I was spiraling. Everything was spiraling. The winds were blowing everywhere. It was worse than I thought. I had to do something. I had to save everypony.
I flew like a missile through the northern skies. I brushed past clouds, gales, and squadrons of mail delivering pegasi. They looked at me funny, shouting in anger at my speedy flight. Didn't they know the danger at hoof? Didn't they realize that everything we had all built was going to crumble? Didn't they respect the legacy of Commander Hurricane, the formation of Equestria, the sanctity of the seasons?
They could have sat on their lazy flanks for all I cared. I had a job to do. If I needed to be a hero, then I was more than ready.
I sped over hilltops and lake beds. After cresting the ridge of a sharp plateau, I at last saw it. My heart leapt up to my throat. Cloudsdale was still in one piece. That meant that I wasn't too late! I still had time to save everypony! I had to be strong enough; I had to be fast enough.
With the cold winds whistling past my ears, I climbed sharply and made for the heights of the floating city. Wandering pegasi glanced and smiled at me, their innocent faces gawking at my hurdling approach. They waved at me, caught in blissful ignorance. I tried looking in their eyes, but all I saw were spirals.
I had no time to lose.
"Everypony!" I shouted. "Get out of here! This city's going to fall!"
To my shock, they gasped and stammered in confusion.
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"What does she mean?!"
"Cloudsdale... Falling... hahahaha!"
"I mean it!" I shouted. "It's going to Fall! Discord is using his freaky magic to tear our kingdom to shreds! You gotta get out of here before the buildings fall out underneath you!"
"Discord?!"
"Who's Discord?!"
"Does this have anything to do with the clouds turning pink?"
"How could Cloudsdale fall?!"
"Nnnnngh!" Growling, I spun around and flew towards the first pony I could recognize. Gripping her by the shoulders, I shouted into her face. "Derpy! We've flown together countless times You know that I'm the most loyal pegasus there is! You gotta tell them! All of you have to believe me! Cloudsdale is doomed!"
"Whoah! Calm down, Rainbow Dash!" Derpy exclaimed. One of her eyes rotated towards me, and she squinted. "Say, why are your all gray? And your eyes are swirly..."
"You're one to talk!" I hissed and shoved her away. "Don't you featherbrains get it?!" I yelled at those hovering around me. "We're royally screwed! We gotta evacuate the city and then get a weather team to support the lower cloud beds and—" A deep rumble alighted my ears. I gasped, my eyes blinking wide. "Did you hear that?! It's happening already! Come on, everypony! Follow me!"
I soared towards the far end of the city. After passing two large pillars of sky marble, I looked over my shoulder. I braked in midair and hovered, panting incredulously. "What the hay?! Why aren't you helping?"
"Rainbow Dash? Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash. Snkkkt—hehehehe... is there something in Prancingville's water? Hahaha!"
"Ponyville!" I shouted back, snarling. "And I couldn't give a flying feather about that stupid old town right now! You gotta help me save Cloudsdale! Lives depend on it!"
"Cloudsdale's fine, Rainbow Dash. You, on the other hoof..."
"Yeah, when was the last time you saw a doctor, Rainbow?"
"Or a mirror. Hahahaha!"
"Nnnngh!" I kicked a cloud in their direction, forcing them to duck and shriek. "Fine! If you wanna fall and get crushed into the earth, be my guest! But don't say I didn't warn you!" I spat on my hooves, rubbed them together, and sped my wings into a blurring beat. "There's only room in Equestria for one hero! Make way!"
I soared through the foundations of Clousdale. Ponies gasped and dodged my descent at the last second. I heard murmuring voices soaring past me, words of concern, frantic voices asking for the local police. I didn't give them the light of day. I had a city to save. It was up to me. It was all up to me.
I had to do this. I had to. I had...
You don't have to do anything, Belle.
Delusional Dash to the rescue...
Grey is the new Blue.
What was that about anchors and guilt? Discorded Dash gets those loyalty wires all crossed. Lots of magic at play here, we'll have to (once again) wait and see how the pieces fall.
This scene is what happened off screen for Dash during the Discord episode. Cloudsdale won't fall, but upon her return to Ponyville she'll arrive just in time to see Twilight's first attempt (with spike as RD) fail with the demise of the mane 5. What is called into question is how much of even that event is an illusion created by Dash's state of mind.
Belle is living a memory of an illusion. INCEPTION.
So.
Meanwhile Discord incinerates the others.
(Wow im within the first ten this time)
Um is it sequencing again? Reliving that moment that we don't get to see in the show where dash arrives in cloudsdale. (I really did wanna see more of her in the secind half....)
Thrill Of It All = Black Sabbath
1615926
I think that when RD returns to Ponyville, she finds thr destruction. Having been Discorded and f,ying to Cloudsdale will probably br whay saved her from being killed(?) like the other elements.
this is the first return of discord right?
1615926>>1616559
This is probably where Austraeoh's universe diverges from canon MLP. Something happens differently between now and Dash's return to Ponyville, and Dash begins her trip east, leading into the first few chapters of Austraeoh. I wonder what SSE has in store for the unfortunate 80% of the Mane 6 who don't survive...
1617092
nothing good, that's for sure.
1617092
They get turned into ash and weird string things. It's in Austraeoh if you look hard enough, and is referenced a couple of times in this fic too.
Oh, man. I always did wonder about the day that Dash lost everything. Seeing it now? Awesome (In a really sad-for-Dash way, of course).
Wow Dash went insane there. I love it!! Keep up the good work Discord.
1617573
Yes, but we've never seen how. We just know that it happened.
1618728
I do suppose so. Probably all Discord's fault, anyways.
Now we figure out what happened.
1618778 Or perhaps some sort of bad magical rebound with the incomplete elements, which is my personal theory.
Well more delusional dashie.
Interesting chapter, doesn't feel like it has too much significance in the long run, but chances are I'm wrong. :D
Onwards!
Yay, Discord era backstory! Did Cloudsdale actually end up falling in this continuity, I wonder? Or was Dash just being all crazy like everyone else? Onward!
You're not ok, Rainbow Dash!
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So this is rather interesting memory for Belle and the readers to be shown. It's a bittersweet chapter, though - it reminds us of how Dash's corrupt and futile efforts brought her to Cloudsdale and not to her friends while they were attacked and then killed. But it makes me wonder what memories we'll see next...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Six minutes to spare! This is the second night in a row that I've evaluated particularly late.
I still find it interesting that we skipped Discord's screen time. Maybe it wasn't really relevant but it strikes me as something a bit odd.
1842466
oh hey, man are you diligent. Also, wow did I take a long break from this series. Seriously, you were a third of the way through story one last time I was here.
I guess there is an upside to waiting so long. I get to read the evaluations. Ahhh, brings back good memories of the first 30ish chapters.
Argh
My feels
When you scream and there's no one there to listen
but you were chasing the wrong thing all along...
Crazy Dashie is back And that's the reason that all her friends died.
And so she tries to save Cloudsdale. Oh man, is she in store for a rude awakening.
This is gonna hurt.
And here we get a glimpse into the mind of someone who's been Discorded. Poor Dash. At least someone noticed the whole grey thing. Why does nopony in the show notice that?
Discord is definitely either Father or Solf J. Kimblee...
6497270
Because most of the ponies in the show wouldn't know a manticore form a manicure and if they did they all have the 'someone else will save the day' attitude
1615926 https://www.myinstants.com/instant/inception-button/
Damn.
Take out that bit, and this genuinely feels like it could be a deleted scene in The Return of Harmony.