It took several minutes, but Rainbow Dash's panting breaths finally calmed down, though her heart continued to beat a million miles per minute. She gulped, clenched her jaw shut, and closed her eyes as she allowed the blood to rush back to her extremities. A tranquil smile crossed her muzzle, or at least something closely resembling it.
Meanwhile, Roarke crawled up through the bedsheets and gently held Rainbow from behind, spooning her. She reached a hoof over, brushing Rainbow's sweat-slick bangs back while desert starlight glinted off the mares' glossy coats from beyond the royal suite's balcony windows.
“That most certainly trumps the hammock, does it not?” Roarke quietly mused.
“Hmmmph...” Rainbow's ears twitched as she snuggled back into Roarke's embrace. “Rest in peace, hammock,” she murmured through a drunken smile.
Roarke chuckled lightly.
Rainbow's eyes fluttered open. She stared past a bedside chair where two bags were placed: Luna's and Arcanista's. “Can't believe there was a time when I never thought I would hear that...”
“Hmmm...?” Roarke nuzzled her ear, her mane, and then her other ear, planting feather-soft kisses in between. “Hear what?”
“Laughter,” Rainbow muttered. “Coming from you.”
“Nor did I expect such provocative introspection coming from you.”
“Hmmmff...” Rainbow stuck her tongue out in the twilight. “You've got the worst pillow talk ever.” Her wings twitched against Roarke's strong chest. “Has anypony ever told you that?”
Roarke hugged her tighter, resting her chin on Rainbow's shoulder. “One and only.”
Rainbow took a shuddering breath, her hooves curling up against the plush mattress.
Roarke kissed Rainbow's neck again. “Have you got the feeling back in your hooves, yet?”
“Mmmmm...” Rainbow trilled gently.
Roarke craned her neck. “What was that?”
“Hrfff...” Rainbow's forelimbs curled tighter. “Hold... h-hold me...?”
Roarke gazed at her. She smiled, then pivoted the pegasus around.
Rainbow rolled over until she faced the metal mare. She was shivering at this point, causing the pendant around her neck to rattle.
That didn't stop Roarke from pulling her close, resting Rainbow's fuzzy head in the crook of her neck. Her metal plugs glistened in the starlight as she wrapped her strong forelimbs around the pony. “Is that good?”
Rainbow murmured into Roarke's fuzzy chest. “Mmm... b-better than good...”
“I've been many things in my life, Rainbow Dash,” Roarke said, gazing out the window past her. She stroked the mare's prismatic mane in the dim light. “'Wise,' 'rare', 'noble'...”
Rainbow pressed her ear to Roarke's belly, quietly relishing in the warm, persistent hum of her deep implants.
“...you allowed me to be delicate.” Roarke's lips pursed. Her ears twitched for a few silent seconds, and she murmured, “Soft... gentle.” She gulped. “These last few months will never leave me.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. “They were... pr-pretty rad...”
Roarke blinked. “...that's one way of putting them.”
“Roarke...”
“That observation room inside the Jury... it was our special place. It... it was rapturous sharing the sunrise with you every morning, Rainbow. I... certainly hope it wasn't stealing your thunder, so to speak...”
“Roarke... pl-please...”
“Hmmm?”
Rainbow sniffled. She pressed against Roarke's chest, putting enough space between them so she could stare into her muzzle. “Promise me something... Roarke...”
“Anything, Rainbow.”
“Promise... pr-promise me...” Rainbow's muzzle twisted. Her ruby eyes were thin slits in a glossy sea. “Promise m-me that you will find somepony else...”
Roarke stared in silence.
“Please.” Rainbow sniffled again, shaking her head as the tears flowed. “Do it. Promise me. Find somepony. Anypony.”
