A Rainbow And Her Colors
“Keep your head down, sir,” Longaze murmured.
“Grrrffff...” Chandler grumbled, lying flat on a crooked slab of driftwood.
A gold aura encased the debris, causing it to drift further and further south from the muck splotch in the ocean where White Barge and Red Barge converged.
The pace of the driftwood was positively glacial. The bodies of fish darted back and forth beneath the waves, and even they were going faster than the debris.
“Can't this damn thing go any faster?” Longaze hissed.
“And I would keep my voice down if I were you,” Longaze chided. The bruised mare lay against the furthest tip of the debris. She channeled a stream of energy through her horn, telekinetically shoving the driftwood south, carrying the two of them slowly away from the Barges. “It would also be most prudent if you hid your body beneath the canvas.”
Chandler sighed, pulling a length of fabric over his body, camouflaging the two of them further. “Seriously... this is the best that you could come up with?”
“I'm not a fan of it either, sir,” Longaze muttered back. “Nor do I hold any pride in the way I had to rescue you.”
“'Rescue?!'” Chandler stifled a loud growl. “You grabbed me from behind like a common mugger!”
“I couldn't risk inciting you to scream and alerting the locals,” Longaze said. “After all... I know that you are... erm... prone to dramatics.”
“What is that supposed to mean?!”
Longaze sighed. Nevertheless, she concentrated on her magical task with sweaty dedication. “We simply need to keep up this pace for as long as we stand to be seen by the ponies on both platforms. Then, once we clear visible range, I can accelerate us into a swift cruise.” She swallowed. “I estimate that it'll take us two days to reach South Barge. Three at most.”
“Goddess,” Chandler grumbled. “They'd better still be loyal to me.”
“They haven't associated with Skagra in a long time, sir. I suspect they'll be loyal enough.” Longaze took a deep breath. “I highly suggest we hide out there for a while until this most recent incident blows over. No doubt the Talon will be swarming these seas soon.”
“What? Pffft! Buck that!” Chandler sneered. “I'm having them send me to Rohbredden on the first boat they can afford!”
“Sir...?”
“Skagra threatened me multiple times. Skagra stole my trust and my steamship.” Chandler snorted, wincing from a spray of seawater. “I'm done with this whole mucking ocean. I gotta get home in time for the Month of Thawing.”
“That... would be highly difficult, sir.”
“Says the confounded bodyguard who couldn't even bring down the Rainbow Rogue.”
“She had a pocket griffon.”
“So?!”
Longaze sighed. “Sir, we've lost another Barge. You're several thousand bars short of your previous fortune. Dozens of workhooves died back in the bay. The Consortium's connection to the seven seas relies on a single thread running through South Barge. And—on top of all that—the Talon will likely want to conduct an investigation on our ties to Skagra.”
“I don't particularly care.”
“Have I mentioned we're stuck on a slab of wood?”
“I may be suffering several financial setbacks... but I can still float back from this. After all...” He adjusted what was left of his suit's collar. “It's not my face that's on the wanted poster in every town.”
“You're... still betting on the Rainbow Rogue?”
“We have plenty of places left to go. But her? She has nothing.”
“If you want my advice sir...”
“I don't.”
“...I think you should give up on her... salvage what's left of your empire.”
“My dear, what's left of my empire is still worth half the Prefectures who run the Council of Verlaxion!”
“You only stand to fall even deeper.”
Chandler squinted. “Help me get back to Rohbredden, and I'll increase your salary by three hundred percent.”
Longaze blinked. “... ... ...three hundred percent?”
“Three hundred and fifty.”
The mare took a deep breath. Her horn glowed brighter, and suddenly the driftwood accelerated to double the speed. “It would appear that we've struck a fortuitous southern current, sir.”
“You bet your blonde bun it has.” Chandler rested beneath the canvas, exhaling. “Nothing is impossible so long as you have money. The Rainbow Rogue?” He snorted, glaring into seaspace. “Just what wealth does she have?”
“Easy... easy, darling,” Rarity said, waving her hooves. She stared at Rainbow's feathers as the mare drew a white bandage tightly around her left wing. “Gentle... uh! Almost... and... there.” She smiled. “Fabulously done, Rainbow. Now... tie it.”
