—Rainbow Dash awoke, wide-eyed and sputtering.
"Haaaaaaauckkkttt!"
Her wings flapped instinctively, and her trembling body rose from a pile of blankets. A canvas tent loomed overhead, and beyond that—outside—twilight and gray urbanity.
Pastel faces spun towards her, full of grins and gasps.
"Dashieee!" Pinkie Pie hollered, diving through her anchor with a desperate attempt at a hug.
"Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy covered her muzzle, stifling happy tears. "Oh my g-goodness! She's back! She's really back this time!"
"Yeeeeeeeeha!" Applejack cheered. "'Bout darn time!"
"Smashing!" Rarity reared her ghostly forelimbs. "A true, true blessing to finally have you awake, darling!"
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle hovered up close. "I can't believe it! Talk to us! What do you remember?" A few blinking seconds later, her smile vanished. "Uhhhh... Rainbow? You don't look so good."
This was probably because Rainbow Dash was busy thrashing about, punching and kicking at the air with all her available limbs.
"Oooh!" Pinkie Pie sat up, grinning. "Victory pose-coma dance! I love doing those!"
"Awwwwwww shoot." Applejack grimaced with the others. "Somethin's wrong with her, isn't there?"
"She's... she's in shock!" Fluttershy whimpered. "The poor thing—"
"Somepony, do something!" Rarity flailed about. "For Celestia's sake! There must be a way to contact the others!"
"Like how, Rarity?!" Twilight Sparkle scowled. "You know as well as I do there's nothing we can do—!"
"Oh praise Goddess!" Fluttershy's voice cracked as she pointed out the tent. "It's Ariel! She's coming!"
"Thank heavens!" Rarity breathed.
Sure enough, there was a gust of wind. Ariel suddenly arrived at the tent flap, wide-eyed and breathless. "H-holy shit, Rainbow?!" She almost grinned.
"Rnnngh... guhhh..." Rainbow was already soaking in a cold sweat. Pinprick eyes darted every which way. "The Spark! Mrnnnngh... Shards of Endrax! Guhhhhh! She clutched her aching skull and bit her bottom lip until it bled. "Hrnnnngh... Song of Circles! H-Harmonic Prism...!"
Ariel winced. "Awwwwwww jeez..." A dark, feathery body came to a screeching halt just ouside the tent. Ariel turned to face the griffin. "Wildcard! Go fetch Kepler! Quick!"
Flesh and metal talons scraped the air inquisitively.
"Yes—Yes. She's back—but she's freakin' out super hard! I think it might be the spider crap in her blood! Now go get Keps already!"
The Desperado saluted, and the tent flap billowed from his hasty flight across the abandoned city. Meanwhile, Ariel slinked in and nimbly caught Rainbow's flailing fetlocks in her own.
"Rainbow—Rainbow Dash!" she hollered.
"Grnnngh!" Rainbow shook and squirmed all over the blankets, fighting with Ariel's grip. "Darkness. So... much... darkness... I... I can't p-possibly be bright enough!"
"Get ahold of yourself! You're no longer an audience to Miss Spider Queen! You're here! With us!" Ariel smiled awkwardly while fighting with Rainbow's forelimbs. "The Herald's got your—"
"Ignite the flame..." Rainbow shook and convulsed. "Guhhhh...!"
"Rainbow, please..."
"H-how can I ignite the flame?!" She gnashed her teeth, tears streaming. "The Factions! They've got the Shards! It's... it's impossible! It's just... simply... impossible—!"
A gray muzzle leaned in and gave her nose the softest and girliest of kisses.
"... ... ..." Rainbow froze in place, blinking.
By then, Ariel had leaned back with a friendly smile. "It's Ariel." Warm eyes. "Remember?"
"... ... ..." Rainbow's eyes twitched, finally relaxing. "... ... ...hiya, Toots."
"Eheheheh..." Ariel raised Rainbow gently into a sitting position. "Please forgive me. I... uh... had to get you to calm down somehow."
"Don't be sorry." Rainbow nevertheless rubbed her nose. Hugging herself, she looked across the tent with mild trembles. "I'm just... just..." Teeth chattered. "Luna Poop... I heard so much... I felt so much! The Winter Song..." Her head shook with a flounce of her short mane. "...it's no friggin' joke!"
