It took several minutes of flying, of bursting through the frigid heights above the mountain tops, but somewhere above the smog and mists Rainbow Dash had found a cloud. She sat down on it, her body bathed in a pale, luminous glow. Taking deep breaths, she stared up at the full moon. The entire object shone in a perfect circle, stabbing her ruby eyes through the dead fabric of night.
It had felt like only a few days since the last time she did this, but Rainbow Dash knew better. No matter how much landscape had blurred beneath her, the moon remained stagnant, constantly shadowing her as her nights bled into weeks and then into months.
However, in spite of her hesitation, she had not skipped an appointment once. She was too loyal to do otherwise. So, with calm precision, she raised a hoof to the ruby lightning bolt hanging from her pendant and ran her limb across the cold surface until it lit up with a dim glow.
The magical fire from within the necklace burned brighter, intensifying in variable degree to the amount of moonlight it was progressively absorbing. Soon, a vibrant beam of energy shot out of Rainbow Dash's neckpiece, strobing in time with an ethereal voice that filled the cold space above the cloud with noise and enchantment.
“Rainbow Dash. Doth thou hear us?”
Rainbow inhaled hard, then managed a tranquil smile as she spoke to the winds, “Sure thing, your highness. What? Did you expect to me to leave you hanging?”
“We do not understand. Hath we committed a crime that deserveth execution by a noose?”
“Ehh... heh heh. It's just an expression, Princess. You do remember what I said last time about how you should be talking to your guards more?”
“Verily, we do recall. Albeit, thy Princess hath dealt with many responsibilities as of late, which hath made casual socialization most difficult.”
“Awwww. Well, that sucks.” Rainbow Dash winced at her own words. “Ahem. Pardon me, your Highness.” She gulped and smirked into the glow of her pendant. “So... uh... like, how's Equestria... and stuff?”
“Equestria is safe in our hooves. Though it hath taken many trials and tribulations, we hath come close to mastering the revolutions of both the Sun and Moon. Our beloved sister maintaineth meditation over the chaos rift. No single pony hath suffered since the day you departed for your journey.”
“Well, that sure is super,” Rainbow Dash said. She gulped and added, “And Ponyville? How's... How's Candy Mane taking care of the weather since I've been gone?”
“We are most sorry to confess that we are not familiar with the royal subject known as 'Candy Mane'. Regardless, Rainbow Dash, thou need not give into fear. Ponyville remaineth the jewel of Equestria's beautiful country. Our sister and we hath even erected a temple over the chaos rift. So long as Celestia upholdeth her duties, no harm shalt come to thy beloved village.”
“Well, that's good to know...”
“Thy questions are art well respected, though they suffer an unnecessary repetition from the last time we conversed. Tell us, Rainbow Dash, what hath though discovered in your journeys?”
“Ohhhh... Y'know...” Rainbow Dash laid back and kicked at a few white fluffs of moonlit clouds. “Same old, same old.”
“The entire world is old. Wouldst thou be more specific?”
“Well, if it'll humor you, then sure!” Rainbow Dash stifled a yawn and droned, “Past Dream Valley, there was a bunch of marshlands. Then there were mountains. Then there were more mountains. Then there were even more mountains...”
“Hath thou, by chance, encountered Stone Clefts of Wintergait?”
Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed as she scanned the right edge of a map in her mind. “Lemme guess... it's two tall clefts of mountainous stone jutting up into the clouds?”
“Affirmative. They are as old as time itself, rivaling even our sister's years in antiquity. We imagine they must be an astounding sight for a mortal's eyes such as thine own.”
“Oh. Heh. Yeah.” Rainbow Dash chuckled and waved a hoof in the air. “I saw those rocks.”
“Hadst thou?”
“Oh yeah. Several days ago.”
“Remarkable. Then thou must be well beyond the western ridges of Wintergait.”
“Yeah, that's just what the ponies call it around here.”
“Thou hath met local equines?”
