“You sure you're not a magical pony?” Ember Speak asked.
Stu growled. “For the hundredth time, will you let it rest?!” He glared back at her as the procession of four equines stealthily snuck forward through the ruins. “She ain't magical!”
“I certainly don't feel magical,” Rainbow Dash muttered, gazing forlornly towards the rubble below as she pressed on after the group's gold-plated guide. “Especially after that feakish attempt at outflying dragons...”
“It was foolish to have even tried,” Sam Rose said with a grunt.
Her brow furrowed, Rainbow Dash cast his armored flank a crooked glance. “I didn't even know there'd be a single one of those fire-breathing things around here! Much less fifty billion!”
“That's because most of the brood was out gathering materials for the nest.”
“The nest?”
“Where the Matriarch is hiding.”
“Matriarch?”
“Easy, your majesty,” Swirls said with a wry smirk. “You're going to blow her pegasus mind at this rate.”
“There isn't any simple way to sugar coat the reality of our situation.” Sam gave a brief glance back at Rainbow. “Our kingdom has been turned into the giant nesting ground for a draconic brood queen. For over a hundred years, we've been trying to fight her children back. It seems these wyrms are determined to stay here.”
“I'm guessing you haven't had much luck getting them to split,” Rainbow Dash said.
Stu was growling in her face, “We've whittled down their numbers by about twenty percent! I alone have slain five of them! Sam Rose here, the heir to the throne, has slain over sixty!”
Rainbow Dash's face went pale. She jerked back, her pendant rattling. “Sl-slain?!”
“It's either them or us!” Stu added. “But this happened to be our land first!” He trudged on ahead with the rest of the group.
Rainbow Dash lingered, her head shaking in fitful comprehension. “But... But... Dragons are intelligent creatures! You can't just slay them!”
“I'm sorry, Miss Dash,” Sam Rose grunted from up ahead. “Perhaps I should turn back time and give back that one drake's neck so that he could swallow you whole.”
Swirls giggled, but Rainbow Dash was hardly amused. “This isn't funny!” She frowned. “Haven't you—like—tried talking or reasoning with these flying creeps? Have you tried asking them to find another place to nest?!”
“My forefathers—kings and queens who came before me—tried doing just that, but to no avail.” Sam Rose's nostrils flared as he shoved aside a clump of debris and pushed a passageway open for his fellow compatriots. “We Silvadelians learned long ago that the language of the blade is the best way to speak to these brutes.”
“Yeah, but... we're not talking about an over population of rodents or mindless creatures of chaos or monstrous timberwolves or something!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “I used to know a dragon personally! These are thinking, feeling creatures, behind all the scales and teeth!”
“Then those feelings are feelings that I detest!” Sam Rose suddenly sneered into her face. “Any sentient being that takes pleasure in torturing the bodies of my subjects does not deserve the breath that goes through its lungs!” His green eyes narrowed. “Or did you not see those charred victims upon the palace balcony during your haphazard flight, pegasus?!”
Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She avoided his gaze, fidgeting.
“It's not enough that they've robbed from our lands, they have to make everything I've ever worked for suffer.” Sam Rose took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. “I don't know what land you hail from, or what morality you pretend to cling to. But know this, pegasus. We saved your life. You didn't save ours, nor do I suspect you are capable of helping us in return.”
“But... She can fly!” Swirls exclaimed. “You know how hard we've been trying to reach the Matriarch!”
“That's what the tunnel's for,” Ember Speak said.
“But maybe it won't work!” Swirls said. “She can be our backup plan—!”
“She is nothing!” Sam Rose thundered, silencing the group. “One pegasus, no matter how colorful, can help us any more than the resources we have on hoof. I've told you time and time again, my subjects, that hope is something we must build for ourselves. Now, let us proceed to Sanctuary.” He marched forward once more. “Welcome to Silvadel, Miss Dash It is a graveyard; I hope you enjoy your tomb.”
Swirls, Stu, and Ember Speak followed solemnly. Rainbow Dash lingered behind, squirming over a bad taste in her mouth. Eventually—with the roar of drakes echoing in the distance—she followed them on softly pattering hooves.
Oh, well that's pretty depressingly violent. Why are the dragons even burning them on stakes?!
Objective Completed: Follow Sam Rose
Clearly Sam Rose is the Dragonborn.
Yow. Harsh, dude. You clearly don't know Rainbow Dash very well.
There's gonna be an epic dragon fight. THERE'S GONNA BE AN EPIC DRAGON FIGHT!!! Unless Dashie is too stuck on memories of Spike to actually hurt them... which I think will go right out the window when a dragon eats one of the ponies who saved her. Then it's time for RD to dish out some serious pain. EPIC DRAGON FIGHT!!!
I'm sorry, I'm very excited for this.
Sam Rose is a king! Even though Rainbow's encounter with him so far has been somewhat rocky, her interactions with royalty often end quite well for our favorite pegasus. Hopefully this one is no different!
I think the Silver people were the ones that started this and the dragons are doing this out of righteous fury.
1346448
That's Samwise Gamgee.
Objective Failed: Install a back up plan.
Hazards: Dragons
No new inventory items added.
I vote just leave silvadel behind and continue flying east for once -- some problems just cant be solved easily -- And then you can send reinforcements back from the next kingdom.
Sam Rose is the Dovapony, and he's one mean son of a bitch. Then again, who wouldn't be? He inherited a wasteland.
Dash has a good point about these dragons being intelligent beings, but then... It is only "intelligent beings" that have a capacity for great evil, and if what those poor crucified ponies went through is any indication... These scaly assholes are evil.
