When Rainbow Dash found Ember Speak, it was upon a promontory overlooking a large cavern filled with rows of finely irrigated channels, between which several crops were being tended to by dutiful Silvadelian farmers. Along the ceiling of this part of Sanctuary, Rainbow Dash saw what could only be described as glowing powder affixed to the rock structure above. She imagined that it was some form of bioluminescence providing an alternative to sunlight for the fragile plants below. The smelled crisp and clean, forming a stark contrast to the sour taste of the moment.
Rainbow stopped a few paces behind Ember, gazing at her for a while. After a minute or two had passed, she eventually muttered, “Look, I'm... I'm really sorry for what happened back there. I mean, I know that apologizing doesn't mean anything at this point. But, like...” She fidgeted and gazed down at the farms of Sanctuary beyond the cliff. “I should have been faster. I should have been like Sam Rose. I should have done harsher things to the dragon and maybe—just maybe—he wouldn't have dragged Stu away like that.”
Ember Speak sighed, her flank to Rainbow Dash.
“I screwed things up pretty big just by coming here,” Rainbow continued. “If you guys hadn't been playing babysitter with me, then—who knows? You'd have gotten home sooner or something and Stu would—”
“Stu would have found his end one way or another,” Ember muttered. Slowly, she turned around, her moist eyes gazing towards the floor. “That's the kind of lives we've subscribed to, after all. We're part of the few entrusted with the surfacing.”
“The... surfacing...?”
She gulped and faced Rainbow Dash as she said, “Long ago, when we were little foals, we agreed that we would commit our lives to scavenging the surfaces of the world for resources, tools, and surviving seedlings to make life more agreeable down here. We've also pledged all our energy and finesse into ending the lives of the Matriarch's broodlings. Stu knew what he was getting into. Ponies like us... We rarely live past age twenty-five.”
Rainbow Dash's face contorted in disgust. “That's... That's crazy! You decide upon this as a foal? How much of that is your decision and how much of it is the Council's?”
“We are heroes of our kind,” Ember said solidly. “Monuments are raised in our honor. When I die, I know that whatever posessions of mine remain shall be buried in the same chamber as Sam Rose's himself. To be honored in the same light as royalty means more to me than I can put into words.”
“But... But there's gotta be more to it than that! Poor Swirls... She.... She...”
“They both knew the risks.” Ember said. She sniffed and another tear rolled down her cheek. “It is her families that I feel bad for.”
“And what of yours?” Rainbow Dash said. It took every muscle in her body not to wince at having done so. Even when her life was an uneventful thing in Ponyville, she was never all that good at testing the waters.
Thankfully, Ember Speak was a great deal tougher than Rainbow had anticipated. “All of Sanctuary is my family. Both my mother and father committed their lives to the surfacing. It is by a slim miracle that I was even born.” She managed a gentle, warm smile amidst her tears. “I was raised by the representatives of the Council. I am more than happy to be pledging my lives to the descendants of our great empire.”
“Even if it means not living past the next five years or so?!”
“Wouldn't you agree, Rainbow Dash, that there is a certain nobility to pushing yourself into pure and indescribable danger, even at the cost of your own existence?”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond to that, but lingered. She sat down on her haunches, running a hoof lonesomely over her pendant.
Ember Speak squinted curiously at that.
“All my life, I've relished danger,” Rainbow Dash murmured, her ruby eyes trailing the dead rock walls and glowing fungus along the ceiling. “Death was just something to win in the face of. It's always excited me, thrilled me, and on occasion bored me. But... y'know, I'm not a Silvadelian. I was not born in a place like... like...” She furrowed her brow. “Just how could a pony have been raised here? No Sun? No Moon? No trees?”
“We've had each other,” Ember Speak said. “And we have a future free of dragons to fight for.”
“But you had to grow up scrimping on nothing!”
“We always had an abundance of hope,” she said, sniffling with a smile.
Rainbow Dash stared at her for a few seconds. “The worst thing that ever happened to Ponyville, my home town, was a bunch of nasty bugs flying around and eating the wood off of buildings.”
“Then why did you leave home?”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, lingered, and said, “Because something happened and... and I changed. And from then on, because of how I changed, I realized that the world could be as fantastic as it wanted to be, but my life would... would only become worse.”
