“Look, okay, uhm…” Rainbow Dash fidgeted where she stood before the all-watching eyes, eyes, eyes. “I’m not exactly some inspirational pegasus. Nor am I Luna’s gift to ponydom come down to bless you guys with hearty words of wisdom or whatjazz.”
A few ponies chuckled. Eagle Eye grinned wide. Bellesmith and Pilate leaned towards each other over Kera, smiling.
Rainbow Dash saw their faces. She took a deep breath, wings twitching.
“Lemme just say that you dudes and dudettes have given us the nicest, warmest, awesomest reception we ever could have asked for. Seriously, when we first rolled into this town? All we wanted was to see what was happening and ask if some ponies wanted to spare a few resources for trade. And, like, here I am stuffing my own face with your super rad breakfast feast, and… I-I really don’t know what to say.”
More chuckles. A few ponies clapped their hooves.
All was silent by the time Rainbow’s voice picked up again.
“We’ve been through a lot. And we’ve… uh… even lost those who were close to us.” She bit her lip, then glanced Floydien’s way.
The elk said nothing, instead staring into the wooden finish of his side of the table.
Rainbow Dash went on. “But so many more of us would be goners if it weren’t for how well we agreed to work together as a team. And, when you think about it, it’s really not that hard to do. Ponies are just made to… to get along, y’know? You wouldn’t think it just from looking the world. Or, at least… most of the world.”
She rubbed the back of her head with a shuddering sigh.
“I’ve traveled far longer and farther than the rest of the ponies at this table--including the ones whom I’m happy to call friends. And in all the stuff that I’ve seen, maybe only two or three places were willing to extend a happy hoof to greet me. And this is one of them. All the rest?” She gulped. “All the other kingdoms and provinces and wastelands n’crap? They’re almost all full of danger and angry ponies and nasty stuff. And… y’know… that probably sounds really depressing and all, but I don’t think it spells a doomed world.”
Rainbow Dash stared at the warm, hearty hall as a whole.
“Something really great, something really snazzy and harmonious has been forgotten. The more I fly around, the more I realize that… like… I have this task--you see? I have this job to make sure that ponies remember what it means to be harmonious. We’re all born to gel with each other just right, y’know? But the world is so vast that many ponies don’t have it figured out. I mean, you guys do! Sure… but…”
A pause.
Rainbow breathed lightly and smiled with a nervous titter. “If I could make the entire world like this town--even the darkest ones--then I think all of my flier miles would be totally worth it.” She gulped. “And that’s why I’m gonna keep going, with friends or without, because I know there are ponies like you on this plane and the ones who aren’t like you deserve a taste, ya dig? So… thanks a lot for the pick-me-up.” She saluted while her wings flapped. “I’ll be sure to spread the love around… in a way that’s not as icky as that sounds.”
Voices chuckled, and that noise trickled into full-on applause. Propsy bounced in her chair, whistling. Ebon clapped loudly while Josho bore a mild smirk.
“Here here!” Collins stood up, raising to classes in the crooks of her hoof. “I propose a toast! To these adventurers and their future endeavors!”
The great hall echoed with resounding agreement.
“Here you go, Rainbow Dash!” Collins hoofed the pegasus a glass.
“Oh, uh… s-sure!” Rainbow Dash squinted at the smooth, brown quaff. “Just what is this, anyways?”
“Something we’ve been saving for a long time here in Archer Point!” Collins winked. “Only the finest apple cider in the valley.”
Rainbow winced as if a million chalk boards were being scratched all at once. “Oh, jeez. Uhm… thanks, but… I-I couldn’t. I mean, I won’t. I…”
“What’s wrong?” Collins blinked in confusion. “If that’s not to your liking, I could have a pony fetch you a glass of water for the toast--”
“It’s just that… I… erm…” Rainbow Dash’s lips trailed off. She blinked, then turned to gaze down the table.
Pilate and Belle sat, gazing up at her. Kera watched with glistening green eyes.
Slowly, softly, Rainbow exhaled, and she did so through a smile. “Yeah…” Her ears folded. “A toast with friends.” Her eyes turned glossy as she dipped her muzzle towards the glass. “I think I can do that now…”
Collins smiled and raised her glass. “To the Noble Jury!”
”To the Noble Jury!”
Everypony lifted their glasses, then drank. Or at least that’s what it looked like.
Rainbow’s vision had gone blurry. So she fixed it in two ways. She clenched her eyes shut, and then she drank from pure ambrosia for the first time in over a year. Her taste buds were too busy singing for her next breath to be a sob.
I swear, if this fic doesn't end with AJ somehow coming back, there shall be... tears. Many of them. Mostly mine.
Appledash may be one of my least-fave ships...
