"Come on... Come on..."
Rainbow Dash hovered back and forth like a father stallion pacing through a hospital waiting room. The moon glinted off her bangs, eyes, and hooves alike, but the glow of the pendant around her neck wasn't increasing.
"Get a signal. Get a signal, you stupid hunk of junk! Come on!"
"Maybe... uhm..." Belle stirred where she sat on folded legs besides Pilate. The couple gazed up at Rainbow Dash, worriedly observing her anxious figure. "Maybe if you flew higher up?"
"It's worked at this level before!" Rainbow Dash grunted, slapping at the Element of Loyalty with an errant hoof. "Grrrr... Maybe the Ledomexicolts did something all black magical to this thing. Unnngh... stupid world-manipulating unicorns—" Rainbow froze in mid-air, wincing. "Erm... sorry..."
Belle smiled softly. "None taken."
"Why?" Pilate mused. "I didn't hear her insult zebras."
Belle slapped him with her tail.
"Ow..."
"Or maybe..." Rainbow bit her lip as her eyes glistened with starlight. "Maybe the chaos rift finally exploded and Luna isn't there anymore!" She chewed on one of her hooves. "Or maybe Luna turned back into Nightmare Moon! Or... or... squirrels invaded from the north or something!"
"Rainbow Dash, don't fret so much!" Belle said in a soothing tone. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for it all. There's no need to worry. Besides, it's not like you." She paused, blinking. Belle then squinted and said, "Is it?"
"I doubt squirrels are ambitious enough to pull off a country-wide invasion."
"Pilate..."
"I should have prepared for this..." Rainbow Dash muttered, clutching herself with her forelimbs as her body dangled loosely from her flapping wings. "I should have asked Luna for some way to... I dunno... launch a magic moon fart her way that could alert her that I'm still alive or... or..."
"Maybe this is one night too early?" Belle remarked.
"Yeah." Pilate nodded. "Just because it's a full moon for us doesn't mean it's a full moon over in Eclopia."
"Equestria."
"I knew that."
"Nah... That's a good thought," Rainbow muttered. "But it's a full moon for the whole world everywhere, from what I understand. Just like it's a rising or setting sun for the whole world all at once."
"I still find it absolutely fascinating that the rulers of your home are capable of controlling the celestial bodies at will," Pilate remarked. "And yet, they never let their ambition get the better of them?"
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash glanced down.
Pilate tilted his head her way. "If Queen Ledo had even a fraction of the power as your alicorn goddesses—"
"Oh. Right. I get the picture."
"Do you, though?" Pilate's brow furrowed. "There are countless empires out there who would use such power to conquer and control. And yet, from the sound of things, your rulers seek peace above all else."
"Yeah. They're boring like that."
"Boring?!" Bellesmith made a face. "Rainbow Dash, do you have any idea how lucky you are?"
"I mean it!" Rainbow Dash shrugged. "For the longest time, I thought all they were good for was writing letters and attending tea parties! Heck, that's what I'd do if I was a princess."
"Well, if we had—"
"Then again, I'd never be caught dead becoming a princess..."
"Well, if we—"
"Princesses are overrated, if you ask me."
Belle frowned. "Are you done?"
"Sorry. Ahem. Shoot."
Belle said, "If we had tea with Queen Ledo, we'd suspect there was something wrong with her head. Besides, the Royal Matriarchs of the Confederacy have only ever attended ceremonies as part of some sort of political ploy."
"Yeesh. And just how long have you been dancing to this nutjob's tune?"
"Well..." Belle blushed and squirmed where she sat. "It's one thing to think less-than-satisfactory thoughts about one's government, but another thing altogether to act on them."
"We've trotted more distance in the last three days than we have in our entire lives," Pilate said. "I don't know if you realize that, Miss Dash. We've only ever gone where our government had allowed us."
"Yeah, well, your government sucks."
"They also protect countless ponies from crime and foreign invaders."
"At the cost of what? Freedom? Decency? Artistic expression?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. "It sucks."
"Verily, what sucketh?" The pendant around her neck glowed. "Who art thee, and how hast thou commandeered this leyline?!"
"Buh?" Belle's face contorted.
"Booyakashaaa!" Rainbow Dash bellowed, grinning a crescent moon as she tilted the glowing pendant up and nuzzled it. "Boy is it fantastic to hear your ugly-as-flank speech, your Highness!"
"We beg thy pardon? What manner of illicit communication is this?"
"It's me, Princess!" Rainbow Dash beamed. "It's Rainbow Dash!"
"Rainbow Dash?" The voice faltered, stammered. "Rainbow Dash, born in Cloudsdale?"
