"Scatter!" Rainbow shouted, though she was the only one to hear it. Nevertheless, her terrified cohorts were already doing the smart thing and scrambling out of the path of the incoming Ursa. The massive bear only needed to make three earth-shattering bounds, and already it was plowing its weight into the side of the arena.
With a grunting breath, Rainbow shot up, avoiding the smashing impact of the monster's girth against the wall by mere feet. She twirled about, skimmed the surface of the force field, and rocketed towards the far end of the arena. A swinging paw followed her, its six feet claws scraping against the sparkling streams of mana that guarded the cheering onlookers.
Rainbow's teeth clenched hard over the levers she was using inside her helmet to steer the rocket jets. She could feel the sparks from the distorted energy field bouncing off the Ursa's clawswipe and arching towards her metal suit. Suddenly, she was flying faster, as if the energy surge was causing her thrusters to burn with far greater fury.
She was far too busy trying to survive to bother with dwelling on the matter. Instead, she dove low, which was a fortuitous thing, for it helped her dodge a second swing of the giant bear's other limb. Angling about, Rainbow found very few spaces left to fly in the arena; most of the massive chamber was filled by the looming body of the huge beast that Pestiferous had unleashed.
So, with few other options available to her, Rainbow resorted to flying blazing loops around the snarling creature. "Darn it darn it darn it!" she hissed several times as her teeth gnashed against the instruments. "I need space! I need—"
With a startling show of intelligence, the Ursa next smashed both paws into the forcefield ahead of Rainbow Dash, anticipating her approach vector.
Gasping, Rainbow jerked to the side, flew towards the Ursa's chest, squeezed out of reach of an enormous bear hug, and rocketed towards the thing's chin.
"Nnnnngh!" Rainbow spun and bucked it hard across the mouth. "Take that—Gaaah!" To her surprise, she flew straight through the monster's cranium, her body pinballing stupidly across the lofty ceiling above. "Guhh! What the buck?!"
"You idiot!" Imre shouted from where she was ushering several pale-stricken equines along the outer rim of the arena below. "It's a giant creature comprised of cosmic effluence!"
"Tell me the part that isn't lame!" Rainbow shouted, having to cut her breath short as she dodged a wave of claws flying past her and into the ceiling.
Imre and other ponies stumbled as the entire arena shook from the Ursa's wrath. "She's only corporeal when she wants to be! The sole part of an Ursa's body that's c-constantly solid is the starry crest on her forehead!"
"So what, then?!" Rainbow shouted as she circled overhead, weaving and diving around the bear's snapping jaws. "I've never been all that good with precision! Besides, it's not like you built torpedoes into this thing I'm wearing!"
"It was not my job to arm you!" Imre hissed.
"Nnngh!" Rainbow flew suicidally between the Ursa's legs and flew out from underneath an epic butt stomp. "Tell me, for real! Is there some sort of weapon I can use against this giant piece of bear crap?!"
"How the heck should I know?!"
"You're the smart one!"
"No, I'm the dumbflank who got herself stuck here in this mess with you—Gaaah!" Imre shouted as the monster suddenly bore down on her, attracted by her shrieking voice. It roared with foul breath and prepared to cleave her in two with its claws.
Rainbow Dash hovered to a stop, glancing everywhere frantically. She saw the smoldering pile of timberwolf remains. In half a second, she was diving through the mess, sweeping up as many burning branches as she could.
"Nnnngh—Hey! Bright eyes!"
The bear's sparkling ears twitched. It turned its fanged head around to glare at the rocketing pegasus.
"Choke on this!" Shouting, Rainbow flung the burning wreckage into the Ursa's face. Every sizzling twig bounced ineffectually off the beast's muzzle. Rainbow hovered in place, sweating beneath her helmet. "Yeah, that's about as best as it could have gone—"
Her vision filled with a starry crest as the Ursa viciously headbutted her.
"Ooof!" With a raspy cry, Rainbow flew hard into the opposite end of the arena. She collapsed against the wall, slumping to the ground in her rattling armor. Before she could get up, a set of claws flew down at her and pinned her to the rocky barrier behind. "Gaaah!" she gasped, struggling to pry herself free from the massive claws on either side of her. "I c-could totally use one of those 'dough sexy machines' that Twilight used to c-complain about right about now!"
The Ursa lowered its snout, growling at Rainbow. Just as it opened its drooling mouth to swallow her torso whole, a familiar diamond dog leapt onto the creature's claws and perched there protectively in front of Rainbow, giving the huge bear an angry growl.
The monster merely blinked, then opened its jaws wide as it roared louder than a crashing meteorite.
The diamond dog blinked. Its ears drooped as it ran away, yipping with its tail between its legs.
Rainbow watched it. With a sigh, her helmet swiveled back to gaze at her doom. "Yeah, see, this is why I like cats more..."
And then, with a mighty lunge, the Ursa swallowed Rainbow Dash whole, much to the cheering of the metal mares beyond.
Oh shit.
Welp, it was a good fic. I thoroughly enjoyed this series while it lasted.
The ending was a little abrupt though, to be honest.
welp that's gonna hurt.
Well that was unexpected. Can't wait to see how this turns out.
Eat me.
EAT ME!
She's gonna be Ursa poop.
2441323 So I wasn't the only one that thought of Men in Black.
Who wants to bet Rainbow'll make something explode in the giant purple bear?
Also, anyone thinking that there could be a link, through the Ursa Major, to the full moon?
