The Next Chapter Of Our Lives
“Hello... uhm... Miss?
Rainbow Dash stirred, her muzzle hanging open and drooling.
“Ma'am? Uhm... are... are you awake? Erm...”
She curled her limbs tighter to her face, digging a disheveled mane of hair deeper into the soft grass.
“Pssst... Rainbow Dash,” Twilight Sparkle's voice meekly hissed. “I... I think these ponies want something from you.”
“… … …” Rainbow's eyes flew open. She shot up to her hooves in a blink, wings spread and teeth barred.
Over a dozen nervous ponies hopped backwards a foot or two. Several more jolted, their faces expressing identical looks of nervous shock.
Among them was Nick, and he calmed down just in time to take a bold step forward, bow, and say, “So sorry to bother you. But... uhm... well...” He turned around, looking at his fellow classmates. “We couldn't help but notice that you're sleeping out... erm... on the middle of the campus lawn, like you've got nowhere else to be.”
Rainbow blinked. Legs and muscles still tense, she tilted her gaze to the side. In the distance, she spotted several jubilant pegasi flying circles in the afternoon air while unicorns tested their magic before gawking professors.
Nick continued: “And since we all agree that you are... uhh... in some way or form connected with what's happening here...”
Rainbow's eyes flicked towards Nick's again. She blinked.
He smiled awkwardly. “I mean, you are, aren't you? We saw you cras—er... land here. And there's nowhere else you could have flown from but... well... you know...”
Rainbow blinked again. Her eyes darted to the left.
Twilight Sparkle looked back. While Rainbow was watching, she trotted forward and waved a hoof right in front of Nick's face. When there was no response from him—not even a cessation of dialogue—she shrugged at Rainbow.
“Well, the long and short of it is that we think we can take care of that,” Nick said. “Erm... your needing a place to stay, that is. I mean... you'd like something better than the ground to sleep on, you think?”
Rainbow stared blankly at him.
“Well, if you do, just... y'know...” He gestured with a hoof, turning towards a distant three-story building. “...follow me. There's a perfect place for you. It's quiet, secluded, and you won't have to be sharing it with anypony else.”
Rainbow stood in place, fidgeting slightly.
“He's making a super nice offer, Rainbow,” Twilight said.
Rainbow looked at her.
The other ponies craned their necks, trying in vain to follow her line of sight.
Twilight shrugged, smiling at her. “It wouldn't hurt, right?”
“It may not be much, but it's the best we could come up with,” Nick continued. “Especially considering that we had to talk the dean into authorizing it, what with all of the other teachers wanting to... erm... have you arrested for stumbling uninvited into classrooms and yelling randomly at ponies. Eheh...”
Rainbow gulped. With a shuddering breath, she limped forward on tired limbs.
“Heheh... cool! Alrighty... uh...” Nick smiled nervously, trotting down a curved path while the rest of the ponies looked on. “Just follow me! I promise it'll be a comfortable place to stay! At least... better than the blighted ocean!” He cleared his throat. “By the way... just what did you eat out there?”
“Grmmmff...” Rainbow grumbled, glaring ahead.
“Uhm... good point. Right this way.” Nick shuffled faster, opening a door for Rainbow.
Twilight followed shortly behind, phasing through a few students as a cold shudder ran through her.
Nick led Rainbow up a thin, rotating flight of stairs. The wooden stepboards were old and creaked with each hoofstep. Rainbow tilted her head up, squinting through bright red beams of refracted sunlight. The day was dying, bequeathing its last crimson glint upon the antique building. At the top of the stairwell was a lone wooden door painted with faded blue colors. Nick was already levitating a set of keys by the time he reached the frame.
Rainbow lingered a few steps beneath him. Pausing, she looked straight down. A lavender face looked up, smiling sheepishly. Twilight hovered—more like dangled a half-story below where Rainbow stood.
“Heh... can't friggin' get over this...” Nick chuckled at his own magic, keys jingling. Then, straightening his face, he stuck one key into the old door and opened it. Stepping back, he stood back like a gentlecolt and pointed through the doorframe with a welcoming hoof.
Rainbow looked at him. Then, with softly creaking steps, she sauntered on through the frame. A tiny room lay before her with an even tinier bed. A barren dresser with a vanity mirror lingered between a closet and a water basin. The entire northwest wall was occupied by a thick-glass'd window with deep blue drapes.
