I opened my eyes. I was sneering. I was shaking. Sooner than I could breathe, I was screaming.
"Nnnnnghh-Raaaaaaaaugh!" I flew forward, hooves first.
I shoved the statue over.
A dragon whelp's eyes reflected its fall in slow motion.
When Discord's stone body struck the ground, there was no thunder that could match it or my voice.
Pieces flew everywhere, shattering into pale sediment.
His antlers melted into his skull. His talons became one with the shards of his limbs.
He was powder, refuse, garbage, nothing more.
And I stood over him. Leering. Seething. Hissing through my teeth like a ravenous canine.
I hadn't the good sense to dodge the effluent cloud of black mist surging out of the shattered statue and into me.
"Unnngh!" I fell back, convulsing all over. I felt sharp waves of pain knifing into my every limb. Black sparks danced between my ears, hooves, and gaping teeth. Then, in an obsidian blink, it was all over.
I was lying on the ground, panting. My eyes flew open, pulsing. I sensed the world flashing red then back to normal. Then everything was dead silent.
The landscape morphed around me. Slowly, like receding waves after the tide, Discord's chaos vanished from Ponyville. The floating rocks and swirling hills coalesced into a snapshot of normalcy. Ponies started coming out of houses. Frightened citizens gazed towards the center of the thunderous event.
For the first time in my life, I didn't wish to put on a show.
I rolled over, face first against the settling blades of grass.
I was aching, heaving. The pendant around my neck suddenly weighed a ton. On convulsing limbs, I crawled across the pieces of Discord, across the scattered remnants of my friends, until I stumbled upon a pile of ash still carrying an orange hue. I reached my hooves towards it, and the material spread from my touch, as if scattering away from me, melting like all the good things of the past.
And I sobbed. Openly and shamelessly, I sobbed, cuddling what was left of the ashes, what was left of my feelings, what was left of hope. I could not hear anything else. I could not see anything but tears.
I was alone.
S-she...
Rainbow Dash killed Discord?!
Rainbow Dash snatches defeat from the jaws of victory with her destruction of the statue.
1629784
Not only did she kill Discord, in doing so she exposed herself (and potentially Ponyville) to chaos magic. Anger supersedes logic, especially the anger of a hot-headed, lovestruck and loyal pegasus.
This is important, because Dash claiming she is "harmony" in the face of her emotional state is as ironic as Harmony from EoP doing the same. Rainbow Dash is not "Harmony" she is rage, she is pure unadulterated rage and sorrow channeled through the broken pieces of harmony.
Okay, I get the Discord trying to posses Rainbow Dash part, but what about the chaos rift that Celestia is trying to contain? Where is that?
1629817
See next line.
1629811
SON OF A-
Then not only is Rainbow Dash the Element of Loyalty, she's also the new Discord.
Holy FUCK. FOLY HUCK. She's literally two opposing forces shoved into a single container! The binding energy required to hold all of that together would have to be immense....
That's an extremely ENDOthermic reaction then, which would imply that if you ever charged Rainbow up with magic, she would stabilize....
Actually, that's really good for her in this situation. Because if Rainbow is contained within a magical field so that Bellesmith can access her memories, then she should be much more stable than before, which would imply that she doesn't have to worry as much about the Chaos Magic leaking and causing shit to happen! Which means she'd have the strength to push on into the Abyss, over the Edge of Space and Time, and progress into the Chaos Realm, whereas previously we could see her physically and mentally breaking down.
Holy Celestia, by getting almost-killed by Axan actually ensures that Rainbow will make the journey!!!!!!
1629817
That will probably come up in the next few chapters.
-Minty
The Chaos Rift is located in Ponyville. I'm betting over Discord's very stony corpse.
1629811
Never has your avatar been less appropriate.
1630012
ikea.com/us/en/images/products/frajen-washcloth__0102651_PE248019_S4.JPG
I wasn't sure whether to be angry, to cry, to cheer, or.......
No, i just sat in shock. So cool. But...... Discord..... Could the transfer of chaos from an immortal to a mortal create the rift?
i hope everyone noticed that the last bunch of chapters have had a pattern. first words in the names have been switching between "Loyalty's" and "My".
in barely related news, i have come up with the name of the next story after this one, "Zadubadabu". no need to thank me IC just keep that name in mind.