Rainbow winced despite Rarity's good efforts. Following the spectre's lead, she leaned back in the tiny skiff and did as she was told, tying the white gauze into a neat ribbon. The pegasus and her ghostly friends sat adrift in the middle of the ocean. White and Red Barge were two diny dots on the west horizon.
“It may feel uncomfortable at first,” Rarity said, drifting around the mare. “But—trust me—it will keep your limbs secure while they... erm... mend.”
“Awwww... poor Dashie.” Pinkie Pie pouted. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes,” Fluttershy said, nodding. “It does.”
“Huh...” Rainbow sat squarely in the middle of the book, fishing through her saddlebag. “You feel it too, huh?”
“I feel a lot of things. And... you know what?” She glanced aside at the other ponies, smiling slightly. “I th-think I'm getting used to it.”
“Still, Fluttershy, out of all of us—I do fear you got the shortest straw there ever was,” Rarity said with a sad expression. She leaned in to nuzzle the ghostly pegasus. “To feel the sort of things you've felt. My heart aches for you.”
“It's okay, Rarity,” Fluttershy said. “So long as I'm here to help Rainbow Dash, it's... I mean...” A gulp. “I-I can handle it.”
“I wish we all wisened up to your smartiness before, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, pivoting towards Rainbow Dash again. “Won't you ever forgive us, Dashie?”
“Pinkie, we've been over this,” Rainbow muttered, pulling out one of Professor Sinrar's maps and stretching it wide. “Consider it forgiven. I mean... for realsies. We just had the knock-down, drag-out fight. You're getting the order of things wrong.”
“Oh. I guess you're right.” Pinkie waved a hoof. “My bad! Rookie mistake!” She blinked suddenly, then giggle-snorted. “Heeheehee! 'Lyra Heartstrings!' Oh my sides—I still can't get over that! Ha ha ha ha!”
“Hmmmmm...” Rainbow smirked, gazing at a watery space in the map. “It's gonna be a long boat ride.” Her eyes traveled to the right, spotting a large croissant-shaped continent, filled to the brim with topographical squiggle lines, growing tighter and tighter towards the north—peaking in the center. “Very... very long...”
“Do you see her?”
Rainbow blinked. She looked up. “Twilight...?”
Twilight Sparkle floated off the bow of the skiff, facing east. “Applejack.” She waved a hoof from north to south. “She's out there... isn't she?” She turned and looked back with a solemn expression. “Do you know where?”
Rainbow squinted at the orange dot on the horizon... then glanced at the map. Her nostrils flared. “Yeah... I think I do...”
“Oh?” Pinkie leaned in, along with the others. “Where, Dashie?”
“Where else.” Rainbow gulped, folding the map back up. “Verlax central.”
“Uh oh...” Fluttershy bit her lip, trembling.
“You mean...” Rarity wrung her hooves together. “...Yaerfaerda is... is taking us right to—?”
“Should we expect any different?” Rainbow Dash muttered. She tucked the maps back into her saddlebag. “Verlax's made it perfectly clear she wants to test me. She's done it before. And... well...” A shudder. “...I don't think she's gotten all her kicks yet.”
“Well, we'll be ready for that big bully now!” Pinkie Pie puffed her fluffy chest out. “Won't we, girls?”
“Maybe it won't be as bad as we think,” Fluttershy said. “I mean... after what Rainbow Dash has gone through—”
“Darling, this is a crazy dragon matriarch we're talking about,” Rarity said, eyes rolling. “Of course it will be positively dreadful.”
“And with your wing out of order still...” Twilight floated towards Rainbow and the boat. “...this won't be easy. I mean... have the dizziness and shivers returned, Rainbow?”
“The rules haven't changed any since the Quade, if that's what you're asking, Twilight.”
“Then... then we haven't much time to get to—”
“We'll make it.”
“B-but how can you say that so glibly?!” Twilight frowned, sniffling. “And after all the things we did to you... that I did to you.” She hung her head with a sad sigh. “Abandoning you...”
“You haven't.”
“Rainbow.”