"Yeah..." Ariel nodded, leaning back inside the tent. "I could have told you that. You were out of it for a long while after they reeled the three of you back to the upper city."
"Mrmmmfff... 'long while,' huh?" Rainbow Dash buried her scrunched muzzle in two forelimbs. "Grffff... like how long? A few hours? Half a day?"
"Uhm..." Ariel fidgeted, avoiding Rainbow's gaze. "...more like two weeks..."
Rainbow froze in place.
"Oh boy..." Applejack took off her ghostly hat and fanned herself with it. "Here it comes."
"Brace yourselves!" Twilight squeaked.
Slowly, Rainbow Dash looked up with a gaping expression. "Two. Weeks."
"Uh huh..."
"I was out for two whole friggin' weeks?!" Rainbow's voice cracked.
"Hey!" Pinkie Pie floated sideways, shrugging. "Could have been worse, Dashie! At least it wasn't two months!"
"Pinkie..." Rarity groaned.
"But it's okay, though!" Ariel insisted, putting on a hopeful smile. "You're fit as a fiddle! Not a scratch or bed sore on you!" She crossed her fuzzy heart. "I promise!"
"But... but... t-two weeks?!" Rainbow's voice cracked again. "Celestia on a bike, Ariel! How did I even eat or drink?"
"Uhm..." Ariel squirmed, blushing slightly. "Very... very awkwardly."
"You..." Rainbow's eyelids narrowed until they were paper-thin. "...did you feed me?"
"Mmmmmmmm... kinda. I guess you could say that."
The hairs on the back of Rainbow's neck stood up slightly. "It wasn't any meat, was it?"
"Oh, no!" Ariel waved her forelimbs dramatically. "I didn't! I couldn't!"
Rainbow exhaled with relief.
"See, Rainbow?" Fluttershy smiled. "Your friends wouldn't betray you."
"And don't worry about how 'uncool' it may sound." Ariel chuckled breathily. "It wasn't necessarily as messy as you might be thinking." She bit the corner of her lip, glancing towards the far corner of the tent. "Not as messy as... other things."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Wait." She looked up with a foalish expression. "What—?"
"But what matters now..." Ariel leaned in and hugged Rainbow with a happy, happy smile. "...is that you're back and in one piece!" A slight nuzzle was added at the end. "Heeeeeee—"
"Hang on a sec..." Rainbow gently pushed Ariel away. "No... no no no no..." She tried standing up, only to wobble in place. "This can't be right!"
Ariel blinked at her. 'What can't be right?"
"Guhhh!" Rainbow plopped back down onto her belly, grimacing. "That can't be all of it!"
"All of what?"
"The song!" Rainbow's voice rasped. "Abaddon's friggin' ballad!"
"Oh! Excellent!" Twilight Sparkle "trotted" closer to their anchor. "I've been absolutely dying to ask you about that, Rainbow—"
"I didn't learn anything!" Rainbow Dash growled.
Twilight recoiled, eyes wide. "You... didn't...?!"
"I-I-I mean..." Rainbow fought the urge to hyperventilate. "...nothing m-more than I already knew!"
"Really?" Fluttershy's muzzle hung agape. "You learned nothing new at all?!"
"Oh, sure!" Rainbow huffed, eartips turning red in anger. "The Shards of Endrax! Gotta catch 'em all! Something something blood, sweat, and explosions. Yadda yadda yadda. I was born for that fetch-quest crap. But—COME ON!" She yanked at the closest thing she could touch—Ariel's mane. "What about Ilrifa?!? Who is she?! And how much did Gardez know, huh?! And what's with the Flux and this 'new strategy' of the Bloodwings and what's powering up the Night Shard?!?"
"Ow ow ow..." Ariel winced, feeling her skull being tugged. "Rainbow—!"
Rainbow collapsed on the ground, pulling at her own bangs this time. "Grnnnngh... I was so close to figuring it all out! Why does Abaddon gotta hold so much back?! UGH!" She rolled her eyes savagely. "Worst. Elder. Exposition. EVER!" A sudden wave of nausea overtook her. "Whoahhhh..."
"Rainbow Dash, just calm down and try to be reasonable about all this!" Rarity exclaimed. "Maybe there's more to what she's said than what's on the surface!"
