The celebratory bonfire in the central Nealend village had dwindled, and the various island ponies had trotted off, retiring for the rest of the night. Rainbow Dash, in the meanwhile, couldn't sleep... much less think straight. She strolled listlessly through the jungle and underbrush of the southern landstrip. At last, she emerged upon the plush shoreline that banked the central lagoon. Her petite hooves made soft sweeping motions through the sand, and soon she was standing upon the edge of the surf. The starlight above the ocean was so bright, so clear that it actually produced a dim shadow against the sediment below.
Rainbow Dash's eyes lingered on the shimmering white Yaerfaerda beacon. The damnable symbol loomed just a few hundred meters away, pulsating, taunting the pegasus. She sighed heavily, and her muscles gave way. She plopped down in the sand, flicking her tail out behind her as she folded her legs underneath herself.
Within the next few seconds, a lavender phantom mimicked the pose next to her. Twilight brushed her bangs straight and stared aside at Rainbow Dash. “How bright is it?” she asked.
“Like a second sun,” Rainbow muttered.
“Is that the way it always is?”
Rainbow slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
“Even when you close your eyes?”
“Can't ever get rid of it,” Rainbow said. “No matter what I do. If I turn away, it just burns a hole in the back of my skull.”
Twilight bit her lip. “It can't always be like a punishment to you, can it?”
“Only when I fail to get closer to it,” Rainbow remarked. “I swear. It only gets brighter.”
“I... I really wish I could see it myself,” Twilight said.
“If you say so.”
Twilight gazed out onto the lagoon. A brisk wind blew over the shoreline, disturbing Rainbow's mane but not Twilight's.
“Do you think she's comfortable?” Rainbow asked.
“Huh?” Twilight looked over.
“Whoever's next,” Rainbow said. “Rarity. Fluttershy.” She gulped hard. “Applejack...”
“They're not dead, Rainbow,” Twilight said. She instantly shuddered. “Well... they're not as dead as you think.”
“Heh...” Rainbow bore a bittersweet grin. “Nice try, egghead.”
“Seriously, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Before you brought me out of... out of where I was, I-I felt vaguely confused... curious, even. But I wouldn't quite describe it as restless.”
“Yeah, but even when you get super freaked out...” Rainbow turned towards her. “You've got a way of figuring everything out in your head, Twilight. Like... you've got a rational explanation to things. It's only when you face the cold hard facts that not all things are reasonable that you start to lose it.”
“Wow.” Twilight blinked. “Way to nail me in a heartbeat.”
Rainbow shrugged, gazing back out into the lagoon. “I do what I can.”
“To be honest, Rainbow, I think Rarity would only be exhausted by her confusion. She'd be fine.” Twilight cocked her head aside. “Applejack? She's strong. She can deal with the stress. And... hehe... we all know that Pinkie Pie will be just fine.”
“Heh. Yeah.”
“Fluttershy... ... ...”
Rainbow grimaced.
Twilight coughed, then turned towards Rainbow Dash. “Really, though, it's... it's charming that you would be so concerned about us, Rainbow. It really is. But you have to remember.” She bore a generous smile. “When I came out of my limbo, I felt as though no time at all had passed by. The transition from my disappearance in Ponyville to my reappearance next to you was practically instantaneously! Sure, I have some... vague memories of being stowed away someplace 'bright' and 'nebulous' over the past several months, but it's all a passing fever dream at best.”
“Uh huh...”
“What I'm trying to say...” Twilight's eyes narrowed. “Is that you shouldn't have to worry so hard. They're... we're not exactly suffering. And besides.” She smiled gently. “You're gonna get us all out! Eventually!”
“Hmmmff... key word on 'eventually.'”
“Rainbow...” Twilight sighed.
“I can't spear a damn fish, Twilight,” Rainbow grumbled, frowning. “Since when did a stupid oversized eel matter more than all of my friends combined?”
“Again, I blame myself, Rainbow. I... I shouldn't have clouded your motivations by... by just being me.”
“It's more complicated than that, Twilight,” Rainbow said. “If we're gonna bring one of our friends out of the place where Yaerfaerda's being stowed away, I rather it not be through a baptism of bloody water.”
“I know that Ultimo is big, Rainbow, but even a creature of his size can't possess a circulatory system large enough to stain the Atoll's whole lagoon with blood.”
“I was being figurative, ya egghead,” Rainbow grunted. “But, still, you get the idea.”
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. “You know... we've never exactly frowned upon fishing.”
“Hmmm?”
“Back in Equestria, I mean,” Twilight said. “I once read up on the matter. Instinctual griffon rituals kinda... crept its way into Equestrian culture. The topmost habit of which was fishing. Granted, ponies could never dive into lake and snatch up salmon with their talons—”
“Yeesh. I don't remember pulling the string on your back.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Point is. There's plenty of fish in the sea. It's not exactly a high crime, harmoniously speaking.”
