• Published 13th May 2012
  • 53,444 Views, 8,236 Comments

Austraeoh - Imploding Colon

  • ...
88
 8,236
 53,444

PreviousChapters Next
Rewards

“Well, I gotta hoof it to ya, Princess, you somehow managed to squeeze in another night,” Rainbow Dash said with a smile as she sat on a cloudbank, gazing up at the full moon. “I thought I had missed ya for another month. It's nice to hear your voice.”

“Verily, we art jubilant to hear thy voice as well.” Rainbow's ruby pendant glowed as Luna's words echoed through the winds. The quality was lacking, and the sound was somewhat hard to make out. Regardless, as the full moon started to wane, the Princess' communication maintained itself, if barely. “From the last time we had spoken with thou, we feared for thy well-being. This trepidation multiplied over the course of the revolutions during which thou were absent.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow Dash flicked her tail and gazed down at the mountains below. “I was kind of beyond transmission range.”

“Assisting needy ponies, no doubt...”

“You believe all that crap I told you about the minotaurs and the unicorns and the chaos strips?”

“Your fecal matter is most assuredly comprehendable, albeit drenched in heroic exagerration, we would assume.”

“Heh. You always know how to humble me, Your Highness.”

“It would seem thou hast avoided banishment to the moon for missing our last appointment.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, then squinted into the ruby glow of her pendant. “Wait... was that... a joke?”

“Perhaps we hath gotten better at the art?”

“Heh...” Rainbow Dash sweated slightly. “You won't see me heckling ya.”

“We art curious. These chaos strips, there were only two of them?”

“That the minotaurs had. Yeah.”

“And thou hadst an adverse reaction to them?”

Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane. “I... guess you could say that. But I managed.”

“We art overjoyed to hear of your good health in spite of such dangerous pursuits. However, we art curious. Doth thou expect adventurous excursions such as this to happen often? Surely they must only hamper thy journey.”

“Hey...” Rainbow Dash shrugged and glanced down into the glowing sight of Windthrow below the clouds. “Ponies in need are ponies in need. Sometimes I can't help being a sap.”

“We would remind thee that time is of the essence in your trek.”

Rainbow Dash exhaled slowly. “I know that, Your Highness,” she said in a low voice, but very calmly smiled. “But, half of this whole journey is... well... me just winging it.”

“Art thou happy?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Happy?”

“Verily.”

She bit her lip, gulped, and nodded. “Happy enough, I guess.”

“Then that is what matters to us.” The voice started fading. “Our magical connection is disentegrating, Rainbow Dash. The moon's glow fades where thou art.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow Dash gulped. “Talk to you in about a month?”

“Indeed. We look forward to hearing of thy journeys, provided thou has made a great deal of distance.”

“Hey. Distance is my middle name.”

“And what of 'Danger,' then?”

Rainbow's voice cracked. “I th-think I used that up over the past few days.” She smiled crookedly, then sighed. “Say, Princess, before you go...”

“Be swift, Rainbow Dash...”

“Do you suppose that the place that holds the Midnight Armory is the only structure of its kind?”

“It is the only structure that we and our sister hath witnessed. We told thee upon the beginning of your journey that entering the domain of the Midnight Armory would be the most difficult task to accomplish.”

Rainbow glanced at her own hooves. “Suppose it would take a magic touch to get the doors open, huh?”

“Considering what was used to seal the Armory, it would take a great deal of energy indeed. If our sister wasn't so encumbered with the chaos rift in Ponyville, she would be more than happy to lend her gifts of magic. Surely thou hast been briefed on this.”

“Yeah, Your Highness.” Rainbow Dash blinked, imagining a lavender glow in her peripheral vision. “It was just a thought...”

“Keep thy focus intact, and we shall assist you in every manner which we are art capable of, even if just moral support.” The voice finally dissipated as the ruby glow dimmed. “Thou loyalty shalt not go unrewarded...”

The light died, and Rainbow Dash was alone in the clouds.

She took a deep breath. “It's been a long time since I gave a darn about rewards,” she muttered. She bit her lip. Her eyes fell towards Windthrow below. Stretching her wings, she dove off the cloud and soared towards the mountain village.

PreviousChapters Next