Where Chorus Meets Spectrum
Rainbow sensed a subtle sway across the silken chamber. For a moment, she assumed it was Wildcard rattling in fright, but she knew better. There was no word from Seraphimus' location, which was also for the best.
It was around this time that Rainbow Dash became aware of the silence that had ensued for the past half-minute.
"I think... she's waiting for you to say something, Rainbow," Twilight Sparkle remarked.
"Errrr..." Rainbow Dash sat up straight in her suspended seat. She glanced down at the dappled signatures of gigantic limbs stretching outward through the darkness below. "Hey there, Dear Abby." She blinked crookedly. "Gosh, you're big."
Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed.
With remarkable ease, the circling voice breathed royally through the dangling guests via the constructs above. Seraphimus, Wildcard, and Rainbow felt their feathers and manes fluttering from the cycling breaths. "To survive as long as the Song I have harbored strength through more than mere symphony." The shadowed form of the massive Songstress remained dormant, its eyes perpetually still and vacant as they glistened with Rainbow's harmonic glow. "Much like treasured friends who have passed before I've sired this slice of the world with sentries. In my name they have stretched strings far and wide to serenade the end of what began. To afford such a Winter Orchestra I've sacrificed freedom for permanence. In this hovel I remain while my Song greets the Spark that will complete the circle."
Rainbow breathed calmly in spite of the bold speech. "I've just recently learned about Gardez," she said. "I've met many of her children. Unfortunately, most of them weren't nearly as dedicated and focused as your hatchlings."
"Yes, Gardez, the Matriarch of the Stars," Abaddon spoke. "Sadly, her majesty's eclipsed by time. Where I found a Song, she passed in silence. Her daughters were left to distill truth from the chaos that shrouds this forsaken shard."
Applejack exhaled, as if suddenly less tense. Rainbow Dash sensed it too: the feeling that this divine creature was capable of sympathy. "I am sorry to hear about your friend," Rainbow Dash said. "I'm also sorry to hear about Endrax." She clenched her jaws. "I came here through the grace of Axan—Divine of Flame—who gave her life so that I might survive the passage. It was my... sincere hope that I might find out what happened to Endrax myself, so that I could vindicate Axan... and even Verlax, the Divine of Frost."
"Vindication, there has been. Grace, also," Abaddon said. "Not just by the nestlings from Penumbra, but Endrax's final act of selflessness. Thanks to her and the price paid by her kind a bonfire's been set for the Spark to find. The Shards of Endrax frame the crucible. Now the world waits for the spectral kindling."
Pinkie Pie looked at the others. A scrunched expression crossed her muzzle as she mouthed those last four syllables.
Rainbow Dash nevertheless responded: "I'm afraid I don't fully understand... erm... Your Song-ness..." Her brow furrowed. "Just what did Endrax... and her br-brood do? Did they have a hoof to play in protecting the Midnight Armory? Or in thwarting the factions of the Trinary War? I just..." She gulped. "Merula was kinda cryptic. She made it sound like only you could tell me what really went down."
"Just hearing the Song will not be enough."
That last statement was curiously trite, along with the silence preceding and following it.
Rainbow nodded into the darkness. "Okay. But... like... you're the Holy Ever-Poet Lyrical Goddess Queen Songstress of... Songs, right?"
Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed again.
Rainbow continued: "You've been stuck here in this bigass tarantula-hole for Celestia-knows how long, waiting to 'serenade the Austraeoh'... right? I mean... how else am I going to be clued into what actually went down? After all, your Winter Children were everywhere... or at least they once were..." She squirmed slightly. "...back when they were Spring and Summer Chicken-Spiders..."
"Truly you are the shades of Ilrifa."
Again, more awkward silence.
"That's... uh..." Rainbow fidgeted. "That's good..." She looked at Applejack. "...right?"
Applejack nod-nod-nodded.
"Good! I mean... killer!" Rainbow Dash waved nervously. "Yup! Ilrifa's awesome shades! Right here!" She bore a crooked smiled. "One thousand and twenty percent cooler! Eheheheh..."
"As my powers have receded, so my Song has intensified in its volume. And while the Keepers and the Bloodwings and the Corruptors of the Ruby Chorus seek to acquire the Harmonic Treasure, Ilrifa's gift, much like mine and Gardez's, stands to reunite the broken Circles."
"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow tilted her ear towards the arachnid basin below. "Reunite the what-now...?"
"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked.
"Is she... suggesting what I think she's suggesting?" Rarity mewled.
"Shhhh!" Twilight insisted, for indeed Abaddon was speaking further.
"There is not much time remaining, for the Darkness envelopes Winter from all sides." The voice circled with the unending breaths, raspy and earnest. "Soon there won't even be a song, except that which the Spectrum carries in its shades."
Rainbow Dash took a firm breath. "Abaddon... your Majesty... I-I don't really know what you expect from me." She clenched her teeth. "I'm on a mission to get to the Midnight Armory. My friends depend on me. Equestria's Future depends on me. The fate of Urohringr? Yeah, sure. Why not. But this whole 'reuniting the broken Circles' thing...?" She winced, shaking her head. "I mean... just how friggin' deep does the kaizo hole go?!?"
"As I have said, hearing is not enough."
There was a skittering sound. It broke the silence between Abaddon's words with frightening cacophony. Rainbow's ear hairs tickled as she sensed the first of many-many tiny, spindly limbs crawling down the gossamer strings and the giant orb-weavers' legs that were grasping her gondola. From the edges of her pendant's glowing spotlight, she sensed that tiny spiders weren't shimmying down either Wildcard's or Seraphimus' silken seats. It was hers and hers alone.
