Out Last
Rainbow Dash hovered low, at nearly head level, in a lethargic attempt to avoid the dangling stalactites above her. Her tired eyes squinted forward, watching the trotting bodies of Crimson, Zenith, and Phoenix at the head of the descending procession. Her nostrils flared, producing a deep sigh.
"Rainbow Dash?" Bellesmith spoke from directly behind her. "How are you holding up, darling?"
"I'm holding," Rainbow Dash muttered. "Wish I could say the same about my ego. But we're all alive, and that's what matters."
"Phoenix offered to let you ride on the back of him, y'know."
"Heh... no thanks..." Rainbow smiled awkwardly. "That was nice of him earlier and all, but if I wanted a flank-scented pillow, I would have slept on Eagle Eye instead. I'm sure he smells like bedsheets all the time."
Belle grinned slightly. "Truth is stranger than fiction."
"Don't I know it..."
"Seriously, though, you must be really, really tired."
"I'm fine, Belle..."
"Maybe you could at least rest your wings?"
"I relax when I hover." Rainbow Dash glanced behind her. "You should know that by now."
Belle bit her lip and nodded. "Yes. Yes, I do."
"Good, then." Rainbow fidgetd in mid-air, then looked ahead.
Several more seconds passed, punctuated by thundering echoes from the shelling above.
Eventually, Rainbow's voice cracked, "C-can I ask you something, Belle?"
"Sure! I mean... anything, Rainbow Dash..."
"Are you... well..." Rainbow Dash winced. "Er, never mind..."
"What is it?"
"It's stupid."
"I don't believe in stupid questions."
Rainbow glanced back at her with a bemused grin. She just as swiftly sighed and slowed her hover so that she drifted alongside Belle down the winding tunnel. "Are you and Pilate... y'know..."
"What?"
"Are you ashamed to be here?"
Belle's chestnut eyes blinked. "Ashamed?"
"Let's face it," Rainbow spoke bluntly. "You two could have had it so much better. I could have avoided that city with the psycho stallion. I could have handled the mana sphere thingy better. I could have made us avoid Foxtaur to begin with." Rainbow exhaled heavily. "You two could have had it way, waaaaaaay better. Face it, Belle, I blew it."
"Rainbow Dash..." Belle leaned in spoke in earnest, her voice soft. "You've saved us time and time again! You're the reason why the enforcers at Blue Shelf didn't turn us into organic paste! You kept our lives intact and have given us a new future!"
"You call this much of a future?" Rainbow Dash's lips were thin and straight. "I thought I could juggle the two of you AND fly the three of us east. Tchh..." She blew at a tuft of prismatic mane hair. "Once again, I bit off more than I could chew, and ponies I care about are taking the brunt of it."
"You're dealing with cruel forces beyond your control—!"
"So what, I should stick you guys in harm's way? Over and over again?" Rainbow's ruby eyes were thin. "Belle, what if all of that Whitemane nonsense is even remotely legit? You remember all that crud she rambled on about? About me being the Spurt of the world and stuff?"
"Spark."
"Whatever." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "What I'm getting at, is that if a powerful alicorn thinks I'm something worth shaking a stick at, and if an ancient dragon can't bother to destroy me, and if an entire continent full of unicorns want me dead—is that really something you two should be sticking around?"
"Our lives were dangerous before you even showed up, Rainbow," Belle said quietly. She gave a hopeful smile. "We just didn't know it yet."
"And you didn't have to," Rainbow grumbled. She looked ahead as the winding tunnels opened towards a large cavern, dripping with moisture and an underwater lake. "You might think I'm going somewhere. Pilate and his old books and discoveries may think I'm going somewhere, but I'm just flying as fast as I can in one direction, Belle. You and Pilate are along for the ride—sure—but how long?"
"Well, I-I thought that we were aiming for a place far past Ledomaritan and Xonan influence—"
"And just how far will that be, huh?" Rainbow Dash frowned. "Before or after the Grand Choke? Or the end of the world? Or the Midnight Armory?"
"Uhm..."
"Belle..." Rainbow Dash shook her head with a pained expression. Her next breath was a squeaking thing, "Do we both honestly think I'm gonna even last that long?"
Belle said nothing. She avoided Rainbow's gaze and brushed a hoof through her mane.
