• Published 13th Oct 2015
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Utaan - Imploding Colon



Rainbow Dash endures many trials to reach the edge of the world.

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In Front / Open Large Doors

"Rainbow Dash..." Princess Luna spoke, her words firm and serious. "Concerning the Midnight Armory..."

Rainbow Dash stood on the bow of the Stardust. She and her companions listened through the persistent, rolling thunder. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"There are some things that you need to know about it..."

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity exchanged glances.

Rainbow gulped. She tilted her head up towards the flickering clouds. "I'm all ears, Your Highness."

"It was constructed by alicorns tens of thousands of years ago," Luna explained. "The gold surfaces were carved by harmonic magic. The foundation—enchanted with harmonic energies. The entrances—in all cardinal directions—sealed with alicorn sorcery."

"Well, wouldn't be much of an armory if none of those steps were taken, I guess..."

"Rainbow Dash..." Princess Celestia's voice broke through. "What my younger sister means to convey is that the Midnight Armory was built by alicorns..."

"Right. I got that."

"... for alicorns."

Rainbow blinked. She looked at her friends.

"If..." Twilight thought out loud. "...they sealed the entrances with their magic..."

Rainbow's gaze darted heavenward. "Does this mean only alicorns can open the dang thing?"

"Practically speaking, yes," Celestia said.

"However..." Luna interjected. "...the Armory responds chiefly to harmonic energies. And there is only one surviving physical incarnation of such an enchantment."

Rainbow held a hoof to her neck. "The Element of Loyalty..."

"Precisely," Luna said. "My sister and I whole-heartedly believe that the Element of Loyalty—once brought within close proximity of the Armory—will automatically cause the entrances to open, therefore allowing you entry."

"Yeah, but... like..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted as the Stardust plowed through an errant wave, splashing salt water across the deck. "...my Element is just one of six. It's... like... a fraction of the original energy originally imbued to you and Celestia by the Harmonic Prism before the rest of the alicorns up and croaked."

"Indeed."

"So... like..." Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. "How can I expect the Element of Loyalty to work that easily? I mean... in regards to opening the Armory?"

Spike's voice broke through the airwaves, startling the pegasus. "But remember, Rainbow! Your pendant is way... way more than just the Element of Loyalty these days."

"How do you figure?"

Rarity spoke up. "I think what Spikey-Wikey means is that there's more than just Loyalty tied to your pendant."

"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded jubilantly. "There's us! Wee!"

"Makes a lick of sense," Applejack remarked. "We're all in on this ride because of that snazzy necklace yer sportin'."

"Even though it's taken several visits to the ruby flame to... uhm... 'acquire' us," Fluttershy added meekly.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, gazing skyward again. "So... like... because I've got all the girls with me... at least in spirit..."

"Then the Element of Loyalty is basically all of the Elements of Harmony rolled into one!" Spike said excitedly. "Er... at least... that's my personal postulation."

"Mrmmfff..." Remna folded her forelimbs. "Are we so certain that voice belongs to a dragon?"

Cheeks puffing, Twilight spun to growl at the violet mare. "Yes he is! In fact, he's the best dragon, you... you h-hussy!"

"She can't hear you, darling," Rarity cooed.

"I don't care!" Twilight pouted, muzzle scrunched. "I hope she... grnnngh... ch-chokes on a crucified pony!"

"Ahem." Rainbow peered at the thunderclouds. "Luna? Celestia? What do you think?"

"About Spike's theory?"

"Yeah..."

"There's some sound logic to it," Celestia said. "However, the fact remains: we do not know precisely what is happening to the Element of Loyalty."

Luna joined in: "It is only fair to say: we've never truly understood why the Elements chose you, Twilight, and the others to be avatars of harmony. Granted, we have several theories—"

"Care to elaborate?" Rainbow asked.

"Rainbow, what matters is that you and the rest of your friends are innately connected with the Elements, even if only one physically remains," Celestia said. "And as for the prevailing theories, I believe there is only one firm explanation as to why the spirits of your friends have endured—even beyond physical death."

Before Rainbow could open her mouth—

"She is the Austraeoh," Remna said. "Whatever empowers Urohringr, it has hijacked the Elements of Harmony as its chief energy source for rebooting the entire Machine World."

Rainbow turned to squint at the draconian mare. "'Hijacked?' Really?"