2441401
Hmm. A bit of a stretch, but stranger things have happened.
See, the way Rainbow sees it, don't start nothin', won't be nothin'!
2441426 Dammit, where have I heard that quote?
2441382
no she isn't, shes gonna remove the amulet.
Last time Rainbow was eaten, it was by a giant lizard in a hot spring in Austraeoh.
As I recall, the pendant came off. And the lizard didn't last particularly long either. I recall something about her smashing it's maw to pieces.
If there's any hope at all for Rainbow to make it out of this alive, it's going to be with that impossible strength.
But of course, knowing you, this is the part where you switch back to Pilate.
...Uh-oh...
Nah, Rainbow's too awesome to be eaten.
I wonder that the insides of a semi-corporeal being are like...
2441549
Then, should the pattern continue, this should prove to be interesting very soon...
If I recall correctly, she's been in a similar situation before.
2441451 I think it was Men in Black.
2441593 Ah.
On a different note, why isn't this in the Austreaoh group yet?
2441259 Unless, because of the quickening, the Giant Space Bear is Austraeoh now, and we'll start following its adventures as it continues to lumber east.
dough sexy machines, for all your sexy dough needs. hawt.
It'd be hilarious if the story ended here. So, Rainbow Dash got eaten screw being the spark of the world and destiny. (My sarcasm tastes delicious!)
If Rainbow removes her pendant, I would love to see the looks on the Metal Mares' faces.
2441451
Will Smith taunting the Roach in MiB.
Oh RD. Latin isn't your strong suit, is it?
Aaaand now we switch back to Pilate
Well, so much for the diamond dog being of any use... stupid mutt. You let Dash get eaten by a semi-corporeal being the size of a frigate.
2441959 Thank you. I just couldn't find it what she meant by that, but now I know.
Best ending ever.
Darn dough sexy machines. They just ruin a story when it's at its most tense.
Honeytiger would like to see a dough sexy machine. Honeytiger does not know why.
2441529 Then the Ursa poop will hit the manafan.
2443073
if by 'poop' you mean guts, and by 'fan' you mean forcefield, then yes
2443080 Regardless it promises to be one Tartarus of a show.
...what is a sexy dough machine?... how would it help in that scenario?...... and why is twighlight not a fan?... this is a worse lack of info then the first 95 chapters of Austraeho. I joke I kid
2443101
Or, Does she still have Whitemane's forcefield? I wonder what would happen if you activated that thing inside an Ursa?
This is Australia...
2441959
...It took me that long to figure it out. I thought RD was saying something like "dissection machine."
bad ending is bad.
xD
2443287 I dont think she does have it anymore. Anyway remember an Ursa is only solid when it wants to be.
2441588
Yes, but fighting didn't help her or any of her friends back then either, as I recall. Time to think outside the awesomebox, Dashie. You were on the right track with that lullabye...
2443245
Twilight spent most of her time reading books, so they're probably something to do with them. But how would some sort of weird pastry-based printing press help Dash out of a nearly impossible situation like this?
And so it ends without even a 'choke on this!'. Hoh well.
'Doughy sex machine'... goddammit Rainbow, so adorably dense. So adorably dead.
2443340
I still don't get it, and I've studied latin.
Halp?
Just a joke or foreshadowing?
2445966
Pretty sure it's supposed to be "Deus ex machina."
Play more video games :D
2446193
oh wow. If you're right, and i think you are, Dash is really thick.
because the pronunciation isn't very similar. It's a phrase i've seen and used many times.
I'm not much of a gamer, but I do a loooot of reading. Probably better for me in the end.
It got worse.
Ursa Major: hit it's weak spot for massive damage.
Rainbow isn't in danger, by the way. With the Ursa, it's all in the teeth:
i1.ytimg.com/vi/lcNHrcLiFoQ/mqdefault.jpg
Yeah, if she knows how to brush, I'm sure she'll be fine.
Ceterum censeo Searinem delendam esse.
2444550
I stol don't get how RD would think that that's sexy...
Hey, at least the dog attempted to help. A cat would have watched from the sidelines and laughed before casually prancing away.
I don't know why being eaten by a giant space bear seems less threatening than being eaten by any other type of gargantuan monster - maybe because traveling down its esophagus would be like going star-watching, but with front-row seats. And I'm pondering fictional digestive tracts once again. I really don't know what this fic has done to me, and I'm not sure if I should be worried or just accept it
Let's dash up the rainbow report!
Twilight, what sort of shenanigans have you been up to? Either way, Dash seems to be pretty screwed, but I wouldn't count her of the fight yet! I mean, the thing has to turn corperal for it to swallow her right? So she gives it a nice dose of flaming from the inside, and I'm sure it'll let her out! But how do you like it, inside a mouth Dash? Great fight depictions as ever from IC, this story really is turning out to be action packed! But I'm not going to lie when I wish Dash would be able to continue her flight east. Obviously it wasn't easy for IC, and he's already done so much of it, but his imagery of her solo flights are just too beautiful to not want more! Finally, I'm still waiting for updates on what happened to the others!
True loyalty never dies.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So this chapter did a great job showing off how unstoppable the Major really is. There doesn't seem to be any way to fight something that massive that can essentially become invulnerable whenever they feel like it. I'm not seeing a way out of this for Dash, although she has to get out somehow. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
Hmm. "Hey! Bright Eyes!"
Shout out to Ponky?
She' swallowed whole, doesn't mean she'll be digested.
-Spirit
Eye sea watt ewe deed their.