Eljunbyro

by Imploding Colon

Last Piece

Celestia's head turned to look at me for once. "Hmmm?" Her inquistion came out in a low hum as her glossy eyes reflected the nebulous miasma.

"It was... always your task to lead us, to rule over us, to... t-to protect us." I gulped and said, "But loyalty? You were a mentor to Twilight, your Highness. You were her teacher, her guardian. You took care of her because you chose to. Me?"

I turned towards the cyclone of chaos. I took two bold steps and stood on the dizzying edge of the phenomenon. "I didn't expect friendship, not here, not in this place. I didn't think I'd get along with so many ponies whom I'd not give a flying feather about had things gone differently. A frilly fashion designer, a party-crazed lunatic, and an anxious bookworm? Heh..." I smirked ever so slightly, staring into the ethereal black ribbons. "Totally uncool ponies. I shouldn't have given them the light of day. And yet..." I swallowed dryly, my throat sore. "I-I couldn't stop myself. They just.... They made me feel... feel s-so..."

She stared quietly at me.

I sighed and ran a hoof over my hair. My head hung, and as it did so, my chin brushed against the damnable weight of the pendant. I turned and looked at Celestia with my lips hanging between a grimance and a frown.

"I never thought I'd be born as the Element of anything, much less Loyalty. But it's taken their death to make me realize what I was... and how much more I could have been. Now I'm just as l-lonely and friendless as I was before I met them..." I took a breath and murmured forth, "But I'm not the s-same..."

"Rainbow Dash, your strong and resilient, but more than anything I sense in you the ability to adapt—"

"How long ago did you foresee the Elements scattering and being bound to bearers?"

"You are defined by more than just that pendant around your neck—"

"How long ago, Princess?!" I growled.

Her nostrils flared slowly. She leaned her head back, her eyes trained on me. "Since they were crafted from the Harmonic Prism," she eventually said. "At the beginning of all things, when my sister and I brought life and purpose to this world, I knew that the Elements could eventually be broken down and disseminated among mortals for the sake of protecting the tranquility of this plane." Her wings flexed slightly as she spoke. "When the thousand years of Nightmare Moon's imprisonment was coming to an end, I felt that the time was right to give the power to the ponies of Equestria. That's how Loyalty came to you, Rainbow Dash. You were in the right time and place, as was my st-studen, Twilight." She hung her head with a heavy sigh. "I am sorry that your choice was not involved in the matter, but neither was mine."

I clenched my teeth and stared back into the blackness. "Mmmm... Yeah," I muttered. "I'll buy that. Most of it, anyway." My brow furrowed. "Couldn't the Elements have been safer as they were? Did you really need to lose control of something that you began?"

"You are right when you say that loyalty is not my department."

I turned and gazed curiously at her.

She was staring back, and her eyes were strangely week. "I am not immortal, Rainbow Dash. And neither is my sister."

My lips parted. Squinting, I raised a hoof and stammered, "But I thought—"

"I have lived for a long time, and I shall continue to live even longer, but not forever," she said, shaking her head. "What my royal subjects believe to be true is something that has protected them and their interests for countless eons. However, there will come a day when my sister and I will no longer have the strength to breathe. Like the alicorns who came before us, we shall perish, and all of the magic and energy we've brought to this world will be left to the devices of this plane." She cocked her head slightly to the side. "What are we to do? Allow things to decay? To fall to ruin? I am incapable of infinite loyalty, Rainbow Dash. But you, you are incredibly gifted and spectacularly versatile. A mortal such as yourself is capable of expressing loyalty infinitely, in such a precious and finite frame. I may not have been the force behind the Element of Loyalty choosing you, but I can see that it was a good choice. You brought Twilight and the other Bearers great joy and contentment. I suspect you were no less fulfilled while you were together."

I was breathing heavily at this point. I hung my head to avoid her gaze. My legs were shaking.

"Rainbow Dash..."

I didn't look at her.