Remna merely nodded. "I do not believe that the forces of Urohringr particularly care about the nature of alicorn magic... only that it's somehow determined to be strong enough to breathe life into this lost plane."

"Lemme guess," Rainbow Dash murmured. "Through me and my element."

Remna's head cocked to the side. "Or, in this case, through the Harmonic Prism." She looked into the sky as if she was staring at Luna and Celestia. "And once it's brought back to the exact place where the destruction of the Elements began, then and only then will harmony be fully restored to this piece of the ring."

"And my fr-friends too!" Rainbow sputtered. "Right?"

"Axan's suppositions are sound, Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna said. "Nevertheless, I suspect that the moment of true revelation will transpire the moment you get your hooves on the Prism... which will be no easy task."

Rainbow squinted. "What do you mean by that? Is the thing... like... bigger than a house?"

"Negative. It is larger than your Element of Loyalty—yes—but a mortal of your size should have no problem carrying it."

Rainbow shrugged. "I'm used to wearing a saddlebag at all times anyways. So... like... what's the big hooplah?"

"Well, you must understand—"

"It's not gonna make my face melt off or some metal crud like that, will it?"

"Rainbow Dash, taking hold of the Harmonic Prism should not be a challenge," Princess Celestia said. "An Element Bearer such as yourself—after all—should be more than properly-equipped for the task."

"However..." Luna spoke, her tone grave. "...the difficulty will be in entering the Midnight Armory itself."

"I thought you said that it responds to harmonic energies," Rainbow Dash remarked. She tapped her pendant as thunder rolled yet again. "So... like... me and my ruby lightning bolt can just... roll up to one of the four front doors and open sesame... dreit?"

"Such is our avid hope. However... once you are inside the Armory, Rainbow Dash, you must be prepared to... face some trials."

"Trials..." Rainbow droned, ears folding back.

"Ewwwwwwwww..." Pinkie Pie curled up into a pink ball. "...all my droopy parts just became droopier!"

"Seriously, Princesses?" Rainbow muttered—nearly growled. "Trials? After all I've been through—?"

"It is not what you think, Rainbow Dash—"

"After all the crap that the Herald and I are going to have to go through in order to get to that place—?!"

Celestia's voice spoke with a stern edge: "We do not speak of anything even remotely resembling the banal exercises of torment that Verlax put you through. But—rather—it's simply a matter of how the Armory was built and by whom."

Rainbow Dash clammed up.

In a calmer voice, Celestia continued: "The Armory was made by alicorns. And the Harmonic Prism that's inside? It was only ever crafted to be wielded by immortals. For all of our ancestor's wisdom, they never foresaw mere mortals becoming the avatar of the Elements."

Luna joined in: "The Armory was built with the express purpose of being opened and accessed by alicorns and alicorns alone. This was several millennia ago, and in all that time we've never had a need to access the safehold. Since then, the race of alicorns have dwindled to near-extinction. With Mortuana having passed, there's only myself, my sister, and the half-bred Whitemane to account for the surviving descendants."

"In other words... even if I do get the doors to the Armory open..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "...it's... not exactly going to be pegasus-friendly."

Spike spoke up: "The Armory will be expecting an alicorn being. As a result, the magics inside will be... uhhh... best attuned to an immortal's comprehension."

"In other words, whatever's inside is going to blow my friggin' mind."

Spike's voice cracked: "There... could be some major... major challenges... y-yes..."

"Spike..." Rainbow sighed heavily out her nostrils. "Princesses... if all this time you knew how friggin' hard it would be to simply touch the Harmonic Prism, then why was I ever encouraged to fly to the dang place to begin with?"

"We never said that it'd be impossible, Rainbow!" Spike exclaimed. "And even if we thought it was... and told you so... would it have stopped you two years ago when you first set out on wing?"

Rainbow sighed heavily, glancing at her friends with a tired smile. "No. I guess not."

"It will be a challenge, Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna's voice said. "That much cannot be denied. The moment you manage to open those doors and enter the golden structure, you will be subjected to unbridled harmonic magics—most of which have been engineered to ensure that alicorns... and only alicorns be granted access to the Harmonic Prism hidden within."

"So... if I'm not an immortal... then I'm basically screwed, right?"

"But you are no mere mortal, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said. "Between the Elements of Harmony and the forces of Urohringr, you are uniquely empowered."

