A Little Help From My... Friend?
Rainbow Dash ascended. With each flap of her wings, she heaved to get as much oxygen into her lungs as possible. The world around her spun, making her dizzy—a different kind of dizzy. Her eyelids weighed heavily, and the brightness of the day turned into a thin blue haze. Nevertheless, she slapped herself a few times and managed to stay awake.
Before her, a craggy summit of black volcanic rock came into focus, and that was how the pegasus knew that she had reached an altitude high enough to assess the totality of the island. She stretched her wings to their furthest reach, allowing her body to glide effortlessly forward. Tilting her head about, she saw every curve of the island in full detail. As she suspected, it wasn't a large body of land. To Rainbow's estimate, it stretched no more than a mile across. It crossed more latitudes than longitudes, however. She could tell because the shoreline stretched longer to the west and east.
East...
Rainbow gasped, tilting her head so that she gazed across the shimmering blue waters. Off in the distance—a pulsating speck stood out against the rest of the sunrise. Yaerfaerda was a pale white dot, unavoidably bright. The symbol took on the same curved lines and spheres it always had, only the lavender aura was completely gone. Rainbow now knew why.
Or at least she thought she knew why.
The mare felt nauseous. Clutching her fuzzy belly, she looked straight down. Along the southern edge of the jagged promontory, she spotted a thin waterfall trickling down to the island's lower altitudes. A crystal-clean pond formed within the rock basin directly beneath it.
Rainbow dropped like an anvil. She landed along the edge of the pool with more or less grace. Trembling, she trotted up to the very brink, took a deep breath, and—SPLOOSH!—dunked her head completely into the cool, refreshing water.
The resulting sensation was like injecting liquid ice into her veins. Rainbow didn't realize just how hot and steamy the weather was until she doused herself right then and there. She kept her head underwater for a very long time. She didn't worry about suffocating. As a matter of fact—rather than breathe—she opened her lips more than once, allowing jets of cool, clean water into her pony mouth.
Finally, she threw head head back, tossing her wet sopping mane. As she tilted her neck up, she gulped liberally, allowing the refreshing liquid to roll down her esophagus and into her belly. It was the most refreshing drink she had ever had, and she relished in the blissful euphoria of the moment.
It was almost enough for Rainbow to forget everything... until the very act of doing so reminded her that she had something to forget.
Sheepishly, the mare squinted one eye open, looking around. The coast was clear—nothing but dribbling beads of moisture against aged volcanic rock.
Rainbow opened her other eye. She felt cool, safe, and relaxed. All was quiet, save for the persistent rush of the waterfall striking the pool a few paces ahead of her.
Breathing evenly for the first time in minutes, Rainbow trotted ahead. She hopped over a bend in the pool, trotted over a tiny stream of water, then stood before the thin waterfall itself. She gazed thoughtfully at the continuously falling current of moisture—at how it refracted the dawnlight that streamed through the humid, tropical atmosphere.
Holding her breath, Rainbow thrust her head forward, allowing the waterfall to cascade around her skull. The pressure of the water thudding against the back of her neck was slightly painful, but also soothing in a strange way. It numbed her cranium through and through, soaking her mane, allowing her thoughts to clear away, dissolving into empty oblivion, until all was left was sighs and the trailing stab of hunger.
“Feel any better?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“Gblrbblblbbhhbb!” Rainbow Dash fell backwards, spitting water and saliva. “Aaaaaugh!” She yelped, her ruby pupils reflecting the lavender figure.
Twilight walked effortlessly across the surface of the pond, phasing through the waterfall so that she stood above the pegasus. “I don't get it, Rainbow. I thought you weren't afraid of anything.”
“Mmmff—gah!” Rainbow rolled over. She tried galloping away, only to slip on the wet rocks and collapse on her belly. “Ooof!” Hyperventilating once again, she crawled pathetically into a hilly slope of grass and flowers. “Mmm-fghh-gahh... ummf!”
“Seriously...?” Twilight arched an eyebrow. “Haven't you learned enough from Pinkie Pie in situations like this?”
Whimpering, the pegasus shuffled up against a thicket, clutching her head as her blue body curled up into a fuzzy ball. “Mmmmmmm...” She shivered under the settling mist of the nearby waterfall.
“Rainbow...” Twilight squatted beside the mare, speaking as gently as she could. “Won't you give it up? Whatever's happening here, you can't get away from me.”
Rainbow's face winced. Her bloodshot eyes darted all about as she clutched her stomach.
“Think about it!” Twilight pointed vaguely down the mountainside. “Do you honestly think a city-born librarian like me could have galloped quickly enough to catch up to you of all pegasi?” She gazed thoughtfully into the sunny sky, squinting in thought. “Something's happening to me, Rainbow Dash... to us both. And I need your help in figuring it out.” She looked back down with a long face. “Please... won't you help me? Won't you at least talk to me?”