“You haven't!” Rainbow leaned forward. “Look at me! You have no idea how strong I am now! What you've done for me. What you k-kept me... kept me from becoming...” She gnashed her teeth... then clenched her eyes shut.
The mares looked on, their faces awash with concern.
“Dashie...?” Pinkie cooed.
Rainbow took a deep breath, shoulders shuddering. “... ... ...honest.” She cleared her throat. “I need to be perfectly honest with you. From now on. So... first thing's first... there's something you have to know. Something about the ponies... and monsters I've crossed.”
Twilight gulped. “You've told us enough, Rainbow,” she said. “And—finally—I think we're starting to understand.”
“No. You don't.” Rainbow looked up, eyes sharp. “In my travels, around the time I banded together with Pilate and Bellesmith, I ran afoul of a... very... very nasty stallion.” She gulped hard. “A unicorn named Shell. A Prime Enforcer of the Ledomaritan Confederacy. Powerful freak of nature. But that's not what made him so terrible. He... was persistent... cold hearted. And his only goal in life was to hunt me down like a beast so that the Council of Ledo could have their way with me and my pendant. Well, while chasing us, Shell came across Imre... his daughter. She... k-killed herself when she realized how hopeless her father was.” Rainbow shuddered. “She was my friend.”
“Oh Rainbow...” Fluttershy murmured.
“That's positively awful,” Rarity said.
Rainbow shook her head. “It doesn't end there. Shell was already an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. But as soon as Imre died, he... like... went completely nuts. He chased the Noble Jury across multiple landscapes, murdering and destroying everything in his path. Then—after Nevlamas died and Shell's ship went down—I thought the jerkface was gone for good. It... w-was the worst mistake I had ever made. At least before the Quade. The Jury stumbled across a town named Lerris—a village full of innocent and humble farming ponies. It was Lerris where our little filly friend Kera Tin Mehjj hailed from. Since the Ledomaritan and Xonan war was ending, Pilate and Bellesmith decided to retire there with Kera and start a new life. The Jury and I left them, thinking they'd be safe. But Shell found them, and he...” Rainbow gritted her teeth. “...he murdered everyone in the village just to spite me. Everyone but Pilate, Belle and Kera. He made them watch the slaughter of every living soul in Lerris.”
The four mares watched, their muzzles twisted in silent horror.
“I... flew back as soon as I discovered he was there. We fought... we always fought. But this time—for once—I got the upper hoof. I knew that I could no longer hold back. And... and I killed him.” She clenched her teeth. “And though I regret a lot of things I've done since Discord struck Ponyville... that's the one death I don't flinch in remembering.”
Rainbow turned to face the mares.
“It took a long... long time for my Jurist friends and I to recover from what Shell did. And even now, the wounds run deep. I've thought and thought about him constantly ever since... about what could have motivated him to become the kind of creature that he was. I mean... I know that he had an entire kingdom to protect. The Council of Ledo relied on him to get the job done, and that's what he did... or at least strove to do. And...” She gulped. “Whatever his task was, he put his whole mind to it. But his heart?” She shook her head. “A creature like that didn't have a heart. He couldn't. There was so much riding on his shoulders—or so he thought—that he couldn't risk feeling anything about what he tackled. I never thought I could ever understand a mindset like that...” Her eyes blinked as her muzzle hung open. “...until the Quade.”
Twilight gulped. “Rainbow—”
“Think about it...” Rainbow shook. She rubbed a nervous hoof across the scar—still fresh—over her brow. “Shell had an entire continent riding on his shoulders. What... c-could possibly be bigger than carrying the entire plane? Or Urohringr for that matter?” Her eyes darted towards them, turning moist. “Or you gals?”
“You made a mistake,” Twilight said. “It was wrong, but you know better now.”
“Do I?” Rainbow snorted, frowning. “Or have I just staved off the frost in my heart for when an even harder decision has to be made?” She squinted. “The thing is, when I chose to do what I did, and I flew back into the Luminards' sanctuary, something had switched off inside of me. Because it all made so much sense.” Rainbow gulped. “What I had to do and what I was doing it for. All of your cries and warnings? They fell on deaf ears. It was the only way to get the job done. And... you know what? Until that one moment... that dang crazy moment where I... I-I had my freaky jaws around Swab's neck...” She inhaled sharply, a tear trickling down her cheek. “...I didn't regret any of it. Not one bit. And so now I know.” She hung her head. “What makes Shell tick... and what Verlax believes this dying world needs.”
