Long Awaited
"You sure you haven't forgotten anything?" Dalton asked as he stood next to Bellesmith besides a large, metal-framed elevator. "You've been down here over a week. There isn't a chance that you may have left your study books or journals back at the room?"
"I've got everything, Dalton," Belle said, fastening a saddlebag to her flank. She paused upon glancing at her cutie mark, an open book with a quill pen and ink well. She took a deep breath and glanced forlornly down the hall where several uniformed ponies in berets marched along concrete corridors. "There's no day I look forward to better than this."
"You most certainly deserve it," he said, but then glanced with concern. "Are you certain you haven't left anything in the lab? Lent anything to one of my associates who should have hoofed it back—?"
"I'm quite alright, Dalton. I mean it." She looked up at him and smiled. "You've been like a father to me, but that doesn't mean you have to go overboard."
He chuckled and nodded. "I'm just hoping that you get a chance to enjoy your coming week without any mishap. You've misplaced things before, and I know how easily you can let the small things get to you."
She shuddered. "Yes, well, for my beloved's sake, I'm trying to stop doing that." She ran a hoof through her brown mane and murmured, "Our days together are so seldom lately that I hate to ruin them by being worrisome all the time."
"I'm sure that he would forgive you, whatever the case," Dalton said with a wink.
She smiled up at him. "What about you? You've been working so hard here in the facility. Aren't you overdue for some time with Mildred?"
"Oh..." He took a deep breath, brushing a few of his gray bangs back. "My work here is extremely important. You're not the only one who gets close to the subject of sequencing. Sometimes, I swear, I don't know what Professor Garnet would do without me."
"He doesn't thank you enough for your hard work, Dalton," Belle said. "You should put your hoof down and go spend time on the surface with your beloved."
"Perhaps, perhaps," he said, nodding. "However, when you get my age, darling, you learn to practice patience in all things, especially if it's in anticipation of the sweetest of things." He took a deep breath, but then covered it up with a smile. "But that is not a philosophy I wish to impose upon you, not now. Go up to the surface and enjoy every moment of your youth that you have. By the time you come back, I'll have made some progress on the sequencing distributors."
"I look forward to it, Dalton."
"Don't lie to an old stallion."
Bellesmith giggled. Dalton's chuckles joined her, but were drowned out by the hydraulic hiss of the elevator lowering. The doors opened loudly, and two stallions in berets stared out.
"Doctor Bellesmith?"
"Speaking."
"You have performed well for the Council of Ledo. We've been asked to escort you to the surface of Blue Shelf."
"Guess that's my cue," Belle said, then spun around to nuzzle Dalton. "Try not to get too old down here."
He blinked at the end of her embrace, then nuzzled her back with a sweet smile. "It's a tough request to follow. I remember when this country was called Seramare."
"Maybe I'll become Queen someday," she replied with a wink. "'Bellemare.' How does that sound?"
"I think you need to go before the soldiers here get the bad idea."
She chuckled, waved, and stepped on board the elevator. As the doors closed heavily, she got one last glance at Dalton, and it was a melancholic one.
The shaft vibrated with the loud hiss of grinding machinery. With a spark of magic, the car slid up. Beams of manalight flickered on either side of her as she took several deep breaths. She glanced left and right; the unicorn guards were silent as the metal beneath them. Gulping, Belle shifted the weight of her saddlebag and looked straight ahead.
In a startling short time, the car hissed to a stop and the doors opened. Belle was immediately blinded. The smell of pine, cedar, and dew tickled her nostrils as she flinched away from the brightness. As her brown eyes relaxed, she saw the purple, smoky mountains stretching beyond the concrete structure of the elevator's exit. Sharply sloping hills of emerald green forest dipped into crystal blue lakes. Songbirds and insects chirped within earshot, almost drowning out the drone of distant soldiers and zeppelin motors.
As the glow from the eastern sun bathed the stub of her horn, Bellesmith put on a brave smile and trotted eagerly into the crisp air of Blue Shelf.
Stats
Page generated in 0.055 seconds
Total duration
1,018 users online
2,019,981 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I'm willing to bet that what sets Belle apart from any other subjects before her is that her Beloved is female.
Now there's the detailed description you do so well
I'm anticipating meeting Bellesmith's "beloved". I trust it will be a novel reunion
1495612
Nope.