"No, Rainbow Dash, born in Courtneigh Love's left kidney." Rainbow Dash frowned. "Who do you think?! It's me, Luna! Element of Loyalty and Badflankery! Awesomeness personified!"
"Rainbow Dash!"
"Yes! Now you've got it!" Rainbow flew loopty-loops, cheering in the starlight. Down below, Pilate and Belle nuzzled each other, watching their companion with contentment. "Haaa-haha! How ya doin', ya looney sky goddess, you?!"
"Rainbow Dash, we... we had thought the dead..."
"Yeah, well, you wouldn't have been too far from the truth." Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up as she spun in lazy circles, smiling wider and wider. "But what matters is that I'm fine now and I owe it to these two fine specimens of radicalness. Oh! Luna! I gotta introduce you! Pssst!" Rainbow Dash squinted down at the couple. "Stripesy, Ding Dong, say hello to Princess Luna of Equestria!" She held her pendant out as far as it would dangle from her neck.
"Hello, Princess Luna of Equestria," Pilate and Belle both spoke as one, their eyes frozen in nervous expressions.
The pendant flickered back, "We greet thee, thou ponies of... erm... remarkably colorful names."
"Ehhh... their real names are boring. 'Driver the Zebra and Beauty the Unicorn.' I dunno. But what matters is that they rock my horseshoes off and I'm back in action all thanks to them!"
"Please forgive us, Rainbow Dash. We art... we art most grateful to hear of thy well-being... and..."
"Yeah...?"
"This is... this is just so alarming..."
"Don't drop the moon or nothing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with a wink aimed heavenward.
"We... we were almost convinced that thou hast perished. For weeks and weeks we considered informing our sister of thy passing—"
"Weeks and weeks?" Rainbow Dash blinked, her eyes wide. "Wait a second, Princess." She took a deep breath, as if about to take a mighty plunge. "H-how long have I been out of it?"
"Since the last time we communicated with thee?"
"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "How long?"
Pilate and Belle tilted their heads up.
Eventually, the pendant flickered. "Why, we do believe it has been ten moon cycles, Rainbow Dash. We were worried beyond description for thy safety."
Rainbow Dash exhaled long and hard. She slowed her wings and lowered down to the ground, hanging her head as a soft smile lingered on her muzzle.
After a few seconds: "Rainbow Dash? Art thou still there?"
"Yes." Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply and tilted her head up, grinning. "Yes, your Majesty. I'm totally here." With a calm breath, she gazed at her two companions and exclaimed, "And boy have I got a story for you..."
Wow, so she was out about ten months...
HERE WE GO
She is past her expiration date.
Ten months? Huh. Not exactly unexpected, but dayum.
you guys do know a moon cycle is a little over two weeks , so she's been out for only five months, earth time that is
also the EOP reference, I see it
images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121106161316/runescape/images/a/ac/Juna_chathead.png
"Tell me a story..."
Awesomely adorable. It's nice to see Rainbow in higher spirits, especially after all the arduous journeying and dark, harsh reality she's gone through. From the way Luna first responded I was almost afraid Dash had been out a lot longer than several months. I'm curious to see if Luna knows anything else, perhaps out of the prophetic realm, or if everything from here on out will be new information for her.
I know it's cheeky, but this makes me think of:
1883195 It's approximately 28 days from full moon to full moon, which is one lunar cycle.
Someone pick up the phone cuz I friggin called it! It wasn`t exactly hard to predict, but the points still stands. Also, RBD has been out for a long time, so perhaps something interesting happened in good ol´ Equestria during that period.
Just when I thought Luna chapters couldn't become more satisfying there's all this hope and relief and
Subject: Princess Luna
Suffix Title Obtained: "The Looney Sky Goddess"
Preview: "Luna, the Loony Sky Goddess"
1883203
You know for all my 6 years of playing Runescape, I never once completed Tears of Guthix.
Been out of the loop since yesterday, so this is for the past three chapters:
Yes! We get tragic dreams, some adorable Belle/Pilate small talk and Dashie, Luna returns, we figure out how long Dashie's been out, AND the promise of some exposition!
):(, you done did good! I can't see reason to smoke you, so 1883269 will do push-ups in your place until the next update.
1883269!! BEAT YER DAMN FACE!!
1883269
You bastard. Also, that kinda fits. Depending on you look at it.
Story To Tell - Death
I guess I was the only one expecting something close to two years then. Two years seems to be an overused time lapse.
Oh god, this made me crack up so much. And that's actually a pretty hard thing to do.
Secondly FUCK. Dash, you've been out a long time. I would've expected a few months, but not three quarters of a year.
