//------------------------------// // Up, Up, and Away // Story: Odrsjot // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// “Not good!” Zaid stammered, pulling at his mane. “Not good not good not good!” He spun a sweaty look at the other ponies on board the manaship who were still struggling to get up. “Have I mentioned that this is not good?” “She’s bent on p-pure destruction…” Zetta whimpered, her face streaming with agonized tears while Basso helped her to her hooves. She leaned against him and shivered, “Her song is the strongest I’ve ever head it! This is the chorus of pure destruction!” “Then it is over…” Khao’s voice limped through the air, causing multiple ponies to gaze at her in shock. The sun was sliding icily beneath the western horizon, covering her face and everyone else in shadow as she said, “Her minions on board the Lightning Bearer will clear the path for her. And then she will have unobstructed access to the machine world. The very foundation of this world will breathe her chaos, and the venom will spread throughout the rest of this plane.” Zaid blinked, then thrusted both hooves towards Roarke’s figure. “Are you blind as a fart cloud?! We happen to have somepony here who knows a thing or two about dealing with ‘chaos venom’ crap!” “It is too late for everything,” Khao said. “I came here to bring the Harbinger to safety, so that she may continue her journey to bring balance to this world. But now…” She stopped weakly in mid-sentence, and it was with a meek expression that she gazed helplessly at Rainbow Dash. Nightshade of all ponies interjected: “It is not too late. If we can get the book to the machine world before Nagu’n reaches it, then she will be powerless to fulfill the dark purpose of her song.” “Not possible…” Zetta said, sniffling as she rubbed her aching head. “This is a fast manaship, but it can’t catch up to the Lightning Bearer.” She looked up, jaw clenched. “And it sure as Spark c-can’t catch up with an apocalyptic death dragon.” “Then what do we do?!” Kera stammered. “Call in the Noble Jury?” She turned and gawked up at Rainbow Dash. “They… th-they could--I dunno--distract the dragon or something!” Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “They’d be burned to ashes,” Roarke sputtered, gathering the strength to sit up. “They’re battered enough as it is. Not to mention short two crew members, from th-the last time I talked to them.” “Short… t-two members?” Rainbow’s voice weakly cracked. Roarke took a deep breath and nodded. “Simon’s dead.” She gulped. “And Belle is under Shell’s capture.” Rainbow’s face paled. “I’m… s-sorry you couldn’t find that out sooner, Rainbow…” Roarke wheezed, her mane’s ringlets rattling as she slumped against the ship’s railing. “Everypony’s been spread apart and you were dealing with some dr-drama of your own. The crew is patching up the ship and Belle is somewhere on board the Steel Wing. I… I-I wish I could have g-given you better news…” She hissed in pain. “For… f-for saving my life…” She gulped. “Again.” Rainbow Dash blinked. She gazed a thousand miles away with twitching eyes. Her hooves moved on their own, and everypony moved aside as she paced restlessly across the top deck, ultimately coming to a stop near the bow. Slowly, she gazed up, spotting the distant flame of Nevlamas’ flight. “Maybe…” Kera spoke up, her voice trembling in spite of her courageous smirk. “Maybe Josho got through to that battlefield place where the machine world is exposed! Maybe the Ledomaritans will hold off the Lightning Bearer--” “And then the dragon?” Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head. “We can’t depend on Josho at this point… or on Seclorum either. Everything’s royally screwed up. We’re dealing with stuff that’s bigger than any of the big stuff I’ve ever dealt with before…” “Then wh-what do we do?” Basso asked. “One thing’s for certain,” Rainbow muttered. “Zetta was right about this ship not being fast enough to catch up with Lasairfion’s invasionary force.” She spread her wings. “But we’ve got something that is fast enough.” “Huh?” Zaid blinked, and then his ears folded. “Oh crapsicles.” Roarke looked up, her eye-lenses pistoning inward. “Rainbow Dash…” “It’s up to me,” Rainbow said, stepping up