I imagine there is still something significant about him, though. Knowing SS&E, probably a mind-bender.
Also, anyone notice that these are being updated 2 at a time now? 2nd story, 2 word titles, 2 at a time... anything I'm missing?
1495656
Oh. You're right. Totally missed that.
Oh, and it updates every two days.
Subject: Dalton
Suffix Title Obtained: the Helpful
-Minty
I've decided to give titles to main characters and important secondary characters.
"Huzzah, the titles have been doubled!"
1495674
I thought it did, but I wasn't sure and I didn't want to look like a dunce if I was wrong
AHA
SUCCESS
Right hand symbol in previous chapter is closely reminiscent of Chinese Bone Script for "Water". http://www.shuowenjiezi.com/result4.php?id=6948
The symbol on the far left is the one I'm talking about. Judging by the appearance of the symbol in Chapter The Previous, there's some extra tags and a bunch of stuff coming out the top. Going by the assumption that it IS water we're talking about, then it follows that we're looking at some violent, water based phenomenon. More dashes would symbolize either the furtherment of river banks, as the Chinese symbol symbolizes the stuff that's between two river banks. If we say that, then it's clear it's REALLY DAMN LONG river, which results in SPLOOSH. Could be symbolizing a flood? But then what does that mean in context of the curly-Z? It could represent a mountain range, with the line being the river? Or maybe it symbolizes "valley", as we can see when you're standing and face parallel to a mountain range's "range", the valleys look sorta like wedges outlined by a river....
Valley and River? Valley and Flood? Hmmm.....
I was surprised at the presence of nature on Ledomare's surface.
Also, I really love the 'feel' of Belle's world. It's not quite steampunk, closer to cyberpunk if anything (at least the underground segment).
I have decided that no word exists to describe this setting without any evidence whatsoever!
Therefore I take it upon myself to invent one.
Magicpunk?
Manapunk?
Manapunk... well it's a world based off mana as a power source, and filled with amazing technology that uses it.
Sure, that works!
Task completed. Next!
Definitely slavery.
Scientific slavery.
1495674
Been there.
1495801
Zeppelins should be fun, I recall there being chatter about this in Austraeoh; my body is ready.
Let's break this down though, because it will probably only get more confusing.
That, and that there are "Blue Shelf Enforcers" makes me wonder what is what. Is the Complex they live in/on Shelf? Is it Ledomare? Dalton and Belle jokes about power uprisings and name changes, but it's "the council of Ledo" which leads me to think that "Ledomare" is something else. Time to do some re-reading.
And, of course, there's this.
i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad214/shortskirtsandexplosions/screwyoupilate.png
Which we can compare to this:
i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad214/shortskirtsandexplosions/austraeohcrap1.png
1495892
I'm more leaning towards the idea that Blue Shelf is the complex.
1496212
Aqua and I have been talking about it, it really all fits into the theme of pairs. The institution is really two institutions, Ledo and Shelf. Further, the Shelf could easily be a euphemism for the machine that is the world. The ponies of LedoShelf certainly seem to have some grasp of what it is they're actually on top of, and they seem to have enough control over certain aspects to build a quite extensive lab and bunker within. It would appear the good Professor is attempting to glean the ability to direct further control over it through "sequencing" the memories of "subjects" potentially related. That is to say,
is the same thing as Belle standing on the complex that is also the world. Shelf for "world" then and "Ledo" for country. For example: "Bellesmith put on a brave smile and trolled eagerly into the crisp air of the world."
1495892 I wonder what you would get if you overlapped the two pictures.......
1496317
I doubt much, but it is interesting that in all this talk of pairs the image Dash kept seeing is overlapped, whole, and the one Belle saw is separate and jagged, in pieces almost.
1496317
Well, lessee here...click & drag & screenshot...apply MSpaint...
*shrug* Beats me...
img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/RoboRed/squigglies.png
1496315
One big thing that we don't know is whether or not they share Axan's knowledge of the impending apocalypse. I tend to think they do (hence the hurry to sequence the memories), but if they don't, they're in for a big shock down the line. If my guess is correct, the upper echelons of Ledomarian government know that the world is slowly dying, and they are withholding that information from the general populace, who may or may not live in slavery. When Belle and Dalton figure it out, there will be a major upheaval in society, potentially speeding the decline of the world. Those few who survive will have to carry the knowledge gleaned from RD's memories to save the world from itself.