Thirdly, the banter about the government makes me wonder if they're foreshadowing Dash somehow influencing a government overthrow. Maybe. They're still going east, however, so maybe it'll just be an indirect one through leading the people to revolt a la Hunger Games or V for Vendetta.
1883985
1884008
Just remove the bit about daddy issues and cherry-pick the lyrics for relevant info! Also, there is now way in Skuld's name Pearl Jam counts as "heavy metal!"
1884419
That was way early on, near the cabin, right? Dash carves the initials of the mane 6 to go with it. I don't think it has any plot relevance. It was just a way to illustrate the solo sojourn Dash has embarked upon, a device to frame Dash's isolation.
Right, up to date.
Did Rainbow just go 100 chapters without flirting with a mare?
I miss Gold Plate,
Also "Eclopia" haha,
Can't wait to see what happens next...
Ten months? Well, that throws out all my predictions. Oh well. At least they're still in contact. Time to get this train back on the rails.
that is quite a while...
All these nick names remind me of CC... I miss him...
I'd got it in my head that we'd time skipped years, if not decades into the future for some reason. That's what I get for making baseless assumptions.
Shout-out to Regidar, when he gets here...
Am I the only person who thought of this?
1885458 You're probably right. Still, makes you wonder, doesn't it?
Also, I'm now caught up in four days! Now I can join in the commentary at last (and just maybe get a small part in the story later on)!
Seems legit.
1) Damn bunnies...
2) I love this: Booyakashaa!
Oh Rainbow, don't ever change. Also, ten whole months? Damn, she was out for longer than I thought. I'm guessing her time as a Discord vegetable put her in some sort of stasis, as her predicted lifespan was like five-ish months or something, wasn't it? Or am I making that up? I wouldn't doubt it. Anywho, glad Luna's back in the loop again, and that Dash is so keen on Pilate and Belle. She's got friends again - yay! Well, on to the next chapter!
Yaaaaay!
Happy Dash is best Dash.
And wow 10 months... That either means the first predicted life span of dash is incorrect, or that being a vegetable prevents the effects of Chaos ending her life. Or maybe it was being a Chaos Vegetable in a coffin that had that effect...
Onwards!
Eclopia is the one with the bronies and Princess Molestia.
wow, that sucks.
Oh thank god...when i read her death in the previous story, I almost didn't read this...actually i didn't until i noticed the names of the chapters and that dash was added to the character list...I was actually worried there...I never worry about characters in a fan fic...
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
...Well then. Dash has been conked out for...quite some time. Jeez. 10 months is almost a full year, if you think about it. Factor in that Austraeoh covered at least two months and it has been at least a year since the passing of the mane 6 minus Dash and the second imprisonment of Discord. Also, I still can't figure out why Dash survived for longer than she was expected to live. I know it had something to do with the sarcophagus she was in...something about chaos strips? These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
I kind of wonder what would my reaction be if I got a call from someone that I thought died 10 months ago.
Wow, why did I think it was closer to 3 or 4 months?
oh man, this be good!
10 months? Well then.
Ten? I was expecting two or three, maybe four...
You can't but an expiration date on Awesome! Cause awesome is built to last!
---
Meanwhile back in Equestria
Egads! The squirrels are rallying in the north?! TO THE WALL! DAWN THE BLACK AND TAKE TO THE WALL!
And Rainbow Dash has cheated death once again. Also, squirrels are a force to be reckoned with.
I love you
1883763 You are a disgrace
1887615 Oh, hello, old friend...
"Meet ding dong" whoa rainbow, calm it. Nobody wants to meet your ding dong.
2000189 Magical red flame thingy?
5517950 I don't get this reference to you
Not sure which part of this chapter I liked best, the humor, the heartwarming or the exposition.
Well, considering Nightmare Moon, I wouldn't say never...
There we go.
And unsurprisingly, Luna (and potentially everyone in Equestria depending on how much was revealed) thought Dash was dead.
Okay, so it was just Luna, that at least makes it convenient for who needs to know.
Ten months? Well she was pretty injured.
"Verily, what sucketh?"
Oh, Luna. How I missed you. Good to have you back on the team, you silly little moon Princess, you.
I'm grateful for this gift of a timeframe and conversation between Luna and Rainbow Dash.
Squee...
Bitch.
Belle = Beauty the Unicorn?
I see what you did there
8438114
Hey, she's also got one beast of a stallion.
Did you see the way he tossed that enforcers ass off the rails?
B E A S T
Wow, Wake up call, wake up in the morning with another one in my bed-
Maroon 5
8438114 Pity that Pilate only translates to "armed with dart", so she had to go for the cheap name pun.