“Heh... Fitting that you showed up here.”
“No. This place is different.” Rainbow Dash sighed and ran a hoof through her mane as she thought aloud, “This place has always known 'worse,' I think. I've only known you guys for two days, and already I realize how horribly out of place I am.”
“We've just arrived, Rainbow Dash,” Ember said calmly. “Though I can't remember a time when we ever had a visitor, I'm sure we can help you along with your journey.”
“Wait...” Rainbow Dash stood up, squinting at her as she spoke incredulously, “You ponies know a way out of this place?”
Ember nodded quietly. “How else would we have sent messengers to the far distant lands?”
“But... But...” Rainbow Dash shook in confusion. “Why in the heck are you guys staying?! This place must be like a prison, what with all those nasty, pony-torturing dragons overhead!”
“So long as they're here, it's our job to get them out.”
“You saw what happened to Stu! What if the dragons got to his family?! Or Swirls'?! Or your Council or the beloved prince?!”
“This place is our home, Rainbow Dash. We cannot leave it.”
“Ember Speak, no offense, but your 'home' died generations ago when the entire earth beneath it went to Tartarus. The dragons are too much for a bunch of surviving ponies, much less an army, much less a hoofful of alicorns! Why not just get a party going and send yourself and your neighbors on an exodus out of this place?”
“Because as soon as I step into another country, I cease being Silvadelian,” Ember Speak calmly defended. “And I will have given up on all that my parents and their forbearers fought for. The dragons have ravaged this land. They do not deserve it. They will eventually lose it, even if I'm not the pony to take it back from them, or the ponies after me, or the ponies after them.”
Rainbow Dash gaped at her. Slowly, she gulped and said, “I wish yours was a loyalty I could understand...” She bit her lip after saying that.
Ember Speak noticed it. She glanced at Rainbow's neck and said, “You never take that off, do you?”
“Huh?”
“Your pendant. With the jagged ruby symbol?”
“No. I keep this on at all times.”
“I think you're a great deal more loyal than you give yourself credit for,” Ember said. She managed a brief smile. “Even if I can't really understand it.”
Rainbow Dash gazed towards the floor. Her nostrils flared and she muttered, “I only wish it was all loyalty.”
Ember Speak cocked her head curiously to the side.
When Rainbow Dash looked back at her, she said, “If there's anything that... that I could for you after all that's—”
“No. I'm...” Ember inhaled sharply and gazed once more over the cliff. “I'm fine, Rainbow. You and Sam Rose and the other ponies and discuss what help your wings could lend to Sanctuary if you feel like—”
“No...” Rainbow Dash trotted towards her. “I don't mean that. I mean... right now, with what you're going through.”
Ember Speak's features hardened. “I don't need anything! I'm stronger than this! I'm committed to the surfacing and—”
“Hey, listen...” Rainbow Dash hesitantly placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “Part of being loyal means feeling it.” She gulped. “I... I only wished I didn't r-realize that it until it was too late...”
Ember Speak clenched her eyes shut. She buckled and planted a hoof over her eyes as her breath came out in tiny, gasping sobs. She felt Rainbow's hoof sliding up to her neck, and she leaned herself weakly against the pegasus, sobbing into the blue coat of her shoulder.
Rainbow said nothing, and her face was righteously deadpan. She held Ember as tightly as she could afford to, allowing the mare a chance to experience her bittersweet release. For several minutes the two hovered there, with Ember's hyperventilation calming down, until the hushed silence was punctuated by several equine forms—young and old—gathering around the adjoining tunnels beyond the cliff.
Rainbow Dash looked up to see several Silvadelians staring at her, at her mane, at her wings. She took a deep breath and spoke over Ember's shoulder, “Look, I know you ponies have a bunch of questions. But now's not a good time.”
They still stood there, silently gawking at her, their eyes full of awe and wonder.
Rainbow frowned a bit. “Hey! I mean it! Buzz off!” She gestured towards Ember. “Can't you see that she's—?”
“No, Rainbow...” Ember whispered in a shuddering breath. She leaned back, wiped her eyes dry, and smiled. “You should speak to them. I'm sure that there're many things you and the ponies of Sanctuary can learn from each other.”
“But... But...”