The metal mare sighed, caressing the pegasus' cheek. “Rainbow—”
Rainbow snatched it, muzzle quivering. “Don't be alone, Roarke!” She choked on a sob. “D-don't be alone b-because of me! I mean... I-I've got nothing but the journey ahead, but you?” She shuddered. “You've got everything. You should have everything—”
“Shhhhh...” Roarke held Rainbow close, nuzzling the top of her head. “It's okay—”
“No it's n-not!” Rainbow sobbed, burying her face in Roarke's chest as her wings coiled tightly at her sides. “It's not okay! N-none of it is okay! Please... please d-don't live and die alone! Maybe it's all I-I've got to look forward to, but not for you Roarke! N-not for you!”
Roarke kissed the top of Rainbow's head, nuzzling her ear as she spoke in a low, warm voice. “I promise you, Rainbow Dash...” She shut her eyes, speaking through a gentle smile. “I promise you that I won't become nothing.”
Rainbow shook and shivered, hiccuping on tears and whimpers.
“I promise you that I will be happy.” Roarke stroked the small of Rainbow's back between her wings. “I promise that I shall pursue happiness with every fiber of my being.” She kissed and nuzzled her again. “For you have shown me the way, Rainbow. You are the light to my path, and I will never... ever go blind again...”
The pegasus merely quivered, clenching her eyes shut as the sobs squeaked out harder, faster.
“I am so... so very happy that I met you,” Roarke said. “Now and for the rest of time, Rainbow Dash... my Rainbow Dash...”
“Ghh... hckk...” Rainbow gnashed her teeth, shaking all over. “I... I don't want to gooooo...”
Roarke closed her eyes, holding Rainbow close.
“I don't want to g-go, Roarke,” Rainbow sobbed. “I hate it. I hate it. I don't want t-to do it. I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna...” Her voice shook off into several wavering decibels.
Roarke took a deep breath, squeezing Rainbow tighter. “I know,” she said quietly. “I know, Rainbow...”
“Mmmm... gffff... nothing...” Rainbow hiccuped again. “...n-nothing will be better... more b-beautiful... more awesome th-than this... than you...”
Roarke tilted Rainbow's head up, kissing her tear-stained cheeks. She looked the pegasus dead-on. “Maybe... maybe not... but I love you too much to let you stay and die... and you love me too much to stay and die on me...”
“Roarke...” Rainbow bit her lip, sniffling. “I... I-I...”
“There's something beyond the horizon that belongs to you... that belongs to all of us. I can't grab it. None of us can. None of us... but you.” Roarke gripped the sides of Rainbow's muzzle firmly. “And when you find that light... when you've become one with Harmony... will you finally look back at this and realize it was worth it...” She smiled as a tear streaked down her own cheek. “Just as I look back on when I first met you and realize that everything... everything was worth this moment.” Roarke swallowed. “And I will always love you, Rainbow Dash. Always. Even more than I love you right now.”
Rainbow tried to smile. Instead, her face melted even more. Roarke hugged her again, allowing the mare to bury her face in her chest.
“Thank you, Roarke...” Rainbow shuddered between quiet sobs. “...for everything...” She squeaked through chattering teeth. “I... I didn't think I would ever be happy again...”
Roarke clenched her jaw shut, nestling her chin in Rainbow's mane as she gently rocked the pegasus. “As you will be yet again,” she quietly murmured. “Even more so...” A shudder. “I believe in you, Rainbow Dash...” Her eyes fluttered shut. “I believe in you... I believe in you I believe in you I believe in you...”
As the night wore on, and Rainbow's sobs in tow, Roarke held her close, until the sheer exhaustion of the moment consumed both mares, and they drifted to sleep in each other's embrace.
That tease when you want to read this now but have a Brony potluck to go to. Oh well. I'll read it at the park I guess!
They can say the most wonderful words you just don’t understand.
I can show you the way but I know that you’ll never be there.
All the time, all the shine of your eyes I will never forget.
All I know there’s no time, there’s no life, there is no turning back.
Them feels... too much... YOU DID IT! YOU MADE ME FEEL! THAT RARELY HAPPENS, BUT YOU DID IT!
i.imgur.com/rUdlf.jpg
40 chapters left...
