The Breakfast, Part Two
“Those pneumatic joints and hinges have been lying in storage along with the spare manacoils for a long, long time,” Collins said, swishing about a glass of juice in her hoof as she smiled at the breakfast guest seated right next to her. “They were left by a bunch of privateers who used to scavenge from the spoils of war. Quite frankly, the ponies of Archer Point were always wary of them. I’m very glad to put them into the hooves of benevolent travellers.”
“Well, I can only think of one pony in our group who would need that crud,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “And she isn’t exactly benevolent.”
“Heheh… yes, well…” Collins winked. “If she’s flying under your guidance, then I’m certain she will put them to good use.”
Rainbow Dash smiled nervously, picking at her food in a limp fashion. “Look. You’ve all been super, super nice to us. And we’re really blessed for that.”
“Hey, you’ve given us loads of spare scrap!” Collins smiled. “With the inevitable influx of zeppelins, we’re bound to find merchants who will trade anything for the stuff!”
“Yeah, but are you gonna throw them all feasts and bonfires n’whatnot?” Rainbow Dash smoothed her bangs back and sighed. “Forgive me if I don’t seem all that thrilled. I really am glad that you’ve been so generous to us. I’ve just… I-I’ve been on edge so much and for so long that it’s made me stupidly paranoid.”
“I can only imagine.” Collins leaned her head on her hoof, gazing at Rainbow Dash through thin eyes. “All of those enemy skies you’ve flown through. All of the dragons, warriors, queens, and monsters you’ve fought…”
“I really can’t remember the last time a group of ponies were really kind to me… or to my buddies, for that matter.” Rainbow Dash looked at Collins. “I hope you know that all of my traveling friends are crazy-overjoyed at this treatment you’re giving them. It really means a lot, considering all they’ve been through.”
“Well, it’s hard not to want to shower them with affection!” Collins giggled. “We haven’t had visitors in years, and this really is the dawn of a new era for everypony in the valley! Besides…” Collins winked. “That lavender one? I’ve got a good mind to take him home and sit ‘em on a shelf somewhere.”
“Yeah… heh…” Rainbow nervously took a bite of toast and swallowed. “I detect a running gag. Make that a galloping gag.”
“Where do you plan on flying to next?” Collins asked as the hall continued to clatter and chatter behind them.
“Pilate--our super awesome zebra navigator--tells us that there’s a great body of water just beyond the mountains east of here.”
“Ah yes.” Collins nodded her head. “The Frozen Sea.”
Rainbow squinted at her. “So you know about it?”
“Only what travelers have told me about it,” Collins explained. “The weather is most turbulent there. According to the written word of flying merchants, the Frozen Sea is pretty large and covers many latitudes. However, because of a massive stream of violent winds that churns its way south all the way into the tropics, the only safe area to pass over the waters is far to the north. They call it the Strip of Flurries.”
“The Strip of Flurries…?”
“Indeed. The skies there are relatively calm.” Collins paused in mid-drink to blink akwardly into the torchlight. “At least, most of the year.”
Rainbow gulped. “Most of the year?”
Collins shrugged. “You have to understand, it’s been a long while since a merchant who hailed from across the Frozen Sea was here in the village to explain it.” She smiled wide. “I was only a tiny filly at the time!”
“Huh. Well… uh…” Rainbow Dash smiled awkwardly. “Thanks for the heads up? I guess?”
“Hey!” Collins grinned wide. “Our town library has a few surviving maps from the last known adventurer who hailed from that landscape! How would you like us to give it to your zebra navigator before you take off this afternoon?”
Rainbow grinned. “That’d be pretty snazzy, actually.”
“Anything we can do to help!” Collins nodded. “The Frozen Sea has always struck me as a kind of chilly venture. Maybe we could scrounge up a few spare coats too…”
“Please…” Rainbow Dash waved her hoof. “You’ve been kind enough as it is. And, believe it or not, the elk over there has plenty of woolie things to spare. Though, where he got the material to knit them…” Rainbow grimaced at the thought and threw it off with a shudder. “Anyways, between Belle and Eagle Eye, we’ll have plenty more stuff knitted, I bet.”
“Well, that’s comforting to know.” Collins smiled. “Seems as if you are all ready to face the unknown, as t’were.”
“Well, almost.” Rainbow fidgeted in her seat. “We’ve got this one last pit-stop of sorts before we take off for the wild blue yonder.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. A village not all that far from here.”
Collins grinned wide. “Lerris?”
“Uhhhh…” Rainbow winced, flashing a nervous look down the table at where Kera sat oblivious next to Pilate and Bellesmith. “Yeah. Just a quick stop.” She cleared her throat. “Nothing big.”
“Well, they’d be glad to see ponies like you! It would be a first for them in a long while as well!” Collins winked. “Although, I doubt they’d throw you a feast like we did. That village is a great deal smaller, and most of its occupants past their graying years.”
“Huh. I’ll… uh… keep that in mind.”
“I can’t believe you’re already leaving,” Collins said with a sigh. “It’s almost as if you just arrived here.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Well, it’s barely been two days.”
“I do believe that this calls for something grandiose.”
“What are you--?”
But Collins was already standing up. ”Ahem!” She tapped her glass with a fork and spoke loudly to the great hall. ”If I could have everypony’s gracious attention!”
The crowd gradually quieted, clearing their throats and putting down their eating utensils as over two hundred heads spun and faced the lead table.
“And that’s when I said, ‘Baby, that’s not a turtle, but doesn’t mean you should stop petting it!’” Zaid slapped the table and chuckled. “Get it?! Cuz it wasn’t a turtle! It was my--”
”Ahem.” Belle kicked Zaid’s hoof under the table.
“Ow! What the--Oh… right… ahem.”