1496338
Totally plausible, and I think I'd like to adopt much of it. Not sure about the "verbal command" parts though. It could easily be a red herring. Let's look at the relevant part of Austraeoh:
It's important to note that Axan seems to be exclaiming, hit by a wave of recognition. She's not activating anything, she's calling Dash, or the pendant, or the spark within the pendant, "Austraeoh." That the symbols represent each element of harmony, though, is something I think might just be a winner. Dash only ever saw the Sun/Omega (which I for a while figured as the Sun and Moon) when moving through the machinery, but perhaps each symbol only appears to the relevant bearer? It's certainly a theory to keep in mind as we progress. I just don't want to forget 200 chapters of implying Rainbow Dash is a big 'ol spark that could possibly save the world.
1495678
Along with everything else
1496352>>1496317
I don't think your looking deep enough. I would propose my own theory but I did so last chapter and I don't want to double post. Check it out and tell me what you think. My brain power alone isn't nearly enough to figure this thing out.
1496462
*goes back to read post* It's a hell of a lot better than anything I can come up with right now, I can say that for sure.
1495892 SO maybe Blue Shelf is a geographic region or area, but Ledomare is the name of their Ruler? Especially because as you recall:
So maybe the 'mare' suffix is how they designate a ruler? Making their nation the nation of Ledo, but the particular region she visits her beloved is Blue Shelf?
There is so much yet to be revealed in this story:
What happens to Dash? Why are these Ponies experimenting on her memories? What nation is Bellesmith in? Is Bellesmith a slave? What's up with those symbols? Did the chaos Dash had internalized creep into Bellesmith through this sequencing? What exactly is this sequencing? Is the world going to end? Why weren't the mane6 able to defeat Discord anyway? Midnight Armory? Silvidell Survivors? What's up with the Machine inside the Earth? What will Luna do when she stops hearing from Dash?
I'm sure there are still more, but no matter how many little pieces SS&E drops for us to glean, there are just that many more questions.
Not going to lie to you folks, the "Blue Shelf" facility reminds me a lot of "Black Mesa"...
well this feels a whole lot like Aperture.
I'm visualizing the author, behind his screen, cackling and giggling at his puppet-readers wracking their brains trying to make sense of his stories... and probably falling so so far from the truth !
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw299_1298776425927.jpg
1496451
Asutraeoh? Huh. Did I miss something?
On a related note, that naming system for the country. 'Ledomare', 'Seromare'. Pretty sure Darkstine changed names as well, one of the unicorns in Silvadel asked about that. There still seems to be a tech theme as well. Is this Darkstine in the future? If so, how long has it been since RD was 'terminated'?
Huh. Now I'm going to go through Austraeoh and Ctrl + F for 'Ledo' and 'Sero' and see what I find.
1497993
Just late night grammar/spelling errors!
Anyway, Darkstine did have a power struggle and name change. I think what you're looking for is this:
Could be that Ledomare is related, but I think it's just more of the progression, more turmoil the further east.
1498030
That is indeed the one. The search for a reference to 'Ledo' or 'Sero' has begun though
The search is concluded, and rather than find a deeper meaning I find that it's a reference to the reader 'Ledomare'.
Curses!
Maybe Sero will turn up something more interesting, though I doubt it.
One thing I keep seeing coming up is that Bellesmith's horn keeps on getting smaller. I can't help but that that that is due to either:
1) her magic is getting burned out
or
2) She is slowly transforming into RainbowDash/ a Pegasus.
Can't wait to see the next installment.
1498563
We know that the sequencing has a lethal (or presumed lethal) effect on the ponies performing it. I imagine it has something to do with drawing out magic.
1495892
Yes! You and I were discussing Rainbow coming across a city that used zeppelins. Looks like we got our wish in one form or another.
I just thought, what if, despite all the massive clues we are given here, what if this story isn't linked to Austraeoh? I highly doubt it, but what if this story is a completely separate story? If so then we have even more mysteries to solve.
That, has to be one of the strangest ideas I've come up with, and I don't think anything of it myself. But just imagine if this story wasn't a sequel to Austraeoh. I can imagine IC messing with us like that, but nonetheless, there are too many links for it to be on its own.
I still hope Rainbow Dash is alive though. She has to be, right?