If you start breaking our hearts now, then there will be nothing left by the end of the book.
Was that your plan for the end, IC? None of us would be prepared because we would be too broken by then?
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(full view here)
Believe in the me that believes in you.
I think even Roarke herself was doing her best to not cry...
Having deployed twice, I can confirm that this:
...is the absolute worst feeling one can have. That sense of... hopelessness.
No pushups this round, ):(. Think we all need a moment.
5653378
That is beautiful.
For those that give their todays, for our tomorrows.
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/713/082/66b.jpg
I'm going to miss Roarke, she's definitely one of the best developed OC ponies out there. Gaaahhh, too many feeeeellllsssss.
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The sheer willpower needed to get up and leave is remarkable. In my dreams, they make it back together in the end.
Buen camino.
Maybe Roarke was Eljunbyro this whole time...
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5653348
I was prepared to read a war
Thought I could handle any gore
Anticipated all your tricks
But I wasn't prepared for this
Killing Zaid off would have been a breeze
Belle the Changeling was predictable - please!
I expected a full casualty list
But I wasn't prepared for this
All these feels
This sundered ship
I can't endure
Though Rainboarke's lost
I can't let go
They all concur
The Jury's taken its share of piss
We kept on reading after Lerris
But no I wasn't
Oh no I wasn't
No I was not prepared for thiiiiiiiiiiis
5653277
Is each line supposed to be a seperate link to the same part of that youtube video?
5654565
That's it.
You just made IC add another death at the end of the book.
Nicely done, though.
5654570
It's all supposed to be one link to the same video. I wish the whole thing would highlight when moused over because it's just one URL tag. Apparently adjusting it for formatting changes that.
5653378 i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/595/750/0df.jpg That's okay. I didn't need those electrolytes.
5654565 this is wonderfully wonderful.
5653511 Yup. There is so much truth right here... But I mean, once time for kickoff happens, you go into deployment mode and stop being happy for a long, long time...
5654650
That sucks man, I kind of figured that was the intent, but, ah well.
5654721
Yeah, I figured it was best in this case to link to the part of the song where the relevant lyrics were than post the whole thing where there's two and a half minutes of buildup. FIMfic just doesn't want to play nice.
Still fits though, eh?
In one chapter, we go from...
...to... to feels.
Stoppit, damn you...
5653634
are you sure that fits better than this ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
5654785
Yes. I am
I really don't know what to say about this chapter, it really has just so many feels, just so much emotion.
5654826
but the booty don't need explaining ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
5654839
Arccy, pls
5653711
You.
I like you.
mùm er mjög gott
5654839
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i.imgur.com/bZh8m30.jpg
Too many feels!!!
AAAAAAAGH! Why?! I can't take it! I can't take all these emotions! I'm probably gonna cry after the farewell chapter. I can't even think up a stupid pun to cheer myself up!
Just remember, The Jury is dismissed, but the Duty never ends!
I believe in Rainbow Dash
For some reason, I think this Pegasus will be a little bluer for awhile.
It's the goodbyes that get me.
No, I'm not fucking crying! Shut up!
Why does this hurt so good?
Yep, that got me good. Rainbow dash crying "I don't want to go" had me teary eyed and feeling like I'd just been gutpunched. God, it's good to get a break from the nigh-endless bravado and finally see how rainbow dash actually feels, though, heartbreaking as it may be.
I will admit, my heart skipped a beat when Roarke was talking about not becoming nothing... Background Pony still affects me to this day.
It also skipped beats at everything else.
Oh Rainbow
5654565 Aaaand now I need to go watch that episode of the show again...
I always wondered if Roarke's plugs chafed or bruised Dash's skin. That stuff has got to be uncomfortable.
Poor Dashie. Nothing will ever be greater thean her Time as part of The Noble Jury.
ew, feelings
I am slightly surprised that no one has mentioned this yet:
It's what I immediately thought of.
Also, it's good to be close enough to comment again