“Thank you for everything,” Ember said and patted Rainbow's shoulder. “I mean it. You're... You're a blessing...”
“I... I'm not sure of that yet...”
“Trust me,” Ember said. “You have so much to give, just by being here. You're like... a piece of the sky that none of us have ever seen.”
Rainbow Dash blinked curiously at that.
“Go on...” Ember said, nuzzling her towards the group. “I'll be here. I'll always be here,” she said with a gentle expression.
Rainbow Dash nodded as she hesitantly trotted towards the curious lot. “Of that, I have no doubt...”
The ponies backed up, forming a crescent shape of curiosity around Rainbow Dash as she trotted into the adjoining corridor.
“Hey... Is it true that you can fly?”
“What are those on your sides?”
“I've never seen a bat with those on their wings!”
“Is... Is your mane real?”
“What's that on your neck? Are you a princess?”
“Ugh,” Rainbow Dash finally grunted. “Not that again.”
“She can talk!”
“Of course she can talk! She's a pony, isn't she?”
“If so, then she's from someplace far away.”
“Are there dragons where you come from?”
“Are all ponies as colorful as you?”
“Hey! One at a time, ponies!” Rainbow Dash exlaimed, suddenly drowning in the thick group of equines. “One at a time! I'm only one mare, no matter how many colors are in my hair!”
From afar, Ember Speak watched the scene. Exhaling peacefully, she hugged herself and smiled.
"I realized that the world could be as fantastic as it wanted to be, but my life would... would only become worse"
So perhaps nothing actually happened to ponyville? I am curious as to where this is going.
Poor Poor Rainbow -- She should have just avoided all this. Now she is stuck.
Oh, the speculation...
for some reason i am actually fine knowing things only as you see fit to reveal them. keep it up
1377549
Well, there's the Chaos Rift that Celestia is holding shut. We know for sure though that Dash is being Discorded somehow and thus I think the line, while easily able to be metaphorical, can be taken with some helpings of being literal.
That's some important context you didn't quote. Dash could be speaking about some sort of personality shift or a big fight, and while that may be true as well, I am more than convinced she is referring explicitly to the magic that's causing physical changes requiring her to wear the Element of Loyalty at all times. Which, by the way, is the theme for this vignette it seems. It always comes back to loyalty, it always comes back to Rainbow Dash. If I were to hazard I guess, I would say that we'll get hints of kindness and, hopefully, a lesson on laughter in this act as central themes as well.
New Objective Added: Speak to Sam Rose about helping Silvadel
Achievement Unlocked: "A Shoulder To Cry On... Briefly"
1377683 I think I need to reread this story, because I am realizing that I missed a lot of important cues along the way. "Discorded", huh? Makes a certain amount of sense (and I can't believe I didn't pick up on that). As to the other elements I have noticed other comments seem to point to them having been underlying themes throughout sections of the story as well.
Accidentally'd a spot there.
I think Discord did something. Turned the mane six into time bombs. Rainbow Dash is the only one who survived, and the pendant is the only thing keeping her from going off. The explosion, if we can call it that, opened a rift, and Celestia has to stay in Ponyville to tend to it so it doesn't get worse.
But I'm thinking Celestia did something, or lack thereof, and that's why Rainbow Dash left. Or, Rainbow is still just incredibly bitter that nothing could have been done, and blames Celestia for not being the perfect chessmaster she typically is and not having a way to fix it.
For Equestria's sake, and because she has nothing left to live in Equestria for, she just... Left. As Whitemane stated, the recreation of the Elements is completely unnecessary. The rift will apparently heal with time, and the world will return to normal. If anything, Rainbow Dash is seeking the Midnight Armory to honor her late friends... And to do one last good thing. Because even after everything, she's still loyal to Equestria, her friends, and the princesses.