Remna spoke: "You have sensed the Armory... have you not?" Her green eyes narrowed on the pegasus. "With this new 'sight' of yours?"

Rainbow gulped. She stared west... down through the hull of the Stardust and the dark waters beyond. A faint... tiny... miniscule splotch of hazy gold light dwindled... almost like a phantom.

"Jury's still out on that..." She muttered.

"The changeling queen spoke of the persistence of this infernal 'Trinary War' on the Dark Side, yes?" Remna inquired.

Rainbow nodded.

"And my nefarious sister spoke of her inability to locate Endrax?"

Rainbow nodded again.

Taking a deep breath, Remna leaned back and said, "Then... suffice it to say... three whole armies and the strongest member of my brood have all failed in entering the Armory and accessing the Harmonic Prism thus far." She raised an eyebrow. "Now do you doubt that the sanctum was destined to be open by you and you only?"

"Yeah, but..." Rainbow Dash bit her lip. "...how can I expect to survive the inevitable brain scrambler inside?"

"It goes far beyond mere perception, Rainbow Dash," Spike said.

"Oh." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Great." She tossed her forelimbs. "Just how freaked out should I be?"

"It's pure, unbridled harmonic energy—raw and untapped since ancient times when Luna's and Celestia's ancestors first built the place." Spike took a breath. "What you'll likely experience is less mental and... more likely temporal."

"T-temporal?" Rarity stammered.

"But of course..." Twilight exhaled. "...I've read old history books about the first alicorns. Many modern experts assume that the powers of harmonic energy were even more powerful than the spells that allow Celestia and Luna to control the sun and moon." She swallowed hard. "Some alicorn mages were so powerful, they could manipulate gravity."

"Yeah?" Rainbow glanced at her. "So what?"

"Rainbow... if you can affect gravity, then time isn't that much of a sneeze either."

Rainbow blinked. She looked heavenward. "Luna? Celestia? Is the Midnight Armory gonna... mess with the fabric of space... time... panties... you-name-it?"

"Not even our ancestors could make a long-lasting spell that powerful, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said.

"But, Spike just said—"

"The powers that preserve the Midnight Armory hold sway to all that is contained by it," Luna said. "It takes a keen alicorn intellect to comprehend whatever transpires within those golden walls. But a mortal who enters? They will likely have a great deal of difficulty in determining what is up from down."

"Or is 'past' from 'future,'" Spike clarified.

"You are gifted with the Elements of Harmony, Rainbow Dash," Luna said. "Not to mention the forces of Austraeoh. My sister and I have full-faith that you will be able to navigate the confounding forces within."

"Just..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "...it won't be a walk in the park."

"We highly suspect not."

"What's the matter, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie blinked. "We thought you loved a challenge!"

"Oh... totally..." Rainbow Dash sighed, folding her forelimbs. "But I also love having my head together so I can celebrate the victory afterwards..."

"In a worst case scenario," Fluttershy said. "The Herald could help Rainbow Dash figure things out. They'll be by her side, after all."

"I... don't know about that, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle said. "They're not empowered by harmony like Rainbow Dash is. If nothing else, bringing other mortals into an alicorn environment might only complicate things further."

"Huh?" Fluttershy blinked.

Applejack muttered, "She means Rainbow's gonna have to enter the Armory alone, no matter what."

"Pretty much." Twilight gulped. "Yeah."

Meanwhile, Rainbow's eyes were darting left and right as she pondered something heavily. Clearing her throat, she spoke towards the thundering sky. "What about chaos?"

"Chaos, Rainbow Dash?" Celestia remarked.

"I've got a flankload of chaos inside me, right?" Rainbow pointed at her pendant. "Y'know... the nasty beast clawing away at my insides? Threatening to kill me super hard between beacons of ruby flame?"

"What about it, Rainbow Dash?" Luna asked.

"Well... it's like a pollutant, right? A smear on my harmonic... uh... soul-self?"

Luna's voice lingered, then blurted: "I must express confusion as to what you are attempting to imply, child."

Rainbow fumed. "Will having so much chaos inside of me make entering the Midnight Armory difficult? I mean... in spite of the Elements of Harmony and all that jazz?"

Silence.

At last, Luna's voice gravely replied, "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but we cannot fathom to guess. At least not with a modicum of accuracy."

Rainbow sighed, nostrils flaring as she stared across the choppy waters. "Terrific..."

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