But screw it, this is amazing.
3860124 I'm with you on this one. That last bit. OW. Just OW. Poor Dashie.
Well so far the breakfast has been dangerous event free. I don't trust it. Who else thinks the town gets attacked right as the Jury is leaving?
3860124
More likely Dashie saving the world, then moving on to finally join her friends for a long-earned rest.
Here, here! To the Jury!!
We're taking a break from monsters, swords, and explosions. Now we face the greatest battle of all: Emotions!
More explosions to come later, of course.
I'm crying so much orver this rainbow horse!
<Paragraph here about the symbolic nature of drinking apple cider; a final statement of her journey and a comitment to begin anew.>
So ends the mourning in the morning. So beings this journey anew before having to repeat itself, loss of friends and all, before the story is out.
Such a short chapter but it reveals an amazing amount of character development! You go, Rainbow!
Her eyes were green.
And then the town gets blown up by Shell.
I'm a depressing asshole like that.
Ow...that end bit there was just powerful...
Hmm... unfortunately for me reading Rainbow's speech sound like reading one of your blog posts. While I enjoy your blog posts, I just don't envision them coming out of Paint Bucket's mouth. I do think that the message was something she would speak about, but the delivery? It seemed more off than normal.
3860565 He doesn't have a ship anymore though.
He'd probably just walk through with his taser sticks and stab anypony who got in his way,leave the town intact,but with a trail of bodies in his wake,
3860242 Provided she can find a way to purge herself of the chaos swirling through her body.
A little rambling, with a few too many "y'know"s, but still a poignant toast from Rainbow. And that bit with the cider...
I previously predicted that Shell would show up at Archer Point. Others have predicted the same. But I'm starting to wonder if he'll wait until Lerris to show back up. That would certainly complicate things (or simplify them, if Shell massacres all of Lerris' citizens).
Archer's Point is populated by changelings. That's why they so friendly, that why the cider for the toast.
~Basso
Dash carries the essence of all the other Elements within her, and every so often, she is Reminded of that.
Never stop, Dash.
3860226
3860565
3861346
Neither Shell nor Lasairfion have kicked the bucket yet. I doubt that Shell is done with the chase.
3861258 Your namesake also isn't completely destroyed. I say the big ship's damaged as much as the Steel Wing was 163ish chapters ago. A rainbow may cross its bow again before everything is said and done.
Funny chapter. I like it
3862257
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Shell made the decrepit thing air-worthy with his own two hooves and came in riding it like Kyle Maclachlan on a sandworm.
Daww~ The feels! Oh Celestia in her stony tomb! They burn!
THESE FEELS. THEY ARE LIKE A PUNCH TO THE GUT!
3863988
Sadly not! :(
...knew this town was bad...
3862426 I think the only thing working against Shell now is convincing followers to hunt RD.
Convincing them to hunt a Changeling queen (possible guise) would be much easier, though.
3863999 I've not drawn anything since I started Austraeoh. If only I can remember what colors Kera and Nightshade are? (Kera has an emerald mane, but...?)
3862786
It's a running theme left over from Austraeoh, especially since she starts the machinery.
It goes along with an old theory I have about the Midnight Armory being a sort of circuit breaker for the world.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Dammit, that beautiful. Those last few paragraphs were incredibly emotional. I still don't like shipping, but I'll make an exception this time. That was...that was good. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
3860124
I understand, but RD reuniting with her original friends in this world or the next is what I hope. I don't know if a truly happy ending will ruin this story. To tell the truth, I'm not the biggest RD fan, but the reminders of AJ are what keep me transfixed. I fear the story would end if RD forgot about AJ during her travels. I almost had hate for Roake a couple of chapters ago for her disrespectful comment.
So many AJ refresher references to pull at the heartstrings.
3865269 he's a bit too insane for convincing anyone of anything
-Spirit
a lot of depressing feelings sprouted from this here today...
Never stop flying . . .
Instead of a Lotus Eater twist, we got smack in the face with the brick of feels.
I'm actually glad this happened; it's a nice break from the whole "world of shit filled with shitty ponies and shitty governments and shitty wars" thing that's been going. Nice SoL downtime with some pure, good emotion allows for world and character building alike.
I'm loving this mini-arc.
And here I almost forgot we were on the feels train.
Oh, right. That.
N-nothing like cider to e-ease the mind eh?
H-heh, yeah...
3:48 p.m. MST 6/17/2017
That she could process everything and take a drink with (new) friends. So much healing and sadness
If reflection and catharsis are to be what we wind down the last arc of Odrsjot with, that's totally fine by me. It seems more than fitting after all the high stakes and severe tension dominating most of the rest of the book.
Never has a glass of cider felt so sad.
To the Noble Jury.