So like.. I just realized...All the names from the story are from the people who comment down below. I've been following this story forever, how have I not realized this? Hehe.. Maybe I should comment more to get my name in on this? ;D ;D ;D ;D Catching my drift here?
I get the feeling that the pretty scenery isn't all too real.
So I'm assuming their leader's name is "Ledo"-something. And I think it's possible that their city is designed with "shelves" instead of districts. So you have different shelves denoting different areas of Ledomare. That's just my two cents, though.
1503759
What I wanna know is what the full name of Ledo is. I MUST KNOW!
1495892
The old symbol kinda makes sense to me - horseshoe and sun, ponies and Celestia. The second one not so much. It looks like a bent coat hanger and a twisty snake flashlight or showerhead or something.
1499627
I really hope she's alive. I feel bad saying that I'm reading this mainly to find out what happened to her. Don't get me wrong, Belle's interesting and all, but after two hundred chapters of Rainbow oriented story, I kinda want her to finish her journey (even though I have no idea how she'd be alive after getting shredded by a dragon) Maybe she can be half cyborg or something?
Eh, anywho - Onward!
I wanna know why there are so many solders. I guess it has to do with the end of the world. We shall see
DAMN THE BELOVED IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER
So Ledo is merely the current ruler and the country name changes with each ruler? Interesting.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So we'll get the chance to meet Belle's beloved in the next chapter. I'm going to assume that "beloved" is just a synonym for "soulmate" until further notice. Also, I'm starting to think that this sequencing facility was built in order to find the Spark to restart the Machine. I believe Garnet mentioned some other symbols before that could be the Omega and Sun from Austraeoh, so it's possible. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
I, for one, welcome Bellesmith as our new queen overlord of Bellemare,
1498563
That second option is so ridiculous but I'll follow it anyway because of how much I LOVE transformation sequences.
1496451
I just realised: Spark is namechecked in that passage. Spark is everywhere. And eveything.
1496451
I have similar concerns as far as it being verbal in nature and am of like mind with the rest (as put in the last chapter blog mess that I posted), but the spark is probably right now one of the most nebulous words used in the narrative so far. It has clearly many meanings, but what it specifically refers to is ambiguous depending on context. Is it a pony's soul? Is it some other aspect all or certain living creatures have? Is it a specific thing to be denoted with a capital 'S', like Dash, or the glow in the pendant, or something forever lost? All these seem to work from time to time, but not one fits all cases. So maybe we have more than one kind of spark when it's spoken about, sometimes referring to the essential nature of a pony (e.g. 'all talk and no spark' for 'all talk and no action', or 'all hat and no cattle'
), and sometimes referring to the Spark, essential to the Machine and no longer contained within it (could be Dash, element, etc.).
1784560
You can find beloved=soulmate right in the story (Chapter 6 - Professor Garnet):
On the other hand, we have no definite description of any of the 'beloved' individuals(?) that I noticed other than by name reference (e.g. 'Mildred'), so they could be helpful hexahedra (ok, that was forced) for all we know.
EDIT: 1495801 Manapunk - the point at which the society in question begins to rely nearly completely on mana as a means or crutch to maintain that society. Or something like that. Totally using that whenever appropriate, thanks for codifying that!
Welcome to the surface.
Let's meet the beloved. 
I don't see Belle's Beloved not hitting it up with another mare when Belle isn't there. It seems likely and possibly a more interesting twist, if Belle lost her motivation, I wonder what Garnet would do about it.
Hmm, it's oddly pleasant. Not a good sign.
Whoa, people going so deep to find the meanings...
The Spark is incredibly important, clearly. It's everywhere. The world was going to end because the spark was dieing. In episode one, the element of magic was referred to as the spark. It was picked up by Twilight Sparkle. Twilight is dead, and the spark is dieing. RD kept seeing lavender light. Coincidence? I think not. More than anyone else, Twilight is the real center of this. The world seems to literally revolve around her.
Okay, the whole picture of the surface sounds indescribably fishy to me. I mean, come on! The
prisonerssequencers being motivated by spending time up in this incredible, amazing paradise on the surface with their 'beloved ones' sounds like the biggest ploy this side of the Mississippi. It's likely fake. Seriously, Belle, learn to friggin' pickpocket already so you can learn whatAbstergoBlue Shelf's really planning. Also, I'm really liking Dalton.Welp, he's gonna die.
Just like Hughes... *sobs*