1346448
You're neither first nor does anyone give a shit. No gold star for you, kiddo.
FUS RO DAH!
Oh, Sam. I look forward to him happily eating crow when Dash leaves Silvadel 3000% better than how she found it.
"I called her nothing, and she gave us everything."
Challenge Completed: Ego check
No carry-ons allowed. Max two bags per passenger. Max weight must not exceed 50 pounds.
Get yelled at: 1/1
+1 XP
Just in case you all were wondering why:
i.imgur.com/A49ng.png
As it happens, I started reading Glorious Dawn but stopped partway through, forgot why, though. Thoughts on starting to read it again?
1346486
Well, she did kick that one dragon in the face back in better times and having known Spike. I'm curious to see how one-sided this ends up being, if we get a straight good vs. evil thing or if the water gets a little muddy and bloody over who does what and why. Hard to justify torture, though.
Gonna read this is one sitting
WISH ME LUCK!
1346758
Godspeed, soldier.
1346673
Thank you for the clarification on that link. I clicked on it and, for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it meant.
As for kicking that dragon, I think circumstances have changed since then. That was self-defense. This is a full-scale offensive campaign that has many fatalities on both sides. Someone went and made it personal, and now both sides are out for blood. I'm wondering if RD can stomach getting involved in a war with which she has so little personal connection.
Sanctuary... i feel like I've played too much borderlands 2 now, its effecting my reading mindset.
Edit: Although, with all the RPG references in the comments maybe I'm in the right place
United By Hatred - Destruction
sure lets go with that.
1346307
I would be honored. You almost always do an excellent job, and your persistence is more than I could ever match. I'll look over what you write and if you happen to miss something, ill do my best to discuss it.
Keep on chuggin'
Woah. That was dark. The last few chapters have been a kind of awesome and mysterious wasteland with a nice dose of action. Admittedly, the crucifiction bit was pretty dark, but it didn't have enough time to sink in before we got an awesome action and fight scene.
But this... this hit hard. Seeing Dash get taken down a notch after 160-odd chapters if her being a nigh unbeatable, irrepressible character is pretty confronting. I think I can now settle in and truly appreciate how harsh this arc is gonna be - in subject matter and tone... or it might bounce back again with Dash ending up saving the day. Either way I'll enjoy it.
Oh, and "Sally giggled"
WHO IS SALLY!? We've got Swirls, Stu, Ember and Sam. Does someone have a two part name with Sally in it that I am missing, or is it just a freudian slip?
1346673
Damn, I never would have guessed that
1346673
wouldja look at that. I just realized I'm NOT following.
Time to fix that.
dudes angry
Something tells me there's more to this story than what Sam is telling her...
Alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll these fuckin sub plots
Achevment unlocked: meet the team
Meet the dragon slayers
Title Obtained: "The Backup"
-Minty
Dem dragons are gonna taste tah pain
1348770 um Mintelle hate to burst your bubble but RD ain't a prisoner
1348994
As it turns out I misunderstood a line in the story, my bad.
-Minty
1349710 so this chapter RD has no title
1349785
I changed it to "The Backup"
-Minty
1349826 ah that's better. U know I've just realised there almosts 190+ comments pages And WTF is inside that green book of RD's ?
Is it a picture album of her friends? Some kind of instruction manual? What?
1349878
Man I would love to know, but at this point I'm sure more than a few people have forgotten about it. The Author will probably pull it out when we least expect it, and hit us over the head with the shocking things inside.
-Minty
(We all talk too much!)
1349977 I agree on both those terms
1349977
1349878
I completely forgot about that green book until just now. I hope the revelation of what's inside comes soon.
Geeze Sammy, stop being such a dinkus. Eh, whatever, they'll be bff once Rainbow kicks the dragons out and frees his people - er - ponies. Then, after she beats up every dragon in the brood queen's nasty lair she'll turn to the survivors and yell: "Are you not entertained?!" followed by "FREEEEDOM!" and then she'll peace off to whatever next adventure awaits. Onward!
Still waiting on that backstory...
1346673
Yes. Do it.
Here be dragons.
1527111
IIIIIt's Dashie's Ultimate Marathon Evaluation Time!!!!!
Okay, so the rebels are definitely not crucifying others. That's at least a little nice to know. Other than that, not much else in this chapter, but I get the feeling that, instead of wiping out the dragons, Dash will find a way to make peace between the two species. Huh...reminds me of an episode...Dragonshy, anyone? In fact, maybe these dragons aren't really bad. They might just need a little...kindness...to be shown to them. As in the Element of. As in my previous theory of Dash's travels paralleling the Elements. As in my previous theory has now been all but confirmed. I might just be right this time...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Alright, now there's only four left for real. Home stretch, baby!
P.S.S. I need to sleep...
Totes get help from the unicrons, bro
3681634
They already tried that. XP
Title obtained: Magic horse.
Yes. Dash is totally a magic pone. Also, I think that Dash is going to use Element of Kindness powers to tame these dragons!
Damn it Rainbow Dash. We can't stop here, this is dragon country!
Rainbow's done everyone else, think Fluttershy will oblige to help out?
6454648
MM I am getting so close to catching you I can taste your magical flavor saver
6457079
Unbeknownst to you, I have been stealthily creeping up on the both of you! Soon, I shall overtake you, and the world will be mine!
...Well, maybe not the world, but I'll be reading this stuff before you guys do, so there's that.
*chills*
Secondly, I imagine Dash will finally be humbled in this place.