Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Rainbow
The old ship creaked and groaned, and from somewhere deep within I could hear the metallic twang of something large snapping loose. The engines rumbled to life and roared intensely, daring to throw everything onboard over the edge, yet I never let my grip on the wheel slacken. An explosion to the side rocked the ship and I lurched forward, one of the wheel prongs being driven into my chest. It was painful. It was chaotic. It was completely insane.
It was fun.
I laughed in exhilaration, steadying myself once more, and urged the ship forward. I would have attempted to send the ship into a controlled spin, but that would definitely have thrown everypony overboard. And right now, we had more than enough problems.
“Rainbow!” Rarity cried from somewhere, “could you possibly try not to get us killed?!”
I felt the ship lurch again and wedged my hooves into the steering wheel. I banked left, only to see too late an approaching fireball. I scrambled to try to get away from it, but the ship was moving slowly for some reason. I watched in horror as the green flames collided with the balloon keeping us aloft...
...only to bounce off harmlessly. Well, harmlessly to the balloon, anyways. We still had the matter of the giant fireball on the wooden deck to take care of. Though, considering it was a sickly green colour, maybe I shouldn’t have to worry about anything catching fire because of it. So instead I turned my attention back to regaining control of the ship. It took a moment, and a whole lot of muscling, but I was slowly able to steady her out.
<Rainbow, we’ve moved too far from the Hive.> From the tone of voice I thought it was Cassie who spoke. I looked at our positioning to the mountains to confirm she was right, and spun the wheel round and brought us back, though maybe a little too fast. At least that’s what I thought the tumbling sounds coming from the main deck were telling me.
<Hey, that’s weird,> Tobias said thoughtfully. <Where’d all the Changelings go?>
I looked out the viewing window and observed the main deck and surrounding airspace. Sure enough, the entire area was devoid of Changelings. Curiousity getting the better of me I trotted out onto the deck and peered over the edge. The ground was as lifeless as it had always been.
“So, what do you think?” Rarity asked, coming up beside me. “Did Prince Jake and the others manage to destroy the Hive?”
<It would definitely take priority away from us,> Cassie added. Sometime during the attack she’d changed into a wolf, though why she didn’t bother to change into something that could fly was beyond me.
“Ooh! Ooh! Down there!” Pinkie cried while bouncing in place and pointed at the ground. “I see Twilight!”
“Pinkie, dear, how in the world can you see anything from this far away?” Rarity asked.
“She’s purple!”
<Something seems off about this,> Tobias said, also looking in the same direction as Pinkie. I was about to ask for more details when I was momentarily blinded by a flash of violet light. When the light faded Twilight was standing in the middle of the deck. She looked upset and was covered in dirt and mud, and I thought I could even see a few cuts here and there. Most importantly, though, she was alone.
“Omigosh Twilight that was so cool how did you teleport that far where are the others I know Prince Jake can fly but Applejack can’t but maybe Illusion can carry her...”
<Pinkie,> Cassie said gently, <not now.>
“T-the cave collapsed...” Twilight said softly. I had to move closer to hear her and repressed the thought that Fluttershy could talk louder than her now. “The others...still down there. Visser has Changeling Queen...”
“What?!” I yelled, probably a bit louder than intended. “Everypony is in trouble? We’ve got to go rescue them!”
<Hold on, we can’t just rush in blindly,> Tobias added.
<You heard Twilight, they’re trapped down there with a Visser and an army of controllers,> Cassie said.
<I know, but there’s something else going on here,> he retorted, sounding way too calm for my liking. <The Changelings just disappeared. They didn’t retreat, they didn’t surrender, they just vanished.> He landed on the railing of the ship and glanced around. <Coincidently, this happens when our known entrance to the Hive is collapsed with everyone inside.>
“So, what, you’re saying we sit here and do nothing?” I glared at him. “I’m not leaving any of my friends behind!”
“He’s right, Rainbow,” Twilight said softly. “We can’t move the debris quick enough, and even if we could they’d be waiting inside where they’re strongest.” She was silent a few moments. “But I bet we stand a chance if one of the Princesses were to help us.”
<Could we reach them in time?> Cassie asked, a slight hint of worry in her voice. <I mean, it took you, Rarity, Marco and Jake to get us all here in a few hours. How long would it take for the two of you to get us to your capital?>
“If we push the engines past their limit we can make it in a few hours,” Twilight said without a trace of doubt. “Granted, we’ll probably damage them irreparably along the way, but once we get to Canterlot we can speak to Luna and Celestia. I’m sure one of them can teleport us back here fast enough, or they can borrow one of the noble’s working airships. Then we capture the Visser and save Equestria.”