onto the bow’s edge. “I have to be the one to do this.” “Do wh-what exactly?” Roarke growled, struggling onto her four hooves. “Kill yourself?” Rainbow looked back. “Every second we sit here and try to plan things, we waste time! Time that Lasairfion and Nevlamas are using to punch a bloody, chaotic hole in the world--And I’m not going to stand for it!” “Stand for it?!” Roarke winced in pain and scowled at her. “Rainbow Dash, that antler-toting snake Goddess nearly consumed you!” “Chaos can’t stand a beacon of harmony.” Rainbow nodded her head towards Roarke. “You’re a living testimony of that. If there’s anything that can catch up with the Lightning-Bearer, it’s me. And if there’s anything that can slow that chaos creep down…” She shuddered and tapped the pendant around her neck. “...it’s the Element that I carry.” “Rainbow…” “Do me a favor. Signal Pilate with the sound stone. Tell him and Floydien to fly towards where they sense Josho to be via the zebra’s manasphere. I’m willing to bet that Josho made it, but now he’s in the path of the dragon. Whatever happens next, we’re still gonna need the Jury to get the heck out of Dodge. Pffft… horseapples, we’re gonna need all the help we can get!” “But Rainbow--” Kera started. Nightshade trotted over the foal and exclaimed, “There’s only one way to ensure the machine world isn’t polluted!” She pointed at the filly’s tome. “We need to get that book to the pedestal beneath the surface!” “As much as I adore the thought of lugging that lavender thing around…” Rainbow pointed at Kera’s horn. “There’s only one thing keeping it from grounding me for good. And I’m not about to risk separating the thing from the Odrsjot rune, especially when I’ll be flying in the company of dragons!” Kera clenched her jaws. “Then take--” “Nor am I going to risk Belle’s surrogate little scamp by carrying her into the flames with me!” Rainbow snapped. She looked towards Zetta. “This is still a fast ship. Set course for the Eastern Front, Seclorum’s camp. You know where it is, right?” Zetta and Basso exchanged glances, then both looked at Rainbow. They nodded fervently. “Good. If I do my job right, then there’ll still be a battlefield left when you arrive. Nightshade, that’s when you and I will deliver the flame to where it belongs. After that… sky’s the limit. And I hope to mean that literally.” “What about Belle?” Kera mewled. Rainbow frowned into the northwest horizon. “Shell’s gonna learn just how hollow he really is.” With a fuming breath, she leaned over the edge. “Right. Let’s do this--” “Dammit, Rainbow! Wait!” Roarke stumbled up to the ship’s edge, all-but-collapsing against the bow’s railings. “Nnnngh… We can go after Belle together! We can save the Noble Jury… together!” “No offence, Roarke, but you’re in no shape to punch a kitten, much less a Prime Enforcer in the face--” “You know what I mean!” She snarled. “Now that we’ve got you all fit, why fling yourself into oblivion again?! It’s not worth it! It’s stupid and suicidal!” “By now you should know that I kick most flank when I’m stupid and suicidal.” “But it’s not worth it!” Roarke spat. “What has this continent ever done to you that made it worth saving?! It has nothing to do with your journey--” “It has everything to do with my journey!” Rainbow shouted back at her. “Look, I know it sucks, but that’s just the way things are! I’m here for a reason! I started something and now I gotta see it through! It’s what the Princesses would expect of me! It’s what my friends would have expected of me!” “But--” “And it’s what I expect from myself! So… talk’s over!” Rainbow Dash lunged again. “Time to fly! It’s the one darn thing I’m good at--” “Rainbow, don’t!” Roarke grabbed onto her tail hairs. “I…” She grimaced. “I won’t let you!” Rainbow froze. She slowly looked back. Roarke instantly looked away, sighing. Rainbow leaned down and tilted Roarke’s muzzle up. She spoke calmly. “Don’t blush. It clashes with your plugs.” Roarke blinked at that, then frowned. Rainbow smirked. “You never let Imre down. What makes you think I’m gonna?” She fell backwards, wings spread. “Peace.” With that, the pegasus toppled off the manaship’s edge, spun around, and blurred her way northwest, straight after Nevlamas’ flaming path.