"What if I collapsed—like—without warning? And it was a dizzy spell that I couldn't come back from? What would you and Pilate do? You'd be out in the middle of nowhere?"
"We'd be free, Rainbow..."
"You'd be screwed," Rainbow grunted. "And it would all be my fault?"
"So what, then?" Belle glared back at her. "We've come this far, Rainbow. The two of us know you're not the type of pony to give up on anything. Why are you even bringing this up?"
Rainbow's mouth lingered open. She said, "I've been alone for so long, Belle, with all I ever cared for gone." She gulped. "I never really thought about... about doing stuff for living ponies that would outlast me." She hovered even slower as she confessed, "I was friendless when Axan did me in. I... I almost think life would have stayed simpler for everypony if I... if I just stayed dead..."
Belle blinked at that. Before she could say anything—
"Gaaugh!" Crimson slipped on a loose sheet of pebbles.
Pilate's manasphere spun around as the zebra's eyes flicked.
"Crimson!" Eagle Eye chirped.
"Grrrgh!" Crimson hung off the edge of a jagged cliff overlooking a sea of jagged stalagmites below. The crook of his hooves were starting to slip as his muscular body trembled. "Could... use a h-hoof here..."
"Hang on!" Zenith reached over, grabbing one of Crimson's hooves in his. The stallion's muscles tensed as he pulled and pulled.
He wasn't alone. In a blue blur, Rainbow Dash was hovering beneath Crimson. She gave his flank a boost, and Zenith was able to yank Crimson in a heavy slump onto even ground.
"Ooof!" As Crimson fell, a loose shard of blue crystal fell free from his vest. It rattled across the floor.
Phoenix's and Zenith's eyes followed it.
The rattling noise ended as soon as the sound stone came to a stop against a blue hoof. Rainbow Dash raised the item to her gasp, staring at it closely.
Crimson stared up at her, his face pale.
Rainbow Dash blinked. She gazed between the stone and at Crimson. "What's this?"
Phoenix bit his lip. Zenith stared, silent as the earth around them.
Eagle Eye's wide violet eyes blinked.
"Seriously." Rainbow's brow furrowed as she raised the shard higher. "What is this?"
Belle and Pilate trotted to a stop.
"Cr-Crimson?" Eagle Eye murmured.
The muscular stallion ran a hoof through his mane, shuddering. He glanced at his soldiers.
Zenith and Phoenix stared back.
Everything was quiet, save for the dull thunder of the shelling high above.
Finally, Crimson stood up, brushed himself off, and spoke to Rainbow Dash with an exhausted sigh. "We need to talk."
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Busted.
Always nice to see Rainbow's exposition echo the collective consciousness, as well.
Well, Crimson, did you have that thing on or not this whole time? I guess we have to wait to find out.
The truth finally surfaces.
Dashie? Never for a second think that the world would be better off without you.
):(? forty-five for making Dashie doubt herself. Knock 'em out!!
Haha! Now's the time that Zenith apologetically comes clean with everypony, and they all forgive each other and come to a peaceful understanding!
Right, guys? R-right?
The big reveal.
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It's good to think in colors sometimes but this is definitely not the time.
Oh no, Dash, you'll live forever...
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So this chapter is really big in character development. Dash is telling Belle that she (Dash, not Belle) had made mistakes that put Belle's and Pilate's lives in danger. A bit like the Doctor, she puts all the Blane on herself. Even towards the mane six, she's never been this open with anyone else before. It really shows how much Belle and Pilate mean to her. And truly, all Dash has done is fight and fight and fight again for Belle's and Pilate's sakes, and she must be very scared to think otherwise. This is one of those moments where Dash truly, TRULY begins to doubt herself. And in the Austraeoh series, those moments are few and far between. Although we do have to wonder how far Dash will make it before succumbing to Discord. I never really though about it before, but imagine how scared Dash must be. What if you knew your life was ending and there was nothing you could do about it and you were in Dash's position? The closest thing in our world I can compare it to is getting cancer. Honestly, I would be freaking terrified. I don't know WHAT I would do...and through all of that pain, Dash still has the generosity to put the blame on herself.
Great job with this chapter, Imploding. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it every time. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
The ramifications of this crystal could be quite interesting.
Dashie doubting herself, coupled with the fact that I just watched To This Day Project on youtube...