“Yup. They eat meat. Isn't that totally gross?”
“Thou art bound to discover several diverse cultures in thy trek, Rainbow Dash. It is not unbecoming of many of them to disgust thee in their customes. Be forewarned: several nations residing beyond the reach of our sister's glory may very well be hostile.”
“Yeah, well, these ponies couldn't hurt a fly if they wanted to,” Rainbow Dash said in a muttering tone. “Heck, I had to do just about everything to keep them from dying along the way back home to their mountain village.”
“Wouldst thou clarify?”
“It's a bunch of earth ponies, and they can barely build a fire, cross a stream or fight off hydras on their own.”
“Thou hadst engaged with hydras?”
“Oh. Totally. Made one vomit up a stallion too. It was cool.”
“Thy adventures are most intriguing, Rainbow Dash. We art proud to be bequeathed with your knowledge.”
“Yeah, well, you're welcome and all that jazz. Say...” Rainbow Dash stood up and held her hoof over the glowing pendant as she spoke, “How's Apple Bloom?”
“Apple Bloom?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash uttered breathily. “I can't help but worry about the little scamp.”
“We hath visited her on several occasions. She appeareth to be doing well in her studies. Granted, she hath stepped up to do more work on her family's farmland. We assumeth thou wouldst be happy to know that her entire family is prospering with the latest harvest.”
Rainbow Dash exhaled long and hard. She smiled gently into the moonlight. “Yeah. I'm happy to know that.” She gulped and glanced down at the cloud. “What about her friends?”
“Her unicorn companion, Sweetie Belle, hath moved back to Canterlot to be with her mother and father. The last time we took notice, she had brought her pegasus acquaintance along with her for an extended stay.”
“Oh-ho really?!” Rainbow Dash snickered. “Scootaloo's gonna be bored stiff in Canterlot. Yeesh, what I wouldn't pay to see that.” She laughed again, exhaled, and said, “And Spike? Is he still at the library?”
“Indeed. On occasion, he volunteers to assist our sister in meditation. It would seem that he hath become a very important figure in Ponyville. Many unicorns visit the town just to speak with him.”
“Well, that's kind of cool. I always figured he could do with some attention after everything...” Rainbow Dash murmured.
“Celestia believeth Spike to be a prodigy of sorcery. It wouldst appear that purple dragons possess an innate ability to channel mana. Once she hath mastered her meditative duties, she wouldst endeavor to make Spike her pupil.”
Rainbow Dash's nostrils flared upon hearing that. In a low voice, she muttered, “You don't say.”
“Wouldst thou wish to ask our sister about the matter? She is available for summoning, Rainbow Dash, if thou wouldst share audience with the Princess.”
Quite deliberately, Rainbow Dash changed the subject. “I've had another one of the fainting spells.”
The voice was slightly slow to respond. “Hadst thou recovered?”
“Well, yeah. It was over and done with in a blink, but it took me several hours before I could fly again.”
“Hadst thou been assaulted with any greater severity or frequency?”
“No. Not really.” She bit her lip at the thought. “The sucky part is that it comes without any warning.”
“Thou hath kept the Element of Loyalty on thy body at all times?”
“Oh. Yeah. Absolutely!”
“Then our enchantment maintaineth thine countenance still. We art pleased to hear of thine good health. We can only hope that it lasts throughout the extent of thine journey.”
Rainbow Dash fidgeted, glancing down at her hooves resting atop the cloudbank. “It's... It's only gonna happen more often, isn't it?”
The voice replied swiftly, “Our estimation hath not changed since thine departure.”
“Yeah. I guess it hasn't.” She took a deep breath. “Well, so long as I keep the clouds beneath me half the time, I'll at least have something soft to fall on if worse comes to worst.”
“We fear that thine humor is loss to us.”
“Heh. Wouldn't be the first time, your highness.” Rainbow Dash openly yawned. “Unngh... I'd better go. I have—what—two more nights to talk to you, right?”