1629793
Not necessarily. Ponyville didn't revert until AFTER she broke the statue. I wouldn't think that a still-Discorded Ponyville is much of a "victory". By shattering Discord, she was able to achieve a limited degree of what the Elements in the show actually did through some means.
Hey pilate is so froody he knows where his towel is even with this batch of updates.
This song seems very appropriate, especially after that last few chapters.
1630348 Zadubadbu: Rainbow Dash x Gold Petals!!!! OTP FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
1629870 I see your point.
1630348
I would think that would be because off the whole Bleeding Effect thing. The "My" being Rainbow's point of view, and the "Loyalty" being Belle referring to Rainbow. The chapters have been switching titles as a way to remind us that Belle is still going through a major identity crisis out in the present world.
Tornado Of Souls - Megadeth
Shit, there was more backstory in the last 4 or 5 chapters than the rest of the series combined.
1630555 I realized that, just wanted to point out the names to those who didn't notice
1630616
inb4 massive analysis comment by Pilate
1630025 I completely agree. Advice from the Guide is always appropriate.
1630616
1630695
No need, your analysis of the titles matches my own.
1630781 Yay, a famous commentor on this story approves of my partial analysis.
So, i have to ask, who would you rather have as president, Pinkie Pie or Derpy?
1630793
1630808 so, Pinkie then right?
i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc371/sciberdude/a241b0408942fde1b9d7882b23fbe043.jpg
My face now
2.bp.blogspot.com/_wgh3P0eqLmk/SORKuM1vZII/AAAAAAAAA5Q/c2q1Vr9vrTo/s400/homer+upset+shocked+face.jpg
1630025
There are those who say you're one hoopy frood.
Well. That happened. But you know what? Even with all this death, all the chaos... Spike survived. I can't imagine he's doing very well, but I don't think we'll be seeing much of him. I could be completely wrong, though.
The image of poor Rainbow reaching out and gathering up the ashes and clutching them to her is beyond sad. Oh, man. Gotta go read something happy once I finish the next chapter.
Must. Contain. Tears. This is brutal. So, not only did Rainbow save Ponyville, she also opened it, and herself, up to chaos rift shenanigans two seconds later. What I'm wondering is if Discord could have possessed her from his statue form even if she hadn't destroyed it. Because really, being dust shouldn't have freed him. Technically he's still trapped within the substance, no matter how many pieces its in. I'm obviously just over thinking it, but eh. My emotions are getting a workout today - Onward!
Poor Dash... she did all that she had to and more than she needed. Now, she's paying the price.
Oh lawd...
Answers, but I don't want them!
I do not like Discord...
Oh God she loved apple jack but now she's dead
Well there's how she got herself a chaos curse.
Just goes to show: don't go knocking over statues of elderitch beings.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So in this chapter, we see that Dash, in the heat of her own anger, exposes herself to Discord's chaos magic, allowing him to enter her body. Although, if I were in her position, I wouldn't be able to contain my fury either. So many emotions...even just in this chapter. When she hugs Applejack's ashes at the end (I'm not even going to say anything...) it's a seriously powerful scene. Seriously...I-I think I need a glass of water. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Which is why Celestia doesn't fry Discord after the first stoning.
Does anyone think that being exposed to the chaos magic might make Dash a little more tolerant of the other side of the world?
You shouldn't have done that.
2125737 i think dashie76 is starting to accept shipping
1629811 This is what made her so unstable!
Damn.
So sad...
Hm. Bummer.
I love the description in this chapter. So poetic.
This, people, is the death of Rainbow Dash. Say hello to Austraeoh.
1629784 Basically, no. Discord made a horcrux of rainbow dash.
Well, then....
You crashed the statue? You reversed your job of sealing Discord? And we still don't know how chaos rift happened. Maybe it'll be Discord posessing the body of RD as she takes off the pendant and Celestia saves her?
Well, now we know for sure what will not happen
I know, I was wrong with my earlier prediction :<
Dashie..... Your greatest triumph, the defeat of the spirit of chaos and disharmony.... And it is completely meaningless without your friends.
Oops. It occurs to me that that might be why Celestia never shattered his statue herself.
Didn't you play Shadow of the Colossus, Dash? Don't mess with ancient primeval forces that spew black smoke. Trust me; it doesn't end well.
And take Scar's word for it; neither does revenge.