In more ways than one, she suspected what was coming next.
"Dashie..." Pinkie squeaked, her pupils shrinking as they reflected a growing current of legs, fangs, and eyes. "It's pr-probably not t-too late to fly away..."
Rainbow was looking straight at Applejack.
And Applejack was staring straight back... and nodding.
Rainbow took a breath. "Sera... Jordan..." She spoke firmly out the side of her muzzle as the skittering closed in on all sides. "...remember what I said. No matter what, we gotta let what's going to happen... h-happen." She nevertheless fought to contain her shivers.
And Abaddon spoke: "You must hear with your mind: the inner strings."
Rainbow held her muzzle shut as the first of many hundred legs crawled over her body, positioning tiny fangs and spinnerets in place. She could the smell the potent venom dancing in the air with each cycling breath and syllable.
"Convey my chorus into the spectrum."
"Dashie—!" Pinkie squeaked.
Rainbow closed her eyes. The violin strings intensified. Her panting breath was the percussion.
And then—like needles sinking in across every shoulder, wither, and fetlock...
...the fangs plucked the chords, and she was filled with music.
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I can't wait to see how this turns out
Also I enjoy all the references to music because the string section is my favorite part of any orchestra
WHO'S READY FOR AN ACID TRIP
Everybody needs a good self-immolation every now and again.
Time to face the music Rainbow Dash!
Hmmm, maybe telling the murder birdies what was gonna would've been better than vague talk, pride flag.
But then thinking things through hasn't always been Dash's best quality.
Anyway, whoot, talking with the giant spider goddess, that's one for history books, er, songs?
Something tells me the next chapter is gonna be legendary. The song, the spectrum, the info drop...the vomit.
...welp.
Thankfully she doesn't have any trippy zebra medicine for the venom to react with this time.
Edit: My pick for the music
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
Icky!
I am very happy.
arachna-puncture?
Eeegggggeeesshhh
Chills.
Spiders crawling by the dozens over and across, more and more. Their legs dancing and their hairs brushing against each other and hers. The cacophony of mandibles clicking as venomous moisture dripped.
Yeah. I'm having a nightmare tonight.
Thanks.
8607259
This is stuck in my head, now. Thanks a lot.
These next couple of chapters are going to be trippy as hell aren't they.
8607273
My thoughts exactly.
Rainbow's first Spider high.
Spider kisses!
Spectral kindling, eh? That's not ominous phrasing. Nope, not at all. My guess is that it's somehow in reference to the souls being drawn to the Dark Side. Thus far we've assumed the Night Shard to be the one's responsible for that, and maybe they are. They may not just be the only ones responsible for it.
...or, alternatively.
So who's betting on Seraphimus doing something to cock this up? She may be best murderbird, but she still feels primed for some kind shenanigans too.
Seraphimus Solo Quest Chapter Counter: 31 (funfact, this phrase now automatically shows up in my phone's keyboard prompter)
Y'all gotta step up your music game
What it feels like to plug into the Rachni matrix
The first thing she says to a gigantic spoder queen capable of ripping her to shreds.
Never change, Dashie.
My brain is ready to go on a ride
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/1/6/517056__safe_artist-colon-danfango_rainbow+dash_arachnophobia_scared_solo_spider.png
How do we call this? Spider-punk?
This reads like a beginner fanfic author's attempt at writing a sex scene.
Failbbadon the Harmless, a.k.a. Abbadon the Despoiler.
That's all folks!
I've only seen the chapter title and not the actual content because I'm still catching up,
but I just wanted to throw this out there.
And then she was poked.
Discord goes paddling by with lion oars, riding a Apple Mac, with a yak on his head with kazoo and mariachi accompanament? He would be the gatekeeper to Chaos, but that job went to the dogs long ago.
"...the fangs plucked the chords, and she was filled with music."
Than Dash wakes up back in Ponyville and realizes it was all a dream. The End.
Here Dashie. Have ALL the spiders! Ooo so itchy and tickly.
Well, here goes, maybe now it will be clear what is needed.
8607277
DO YOU WANT A BANANA?
PEEL IT DOWN AND GO MM MMM MMMM MMMMMMMMMMM!
Challenge accepted.
Or, alternatively,
Well...that could have been worse...maybe.
My previous complaints about meme-speak aside, I love Rainbow's...unique way of addressing things that are older than civilization and could kill her with a thought.
This is the first time in months that I'm not reading this at night. Thank God for that.
8607223
Y'know, your profile pic probably has the best possible reaction to what just happened-for Rainbow and anyone imagining what she's going through.
8607964
Scuse you.
8608116
Hmm...depend on how much an All-Singer is valued in the spoder hive mind, then maybe
They’re gonna bite you out,
They’re gonna bite you ooouuutt!!!
8607677
SHE HAS NO ARMS!
Wait a minute...
Gah! I catch up after falling a few weeks behind and this is where it stops?!
Dark Souls anyone?
8607964
Oh, so we're going for epic rather than comedic?
Boom! Done.
Or alternatively...
(Honestly my favorite of all the series themes)
Peak nope.
8609346 Comedic comes after Dash returns to reality.
Y'all aren't thinking trippy enough
PFT! You guys call that music?
This is how you do it
Nope.
Time for Logan to fumigate the place.
It is then revealed that Rainbow's own inner song is just too awesome for the spiders to handle.
Who else read this in Zecora's voice?
Not the best choice of words in front of deadly spiders who tend to take words literally.
*shudders* Ew. So much ew.
8607440
What it feels like to chew 5 Gum