Crazy feels.
This is Australia...
That's never a good sign. Especially since it appears that they were all in on what seemed to be only Zenith's belief. I have a hunch that Crimson and the rest of those soldiers are going to leave Rainbow, Belle, and Pilate.
Awww, Dashie, dont't feel bad! At least we all know you're a better pony than Zenith!
Hopefully some sort of peace will be reached with the soundstone out.
Trouble brewing, both in Dash's mind and the group. I've been wondering what Dash's view on her companions' future status is, and it's pretty much what I thought it would be. Realistically, Belle and Pilate's companionship has an expiration date. I doubt they'll be able to accompany her past the Grand Choke, which can't be far east. How she comes to terms with leaving them will be an interesting (and very sad) arc to read.
Crimson, on the other hand (hoof?), just took a major dive in my book. Has that thing been listening in on them? Broadcasting their position? All sorts of insidious possibilities come to mind. Crimson... I trusted you...
Awk...
Ah, the death knell of many a relationship.
Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden
Dash kinda has a hero complex, doesn't she?
2210112
I wonder if Dash's ability to stave off the chaos energy from consuming her is related to her will to persist and her relation to Harmony, or more specifically, loyalty? Her own self-belief and her loyalty to her friends might actually counteract the chaos energies within her, in a similar way to how the Elements of Harmony can 'banish' creatures of chaos.
If Dash loses her loyalty, to herself and others. . . maybe she literally needs friends to survive, in addition to the emotional and mental healing that we've seen so far?
oh no.
2210541Oh...um...then I send my condolences to your mother's fiancée.
And yes, I did read that in Pinkie's voice. I like your philosophy on life, though. Live every day like it was your last. Wish I could live like that...I'm terrified of death.
I'm glad you went skiing, though! It's personally my favorite sport.
2211642Huh...that's clever. It makes sense that her loyalty to Belle and Pilate would act against Discord's powers. If they were to travel with Dash, perhaps that would give her a longer lifespan to travel to the Midnight Armory with. I can see that happening.
2212311I like this moral...
Even though I'm Christian, I don't really believe everything they tell you, (parting the Red Sea? Yeah, right) so I don't believe in an afterlife either. Except that's what terrifies me.
And truly and honestly, here is my number one goal in life:
But the best thing we do while we're here is live our lives to the fullest!
I want to be remembered.
I don't want to fade.
2209378
Haha I have joined the masses using jake the army guys workout routine and of all days to join, I choose the 45 push-up workout... Poop.
Don't even think about pulling the "I need to do this alone" card, Dash. Harry tried it once and Ron and Hermione told him to shut his trap and keep walking, and Belle and Pilate will do the same for you (hopefully, although I could see the group dwindle in preparation for the third - and final? - segment, have Pilate and Belle start a new life with the rest of the mercenaries, maybe?) And, oh, the crystal is finally outta the bag, it seems. This could get ugly, depending on how the factions shape up. Onward!
2210541 2212257 skiing is the best sport in the world, been doing it sence i was 2
i now im way behind but were did you ski?
Oh, Dash.
The feels... 
And, what was Crimson doing with that Sound Stone? 
Looks like we're going to find out. 
Well, Dash, I hope you are ready for this.
The cat is out of the fucking bag......
i almost fear reading the next chapter....but nonetheless,...ONWARD!
Dammit Dashie
So she realizes just how much she fucked the game up
Good on her
Maybe there's still a chance she can curb herself
Dashie is growing, considering the consequences of her actions, and hopefully will be a better mare for it.
Dash acts almost like they were hiding cider from her.
6177065
She's maturing. And addressing things that need to be addressed.
She's seen a sound stone before. She knows what that is.
Well, I do notice Rainbow Dash starting to have doubts, that I’m fairly certain aren’t new. The sound stone might be a bit concerning though. I for one think that no one is better off dead, and I think that Rainbow Dash is the same.
Belle seems to be sticking with Rainbow Dash through thick and thin, and if that happens, I’ll put Loyalty as an Embed here.
I got up at 5:00 AM today (closer to 4:40), and it’s 9:42 PM at the time of writing this, so I’m all over the place, I did enjoy this chapter though.
"Are you looking for a third cause im kinda picking up some vibes"
In all seriousness, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah rainbow has issues and i love her i love this story