So.... so many feels..... I don't even... what...... aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh~~
What the crap actually happened in Ponyville? I actually like not knowing everything, as it makes every hint all the more interesting, but dang, I'm stretching my brain muscles trying to figure it out (not that it really takes a whole lot ) And does it make me a bad person for not entirely wanting a happy ending for Rainbow? I mean I do, I just don't see how it could happen, assuming that her friends are all dead. The only good thing I can see occurring is her succeeding in finding this Armory thing and saving Ponyville, and then passing on to be with the other elements. Either that or the Armory somehow brings them back, but I doubt that seeing as she never says it will, and if it did I don't think she'd be taking any detours. Maybe her unlocking all of the friendship skills on this epic quest will channel them into existence somehow? Yeah, I have no idea. Wild speculation over, psyched as always for the next chapter
1377814
Yeah, a lot of mentions of "chaos" and Dash's eyes flashing "yellow and red." The Elements are for sure a big theme; I posted a diatribe about it a few chapters back
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I think we can classify the Whitemane encounter as partially steeped in honesty, and Kindness, is well, kindness, sort of everywhere. In a way, Loyalty and Magic are the themes while the other elements serve as motifs; we haven't gotten to the "harmony" part yet, though, not in any tangible way anyway.
Really, truly, Loyalty is the theme that is ever present in ever single chapter bar none; it's what drives Dash in the deepest reaches her being.
1377843
I don't think RD blames Celestia or Luna, or anyone really. When Rainbow spoke to Luna she seemed curious about updates, not bitter about being on her quest. Dash is doing what she's doing out of pure loyalty to her friends and, to some extent as was discussed way back in that section with Gold Petals, her country as you noted.
That's the takeaway, I think. We know Dash knows she is on a probable one-way trip, we know she'll stop at nothing and we know some shit went down that may (or may not) have killed her friends or otherwise incapacitated them. I need to re-read the Whitemane stuff, did Dash say she was off to re-create the Elements? I could have sworn that she just said where she was going, but not why. However, re-creating the elements fits nicely, especially if, say, it had come to pass that being the bearer of said element meant you forever bore that element and perhaps recreating the hardware would bring you back. Yay speculation!
Stubborn traditions always are the backbone for putting a society in peril, if the last two troubled civillizations aren't any indication.
1378016
She's after the Armory because it holds the means to create the Elements, or recreate them. And on Celestia, early on she really hated anything that reminded her of Celestia, and constantly avoided talking about her. She did something.
1378044
Sounds like I have some chapters to re-read this weekend. I thought the Celestia stuff was resolved when we learned she was holding the chaos rift closed; Dash would be upset by referencing her because it was a reminder that she a) wasn't home anymore and b) some major traumatic shit went down that lead to the loss of her friends.
1378023
The many shades of Loyalty, comes in multitude of flavors - a rainbow you might say - not all of them purely good. Nice catch.
I'm starting to feel as thought there will never be an ending to this story... It'll just drag on and on with Dash saving one civilization of ponies to the next...
And if Rainbow Dash's destination is the Midnight Armory, what is 'Austraeoh'?
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*psst* We're plotting over in the group forum.
Questions! Maybe we'll get some answers? dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra2.png
that rhymes
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Some food for thought: Back in the Windthrow arc, a certain unicorn that you might remember as Astral said this:
"He slowly shook his head with a gentle smile. “I think she's the Element itself.” "
The Midnight Armory can bring back the Elements of Harmony, eh? I think this little line takes on a whole new meaning in that light .
Also, Dash doesn't seem to trust Celestia anymore - something she brings up multiple times in her murmurings or actions. Is it because Celestia left the Elements to deal with Discord and something went wrong?
SPECULATION!!!
Oh, neat chapter too, i'm looking forwards to where it is going from here
1379372
That's a hell of a theory. She seems to have written them off as very, very dead though.
1377683
Until I get set up in the secret plot discussion group stuff, I'll continue speculation here.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a lesson in laughter on this one? "What?" you ask. (General 'you', not specifically Pilate) "Aqua, have you lost your marbles? This is the darkest arc yet?" Well, yes I have, but that's not important right now. And the fact that it's the darkest arc means that it is in need of some laughter the most. The struggle of the Silvadelians and their meager, underground existences are in dire need of some levity. I imagine that Dash will not be able to help very much with the dragons, but she will make life worth living for the Silvadelians before she continues east.