She made it sound so easy, so simple. And yet, I found myself torn between returning to Canterlot and staying here to find our own way through. Even if the Princesses could teleport us back here instantly, we’d still be wasting time going to get them. Spike might be able to send a message, if we hadn’t left him with Big Mac back in Appleloosa. We could go grab him, but since Princess Celestia hadn’t been responding to Twilight’s letters in the first place, I didn’t think that would be a better idea.
<That does seem the best course of action at the moment,> Tobias said after a long moment of silence.
Twilight nodded to him. “I’ll head down to the engine room and prep it for its final voyage.” Without another word she turned and headed below deck, dragging her hooves and staring at the floor forlornly.
“I, uh, guess I’ll steer?” I asked nopony in particular. Rarity was already making her way back towards the sensor nodes and both Cassie and Tobias followed me to the control room. Once inside they began to return to their normal forms. I turned away and repressed a shudder; it still didn’t seem natural or right.
We were only waiting for a few moments when the engines roared to life again and I reluctantly took the wheel and turned back towards Canterlot. With a heavy heart I gave one final look back to the mountains that marked the Hive entrance. I knew we had no other option, but there was a part of me that was screaming inside my head. Something that was saying I was betraying my friends. And it was leaving me with a horrible, sickening feeling, sort of like when I was all alone during the incident with Mare Do Well. Except that this was a million times worse.
“Rainbow!” The sudden voice burst into my thoughts, and without warning Pinkie Pie popped up between me and the steering wheel, looking uncomfortably upset. “What’re you doing? You’re leaving Prince Jake and the others behind!”
“We have to, Pinkie,” I said somberly, “but we’re coming right back with the Princess’s help.” I tried to give a reassuring smile, but all I was feeling was more of the sickening feeling of betrayal bubbling up inside me.
“But but but but!” Pinkie protested. “We’re leaving them in a scary Changeling Hive all alone? With no escape?”
“They’re not alone, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said softly. I’d been so preoccupied with Pinkie I hadn’t noticed her walk in as well. “They’ve got each other.”
“Twilight says there’s nothing more we can do for them as things stand,” I said to Pinkie, gently pushing her aside and taking the wheel again. “If one of the Princesses is our only hope, then we’d better get to Canterlot fast.” When nopony protested I gritted my teeth and sent the ship heading towards Canterlot.
Please, let this be the right choice.
Sure enough, Twilight’s plan had worked. In just a few hours we’d traveled halfway across Equestria in what felt like no time at all. Already I was beginning to make out the towers of Canterlot Castle rising in the distance.
“It sure does look pretty from up here,” Applejack said. I gaped and did a double-take at her before realizing her hat was missing and admonished myself for confusing Cassie and Applejack. I still wasn’t quite used to the whole thing.
“Yeah, I guess so,” I quickly replied, hoping I was covering up my surprise. “You can go tell Rarity and Twilight that they can take a breather now.”
Cassie nodded at me, and looking out the window I noticed Rarity cease the spell she was performing on the balloon — with an overly dramatic sigh, no less — and moments later she joined us in the control room. “I do believe that this high altitude is going to be the death of my complexion at this rate. The winds make it so hard to keep one’s mane in decent condition.”
<I can’t tell if she’s acting more like Marco or if Marco’s always been like that,> Tobias said. When Rarity didn’t react I realized he hadn’t included her in his bizarre thought-speech and smirked.
“I love the wind!” Pinkie exclaimed, oblivious to both Rarity’s discomfort and Tobias’ snide comment. “The way it goes all WOOSH and WOOOOOOOO and WEEEEEEE!” Somehow, Pinkie’s mane blew in an invisible wind that managed to match her own sound effects. I rolled my eyes; one doesn’t understand Pinkie, you just tried not to think about it.
“Say, Cassie,” I began. She turned and looked at me — again, creepy when I’m looking at Applejack’s face instead of hers. “Do you think-”
“Twitcha-Twitch! Twitcha-Twitch!”
Instinct and muscle memory took over and I dove to the floor with my hooves over my head and looked up at the barren ceiling. “Um, Pinkie? Precisely what is going to fall on me?”
“I don’t know,” she said, looking around with a confused look while holding her twitching tail in her hooves.
<Um, what are you guys talki->
TSEEEEW-BOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the ship and I was thrown against the window, letting out a small whimper of pain as I crushed my damaged wing even further. In the back of my mind I registered the cracks running along the window, but my attention was drawn more to the balloon; or rather, the lack thereof. The entire main deck was on fire, and there was a gaping hole that lead down to the sleeping quarters. The ship was beginning to tilt over dangerously far, giving me a horrifying view of the mountains below. Normally, Pegasi aren’t supposed to be afraid of heights, but when one has a damaged wing and is unable to fly, suddenly rushing to meet the ground at such a high velocity seems that much scarier.
