"Do you remember the way in which you and Rainbow Dash came in?" Pilate asked.
"I... I..." Belle winced. "It all happened so quickly. Rainbow Dash carried us in here on a wing and a prayer."
"I'm guessing y-you were the prayer," Dalton wheezed.
Bellesmith spun and questioned him. "Do you remember how Shell brought you in?" she asked.
The aged unicorn sat up on the platform, shuddering. "It was more or less a straight line. But I doubt we'll make it far in this abysmal darkness."
"Besides, the energy is draining from O.A.S.I.S.," Pilate said as he tapped the gradually dimming sphere that was hanging from his choker. "I can feel my way around for eternity, but I'll be just as lost as you, with or without my device being lit." He managed a weary smirk. "The good news, at least, is that my headache is waning."
Just then, a blue pegasus shot up and gripped the zebra's shoulder. "Oh my goddess!" she gasped in his face.
Belle and Pilate jumped. "What?! What is it?!"
"You're not rhyming!" Rainbow Dash stammered, her ruby eyes wide.
Pilate's brow furrowed. Dalton slumped back to the floor while Belle sighed.
"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage," Pilate said.
"Something tells me that's easy to do."
"I can't believe it..." Belle crawled over and planted a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "You're still alive!"
"Yeah, that happens a lot, these days."
"But... but you fought Shell!'
"Buck yeah! I fought his horn off!" Rainbow Dash grinned, then twitched. "Okay, well, maybe not his horn. But the next best thing." She adjusted the beret on her head and struck a pose. "Ta-daaaaaa."
"Uhm..." Belle smiled awkwardly. "It's... uh... it's nice, Rainbow."
"It'll look even nicer in the sunlight, I bet," Rainbow Dash said. She squinted at the others. "You do have the sun in the sky over this place, right?"
"So I've been told," Pilate muttered.
"Rainbow Dash," Belle remarked. She trotted around the pegasus and marveled at the sight of a bright golden aura washing over the nearby machinery. "We need to get out of this place, and you're the only light source we have down here. Could you help us out?"
"First thing's first. Who here is a big fan of Black Shark?"
"Uhm... it's 'Blue Shelf,'" Belle said. She pensively raised a hoof. "And I, for one, am not a fan."
"There are countless hundreds of equines being enslaved in the caves just outside this place," Dalton managed to say. "So long as this facility stands, Ledomaritans will find ways to exploit their fellow ponies." He gulped. "I should know this truth quite well..."
"Even if we get out of here," Pilate said, "We'll have countless guards with manapowered weapons attempting to ensnare us."
"Yeah... so, like..." Rainbow Dash fished through piles of discarded berets. "I was thinking, why not stick it to this Ledo Martian crap? I mean literally?" She grabbed a beret and flung it at the zebra. "Here ya go. Catch."
Pilate stretched his left hoof out. The beret landed far to his right. After a deep sigh, Pilate's face went tight and he growled, "I'm blind."
"Of course you are."
"Uhm..." Belle strolled over to Rainbow Dash. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, uhh...." Rainbow gazed straight up. A pulsating orb of lavender light glistened above her. She tilted her head back down and smirked at the others. "It'd be a lot easier to show you."
"You want us to go up?!" Belle exclaimed. "How... How do you expect us to follow you?"
"Let me worry about cheating gravity," Rainbow Dash said. She finished grabbing several berets and shoving them into the saddlebag around Belle. "I'm pretty good at giving thermodynamics the raspberry."
"Uhhh..."
"Everypony grab ahold of one of my limbs," Rainbow Dash said, stretching two of her hooves out. "We'll do this the hard way until I find an elevator or something."
"You certain you can... uhm... carry all three of us?"
"Two of you," Dalton said.
Belle looked over, jaw agape. "Dalton...?"
The mustached stallion waved his forelimb. "Face it, I deserve to be stuck here. I've done nothing but bring you and your beloved pain and misery."
"Dalton..." Belle's face went long. "You came through for us in the end. You don't deserve to be abandoned in this forsaken place."
"I'm responsible for Grinder's death!" Dalton frowned, his gray features paling in the gold light. "And Shell wouldn't have gotten a single hoof on anypony if I wasn't so willing to assist him."
"Your grandchildren were being threatened and—"
"I'm not going to argue, darling! I'm staying here and that's final. I've lived a long life. I've had my days..."
"Belle?" Pilate asked.
"Yes, beloved?"
"Help me over to Dalton."
"Uhm... okay..." Belle trotted over and gave Pilate a shoulder to lean on. Together, the ponies shuffled over to where the elder stallion was squatting. Once they reached him, Pilate bent over, felt around with his hoof, found Dalton's midsection, and punched it hard with all his zebra strength.
"Hcnkkkkt!" Dalton's eyes crossed as the wind was knocked out of him. He fell over in an unconscious slump.
"There." Pilate dusted his hooves off. "I'll carry him if you carry me, Rainbow Dash."
"Gotcha. I like how you think, Stripesy."
"Beloved? Think you can grab onto Rainbow Dash's other hoof?"
"I'd be delighted," Belle said with a nervous smile. "At least I know she's not about to punch me."
"Uh huh. Let's do this, Rainbow."
"Dash Delivery!" Rainbow Dash hoisted the three with mighty, flapping wings. "Next destination: Lavender Central!"
"Uhm, Belle? What does she mean by—?"
"Just roll with it, Pilate." And their breaths were stolen as they soared ceilingward in a multicolored blur.