"Rainbow, you did not need to come here. You did not need to see me. I sense great anger and distrust in your soul, and I cannot rightly blame you for such churning emotions. Still, you came here, facing the very sights and sounds of that which took our most precious companions. For what reason, I ask? I may be capable of sensing many things, but the complexities of your mind are a secret to me." Her horn glowed as she stabilized a rippling wave of chaotic energy and glanced at me once again. "I may be capable of fixing the heart of Equestria, but it is you I wish to repair most of all. You're the last piece of Harmony, Rainbow Dash. You're all that remains of something in this world that was good and pure. Please tell me how I may be able to help you."

"I came..." I whispered. I glanced up at her, frowning, and my vision was foggy. "I came... to give you something... the only thing you need..."

Her expression twisted in confusion.

I wasn't finished yet. "You say that I'm the last piece of Harmony? I wish that was true, your Highness. I'm just the pony carrying the last piece." That said, I brought my hooves to my neck.

Celestia's jaw dropped. "Rainbow Dash! Don't—!"

"It wasn't me who took out Discord with the power of the elements!" I said, seething into a blinding wave of dizziness as I hoisted the golden necklace off me and held it out towards her on quivering hooves. "It was this stupid thing! This right here is more important than me and more powerful than you!"

"Put it back on this instant! You'll die without it—"

"I'm alone either way!" I shouted, the hair rising on my neck as the world spun in madness. "Now take the last fragment of your stupid Harmony and finish what you started!" I heaved, fighting the bile rising up my throat. My head was splitting in two and bleeding out my forhead. "Be smart! Y-you can't be loyal to me forever! Be l-loyal to Equestria and use it f-for something better than k-keeping a miserable pegasus alive..."

"Rainbow Dash, without you, Harmony won't be—" She stopped in mid speech, gazing up as a huge wave of disruptive energy billowed through the black vortex. "Good heavens... the rift..." The blackness spread thicker and thicker, pounding against the walls of the half-constructed tower. Rivulets formed in the concrete blocks. Dust and debris flew in the wind. "It's intensifying! Rainbow Dash! Put the pendant back on! Please!"

I had collapsed at this point, wheezing and curling up into a fetal position. I felt on fire all over; the pain was unbearable. I closed my eyes and begged for the dark beyond the incoming wave of numbness. Maybe I'd be alone there, but I wouldn't be in the condition to know it.

"Rainbow! I can't do it for you! Sister! Luna, please—!"

Thunder and noise. I tasted my own blood. I clasped my hooves together and found talons instead.

So cold. Applejack hated the cold. I was always around. If only she asked for a hug. I wouldn't have made a big deal about it. No tears. No shivers.

If she had only asked...

Comments

[That_one_guy]

:c

[The 24th Pegasus]

So if Rainbow dies, then the chaos rift in Ponyville spirals out of control?

Guess that's the final motivation for her going east, and giving us this wonderful story

[silvadel]

Oh Rainbow Dash, only you would walk right up to the fount of chaos and then take off the amulet — I think if you gathered 10,000 ponies together in a room and asked them what they would do in that situation — 10,000 ponies would give answers that were NOT taking off the amulet.

[trackbum]

oh snap.

[terrycloth]

1695141 Now, if you asked 10,000 roleplayers, at least half would try to throw the amulet *into* the rift...

[Pilate]

1695135
I think it's more that being so close to the rift is causing a reaction with the energies inside Dash.

The character exposition here in great, and it really helps put into perspective the underlying loyalty theme seen throughout Austraeoh. Everything about Rainbow is summed up here, loyalty to everyone and everything except herself, full of regret, and deeply conflicted over the dichotomy of trying to be fiercely independent while at the same time wanting nothing more than companionship with just the right amount questions regarding destiny. Even more rooted in conflict is the selfish mask of altruism Dash puts on to try and ease her own emotional pain. Once again we see loyalty get misconstrued, or perhaps reinterpreted, to fit a personal goal. How interesting that the element defined to ascribe priority to others is so often put in the context of self.

On a more local level, the exposition really helps put into context Dash's overly-brash—even for her—behavior. Her pain and fear of being alone have driven her to a literal end. We saw her nearly get killed multiple times via unnecessary risks taken that were extreme even for her, and eventually saw her nearly accomplish that goal of ending it all upon finding something (or someone?) worth fighting for in Silvadel. What this says about loyalty I don't know, but there is certainly a lot more bubbling under the surface, and that is certain now, than pure escapism. "Awesome" is a shell that hides some very dark and very deep-cutting emotion. It seems it maybe always has.

