“There are two hundred and two imps total,” Jex said, hobbling past a line of squatting figures under the shadow of Lounge Spheres. “I've counted them all.”
The Lounge's leader tilted his helmeted head down to look at the paraplegic goblin. “And they all have surrendered?”
“Yes. Unanimously.” Jex exhaled. “They didn't even need to vote. Besides...” He gazed at the smoldering wreckage of the Gamma ship. “Their armada is destroyed. Their Boss is dead...”
“Then it was the defeat that pacified them...” the naga said.
Jex scuffled to a stop, his ears pointed back as he frowned. “No. Don't you see?” He swiveled on his crutch to face that suited creature. “We've needed this. It's something we've required for a long time.”
“Forgive me if I do not share your optimism,” the Lounge leader said. Steam vented from his helmet as his voice crackled, “By the glory of Quezaat, we have observed your kind for centuries. You've only ever been heading towards complete ruin.”
“But this is different.” Jex's eyes narrowed. “She is different. She can help us all change.”
“The Vaughan's words are certainly noble and poetic, but—”
“Goblins are drawn towards a spirit of growth and industrialism,” Jex said. “Over the years, we've allowed ourselves to forget what we're capable of, but instead obsess over what others have been able to accomplish. We've let greed and envy control us. But now...?” He shook his head. “I think we're ready to stop murdering and enslaving. There are deeper mines in this world to scour.”
The naga tilted his helmeted head to the side. “And just what makes you think the Cartel's capable of change?”
“Because she's capable of change.” The imp bore a bittersweet smile. “And so am I.”
The Lounge leaned back, folding his sleeved limbs. “I still can't guarantee that my brothers and I won't be compelled to annihilate your putrid race in the future.”
“When that future comes, I assure you, we'll be as honorable as the Val Roans.” Jex's eyes narrowed. “And you don't attack them do you?”
“Negative.” The naga's helmet vented more steam. “Granted, the Cartel's uglier.”
Jex's razor sharp teeth showed through a grin. “We'll work on that too.”
“And you think the Vaughan will help?”
“No. But maybe the Val Roans might.”
“I do not envy the struggle that's ahead of you,” said the naga. “As far as the Lounge is concerned: keep your dirty claws off the skystone and we'll keep our aggression to the southern swamps.”
“Someday, these claws will be clean.”
“Quezaat willing, my heart and flesh will be long consumed by then.”
Just then, the air rolled with steam thrusters and skystone energy.
Several of the seated goblins looked up, squinting. Naga soldiers twirled about, raising their firearms with caution.
Slowly, engines rumbling, the Tarkington lowered to the floor. Its port side window flew open, and Rainbow Dash hopped out, hovering alongside the hull. Her ruby eyes reflected dozens upon dozens of defeated imp faces, along with the smoldering wreckage behind them.
“It seems as though your marefriend has control of things here!” Booster Spice shouted above the noise of the ship's engines. “Though, I'm not sure I like the look of these Lounge guys...”
“Booster, you should be more familiar with the Lounge than we are,” Rainbow said. “You think they'll go back on their word once they've promised fealty to a pony?”
Booster shook his head. “No, I imagine not. Sorry... still a bit shaken up...”
“You're not alone, buddy.”
“Rainbow...” Bellesmith stood inside the ship, sticking close to Pilate. “As much as I would like to check up on Roarke, erm...” The mare bit her lip.
Pilate spoke up. “We've no doubt she's handled herself magnificently. But, if it's all the same to you, our little Kera is waiting for us inside the Capital...”
“Right.” Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes scanning the nearby ridge of stone. “Go to her. We'll meet up and talk this whole thing out.”
Belle exhaled shudderingly. “Rainbow...”
The pegasus twirled about, blinking.
Belle bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. “If... if it weren't for you... a thousand times over...”
“Hey... hey...” Rainbow breathed calmly, leaning in to nuzzle both Belle and Pilate at the same time. “No crying. Only living. Got it?”
Belle smiled, sniffling and nodding.
“We got it, Rainbow,” Pilate said with a calm grin. He reached out, felt the air, and eventually patted her shoulder. “See you in Val Roa.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow's eyes briefly darted towards the faint image of Yaerfaerda in the distance. “See ya soon...”