Before Rainbow could get a proper survey of the place, Nick was speaking yet again: “There's a name for this. The Sunset Suite. Funny enough, it used to be a place where ponies were sent when they faced disciplinary action. But, about one hundred and fifty years ago, it was converted into a single-pony dorm, as you can tell. Only... nopony actually bunks in here... except around the middle of a semester. It's... usually reserved for the highest scoring student in the class. It's quite an enviable room—on account of the peace and quiet. Besides, it's got a great view of the Blighted Sea. Eheheh...” He smiled wide. “Guess you chose the right time to crash in!”
Rainbow tilted her head towards him. She arched an eyebrow.
“Erm... y-yeah. I gotta stop saying that.” Nick cleared his throat, starting to back up. “So... uh... if you don't want to talk about... who you are or... what brought you here, that's... that's fine! Totally! But... there are plenty of ponies—both learned and learning—here at the K.M.C.A. who would absolutely love to have a chat with you. Provided... provided you have anything to share... or not... both are fine. And we're totally fine with you being fine—I mean with that being fine... cuz... cuz it's fine. It's fine. It's totally... fine...”
Rainbow stood in place, saying nothing.
Nick took a deep breath. “… … … fine!” He smiled awkwardly, beginning to backstep out of the room. “You... uh... just keep being... colorful and mysterious. The nearest washroom is a floor below, west side, by the co-ed rooms. Okay?”
Rainbow stared past him.
Twilight entered the room, blinking as she passed through the closing door. She turned, took one look at the stallion, then squinted at the pegasus. “You know, Rainbow, he's being awfully polite, the least you could do is—”
“Thanks,” Rainbow blurted.
Nick froze in place. He peeked through the doorframe.
“For... y'know... everything,” Rainbow murmured, teetering tiredly. “It's... nice of you, Mr...”
“Nick,” he said with a soft smile. “You can call me Nick.”
She nodded back. “Rainbow Dash.”
He blinked, then grinned harder. “Welcome to the Kihutaja Marine Colonial Academy, Rainbow Dash.” He left, closing the door behind him. “Heh... amazing name...”
The door shut, and Rainbow Dash was already rolling her eyes, muttering three syllables in exasperation. Eventually, she made her way to the bed and sat on the mattress, wincing from how terribly it squeaked. Slowly, she tilted her head up, squinting into the glow of the sunset.
Twilight Sparkle sat amidst the glow, her lavender coat immaculate and real.
Rainbow Dash exhaled slowly, her ears twitching slightly as she stared at her.
Twilight swallowed a lump down her throat. “Are... you still talking to me?”
Rainbow nodded. “And how.”
“You... uh... you sure you're not sleepy or hungry or—?”
“I'm a lot of things, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “But, right now and forever, I'm your friend.”
Twilight blinked.
Sighing, Rainbow slid her legs up and folded them beneath her on the mattress. Once she was sitting comfortably, she spoke: “What did you want to talk about?”
“I... was wondering if you would be willing to answer some questions.”
“Which ones?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight's ears folded back. “All of them.”
Rainbow's eyes fell to the mattress.
“You... you think you can do that?” Twilight asked. “Or at least try?”
“It depends...”
“On what?”
“If you want to hear the answers, Twilight.”
“Why wouldn't I want to?”
“Just ask me one, then.”
“Very well.” Twilight leaned back, drinking in the rosy air of the antique room. “How long has it been?”
“How long?”
“Since you last saw me... as me.”
Rainbow opened her mouth, but lingered. She fidgeted. “I... I don't know exactly.”
Twilight squinted. “You don't know? How can you not know?”
“I sorta lost track after the first time a dragon mutilated me to death.”
Twilight blinked. After several dull seconds, she slumped to the floor, muttering to the walls. “I think I'm going to need that bed...”
“Yeah, good luck.”
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Oh boy. Ever the inquisitive one, Twilight is.
You are really going to need that bed. I only wish we could see Twilight's animated reactions to every bit of craziness that Dash went through. Twilight wouldn't believe half of it. The other might just be so horrible it has to be true.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
Whoa, wait, there was actually a chapter posted yesterday?
