so nothing to terrible will happen. But the story doesn't end at happily ever after. I'm worried that she won't be able to live happily or that she will think she can't live happily.
6090886 you monster
6090814 welcome to the Lunar Ninth. Don't mind the nuts, we add flavour.
6090861 I reckon it's because I've noticed Yaerfaerda and Ynaanhluutr in the feature box a lot compared to older stories
6090886 Or about the floating barracks with the chaos beastie eating all the orphans and virgins.
Drifting on a sea of stars... ah...
There is no atmosphere more perfect for storytelling indeed.
When you really think about it, Rainbow has been through quite a lot. I'm not sure that Equestrians could handle the memories she has. Outside of Equestria, things are very different indeed.
And again she's gonna leave out some things. That's not healthy.
Maybe each segment of the ring has an Austraeoh and they'll meet up at the end.