1379372
More or less sums up the theory I've been holding out hope for with the understanding that the other 5 elements are missing or killed in action. Dash also spoke about how she was the last remaining element during those Windtrhow scenes. It was something to the effect of correcting Astral that it was "element" of harmony, not "elements." Their status as "gone" but not explicitly "dead" is what drives the hope/theory that Dash is on somewhat of a rescue mission, if not to revive her friends than to revive their literal spirits. Who knows, maybe the Armory is actually the Earth-Factory's restart button and getting there resets it all to factory defaults letting them try again
1379725
Eeeyup Prime territory for some harmonious lessons of laughing in the face of adversity. Loyalty continues to prove it's not one-dimensional, Dash continues to prove she's perhaps the literal embodiment of not just loyalty but all the elements ("you do have magic!" said the Silvadelian to the mysterious Pegasus).
Title Obtained: "The Friend"
-Minty
1378016
I remember on one of the earlier chapters that the older unicorn came around to guessing correctly that Rainbow Dash was the last remaining Element of Harmony. If we all agree that themselves -are- the elements incarnate, then its safe to say (unfortunately) that the rest of them are dead.
I hope this story keeps going for a llllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooonggggggggggggggggggggggggggg time
So, the new adventure is freeing the Silvadelians from the evil Council that's keeping them there (hopefully for more reasons than keeping a bunch of ponies completely under their control - that wouldn't really be enough).
1378513
I thank you for the invitation, but I think I'll just stick with the story for now.
Now that I've properly settled down and taken a few deep breaths, here's a short piece to sum up my thought:
So, I just decked this entire story (at least, what's here now) in one sitting. Still reeling a bit from the sheer volume of great quality, but I think I can go ahead and say a few things.
1. I am fairly certain that the other 5 of the mane 6 are dead, or at least in some unrecoverable state. It may turn out that I'm wrong, but none of them have been mentioned by name outside of a dream/memory sequence. It's clear that something went wrong, because she doesn't ever refer directly to them and early on in the story she carved five names into a sign outside the first abandoned house she found.
2. This entire story has me absolutely hooked (I think that may be a bit obvious given with how I read it). The world building and plot have me all tangled up with this rather immense adventure, and I like it so very much.
That just about wraps up my reading session. Almost, anyway. I have a BP update to go read now.
Ive read all the story up to this point and IM SO CONFUSED
This chapter:
futurobeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/feels02.jpg
Also, goodnight, on day... 13? I dunno... I'm too weak to carry on....
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So this chapter got me thinking. The way Dash referred to what happened in Ponyville makes it almost sound like nothing's wrong over there right now. It seems now that the reason she left Ponyville was not because the town was rendered uninhabitable or because she was required to go on an epic quest for the fate of the world - Whitemane even explained that her quest wasn't necessary for the planet's survival - but because, now that her friends were gone, she has nothing left to live for. After they were (presumably) murdered by Discord, she must have become physiologically deattached from the world and begun grasping at the straws to find a way to replace the happiness her friends gave her - or even get her friends back somehow. And what better way to look for answers than by traveling the world over? That coupled with the fact that Discord would be cooped up within her forever and the possibility of the Midnight Armory being able to resurrect the Elements, and consequently, Dash's friends, and she was sold on the idea of the impossible journey to the chaos realm. Hmm...this is a good theory. I like it. Also, I'm confident now that Dash and Ember aren't going to get romantically involved. There was just the hug. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
man i actually was a little close to crying.
Several parts of this story have reminded me of Minecraft. Here's another:
>glowing powder affixed to the rock structure above
You can only be a rock for so long. Water always wins.
What could this mean?
That's just a blatant falsehood.
Maybe what happened to Swirls hit Rainbow Dash so hard because the ashes reminded her of something...
Rainbow flies east
Need I say more?
My mind is making a connection, but im not sure as to what
After reading this, I experienced a sudden burst of comprehension, punctuated by a dash of what seemed to be a combination of mild sadness and confusion.
I have no idea why.
*Sad horse shipping noises*
Must.. Remain.. Loyal.. To... Rainbow Petals! (You're making this REALLY hard not to ship, IC!)
Rainbow, just accept it. You are best princess
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IKR ITS PAINFUL
Now that is just wrong, it is heart, not land or even blood, that makes one of their nation.
07/27/2019
02:15 UTC
Take pride in what you have done. Not what you have been given. Born 1000 miles to the east or west abd they would be loyal members of anther nation.
They say home is where the heart is. Is that the barren landscape, or the people?