Okay, I'm a little pissed. That was a good chapter, with what I'd been waiting for to happen ever since Twilight reappeared. And it slipped under my radar because of April Fools silliness. Seriously, this is why I don't like that day. Please don't do that again.
*sigh*...
Dammit, I want the whole conversation already.
well then.
5816995
Rainbow Dash looked listlessly at Twilight's disbelieving face. Slowly, she hooked a hoof under the edge of her pendant and lifted. With a supreme effort of will, she unclasped the pendant and lifted it a hair above her coat. Instantly, her body was wracked with pain, as two points of blood formed on her forehead. Rainbow quickly snapped the pendant back on, gasping.
She glared back at her ghostly friend, who was now frozen in shock. "Do you believe me now?"
5817015 That's the horrible part that'll prove everything else
Rainbow's second or third worst nightmare: Living at a school.
Soon, she will have a hat. And her strange knowledge of ancient lore will get her a title.
And she's already an adventurer.
There's no escape!
You know Rainbow has been through a lot when she talks about being mutilated by a dragon it like it's a common occurence.
5817013
What he said.
Thirty wide-arm pushups, )Cocktease(. Knock 'em out!
I'm so looking forward to the coming chapter(s).
"Well, Twi. For one thing, you're dead. Here's 1.9 million words describing what's happened since. Oh, and the world's ending. Good to have you back tho."
This is a story I'd like to hear.
...oh, wait, I did.
With the name containing colonial in it and their relations to Verlax's domain at the moment I assume they are in some kind of revolutionary war or some kind of conflict.
5816992
5816995
Only this time Rainbow Dash won't be able to physically quiet Twilight to make her know she should stop asking for the night.
5817058
Next chapter: Links to Austraeoh, Eljunbryo, Innavedr, Ordsjot, Urohringr, and Yaerfaerda.
How long has it been? At least a year, as it was... shoot, how many months in the chaos metal at Ludomare? Either 3 or 6. About a month for Austraeoh (from Luna chat to Luna chat). A month-ish for Eljunbyro (not counting chaos metal). Two for Innavedr, I think. Odrsjot had two or three, Urohringr had two-ish, and Yaefaerda had two in Val Roa and one in the Choke. A year and two months minimum.
5817059 Colonial doesn't imply civil war, it implies, well, colonial expansion. A central nation expanding by founding colonies. Self-governed outlying provinces, still allegiant to the central empire.
5817079 It's been at least two years. I think it was mentioned somewhere back in Yaerfaerda.
Gee if only there were some way to tell what that meant.
Wrong A word, maybe?
eh, prolly not
Now we know the name of the palce and RD has a place to sleep. I think it's going to take Twilight a while to get her answers and they are going to be hard ones for sure.
Also Nick is really accommodating considering how Rainbow has been acting so far
First time? When was the second? I don't remember her dieing against Nevlamas.
wonder what the view in that suite is
i dunno
maybe uh
fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/254555.png?1426800862
a bit like that?
just a headcanon
I believe that, since there are six books, RD is going to find one of the Mane 6 per book.
The last one will be AJ.
And then they can find a random mare and RD and her can "Patrick Swayze in Ghost" their way to a make-out session.
5817013 Hear, hear.
5817025
- wait, that was blues brothers, not Indiana Pones.
5817119
Props to Zaid ValRoa for literally copying and pasting something he said to me yesterday into a comment on Nyan.
Advanced three-way tactics.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-tclcx4Mv1_Q/UFIWUgcQ0yI/AAAAAAAADTo/Eqjh-eG1FHM/s640/Yaranaika+Face+Plantilla.png
Well Nick's gonna be sorely disappointed when he finds out that Rainbow's in love with a dead pony and a cybernetic killing machine.
5817013
Next chapter is going to start with Twilight rocking back and forth after listening to Dash's tale, sidestepping the entire actual conversation.
You know it to be true.
5817161
Did I?
5817171
Those very words, sir.
Yay. I'm caught up again.
Nice to see all the wonderful commenters for the one time before I fall behind by not reading for a month.
Because I didn't get to react appropriately earlier...
OH MY GOSH, TWILIGHT IS ALIVE AND IS STILL BEST PONY! YOU CAN TAKE THE PONY OUT OF THE BEST BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE THE BEST OUT OF THE PONY.