“That is correct.”
“I'll let you know how things go next evening. These silly ponies have a bunch of crap to deal with, and I kind of wanna learn more.”
“We art intrigued. Wouldst thou have a reason to tarry along the fringes of Wintergait?”
“Huh? Could you say that a tad bit unprincessified, your highness?”
“We only mean to remind thee that there is a great deal of landscape left between where thou art and the end of thy journey. No single mortal truly comprehendeth the distance we mean to imply.”
“Hey. I know! Really, I do,” Rainbow Dash uttered with a shrug. “I'm trying not to get too stressed. I'm just... y'know... wingin' it. Heheheh.”
“If thou insist. We wish thee a pleasant sleep, Rainbow Dash.”
“Bah. Sleep is for royalty,” Rainbow Dash raspberried into the air, giggled, and swung her hoof across the ruby bolt in finality. “Stay frosty, your highness.”
“But we doth not feel any cold—”
The glow of the necklace faded. Rainbow Dash was once more alone with the cold whisper of the high altitude breeze. She exhaled long and hard, her blue wings fluttering. She shifted the weight of the saddlebag on her spine, feeling the rolling weight of the apple inside the canvas material.
She remembered something the Princess had said, and a tranquil smile came to her face.
“'Doing well in her studies.' Heh. Well that's not so bad.”
She stretched her neck, cracking the joints within. As she did so, she caught a break in the smog below her. The towering rock structure that Windthrow clung to stood tall, majestic, and mysterious. The moonlight tried stabbing through the misty vapors surrounding the structure, but could barely pass through.
So Rainbow Dash decided to take an extra step herself. Holding her breath, she flexed her limbs, dove off the cloud, and soared her way towards the top of the awkward mountain.
After what happened, eh? That doesn't bode well.
-groan-
I find this annoying. What the buck happened to the mane 6?!
It is nice to know that the CMC and the rest of equestria are fine, but where are the mane 6?!
wait a second...
OH please tell me that's not true... please...
Okay, so I know at least RD's exploring/adventuring with the consent and knowledge of the Princesses, or at least with Luna as her patron. For some reason the others of the Mane Six aren't mention, while Spike and the CMC are (with Spike delving into his magical capabilities). Also, the 'episodes' are known and becoming more frequent, and the way she asked about the Element of Loyalty makes me think she has it to keep her alive or something.
Either it's an epic quest to help the others of the Mane Six in some way because of something like the illness or related to it, or it's something RD is doing to soul-search or simply because she wanted to explore. She doesn't seem to have a goal beyond "go east". Alternatively, it's "one last adventure" before the illness kills her. However, there is no sad tag and the way they're talking and RD's acting doesn't make me think anything bad has happened to the others of the Mane Six or that she's going to die.
Also, I'm wondering if this is something you've made up as you went along. I mean, at first, it was tagged as "random" and consisted of only wonderful little snippets, but now it's getting a plot. I wonder if the plot was something you tacked on later or if this was originally supposed to be a snippet thing. I do think you should get rid of the "random" tag, as it doesn't really deserve it any more what with a coherent plot slowly, slowly building itself up.
Hmm, some sort of dimensional rift and a sickness that requires the Element to be staved off? What the hell does RD need to get?
The rest of the Mane 6 were left out on purpose... I can only fear the worst...
I am so terribly confused right now
I'm so Confused! What about the Mane 6? And yet, The Plot Thickens...
-THEpandaman007
Waitwaitwait... Where's my dashie evaluation?!?!?!?!
IIIIIt's Dashie's Marathon Evaluation Time!