Fluttershy flew in close, kneeling before the mare. “But you're not him, Rainbow Dash.”
“You're compassionate, darling!” Rarity flew in.
“Awesome!” Pinkie chirped from behind.
“And you have something Shell doesn't have,” Twilight remarked. She floated before Rainbow, smiling warmly. “You have friends.” She pointed west. “You had the Jurists then...”
“And you have us now,” Fluttershy said.
“All of us!” Pinkie cooed.
“And you always have.” Rarity smiled tearfully. “Don't you realize that?” She shook her head. “Shell's story is ghastly. Pitiable, even. But the two of you are not cut from the same cloth. Trust me.” She sniffled, pressing a hoof to her chest while grinning. “I'm a tailor.”
Pinkie giggled.
Rainbow shook... sniffled. She looked up with teary eyes. “I'm going to need you guys.” She shuddered. “I'm going to need you guys so hard.” She wiped her cheek. “Please... you have no idea. If... if worse comes to worst... and Verlax tries to test me even harder... and y-you know th-that she's gonna...”
“We'll be there by your side,” Twilight said. “You won't be alone. I promise.” She drifted in close enough, holding her hooves close to Rainbow's—as if they could almost touch. “So long as you'll have us.”
Rainbow stared at the colorful group of faces. She let loose a squeaky burst, smiling past her tears. “I do. I t-totally do have you...”
“There's a good mare,” Rarity said.
“Now...” Pinkie floated around, smiling wide. “Are we gonna go save AJ's freckled butt or not?”
“Yeah...” Rainbow wiped her muzzle dry, sniffling one last time. She reached back to grip the engine. “Yeah... so much yeah.”
“Heehee!” Rarity pointed east. “Onward!”
Fluttershy breathily exclaimed, “All aboard!”
“Uhhh... Fluttershy?” Pinkie squinted. “That's what they say on trains. Not boats.”
“They say that on boats too.”
“No they don't, Twilight!”
“How would you know? Last time I checked, you were only an expert on cannons!”
“Boats have cannons!”
“Mmmmmmm...” Rainbow sighed, powering the motor as she drew the skiff towards the dot on the horizon. “Long... long ride...” The spectres floated after her as they pierced the waves, carving a path through unbridled nothingness.
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wow
somebody still reading this?
1732->904->726->626->513->443->430->284
well...
Oh yes, Rainbow's extra eager to save that part
Strong arc was strong. I'm not sorry to be seeing the other side of Red Barge, but damn if it didn't do a good job of drawing Ynanhluutr's dangling threads to a close. Onwards and eastwards!
Would someone care to explain what Pinkie can't seem to 'get over?' I feel like there's something I'm missing...
20/20 (Tunnel Vision) - Graveyard
...Well then. I guess Rainbow Dash really does need to get captured to get to the heard of that continent swiftly. But nah~ That would be too easy, and I don't think IC would like that. ...Or maybe he will.
Welp... The Red Barge Arc is over. inb4 the next chapters will be about Bard and Wildcard~
Huh, so Rainbow Dash is going straight to Rohbredden proper? I wonder if she could've stuck around with Keris for that. She surely would've been tried for that, but perhaps on better terms with Keris (and potentially the barges) to vouch for her? The head of the council seems to be the most sane of the bunch, in any case.
Was I the only one expecting Swift Song to pop up in Rainbow's boat, like Murph did in Cooper's truck in Interstellar?
Dash...it's good to see you fighting back against Verlax's plan for you.
-In the end isolation, hunted by a nation. Utaan.
new book phrase unlocked
Companions have returned, Inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
That was quite the admission from Rainbow there, and it highlights how close she came to being something she hates and how much she needs other ponies to help keep her from that path. It was good she finally got that off her chest and I sure as heck don't blame her for not flinching about Shells death.
Really I'm just waiting for Longaze to walk away from Chandler. There is only so far Money can go no matter how much you have of it.