[silvadel]

1695216

Thank goodness ponies are different in that manner.

[ShadowBro]

1695273

"Loyalty" is a noun that quantifies a person's devotion to others, this is true, but Loyalty is not Generosity. It is not necessary to be Loyal because you want to, after all. It is even possible to lose your life being loyal to someone or a group of people, but still not because you want to. Loyalty may be born from obligation or from faith, but utter devotion to a person or persons for nothing more than the fact that they exist is must, by necessity, include elements of Honesty, Kindness, and Generosity. Laughter, then, helps tie all of it together, and Magic serves to direct and power that bond.

In other words: reiteration of MLP's driving point: One cannot stand alone and friendless, for even the most powerful may be easily destroyed by the bonds of fellowship.

As such, it is an interesting, but not surprising fact that Loyalty is often described in the context of the self. For often it is assumed that such devotion of one's body and mind to the wellbeing of another individual must, by necessity, be selfless. And yet this is almost never true, as humans (or ponies) are not be nature thinking of others. This is normal. Staying alive would be difficult, after all, if you cared more about everyone else than you did for your own survival.

Anyway. Longwinded philosophy is longwinded. Sorry.

[Misplaced Modifier]

Subject: Rainbow Dash
Suffix Title Obtained: "The last Piece"
Preview: "Rainbow Dash, the last Piece"

-Minty

[Ledomare]

Well. So if she takes it off, not only does she die, but Discord takes over her body, and Ponyville is almost instantly destroyed.

Also, although I don't have the time to make another gigantic philosophy comment, I will simply say that I agree with both the previous ones. And it does seem that Dash's nature throughout Austraeoh, and here in Eljunbyro, is a combination of her being linked to the still-alive Element of Loyalty, her own emotional strife over losing Applejack and the other Mane 6, and a misconstrued shade of adventurousness that sometimes borders on the suicidal, perhaps echoing her anger and sadness in causing Equestria and the Mane 6 to end up the way they have. I don't exactly know how the Armory will fix that, but it sure as heckfire gives Dash a last mission to fulfill, and a way to reconcile with herself and bring closure to the Mane 6.

Wow, I ended up making that a lot larger than I expected. You guys, always bringing out my rantey, long-winded side.

[Future Regret]

I'm still thinking there's a few more chapters before we get to where austreoh started

[Cynderfall]

1696594
I have a question.
...Are you related to Colgate?

[zaponator]

She is really getting the tar kicked out of her lately.
Now I sense we are getting closer and closer to The Awakening, when Bellesmith finally brings the wind back to Austraeoh.

[Misplaced Modifier]

1697019
Hmm, I just may be, further study is required!

-Minty

[Personifire]

Dang it. Stupid Dash is stupid.

[Aqua Fortis]

One thing that still interests me is the complete lack of awareness both Celestia and Luna have for what is apparently the impending death of the world. Despite both of them having deep connections to the land and sensing abilities far beyond that of any other ponies, a holed-up dragon matriarch on the edge of the world was able to piece together that the cataclysmic end was less than a century away. How could Axan (and likely Whitemane) have discovered this information, yet the two most powerful beings in the world remain blissfully ignorant? I really have no theories regarding this discrepancy, as it seems like the Princesses have really dropped the ball here. It's not exactly related to the events of this chapter, but the discussion of Celestia's longevity prompted me to wonder why she has remained unaware for so many millenia that the world has an expiration date.

[bigchibz110]

this background...long awaited...so backgroundie
"this guy" ^

[Psyco Josho]

I'd take a gamble and bet that she doesn't die.

[Riverwing]

1695273
Holy analysis Batman!

[MellowMabari]

Ah - again with the sad Appledash! I think once this story ends I'm going to have to write my own little blurb that gives everyone a happy ending just to feel better (like I did in grade six after reading Where the Red Fern Grows - actually the same teacher also made me read Bridge to Terabithia - I'm pretty sure he wanted to crush all of our innocence)

I really like this interpretation of Rainbow Dash. She bases her own value on her friends, so all of that bravado is just a way to make up for it when they're not there. The habit stayed even when she was with them, and kinda became her personality. Its really sad seeing her character so depressed, though. She just wants an AJ hug

Anywho, until tomorrow. I think this has become my daily dose of feels.