(Oh man, this is going to be a looooong evaluation time...<cracks knuckles > Let's do it!) In this chapter, it is revealed what happens on the full moon-Dash speaks with Princess Luna and gives her updates on the journey she was sent on, which was apparently a royal mission. So it seems that the Luna hints-the royal fabric saddlebags and their moon clasp-were true. Also, Luna says that she is in charge of both the sun and the moon. This is because Celestia is apparently meditating at a temple the royal sisters erected at a place called the chaos rift. This is somehow keeping the ponies in Equestria from harm. I am more sure than ever that Discord is somehow involved with this story, which would mean that Celestia is specifically trying to protect Equestria from him. This means that the Elements of Harmony are somehow unable to defeat Discord right now, which I assume is what Dash's mission is about, but I'll get to the Elements later. For now, their conversation reveals that some, if not several years have passed since the days of the show. I can deduce this from three reasons. First, Luna says that Applebloom is doing more work at Sweet Apple Acres, which is a sign of growing up. Second, Sweetie Bell has gone with Scootaloo to live with Sweetie's parents in Canterlot, which would have been too big a step if they were fillies. Also, this means that the CMC are no more, which depresses me for some reason. And finally, when they talk about Spike, Luna indirectly states that he is growing up in saying that he is growing skilled with dragon magic, and Celestia may take him on as her pupil. Which brings me to my next topic-the mane six. First, when Dash asks about Spike, Luna says that he has begun working the library, which means that Twilight isn't at the library. Also, the possibility of Celestia taking on Spike as a pupil means that Twilight is no longer her pupil. Applebloom doing more farmwork might suggest that Applejack is gone, but she might still be there. Sweetie going to live with her parents means that something has probably happened to Rarity as well. Finally, I don't think they said anything relating to Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie, but I might have missed something. Okay, so next-the Element of Loyalty necklace. Apparently Dash must keep it on her body at all times for this mission to succeed. Perhaps it protects her from whatever bad thing I assume happened to the mane six. Also, that dizziness thing from earlier is apparently only going to get worse, so I look forward to seeing the cause of that. This chapter gives us a lot of information and answers, so it is now one of my favorites. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Shamrocker-Heef...Huff I...I did it...Huff...8 more chapters to go...Huff...I can totally do this...
P.S.S. Please tell me if I missed anything. Thank you!
I think it's safe to say the rest of the mane six hath kicked the bucket.
I think I now know where this is going. Discord. Chaos-rift. Alt-Universe tag.
Promises to be a hell of a show!
p.s. no, nopony is dead, they are all just discorded except RD whom Luna has somehow managed to enchant so that she can be somewhat normal again, except for when the spell weakens and she gets faint and goes all grey.
My guess at least.
I look forward to more Rainbow solo flying, those chapters were the best chapters.
ERRRGH. I HATE people, and ponies alike, who have this unwarranted, and illogical hatred for Celestia. Idiots.
okay, this has totally caught my attention. I am willing to put my fic on hold just to finish reading the rest of the 100+ chapters.
though I ain't going to put this on my favorites for a while. I don't think I wanna see a 100+ number on my favorites to read. o.0
though I give you my thumbs up~
Fainting spell? Everyone seems to think that it is an illnesses. I think that Rainbow somehow took the mane 6 with her because sweetie Belle just happened to leave during the journey.:ajbemused:.
A lot of information in this one. Goodness, I look forward to continuing the story more and more with each chapter.
I'm guessing that Discord escaped and "infected" the Mane 6 with chaos, and only Rainbow could be saved, but its only a matter of time before she goes crazy or dies. And I think Rainbow blames Celestia for something, maybe making the hard decision to put down the other infected Elements.
So many questions answered. So many more questions risen...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH WELL.
Called it, Element is what's keeping her healthy. Cuz ya know, I only have 169 more chapters to go to figure out what it's keeping her healthy from, then 200 more chapters of whatever the sequel is going to be about, then who knows how many chapters will be out of the second sequel by the time I get to it.
Rainbow Dash isn't the only one on a journey it seems.