Dash thinking she's just like Shell hits hard but in a way I can see why. Glad the other girls are around to cheer Dashie up. Onwards to more buttkicking (and more verlax troubels)
You'd think that as resourceful unicorn as Longaze would have found herself a better job than saving and carrying Chandler's flank around.
I really hope Longaze hasn't given Chandler the satisfaction of a good bedding. He doesn't deserve it.
...Gah, who am I kidding, she's his damn secretary, of course they're fucking.
Here's to hoping Chandler dies a miserable death, and the clearly more intelligent Longaze inherits the Consortium and becomes the villain we truly deserve.
6697192 She prolly gets paid a shit ton. And, all things considered, being the secretary of a gigantic corporation is a VERY high position. She's only one step away from the crown, and it's clear that Chandler has delegated a LOT of responsibilities to her. So much of the machine depends on her that it would grind to a halt at her say-so, and she could probably hold the Consortium hostage until Chandler gives her whatever she wants.
6697088 Huh? Missing something? Missing what?
...just how stupid is Chandler
kinky
6697209
A villein who plays the long game is incompatible with a story where the hero flies on by and is never seen again, baring some kind of knowledge before the hero's arrival. She is just a pony. Maybe you will see her on the return trip? (there probably is no return trip)
6697232 Oh, don't worry. Longaze WILL stop Rainbow Dash.
...after all, how else will our prismatic hero get laid again?
Chandler... you will regret this decision
Arc complete and feels felt. Hopefully Rainbow's wing will be back to 100% before anything major.
I keep meaning to get into this Flying East story but at 2.2 million words I always put it to the back of my Read Later. I guess I better get started. 7 prequels ago.
So, we have Chandler being a petulant child throwing out lines like “Nothing is impossible so long as you have money. The Rainbow Rogue? Just what wealth does she have?" while in the same chapter we're drawing parallels to Shell, who is, for all of his faults, such a better villain than Chandler it's unbelievable. I can't even joke about talking about him four books down the line because there's nothing to talk about. He's just the negative stereotype of a rich guy.
Eh, I'm sure I have a point here somewhere. It just feels wrong, like we're stepping down a level or something. After Ledomare, Xona and the Grand Choke we're here in Ynanhluutr and Utaan facing off against thugs and rich guys, and the biggest obstacles are a few moral conflicts and Rainbow Dash is here talking about how hard it is. Is it? Really? It doesn't seem hard enough.
The Quade and the consequences thereof probably deserves a little more recognition than "a few moral conflicts" I know, but it still doesn't feel big enough. Maybe it's because the Luminards were so hopelessly pathetic. It just feels underwhelming for such a supposedly big thing.
6697285
you don't need to read it all in one go, you can read it one book at a time, it's less daunting that way (only 2 to 4 hundred thousand words per book)
And then, half way to the South Barge, Chandler runs into Monket.
6697316
Well I personally think it's clear Chandler isn't the major villain in this book; he's far too much of a whining child for that to be the case. This chapter kind of drives that point home IMO. I'm not going to count Verlax (though you could certainly say she is the major villain) simply because she has been one for a while now. I don't think we are going to get a overall major external villain this book, if we do it might be the Council as a whole or the rest of The Southern Trade Consortium. Chandler while smart has been set to far back at this point I think and has proven himself to be a lot more stupid then I think most of us thought. However he could pull a Kefka Palazzo on us who knows.
Can I hit the like button again?
Yay onwards once more! This has been one hell of a ride. It's good to see the party on the waves again.
Oh gosh, I've really needed this talk. It's good to see Rainbow's starting to get better — in more than one respect. I'd almost forgotten what it's like for this series to have light-hearted banter like this.
Ah, the dramatic irony...Chandler cleary has no idea how the game's just changed.
By that does she mean the Rohbredden continent, or like, actual Central Rohbredden where the citadel is? I'm still betting that AJ is located in southern Rohbredden around where those apple groves that Bard mentioned are.
Glad to see that Rainbow finally told the truth about Shell and Lerris to the others.
6697209
I am perfectly okay with Longaze turning into a sexy blonde villainess.