Rainbow panted and panted, avoiding the unicorn's gaze. Just then, she winced, and her stomach gurgled. Audibly.
Twilight's lips pursed. “When... when was the last time you ate something, Rainbow?”
The pegasus shuddered. To her dismay, her stomach only rumbled again. She glanced feverishly at the bright shapes and petals around her.
Twilight stood back up. Phasing through Rainbow Dash, she trotted about, circling the nearby bush with a studious expression. “Hmmmmm...” She tapped her own chin, then pointed at several pink specimens. “Mollis pectoracus...” She smiled proudly. “Quite common to tropical climates, known for their sweet nectar and even sweeter taste.”
“... … ...” Rainbow stared blankly at the flowers in question.
“Rainbow...”
The pegasus' eyes darted up.
Twilight smirked, eyes thin. “They're edible. You won't die from eating them.”
Rainbow bit her lip. She trembled, looked at the flowers, and trembled some more. Then—with a savage lunge—she threw her mouth over the nearest assortment of petals. She bit the specimens straight off their stem, munching liberally. She was barely through swallowing when she attacked the rest of the bush, gulping down as many delicious, scrumptious petals as she could.
“There... that's it!” Twilight smiled, her violet tail flicking. “Eat to your heart's content! There appear to be enough of them across this ecosystem without you having to worry about endangering the fragile balance!”
Rainbow said nothing. She munched and chewed and gobbled away. Within the span of three minutes, the bush was completely bare, so Rainbow moved onto the next line of shrubbery, downing all the flowers she could find.
“Feel better?” Twilight leaned her head to the side. “Good, because maybe now that you have a full stomach you can help me figure out exactly what's—”
Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin, aimed towards the sky, and spread her wings. FWOOSH! She rocketed towards the horizon, speeding off in a prismatic blur.
“Hey!” Twilight swiveled around, frowning. “You're welcome.” Lavender light glowed right behind her, forming a half-sphere. “Ohhhh for crying out—” She began, but didn't finished, for she was flung skyward after the speeding pegasus.
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5786287 5786313 Look at you two fools.
5786329
Look what you've done.
Twilight is already amazing. I'm going to try and figure out how to pronounce this with my awesome Norse pronunciation powers and get back to you guys.
-Spirit
"Ynanhluutr"
Good luck pronouncing that anytime soon. No more translator Kera
And RD is suffering a bit of "Looking like she Saw a Ghost," eh?
5786828 'Ee-nahn huh-'loo-tuhr. Or 'hloo-tuhr, but the hloo part might be hard to say. But I'm just going to go ahead and say that it's definitely the latter.
5786855 If you can say "flute," you can say "hluut." Same thing, just give it less lip.
5786967 I can say it, but there are some who can't. At least, it felt like something that might be hard to say when I said it to myself.
. . .
Fuck it, it's Urohringr marathon time. 50 chapters in one night? I think so. It's on!
5786716 5786329 Look at us. Look at what they make you give.
5787241 Can't wait to have you with us!
5787249 And can you expect any less from SS&E?
static.fjcdn.com/comments/The+ride+never+ends+_5a38185353c1d4ae60cabdb81041c330.jpg
5786677 5786287 5786313 5786737 5786812 5786967 5787259 5787283
Hold the fuck up.
Newly transformed? Oh, shit.
We were so concerned with reading the chapter and commenting that we missed the description. IC has played us for fools.
5787260
I really hope I can stick with it. I have the hardest time sticking with one story because there are so many amazing stories being written or have already been written out there. But I have to say that this is the longest ride I've been on with one series.
5787276 It's definitely worth sticking around for, don't worry.
C'mon, cut the bullshit, Rainbow Crash.
5787282
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140725201504/godzilla/images/1/1a/THE_RIDE_NEVER_ENDS.jpg
Don't need to worry about THIS story ending any time soon.
5787276 Oh, goodness, yes. Stick around. We'll be waiting.
First time being a part of the very beginning. This is new.
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141125020030/legomessageboards/images/6/64/I_like_it.jpg
5787315
Ugh, tell me about it. It's fantastic but i've been checking the site once a minute all day.
5787266
ALL HAIL MR. BONES
I'm not even fully prepared for this shit.
At the start I thought that there might have been a gap similar to the start of yaerfaerda, where RD explained everything. Sadly(?), that was not the case and she is running away from Twilight. Poor Twilight. How many chapters will RD be running from her before she can get a word out of her? Find out next time!
5786828
5786855
For the sake of convenience and perhaps relevance to future titles, I'll just call this one Y2.
5787322
Same. Such is our burden as loyal followers.
How do you think we say this? I-naan-loo-tur? I think that sounds the best.
5787283
Or at least that she was dead, and is now incorporeal.