A flash of yellow caught my attention in my left eye, and I saw Fluttershy pinned against the furthest wall. Her eyes were squeezed shut from the wind pressure, and tears were slowly being forced along the sides of her head. Next to her were Pinkie and Cassie, all tangled up in each other's hooves and being bashed around like a rubber ball let loose. Rarity wasn’t faring any better, even with her magic stabilizing her ever so slightly, and I had no visuals on Tobias.
Somehow, I managed to make my way back to the wheel, though I don’t remember moving. In the back of my mind I knew that we couldn’t sustain flight, but I’d hoped that I could use what little power we did have to slow our descent and level out.
I gritted my teeth together and fought the ship as it continued downwards. Considering how slowly it was leveling out I suspected that either a few of the fins had been blasted off or some of the machinery connecting them to the engines had been knocked completely loose. At any rate, I decided to open the fins to their maximum length. The added surface area helped to reduce our wind drag, but we were still falling too fast. As we descended, a series of snapping sound echoed around us, and to my horror I saw the fins zip through the air, ripped clean off the ship.
I looked up, past the burning deck at the mountain looming before us. In the fall we had been knocked off course and were headed straight into rock and scattered trees, rather than the bustling city, though this knowledge didn’t help us any at this point in time. In a desperate move I banked upwards, pointing the nose of the ship to the sky, and all I could see was a few scattered clouds amidst a brilliant blue sky.
The next thing I knew the entire ship lurched forwards and I flew head-first through the window. I rolled onto the deck, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the steering wheel that came flying out after me. Somewhere, I heard screaming; I couldn’t tell who it was. It might have even been me. The ship pitched sideways and I continued to roll along the deck, helpless to stop myself, and fell over the side.
Then everything went dark.
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Wow, a new chapter!! Yayz!!!
Congrats. The first hundred thousand words is always the hardest.
Forced to make an impossible decision again.
*sigh* First the show writers, and now the fimfiction authors. WHY do you people enjoy torturing Rainbow so much?
...
Okay... I think I'm good now.
Update yeah!
For some reason I think twilight ain't right.... Can't place why I just feel it.
I have a distinct feeling that wasn't Twilight speaking.
Okay, now I am getting suspicious with Twilight. Sure, what she said does sounded a bit logical, but it still doesn't feel right. There is still a chance she really is still normal, but the chance is now lower. Nevertheless, as long as there is a chance, let just wait and see.
C&C:
“do you think-”
> Capitalized ‘do’.
2261677 Because Rainbow needs to learn how to decide what's best, no matter what the situation. She should've used her own head, though, not just Twilight's, whether that one's the real one or not.
I remember the Animorphs! It was my favorite series growing up! I could never wait for the next book to come out. Animorphs crossover with FIM, I've gone to paradise! Faved, liked, and followed!
2261882
Maybe because she was separated from the party in the middle of a Yeerk-controlled Changeling Hive and was the only member to escape?
They need to teach every unicorn the Yeerk-detection spell, give a unicorn morph to everyone, and use the spell regularly.
2267308
This is the show with Pinkie Pie.
Your argument is invalid.
2271770
*sigh*
I'll get the duct tape. You just stay here and make sure nopony breaks the fourth wall any further.
2274606
Heh. In the books, and probably the movies. The killing curse is described as unblockable. This is clearly untrue. It is absorbed by stone (not sure if it damages it), but bypasses clothes, probably including metal armor. Most likely, it is not actually unblock-able, but only very hard to block. Probably you need to have it dissipate all of it's energy, such as by it killing something. I have to wonder what kind of effect it has on dragons.
Still, I am pretty sure someone pulled or teleported a statue in front of someone to block it, and the statue was not damaged.
If it only works on biological materials and magical constructs, well, I am pretty sure metal armor WOULD Work. Still. I am probably looking too far into it.
Talk about good timing
I got to this point
TSEEEEW-BOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the ship and I was thrown against the window, letting out a small whimper of pain as I crushed my damaged wing even further.
Right when I was listening to Satellite (Arkasia Remix) Arkasia
At this time of the song 3:19 (or to be more precise the second bass drop). Right when it said TSEEEEW-BOOOM!
Try it
You will see how its good timing
remember 3:19 = TSEEEEW-BOOOM!
Nothing signals a horrific "plane wreck" like Pinkie's twitcha twitch senses.
....even though I have a hard time not being afraid of Rainbow Dash's fierce and unrelenting personality, it's small bits like this of her having a moral dilemma that bring me back to respecting her.
2274915
) (the centaur, specifically) takes the hit and "shattered into a hundred pieces" (HP:OotP, Chapter 36, page 814, last paragraph, second sentence, US version). Fawkes' sacrifice takes place on the next page, in the fifth paragraph.
I think that in the book, the Killing Curse gets shot at Dumbledore, and part of the Fountain of Magical Brethren (had to look the name up
Yep, I'm an egghead.
I'm no aeronautics expert, but I'm pretty sure that more surface area means more drag.
2313246 you don't need to be an expert to know that…