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "We can help you use your dash-deducing tools of reasoning to figure it all out in time—"
"Time?!" Rainbow stifled a gross belch from deep inside her system. "Urp... I d-don't have any time!" She shook and shivered. "Between Tchern's Flux and the Bloodwings' latest campaign and the Night Shard's strengthening power, I h-haven't any time to fart around!" She fought another wave of nasuea and whimpered on. "If any Faction gets the upper hoof on the other and wins a second Shard of Endrax, then the Midnight Armory is all theirs! And then we... we're royally..." Rainbow's eyes derp'd as she shuddered, turning green. "What in the heck did you feed me, girl?"
"Only bleakweed and mushrooms!" Ariel stammered. "I swear!"
"What the hay's wrong with her?" Applejack asked.
"I think it's the residual effects of the spider venom," Fluttershy said. "Even after two weeks of being in a coma, she's still having to deal with it."
"Don't worry, Dashie!" Pinkie leaned in to smile into the nauseated pegasus' face. "We've stuck it out with you this long! We're gonna see you through this, gurrrrrrrrrrl!"
"I... feel..." Rainbow's tongue hung out. "... ... ...so blargharliffic..."
"Awwwwww..." Ariel leaned in and gently stroked Rainbow's shoulder. "You poor, poor Austraeoh." A wink. "Just rest easy, Rainbow. You'll feel better in no time."
"Mrmmmff... so... not awesome..."
"What you did down there in Abaddon's lair was super awesome and brave." Ariel grinned. "And—look at it this way! According to Merula, you've been doing way... way better than Commander Gwen of the Emeraldinian Expedition faired so many years ago!"
Just as the Heraldite said that—
"BLEEAAAAAACHKKKKKTTTTT!!!" Rainbow Dash hurled yesterday's dinner all over her edge of the tent.
"Whoah nelly!" Applejack sounded.
"Ewwwwwwww!" Rarity batted her forelimbs at the scene while clenching her eyes shut.
Ariel gulped. "Then again..." She murmured.
A gust of wind announced Kepler's entrance. The wyvern stucked his hairy head into the tent. "Harrk! I came as soon as I hearrd! How is ourr beloved Austrraeoh doing?!"
"Hraaaaaaaaauck-spkttttttt—pewwww"
Kepler blinked through his spectacles. "Ach. Is that all?"
IT'S ALIVE!
I've heard of puking up another chapter, but this is ridiculous.
Pinkie knows our pain
Rainbow is saying what we are all thinking.
Well, what im thinking at least.
Why cant elder gods be clear for once?
I screeched when I saw this.
Curses!
We were promised barfing the likes of which could not be described with words!
This is merely a puke of powerful proportions.
So far....
The first 30 seconds of this video are me
horse Jesus lives
I am excite.
Guess who’s back
Back again
):(‘s back
Tell a friend
8754786
Welcome aboard! Better pack that armor, we're going feet first into hell, and once more unto the breach!
Ahhh...welcome back, my favorite daily.
Welp, after reading these newest two chapters, all I have to say is this:
"'Cause I'm your guide in all this darkness.
The igniter to your flame.
And we'll burn it all away."
Yep. Dark Side theme song still checks out.
Also, Ariel is still a-d'awwwww-able.
8754821
Thanks!
I've been AT the party for a long, long time.
Just stepped out to get some air, then got lost for half a year
Quick, someone fetch Dash an antidote... or a full restore.
Calm down Dash, getting frustrated like that is just going to keep the venom moving through your system.
..wonder what Sera thought of all that.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
It is time. The signal has been given; the Austraeoh calls for aid! Look to the east and see the dawn rise on her wings!
Gather your weapons, gather your friends, and gather your courage,
for tonight
we
go
to
WAR!
The East Horse Legend continues! The race is on! Who will finish first, the canon series or Austraeoh?
Double down on the EEEEEEing? Apply blood directly to their wings?!
Well. the ruby guys are the ones making use of all the death and suffering, so Id say they should be the first to go. then the rougue changelings.
The Bloodwings?
One good FUS RO RUNE BOOM, and theyll be taken out by their own weapons.
The difference between Crusader and me, is that Crusader uses precision surgical surface strikes.
I just vapourise the star system.