6697316
not everything have to be hard. plus, shell was the perfect ennemi, making another shell-class villain would seems repetitive and you can't really do more than perfect. I think less villainy but more diverse ennemies make the story more interesting, because you never know what kind of evil dash is going to be against (Chandler, the guy who minuderstood "fortune" for "leadership material", Skagra, a "love to hate" type of villain, Jeryn who tried to keep a good public image, even when robbing the Queen right under her muzzle, Revan with his ball kicking motivational speech, Ultimo the badass sea serpent and the council, the government of a nation chasing a rogue pegasus because of politics).
it may not be as dark as the ledomare arc, but I don't think we would have truly felt the horrors of that arc if we didn't read the peaceful flight of the majority of the first book before. and since the dark side isn't far away, he may be just calming things a little before the storm of the trinity war.
And now we leave, the newly christened "Pink Barge!" As well as my good-hearted doppelganger.
Either we'll get a few filler-y travel chapter or we'll do a tension inducing PoV change to get an idea of the size of the storm coming for RD.
I get a funny feeling that we haven't seen the last of Skagra yet. He's still alive, and odds are he has some way of making it off the Barge...and who knows what he'll do from there.
I'm glad she finally told the Shell story. On another note- Pocket Keris. This needs to happen sometime after the hoodies are done.
6697088
I'm pretty sure she belched ozone there... But I can't be sure.
Nice to see everyone still has faith in Rainbow Dash. It's heartwarming to see the ghosts actually say it.
RIP Imre. Your act of defiance will be forever remembered.
Longgaze is best propulsion system? She gets the wood thrusting?
Im wondering if Dash is heading East from Red Barge to Rhobedron, and the Talon are heading West from Rhobedron to Red Barge, and Dash seems to keep losing boats, will they pass each other during the storm, or willl there be in altercation in the middle of the ocean?
6697130
So very sorry, but I feel I have to point this out: it should be Verlax's PLANS for Dash, not destiny. We've established Verlax is not god, so she cannot create an immutable destiny for Dash.
Anyways, good to see the end of the barge. Now its time to spend a book and a half on Rohbredden proper.
Rainbow Dash is opening up her heart finally. I approve of this.
6697220
the type of stupid who uses money like a hammer.
6697232 Villains like Madame Nightshade?
I think IC is toying with us, making us think it's all swell and dandy. RD just beat a mini-boss, nothing else. I'm betting she'll be fighting Seraph (?) in a dozen chapters or so and AJ will be in the frozen body sanctuary.. OR Applejack will be in the council chamber and RD will get captured by the Talon, brought before the council, then use that opportunity to get AJ.
Thankfully she'll have her friends this time.
6697220
Él es realmente estúpido!
6697285
It's worth it.
6697316
I don't doubt IC has more in store for her. The Red Barge Mini-Arc might be over, but there's still a lot more going on.
6697563
Eh, you tried.
What? Dash being upfront and quick to get something heavy off her chest? Seeing that feel so... So alien. No better time for it after what they've witnessed in recent weeks. Plus it did nothing to quell the party.
And I can't think of a better way to segue into the inevitable RoarkeBow convo. Gotta ride that honesty wave until it breaks!
I can buy this half of the grand experiment actually looking like a European breakfast from space. Literal grand jokes are her kink.
6697651 We need a blog in a similar vein to this, simply asking "Is shit hitting the fan yet?".
6697641 Nah, Nightshade knew how to think.
6697078
And I thought my foalcon joke was taken badly...
Seriously, this is a good serious, one that has heart and passion put into it. It's worth reading.
Good, Rainbow realizes that she has the potential to become Shell, but her friends stop her from doing so. Wonder if her final foe is going to be sort of dark mirror of herself, fighting for her friends, but for the wrong reasons.
6697078 yes sir! Still going strong!
Just like her hero, Daring Do!
Oh, right, that didn't happen in this AU.
What? An open-hearted confession to the girls and no mention of Roarke? Not even once? I feel cheated.
Something tells me Rainbow is going to have to do something just as bad if not worse than the Quade if she wants to get past Verlax once and for all. The only question now is will her friends stand with her or will they turn away like they did last time.