Couldn't help but notice that there was no mention of Twilight or any of Dash's other friends, especially when Luna spoke of Spike and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom... And this Chaos rift. And Rainbow's eyes becoming corrupted with the red-on-yellow from time to time. And her world turning gray. And the Element of Loyalty keeping her from suffering more of the fainting spells... I'm inclined to believe that during the confrontation with Discord back at the beginning of Season 2, in show time, someone screwed the pooch and Discord managed to put the rest of the Element bearers out of commission- permanently. Or perhaps his defeat opened this chaos rift, which took out Twilight and the others, leaving Celestia as the only one capable of holding the chaos back until Dash reaches her target.
I'm not sure what to make of this fic. It's dark, but at the same time it's not. It is random, but it has a steadily growing plot. She flies solo, but has now encountered a group of ponies from beyond the fringes of her known society... It brings her pain to speak of home, yet she doesn't miss a beat with her cocky, Rainbow Dash attitude. All I can say for sure is that I like where it's going, and hold out hope that Dash will be able to pull through and make things right. If not for herself, then at least for those depending on her back home.
Oh wow, we're getting a lot revealed here. It seems my disease theory was wrong (), and what actually happened is some sort of chaos has overtaken the land, upsetting the balance of sun and moon, which Celestia is trying to rectify in her meditation. Rainbow Dash still doesn't like her, a fact Luna seems to be unaware of, thus disproving another part of my theory. I believe this 'chaos' (could you call that a disease ) has affected ponies too, so badly they have succumbed to the fatal darkness of death, important victims being the other five, as they were not mentioned. Dash has some symptoms that are the start of it, but the necklace holds it back, though it does occasionally break through, and, as the 'chaos' inside her grows the element is weakening and will soon fail, leaving her as vulnerable as any other pony. She does have a definite place to which she has to go, a place that still has some type of 'cure' for the chaos, perhaps? Oh! Maybe the place she's going to is called Austraeoh? That would be awesome.
So, this is my new theory based of a lot more evidence, and will hopefully be closer than my last one, although it might not have been too far off, I don't know yet. Still sticking by all her friends died, though.
Hmm, interesting. Twilight was never mentioned, smog other ponies, but I find her lack of mention yet Spike's interesting.
Ooh the mystic. I'm such a dunce. I thought all of this was revealed WAY later.
Cool, we got some explaining done, but I still have a lot of questions! And Rainbow Dash has like 700 chapters worth of traveling to go through. Hoo boy, its good that I haven't planned on replying to every chapter. You people who do that are amazing.
Holy crap, actual backstory? I was resigned to having to figure out everything as it came!
169 chapters to go!
5079073
Yeah, but then you have all the sequels. And after that you end up pulling a me-ey and rereading it whilst waiting for the next chapter. Absolute torture, let me tell you. Worth it though.
Well her friends are now officially implied to be dead. Good to know.
5333818
To be fair, this was implied back in like chapter 4 or whatever one with the cabin when she erected a gravestone with 5 names on it.
Callin it: all of the Mane 6 are dead but Rainbow.
This chapter went almost exactly as I thought it would. The unexpected part was Celestia managing a 'chaos rift'. Discord is becoming more and more prevalent. Rainbow's reaction to Celestia making Spike her student....very interesting. Almost as if Rainbow blames her for something, and she shows clear signs of hostility towards Celestia too.
I'm saying that the rift opened up, the elements tried closing it and most were sucked in but dash was fast enough to escape and managed to warn celestia and she managed to close the rift but lost a lot of power and taught Luna how to raise the sun also, and celestial meditates at the sight for three reasons. 1 to keep an eye on the rift, 2 to be there if the others survived in the rift and want out and, 3 to gain her powers back before she tries to go back to life as normally as she can, and rainbow dash has dizzy spells because of how close she was and it is slowly killing her but her element is keeping safe mostly.
1232855 I'm loving your evaluation times Just a question, does it continue through all of the sequels?
681850 They're dead, Jim.
6055383 Now let's split their money.
First mention of home, no mention of her closest friends. Suspicious. And she is off to investigate the problem herself.