5787356
I refer you to:
5786855
5787356
5786828
5786855
I cast my ballot for how NOCTURNE pronounces it. The anh is its own syllable, I don't think it's part of the luutr.
5787371
And I, in turn, refer you to 5787374
5787351
Into; within; from. Purpose.
I like to translate it as "inner purpose." It's rough.
5787374
You aren't asking the big questions.
The real thing is, why is Twilight not listed as a character for the tags?
5787374 My pronunciation doesn't mention nahn as part of the hloo-tuhr. Ee-nahn and Hloo-tuhr are separate in pronunciation.
5787389 Spoilers?
The Five Stages of Grief
1.) Denial and Isolation
2.) Anger
3.) Bargaining
4.) Depression
5.) Acceptance
5787396
God, I hope that's why. If she's 'fake'(I mean, dead, yeah, that's what I'm expecting, but not some kind of illusion) i'll be 200% sad.
Twilight doesn't seem to remember her battle with Discord. At the time she attempted to use the Elements, the five of them were no longer Discorded; only Rainbow Dash was at that time. Yet here she is, claiming they were still Discorded. She certainly doesn't remember it going horribly wrong; she assumes they were successful because the world around them isn't in chaos.
The obvious question is, is this really Twilight or is it Dash hallucinating? There is a way for Dash to definitely answer the question: The next time she talks to Luna, have her ask a question only Twilight could answer (putting Celestia on the conference call if needed).
There is a real possibility only Dash can see and hear Twilight. This does not invalidate the test. Even if she has to relay questions and answers to and from Twilight, Dash can provide the correct answer only if Twilight was real. This would also be the only way to convince Luna/Celestia that Twilight has come back if they can't actually hear her.
5787401 I hope so too. I rather think she's real though, for reasons I thought I could put down, but then failed miserably at wording.
So ghosty Twilight is linked to the Element of Loyalty now. So wherever Rainbow goes Twilight is sure to follow. Can't wait to read the huge sob story from Rainbow Dash to Twilight. Judging by the tags Twilight might be fake but then again, IC can always change it in the future.
5787416
Twilight remembers the battle, she doesn't remember losing. She specifically mentions giving the pendant to Spike. And really, if you wanted to do the "conference" thing, Spike is as good a character as Celestia to verify. I think he'd appreciate it more, anyway.
5787419
Is that not the most frustrating thing? I know exactly what you're describing.
I think she's real too, and I believe in it thus;
1. Connection to Yaerfaerda
2. Physical manifestation of lavender light.
3. As someone put forwards at some point, "foal yesterday" could very well relate to the fact that Twilight thinks no time has passed.
4. The Grand Choke Oil Rig had her voice, or at least what might as well be hers.
5787430 Okay, to be more precise, she doesn't remember how it ended, with the Elements going horribly wrong.
Oh man oh man oh man.
5787435 All good reasons. Although I had something having to do with the character tags. I still have it and it makes sense, but it'd be the most confusing thing ever if I tried to put it into words. Give me a minute and I'll try.
5787439
Twilight mentions teleporting a lot. To Twilight, she was standing against Discord one moment, and then was next to Rainbow in the tower the next. I would guess she probably sense some time passing, but she's just as disoriented as Dash is. Twilight is simply dealing with it a little better. She apparently wasn't conscious, or doesn't remember, being simply the light that was guiding Rainbow.
5787442
So Twilight is basically Player 2 in Kirby Super Star.
5787435 Ah, here we go. So you had the thought that Twilight might be fake because she wasn't in the character tags. But even still, if she was fake, she should be in the character tags, because she has a part in the story. Since either way she should have a character tag, but she doesn't, we can assume that her not having a character tag does not contribute to her reality or unreality. And since there are currently no reasons to assume she's fake, she must be real. (Also, Rainbow Dash isn't dead from eating poisonous flowers, so that helps.)
Waitaminute waitaminute waitaminute...
Let's take a look back, and give each book a number (1-Austraeoh, 2-Eljunbyro, etc.).
Now, take that number, and look at the number of words in each chapter title. All the way through Yaerfaerda, it fits. Now? Well, Ynanhluutr is still at 6 words each. Am I the only person to have noticed this so far?
5787389
Possibly because IC doesn't want to spoil the big surprise at the end of the last story for readers who haven't caught up yet (not that it matters if you so much as glance at the comments). I would give it a week, if her tag is still not up then we can start worrying.
5787511 This is something that has been predicted numerous times. The chapter title lengths will go down for each novel now. The book names will use the vowels in reverse.
I'm more curious at this point, is Twilight gonna be visible to everyone? or just to Rainbow?
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
5787511
Noticed too.
I'm guessing that we're gonna go backwards through the original pattern.
Next story will be titled with a U-word, with 5-word chapter names.
The next one will be O-word, and 4-word titles and so on until it ends up with A-word title and single-word chapters. (In before the last story in the series is called "Awesome", lol.)