Zebra does not have time for your crap, Dalton. And now things get a little Miyazaki up in here.
EDIT: It was done a little bit in Austraeoh, but I do like the small metaphor of Dash literally bringing the light. It's a bit like the Allegory of the Cave, but is easily stretched out to to mean as little as leading them out of the disparity in the immediate future all the way to leading the world to nirvana.
Looks like Pilate rolls... with the punches.
-Minty
1845788
I think that was supposed to be Dalton, not Pilate. Great chapter though.
Never did I'd ever think I would have a situation that could be explained by the phrase: "It's just Rainbow Dash being Rainbow Dash".
Wow. When I said nao, you certainly know how to deliver.
LIKE A DASH
Dash about to save a town from oppression? Gettin' that old Austraeoh feelin' again, and it feels good!
I wonder, though, how much RD can do against the Confederacy. It's not like she can just uproot the entire town and plant it away from Ledomare, and I doubt even Dash could take on the well-equipped and well-trained military that seems omnipresent. I think Dash is going to have to finally accept that she can't fix everything. Axan should have taught her that in the first place, but now it looks like she'll have to choose between death, surrender, and retreat, all of which are very un-Rainbow Dash options. This might be the point at which she learns that she is too important to risk herself in an attempt to solve every problem she encounters.
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For a moment, I was worried that Mr. Zebra had just killed Dalton. I was going to remark on how un-Pilate that seemed.
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That's the second time you posted that, you know.
Soooooo we're all going on a journey with a random cyan pegasus, who is carrying 3 ponies whilst flying them to an unknown destination. If that were a real world situation would you not be more hesitant?
Actually what the he'll am I on about... In or world it would be strange enough to have brightly coloured talking/flying/magical ponies. I don't think I would hesitate....
Onwards!
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Oh well, Zap is just so puntastic that I can't help it.
i.imgur.com/03RRm.gif
Bonus Rainbow Dash for your trouble:
i.imgur.com/zNs73.gif
1846155 Thank you for the Bonus Dash my good Zebra.
Subject: Rainbow Dash
Suffix Title Obtained: "Delivery Pony"
Preview: "Rainbow Dash, Delivery Pony"
2400th comment woop woop
PILATE IS...
BOSS ZEBRA
Show Me The Way - Black Tide
1845786
You know life must suck whenever Rainbow Dash is being inconsiderate of you...
Wait, Rainbow Dash is always inconsiderate. I guess that means life sucks for us all unless we're Applejack.
Revolution from the inside, then? Disguise random ponies in berets and have them march on the capital! Er, Blue shelf, whatever.
Love Dash's reaction to Pilate's non-rhyming. And his epic gut punch. His response to missing the beret reminded me of all of the great blind gags from Avatar: the Last Airbender - Pilate is the new Toph Hopefully Dash can help this town out more than the dragon infested one from before. Well, until the next update!
Rainbow Miriam Dash!
Jeez, what!?
Zebra rhyming is a hurtful stereotype!
InB4 someone contests RD carrying three ponies (she carried 4 in Sonic Rainboom)
I have NO idea what's going to happen now. I thought Rainbow Dash was going to continue her journey now, but it looks like she might also be preparing to stop a war, again. I just love how unpredictable this story is.
Yessss, I caught up. Hours well spent. Heh, it was around this time a year ago I saw the bright shinies... dayum.
So many cool things... I just don't know where to start. So I'll just say that it's been an amazing ride so far, and that I'm excited to start following along with all the excellent commenters here. The cult surrounding this series just makes it so much more.
The wind has been brought to the east horse.
Onward, to adventure!
pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1705-1318168453.jpg
llamasPonies in hats, kicking flank along the way......Carl you can't do that.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So not too much going on here, but we do get to see a bit more of Pilate's character. I thought it was cool because Pilate, being blind, doesn't tend to be violent. So it's cool to see him do something like that. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Welcome to Dash Delivery Express, we hope you'll enjoy your stay. For entertainment we have punch the old stallion as well a movie about machine and gears. Unfortunately, no snacks will be distributed during the flight. Now fasten your seat-belts cause we're about to take off in....now.
love dashe's nick names
Didn't know zebras were strong.
I love it when we get awesome lines like this.
That's one way to get someone onboard.
Now, Dashie! Lift your skinny wings like antenna to heaven!
All of my
1847437 She did carry four ponies, but pegisi are lighter than unicorns or earth ponies.
Rainbow Dash making the critical observations.
I do wonder sometimes what disembodied ghost Twilight thinks of everything that Dash gets up to. Somewhere, disembodied ghost Rarity is having some sort of reaction about the berets, too bad we can't see her to know what it is. Disembodied ghost Applejack is probably pleased about Dash finally understanding the power of Hat.
Clearly the right reaction.
Up up and away!
Ah yes, the traditional 'Shield myself and then fly into everything until I win' technique. A classic. Let's see if what Whitemane said about her magic waning applies to that nifty little forcefield...
Geezeeeee RD, what is it with the berets? lol
Certainly brighten my day!
I find it hilarious how Pilate goes about "forcing cooperation" and everyponys just like "yeah, we all cool here"
rainbow dash, i'm pretty sure that's racist
This chapter was quite funny.
9000415
I wanna say that's stereotyping, not racism, but... eh, I could be wrong.
(please excuse the 2-year post comment... )
Feel like this story from now on is just gonna be an inversion of the Doctor schtick where Rainbow says something completely sensical and meaningful that no one understands
9000415
im 99% sure someone in Austreoh noted Dash as being casually racist.