[Swann]

"Rainbow Dash, your strong and resilient, but..."

You're*

For once I'm glad I'm last to the party. I have too much work what with finals raking me over the coals to go into any in-depth analysis at the moment. Good stuff as always from PIlate, though.

[Future Regret]

Why does IC update so late? Hes gotta be in a different time zone or something, right?

[AppleTank]

We're going back to Belle, aren't we. Going unconscious and all...

[dashie76]

IIIIIt's Dashie's Ninth Marathon Evaluation Time!

Well then. That was unexpected.
The biggest thing in this chapter, I think, is that we now know something new about the chaos rift. Not only will Dash's condition worsen when she is close to it, but if chaos takes over her, the rift will consume the plane. That's...not good. Recall that Luna gave the chaos rift situation fifty years to be solved at a minimum. A minimum! Dash has less than a year to live. I'm pretty sure that the destruction of all existence has just been confirmed, correct me if I'm wrong.
Also, we get talons. That's new.
These are my thoughts so far.

-MASH

P.S. Alright, we're in the home stretch. Only three left, and then I can sleep!

P.S. 1887397...I though I got you...I have to, by the end of this at least...

[ThatPoemGuy]

Celestia = Jedi

This is Australia...

[CrimsonPhoenix]

I....really have a thing with transformation......but I don't want this.

[Ophidian Eremite]

1697799

That is an interesting situation that I've been thinking about myself as well since Axan first mentioned it. Seems just plain fishy. But I think there is a possible solution to this in the previous chapter:

All was good with the world, for there was harmony... a harmony that existed in the souls and not in the substance of this reality."
...
My sin is not overestimating the resilience Twilight had at her disposal, but underestimating the forces of energy this universe had to offer in resistance. If I had been subtler, if I had kept a distance, then maybe... she would still be here today..."

Remember that Axan accused both celestial goddesses of causing the world to be in the current state of collapse through forcing harmony into the world. So perhaps Celestia's plan was to encourage harmony to occur naturally as part of the world and once it had done so harmony could 'heal' (not quite the right word, but...) the world and prevent the end Axan saw. It wasn't that they didn't notice Axan's 'end of the world', they saw it as something to be overcome with craft and subtlety, rather than inevitable. Despite all of the exposition dumps, there are certain things about this story that will, I think, ever be a mystery. We may be seeing a more blatantly exposed answer sooner than later at this rate, however.

[Regidar]

"I came..."

me too, Rainbow Dash
me too

[iloveportalz0r]

>Rainbow Dash, your strong and resilient
Do you mean "you're"?

[whizzball1]

Wait, so if Dash's survival is critical to the holding of the chaos rift, and Dash has only 1 year to live, and the chaos rift will take at least 50 years to heal...
The world is doomed.
Unless Dash can get to the Midnight Armoury within a year and restore the Elements of Harmony, thus capturing chaos once again and restoring the balance of harmony and chaos.

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

Sometimes, taking away the pain, the sorrow, the hurt . . . is far easier than standing it. When you are but one tree in a forest that once was, what are you to do?

[Zecoro]

4739239 Yup. That kind of suicide, i don't blame one for.

[Aiyonbeam]

Wow, this got really dark really quickly. But, to be honest, when you're dealing with the loss of the five ponies who brought you out of your shell and made you the mare you were, it hits pretty hard.

The big text will still be here. But I won't.

[**Beert]

That was kinda selfish...

[FOXTrot2]

Rainbow, you did not need to come here. You did not need to see me. I sense great anger and distrust in your sou

I sense a disturbance in the force.

[FOXTrot2]

That's scene when the chaos rift fluctuated and grew, has to be the most epic and awe inspiring thing I could ever imagine.

[Dashie04]

She was my Stu-studen, Twilight

Like this chapter, but what the hay is a studen?

[CrystalWaters]

9166503
Student.