The Tarkington pulled back. Rainbow caught a brief glimpse of Props' and Zaid's sad faces before the door shut. Then, with billowing thrusters, the green ship needled its way north. A blockade of black spheres moved aside to give the heroic vessel proper airspace for travel.
After a deep breath, Rainbow Dash touched down and trotted across the wreck-strewn scene. She glanced at the patrolling naga to her left. They each stood tall and proud, watching her approach through their helmets. Rainbow looked to her right, spotting over two hundred goblins seated in surrendering poses. The imps tilted their heads down, melancholic and somber.
As Rainbow Dash began scaling a hill, she spotted a one-legged figure to her left. She froze in place, pivoted, and squinted at the character.
Jex gulped, shivering slightly on his haunches.
Rainbow took a deep breath. “She spared you,” the mare said in a dull tone. “How nifty.”
Jex shuddered. “She saved me.” He shook his head. “Even when I didn't deserve it.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow's eyes traced the horizon, and at last she spotted a squat brown figure seated on her haunches with her flank to her. “...she'll do that.”
The Lounge leader strolled up, clenching his gloved fists. “In truth, we only agreed to this juncture this because of the Vaughan's commitment.”
“Oh yeah?”
“She's assured us that once she's taken command of the Cartel in the South, she will institute a new industrialization program that will eliminate all unwanted goblin aggression.”
Rainbow stood still. Gradually, her fuzzy blue ears folded back. She swallowed a lump down her throat and eventually murmured, “She has, has she?”
“She may be unpredictable and conniving, but she is a pony of honor. We are forever in her debt for sparing Quezaat the disgrace of Razzar.” The naga gestured with gloved claws. “For that, it is an honor to have worked with you to spare our Val Roan neighbors from destruction.”
Rainbow finally exhaled. “This continent... will only benefit from her awesomeness.” She cleared her throat. “Now... if you'll excuse me...” She trotted lonesomely up the hill.
Jex and the naga leader looked on.
“I am confused. She is not happy for her?”
“Grmmf...” Jex grumbled. “You really are cold-blooded...”
Poor Rainbow Dash.
Maybe she'll find love on the Dark Side- perhaps, with a lovely resident named Swan Song, or maybe Rust.
Eeeeeeeeyup.
Time to split hairs.
Needs must.
Here it comes. The heart-to-heart.
Brace yourselves...
*le sigh...* this is so sad... i hate sad...
*sigh* Time to have a talk...
Today is the day of feels it seems.
One ticket to Feelstown, comin' up...
Next chapter, between anypair so far, will at least be Let It Go?
Fortunately, things seem, so far, to have been halted before Brighteyes.
Will we see Dash, Here I Go Again, On My Own?
or will it be together, Run With Us?
I still
thinkhope that Jex is going to take control of the Cartel instead. But IC likes to destroy hopesPrediction: RD gives Roarke a soundstone to keep in contact with.
RD gets embroiled in a conflict, and the soundstone gets exploded in the middle of it.
I do feel bad for Rainbow, but this has been long-since a necessary departure.
And for out forecast, we have feels for the remainder of this week, with highs in the Raindoarke region as well as the Ker-Bel-Late area, with a high chance of huge plot-twist for our weekend, and a phone call to Moon-Butt in the near future. Stay tuned for next week's forecast.
Y'know, I think I've finally pinned down why, exactly, the prospect of Rainbow being separated from her new friends leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I've previously thought that it was simply because she'd already lost one group of friends, and that it sucked that she (presumably) has to lose another. And I'm sure that's still part of it.
But I think what makes me really uneasy is what it suggests about the future of the story. Rainbow still has six installments ahead of her. I think it's reasonable to expect that she'll meet other creatures with friendship potential. But what then? How long until she has to give them up, too? How many sets of friends, how many love interests, will she be expected to go through? How much more hollow will each batch feel? And all as a result of the cosmic equivalent of "Just 'cuz'." At what point will the spark of harmony in the world be allowed to have some kind of lasting reward? Or will chaos have its way, insuring that the only thing waiting for her is a lonely end? Sacrifice is all well and good, but perpetual martyrdom wears thin after a while.
fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/028/0/2/rainbow_dash_sadface_by_iks83-d4nw9vj.gif
This may be the last arc with Roarke in it, but I'm hopeful. We haven't reached the end just yet.