A few breaths of laughter lit the air.
Collins rolled her eyes, smiled, and said, “We have with us here an inspiring group of travellers! Why are they inspiring? Because they have survived all odds to get here, and they have accomplished the bulk of their travels through good will, harmony, and the power of companionship! It is these same virtues that Archer Point will endeavor to practice as we accept new and newer visitors into our town! The war has made victims of many, so let us be quick to offer future travellers the same grace and kindness that we’ve so easily placed upon these fine ponies. Now, they have quite the journey that’s still ahead of them! I do believe this calls for a moment of inspiring speech! However, you neighbors and kinfolk have certainly heard enough of my rambling words!”
The entire hall chuckled good-naturedly.
Collins smirked. “Right. So, I think it is only fitting that the leader of their group gives us something to glean off of!” That said, she yanked Rainbow up to her hooves and gestured towards her. “Let’s hear it for Rainbow Dash!”
The pegasus watched with bulging eyes as the entire room erupted with applause and stomping hooves.
Eagle Eye and Ebon Mane whistled. Zaid and Props giggled. Josho and Floydien grumbled while Bellesmith and Pilate shifted nervously.
“Uhhhh…” Rainbow Dash sweated. Hard. She stammered aside, “A speech?”
“Well, we certainly aren’t waiting for a song and dance number!” Collins chirped, much to the laughter of the group.
And then the entire hall hung in patient silence.
Rainbow gulped, her cheeks flushing red. “Eh heh heh heh…”
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Despite all her vigilance and paranoia, Rainbow Dash still didn't see that speech coming.
Then she exploded.
...We're getting a song and dance number, aren't we?
I mean, I doubt we're getting a speech. While Rainbow does have a bit of charisma, she isn't exactly eloquent.
I said it. You can't trust a place named after Arc! Never!
I still have no idea what disaster is going to happen next.
Except when visiting Lerris of course.
Oh goody, incoming frozen stuff.
Oh, Zaid...
Oh neat! Ice adventure! That'll be loads of fun.
Remember the last encounter with snow Rainbow had, way back in Austraeoh? It'll be nice to explore those kinds of conditions again.
Rainbow confirmed for limited narrative awareness. Pinkie would be proud.
Incoming spontaneous speech of awesomeness?
Friendship, dammit! Fifty four-count side-straddle hops, ):( Knock 'em out!
I can't be the only one who is absurdly on edge waiting for some shit to hit the fan.
Say, Wendigoes haven't appeared yet, have they?
3853779 I guess I'll have to settle for milking Props and making cheese myself.
Somehow, I think I can live with that.
With the lack of near death situations, Zaid's perverted nature can be free~! And yet he still has no grilled cheese even with his suave words
3855115 I hope not! Rainbow and co. still have to deal with a changeling horde...but I suppose the journey is only going to get harder...
What's worse: Having to make up a speech on the spot or fight a bunch of berets?
Odrsjot?
~Basso
So it isn't a group of changelings who took over the town... maybe...
Oh Zaid, never change.
The future looks intriguing. They'll be going into two kinds of environment we've never really seen in this story before: the ocean, and the arctic. Also, if it takes them far to the north, they'll presumably be close to the edge of the world. Who knows what kind of
horrorsfun that'll open up? Though I'm assuming that'll be saved for the next installment in the series.I seem to remember Rainbow being put on the spot to give a speech way back at Windthrow, and she did... well, sort of okay, if memory serves.
Just letting you know, I'm still reading this and I still like it. The only reason I don't comment is because I print the chapters off to read them in my spare time, and by the time I get caught up on the stuff I've got printed, you have ten-plus new chapters out!
My paranoia surrenders, I will say that this town is a safe and innocent place. I hope I didn't just jinx it.
Heh.
Chapter love. Very much. Yes.
you know what this story needs?
a tatzlwurm (warning: spoilery image for "Three's a Crowd")
1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jz8oVe8FYL0/UuR0K4tMBHI/AAAAAAAAAFY/MZMbDT6uK1w/s1600/45.jpg
3854931 It's almost like something's forcing the cold weather...
3855115 Wendigoes it seems...
We've had changelings, crystal ponies, dragons, diamond dogs, and more. Why not throw in some other lore from the show this diverged from in s2e2.
Among other things in the show we haven't seen yet...
Since they have wings, I doubt we'll see them, but I'm curious how bat-ponies/thestrals/negasi would work in this universe's lore...
Okay, I know something has to explode within the next 39 chapters and I keep waiting for it to happen.
On an unrelated (?) note, the chapter in which Shell inevitably comes back should be titled "More force than horse"
I honestly don't know why I like collins so much. I knew zaid was a ladies man! yay parts for roarke.
3856848 Hang on, they called that thing a Tatzelworm and I didn't even notice it?
Welp. She's screwed.
Rainbows greatest fear, expounding in such a way that she isnt the best.
We are waiting for Shell to catch up are we?
Given that due to Dash and the Divine, the last village that Shell visited,no longer exists?
Why is it so friendly??!?!!11/
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
This arc has been...nice. It's great to see kindness, if only a small village of it, amidst the chaos of Dash's life. And now we get to sit back and watch Dash struggle through a speech. Happy day! These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3858765
Tatzlwurm, not Tatzelworm.
Now she has to do a speech.
That's Twi's job.
-Spirit
This my friends is why i dont want to be thrown into situation like this without a prepared speech.
We all know how well Dash is at making speeches.
SPEECH SPEECH SPEECH SPEECH SPEECH
Zaid. Zaid pl0x
She could always divert to Zaid for a speech. What could possibly go wrong?
Zaid. Bruh.
Rainbow Dash is apparently as good at public speaking as I am.
Dude
Benevolent travvelers
This is a paradox