Hello. Magrathea class hyperspacial holographic condensation 3D printers? Riverworld style reach back in time and read your DNA and mind state and drop you alive in the present with same ease as a vending machine cup of coffee?
And thats not even close to the power, ability of True Gods.
Looks like she needs a little time to get back on her hooves, as for the lack of information, who says that it isn't a delayed system that is setup to only release certain information when certain criteria are met. That is what I would do at least to prevent information overload.
At any rate, it is good to have this back on track.
8754896
Our new strategy is being even more adorable than before.
At least gay horse back in business, just needs to take some Tums and she'll be right as rain.
And so, our intrepid east horse revives and finds herself confronted with the seemingly impossible.
Don't miss our next eructating episode "Three Ways to Die" or "Fetch Questing Until You Wanna Puke!"
Aww yeah. We're back on the road.
Back in the saddle as it twere, and quite refreshing to be as well
So basically, we just got a more detailed account of events we already knew about? Strange, I thought we'd go a bit deeper into the absoloute origins of the machine world and those who made it, if it wasn't the Angels. I also thought we'd get some more detail about exactly what is at stake, and what precisely would happen should Dash fail. The continuous use of the term 'Winter' is curious though, they use the terms for the seasons but in a metaphorical sense. They're sggesting some sort of cycle, which would make sense considering all the circle terminology. The last part about an 'Ascent' is interesting too. So when Dash gets what she's looking for she has to go up? Geographically? Or are we talking about a bodily ascention here?
Good ol' IC, giving us answers that leave us with questions! We love it really.
So she has been out of it for two weeks. Its kind of odd she hasn't seemingly learned anything but maybe there is something that she will have to piece together from what she does know? Some hidden knowledge that will only come to her when the time is right or is encoded somehow into what she saw.
That's all, folks!
8754927
I love reading your comments. I can almost barely never truly quite bring myself to understand what you're talking about. It's like the meaning of your statements is on the ultimate periphery of my cognitive abilities, just outside and in the offing of my understanding. It's awesome.
Also, if I'm reading it correctly then part of the vision stated that this piece of the circle was broken off from the rest, and the rest was left completely whole. So the ring wasn't so much destroyed As this piece was removed from the whole. Perhaps to save the whole, or to save this piece? Was this piece of the Ring infected and removing it was the only way to stop the infection from spreading? Can't wait to find out in the future.
I told you about the spiders, Rainbow. I warned you about the spiders!
I mean yeah, she was out for like three months there.
Ew, lol, poor Ariel.
kill me
Poor Rainbow just can't catch a break.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/3/23/277021__safe_animated_scootaloo_artist-colon-lamia_eyebrows_eyebrow+wiggle.gif
What a chunderful awakening.
8757369
Damn it, Hap.
"Words cannot adequately describe the amount of regurgitation that transpired."
TWO WEEKS?! At this rate, Rainbow might have still spent almost 50% of her journey in a coma.
8755710
You’re talking about Booster Spice, aren’t you.
clicks
…Yep, I called it.
eeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
An exposition dump, and now a stomach dump.
Silly Ariel, nose boops are done with hooves, not mouths.
Bedpans and Catheters! That's an unpleasant duty Ariel volunteered for.
Wouldn't it be funny if she accidentally barfed through one of the Ethereal Five? I bet AJ almost lost her hat dodging that.
And now must come the shadow. I fully embrace that no chapter will go without sanity getting torn at the edges...
To grok an end of all things known, do not envy Rainbow. Existential horror of the heat-death variety chills the soul; pray it doesn't fracture from the cold nor from too quick a thaw.
'Tis good to be back
Pinkie does have a point, her worst coma was a good ten months in Ledomare. Still, no reason to rush things, that leads to making mistakes
05/08/2018
02:22 UTC
I wonder...what she fed her with.
This is partially to be expected, as it is sort of like sequencing in a weird way that doesn't entirely make sense.
:)
Gotta catch 'em all PONYMON
So RD only had to get two shards. The shards not only break the spell, but also have some inherent useable power to the owner of them. I gotta say I don’t see her getting Tcherns shard.
Rainbow Dash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbL8cFLxqek&t=2m57s
I couldn’t find the actual video, so I had to do the next best thing,
Yeesh. Not sure which end she's talking about, but that can't have been pretty, if Dash's little heave spell there is any indication.
Glad you're back, Rainbow!