...
Does anyone remember that dream/flash-forward/vision in the earlier chapters?
5582096
I find it hard to believe that all will end. Something tells me that Josho, Ebon and Eagle, at least, will follow her.
Booster has a life in the outlying territories of Val Roa, he can easily go back to them.
Floydien's Jury was destroyed, I feel like if he doesn't decide to settle down he'll fly on the jury to other parts of the bright side.
Kera, Belle, and Pilate have already tried to jump ship. Now there's no Shell to keep that from being permanent.
Roarke is to lead the goblins.
Zaid and Props could follow RD, but I just don't get the vibe.
Now, Josho basically has nothing to live for. I think he'll see Rainbow Dash on her adventure as long as he's able. Eagle will go with Evon. And Ebon, I feel, will go wherever Chrysalis goes- and I feel as though Chrysalis may try to accompany Rainbow Dash to the dark side, as a way of atoning for her sins/trying to reinvent herself, etc.
So I don't feel as if all will end here.
5582121
That's what I've been hoping, too. That somehow, some of the Jury, at least, will continue with her. It's just that the Narrative has seemed pretty adamant that Rainbow will have to leave them behind, with characters talking and angsting about it for hundreds of chapters now. And worse, Rainbow herself seems to have resigned herself to it. I suppose that bugs me, for some reason. The Grand Choke ends up feeling like some plot device to arbitrarily force a sundering of their group; it's apparently too dangerous for anyone else, but Rainbow gets a free ticket (because Austraeoh, I guess).
Meh, I dunno. I probably sound more irritated than I actually am. It's just been a pebble in my shoe for quite a few chapters now. It's hard to say how it'll all play out. Maybe you and my hopes are right, and this isn't the end of their little party. And then there's Skirts' ominous statement about how no one will be prepared for the ending of this installment. For all we know, something completely unforeseen will (probably) happen. Nothing to do but wait and see. And hell, even if worse comes to worst, I'll still read this thing.
M'am, the Tarkington radar is picking up an incoming feels storm.
5582121
5582182
Maybe the second half of the saga will be symmetrical, in that rainbow dash slowly loses more and more friends as she goes on on the Darkside, until in the last book she has to abandon everyone she meets.
I'll never understand these lizardmen.
The naga homeland would be an interesting place to see.
5582182
Really its SS&E's line about no one knowing what will happen in the end that makes me think that something else is going to go down real soon. All of them leaving and this just being goodbyes is just far to obvious really. Its exactly what should happen which is why I don't think its what will. However his quote could be referring to him doing the expected and everyone else thinking something huge is coming.
Dangit, I have to leave for work.
Okay, I'm going to read the next chapter at work.
5582113
If you're talking about the one with the Jury crash landing, I'm pretty sure that was a flashback.
Meanwhile, in an alternate dimension...
She is not going to see the others again, is she?
From a reader's point of view, this might be an immensely rejuvenating experience for the entire series.
Nyaa~ I sense endings. I dont like endings...
5583327
202 is a very specific number. It's a number just big enough to screw with people expecting exactly 200 of something.
here come the sappy cry-cry goodbye RD chapters
prepare your feel containers
The beginning of goodbye. I am resigned to the fate of the Jury.
-Spirit
It's happening
If the party splits, I think we'll all hate losing these OCs we've grown to love. But it may be an opportunity to revisit the lonely and gorgeous feel of those first chapters of Austraeoh. I trust you, ):(.
Roarke really did think of everything, didn't she?
my feels bunker is in woeful disrepair....
Here it comes...
59 chapters left. Guess it's licking wounds time, sorting out things with Chrysalis, parting ways with the Jury and RD continuing on her lonesome once again.
5925273 mine's collapsed, and the enemy has another salvo on the way.
5925273 Just like the noble jury! (☞゚∀゚)☞
too soon
Well... here comes a major attack on my heart. We've been waiting a long-ass time for this, and now it's finally here. Dash and Roarke get their reunion. Totally ready...
~SolidFire
6793959
Way too soon. We need at least till next book before 'dead Nancy Jane', or the broken RainRoarke ship, can be joked about.
Not sure I can take this next goodbye
The future stares Dash in the face.
:(