Huh... so Luna's the one that sent Rainbow on her journey. And a long one at that. Something happened to cause Luna to send Rainbow on a journey. Something during Discord's reign that forcibly makes Celestia have to stand guard over something, and spike is a sorcerer. So many more things. Now I'm curious about Equestria as well. Apple Bloom's studies? And the dizzy spells are held at bay by Luna's enchantment? What's all going on here? What happened to her? Onwards and upwards to more questions, and hopefully an answer or two. =P
5847560 That's good! Yeah, I thought she might be slowly dying... And "how close she got..." It all makes sense now! Perhaps Twi and Rarity's magic was drained so they couldn't escape by teleportation, but Dash was able to fly fast enough to leave? Then maybe, far East, is something that can cure her...
Let's see here:
Rainbow Dash has suffered something which is causing fainting spells and requires an Alicorn's enchantment powered by the Element of Loyalty to cover up the physical symptoms. Which appear to include yellowed sclera. Check.
A chaotic rift has appeared within or residing next to the town of Ponyville, kept quiescent by the continued meditations of Celestia, so much so that she no longer has the time to manage the Sun. Check.
A temple has been built to either a. mark the location of and/or b. help to control the chaotic rift. Check.
Spike is magical in some fashion and presumably older. Check.
The CCC have split up and are going about their lives as normal. Though Sweetie Belle has moved back with her parents and taken Scootaloo with her. Check.
Finally, the rest of the element bearers are completely absent to some degree or another. Spike is described in his own right not in association with Twilight, Sweetie Belle no longer lives with Rarity and Applebloom has had to pick up the slack on the farm chores presumably done by Applejack. Check
Conclusion: Something has happened to the other element bearers, though from the lack of angst shown, probably not death and also apparently something, which though debilitating is relatively stable. If their condition was worsening over time, then Dash would be not so bothered with stopping to help others, which suggests that her task is not time sensitive, though still exceedingly important.
Hmm. I need more information, but that requires reading more. I only intended to read 10 chapters and then leave it at that. This is so going to muscle in on the rest of my not so busy schedule.
6522973 All them ponies are asleepin' (mane six) and Rainbow is fighting time itself, if she takes to long the spell which has her friends in a sleeping beauty slumber will finally but her to sleep too. The goal should hold the key to wake the elements and thus reawakening the powers of the elements so that they can dispel the 'Chaos rift'.
Or so is my leading theory.
Mmm.
That plot is delicious.
We've had some samples, appetisers and tastes along the way but I think this is one of the first full servings we've actually had.
And this is only an entrée.
Lolwut
This chapter has by far the most situation building so far. It also is not mentioned, but it is clear Rainbow misses her home, though she would never admit as such. At least not yet, maybe when she grows older and wiser she will be able to admit such things, both to herself and to those around her.
02/15/2017 03:01 GMT
Huh. No mention of the other mane six in her call with Luna... that seems ominous.
Shoot. Apple Bloom is working the farm, no mention of the M6. Sweetie isn't staying with Rarity, Twilight isn't teaching Spike...
Shoot.
Ah.... worrisome words... no sign of the other EoH members....
Not sure about RD's condition either... seems healthy, but that eye color shifting might be something to be conserned about....
Guys.... is the element the only thing keeping Dashie alive right now?
Finally, some exposition.
Call me crazy, but getting the answers is honestly my least favorite part of any story with intrigue. I love this story, its some of the best literature I've ever read, but answers are never something I look forward to
Such interesting powers for the Element of Loyalty! And it's nice to see pieces start to fall into place. They're definitely interpersonal, based on what Luna says.
Rainbow Dash is the element of Loyalty. She didn't ask a single thing about her friends, only their younger siblings. That's not something she would do without reason. I'm very scared.
Home is where the heart is, and it is clear where Rainbow left her heart.
07/08/2019
00:58 UTC