That doesn't actually make any sense. See you all in a month. Or tomorrow. We'll see.
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prod-mr-user.storage.googleapis.com/assets/user_broncos_dware94_hushfinger_1427561968.789106/400x286/broncos_dware94_hushfinger.gif?v=af27be6693
Every time I use this gif(and it has been many times in this last week) I get more and more glad I made it.
if Twi is still corporeal to herself, i predict she's going to have either her head in her hooves listening to the tale or covering her muzzle in shock.
Dash now has a base of operations for this book, that's always a nice thing to have.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
5817171 Knowing IC, yes, but I seriously hope not. It's too good of a conversation to miss.
Thanks for the link back to the last chapter too, IC. Probably would've missed it otherwise
I can almost imagine Nick going to dig up his best fedora right now.
5817164
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/665/512/28d.png
OK, laughter at Twilight's reaction to the end of the first book aside, can I just point out here how remarkably lucky it is that she came into the story when she did? I mean, right before they found a college campus filled with ponies of all varieties. She missed out on so much. What with the Minotaurs, Whitemane, Zap Nater, Axan's dragon horde gathering her dragon hoard in a land that was dragon whored, Rainbow's death and rebirth, blue shelf, ALL THAT BUSINESS IN LEDOMARE with the Noble Jury and Shell (may he rot eternally in hell), Nevlamas the chaos dragon, Lerris, The changelings in the flying death city, Durandana the pegasus sex crater(aka swan song's shipping paradise), the funky business in Val Roa(long may my homeland be safe!), and the burning hell that was the Grand Choke.
Thank goodness she missed the boring stuff and arrived just in time to visit a college, amirite?
In all seriousness though, I can't help but draw parallels to Equestria here. All through the last six books, Rainbow kept finding lands that were more and more different from her home the further she went. And immediately after regaining Twilight at the last stop before the dark side, she comes across a place that has a similar feel to Equestria.
Also, this is technically the first place Rainbow has visited outside of Equestria that has non-Equestrian pegasi living in it. (Durandana doesn't count, what with it being filled with descendants of Equestrians.) Is no one going to make a big deal out of this?! They might have a connection to the mysterious ancient pegasi that populated Urohringr! They might have records! Histories! We could be on the verge of a big reveal into some of that deep mystery stuff!
Or I might just be tired from another horrid day at work. Either way, I am excite!
Time for a little Q&A with Rainbow Dash. Twilight is going to have a lot to take in.
5817101 It's based off of Sunset Shimmer! This is obviously where Celestia sent her when she misbehaved before the portal.
edit: and one more thing:
Shipping confirmed.
. . . ok den.
. . .
okden.
. . .
. . .
wat.
5817098 I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or sincere but I have no idea what word she said. Someone enlighten me please.
...wrong 'A' word?
5817009
Called it. I was surprised IC included the link, but that'll be super helpful over the next couple weeks, I imagine.
5817265 That is truly one amazing gif. I was in a Skype call with someone who also reads this story and he asked me if I saw "the gif". I said yes. No other words were necessary.
That academy name. Marine i'm assuming is referring to subject matter or environment. The colonial bit is more interesting as it implies interesting dynamics between where she is now and where she will go.
The whole chapter makes me feel like we are about to enter a dating sim as the mysterious other character.
Watch as the next part is 1.9M words of Rainbow recounting her adventures.
5817090
You are right, I'm mainly basing my earlier comment on the way Nick has described Rohbredden (mainly its ruler) in earlier chapters, they aren't happy with it or don't wish to be associated with it. As far as I know Rohbredden is the only nation on this part of the ring.
5817222
I know how that goes. Just caught up yesterday.
Also, a bit annoyed that I just missed the update before I went to bed last night.
At least dash did something smart in proving she's not crazy to herself.
Can't wait for twilight to start figuring out the nature of her condition. Can she use magic?
Yes, finally! Sweet, sweet exposition for Twi.
5817951 Perhaps akin to India; just before it became independent.
Ooooh buck! Twilight is not gonna want to hear this.
5817102 Literary effect, of course.
Thank god the worst day of the internet is over. Thanks for the link IC.
I would gladly give up two weeks of plot progress just to see this ensuing conversation and Twilight's input/reactions portrayed in its entirety.