“Please, Twi, don't make goofy arguments just to make me feel good,” the pegasus said. “I know it's a fish. But taking the dang thing out is a lot harder when the moment arrives.” Rainbow took a deep breath. “And I can tell myself that ripping Ultimo to shreds—even if it was possible—wouldn't bother me. It's just that...”
“What, Rainbow?”
“I dunno.” Rainbow slowly shook her head. “It used to be so easy. Being a badflank, I mean. Way back when my adventure first started, I didn't fear nothing. And... and even with the Jury I had little to no second thoughts over doing what it took to get the job done... risking my neck and all. But now...” She grimaced, squinting out onto the shimmering beacon in the distance. “...now I have... I have a future.” She gulped. “I've got friends to bring back... and an impossible trip to make back to Equestria once I've reached the armory. I mean... I've done a lot of heavy stuff, and I'm sure there's heavier stuff ahead of me, but... but...”
“Now you have to live with it all,” Twilight said.
Rainbow flashed her a look. “...now we have to live with them all.”
Twilight's jaw tightened.
“There's a lot of on my plate, Twilight, and I can totally deal with that,” Rainbow said. “But... branding it all on you guys too? I mean, let's face it. You're all attached to me now. Everything I do is on you guys, no matter how I shake it. I can deal with a big bloody fish or a bunch of toothless pirates or disturbing the peace at a seaside college. But just how much will the mountains shake and how well will the likes of Rarity, Fluttershy... or th-the others deal with it? Will they even want to deal with it?” Her nostrils flared. “Will they even have a choice?”
“You're loyalty incarnate, Rainbow,” Twilight softly said. “We trust you to do the right thing, no matter what.”
“All I can do is the awesome thing, Twi,” Rainbow replied. She slowly shook her head. “But the right thing? There's not enough trust. Not in this world.”
Silence.
“Well... who said the awesome thing is so terrible?” Twilight said.
“Heh...” Rainbow smiled bitterly, gazing into the lagoon. “You've no idea.”
“No. For real.” Twilight stood up. She pointed back beyond the treeline through which they had strolled. “Back there. At the bonfire. The Professor was filling the air with stories of your exploits. The ponies were floored, Rainbow Dash! Even when he exaggerated, it didn't come close to how truly awesome youre accomplishments have been!”
“Heh...”
“You've done amazing things. Impossible things!” Twilight grinned. “And you still can do them! Because you're still you!”
“I... can do the impossible again,” Rainbow murmured aloud.
“That's right!” Twilight nodded proudly. “And I'll be here to help you through them the best I can—if you even need me.” She winked. “And so will the other girls. You can count on that. Loyalty isn't a one way street, after all.”
At this point, Rainbow's lips were scanning the shoreline until she gazed at the western seas where the previous day's hunt had taken place. Her muzzle hung agape in deep thought.
“Rainbow?” Twilight squeaked. She arched an eyebrow. “Are you even listening to me?”
“Fishing...” Rainbow gritted her teeth. “Fishing...”
“Hmmm?”
Rainbow looked up at the mare. “All this time, we shouldn't have been hunting Ultimo.”
“What... are you even getting at?”
“The best thing...” Rainbow smirked. With a flap of her wings, she hopped up to her hooves. “The stupidest thing.”
“I... I have no clue what you're talking about.”
“Of course. Cuz you're not stupid.” Rainbow stifled a giggle as she began pacing about. “And that's why you wouldn't have survived a single day if it was you who had to gallop east in my place!”
“Uhhhhhh... while I feel vaguely insulted, I'm glad you've found a freak bubble of confidence to huff,” Twilight droned. “I guess.”
“Heheheheheh...” Rainbow slicked her mane back, grinning wildly. “Friggin' A. Why didn't I think of it before?”
“Think of what before?!” Twilight grimaced. “Rainbow, talk to me!”
“Can't talk! Can't think!” Rainbow flapped her wings. “Can't do anything but fly until morning time!”
“Huh?!” Twilight floated limply after her. “Why not?”
“Cuz that's when we can get a boat!”
“A boat?” Twilight bit her lip. “Hoboy... do I even want to know?”
“Heeheehee!”
I'm liking this title. Wonder what it means.
The alicorn ascension place!
AHHAHAHAHAHAH!!! The stupidest plan always works!
. . . Did you lose it?
Awwww yeah! But I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.
This is going to be one of the least boring fishing trips ever!
No.
this is the point where the Terminator steps out through a wall carrying a coffin and minigun.
Dash is heading off to pick up a trawler? Hope its a Russiian Factory ship.
Code for: I want this arc to progress, but I'm not sure what exactly I'm doing so give me another day to figure out what the heck is even happening.
Heh. Getting a little tired of chapter titles?
Welp, here's once again to making the impossible happen.
Is it ever a labor of love...
P.S. Why do I always keep getting the feeling that Theanim is always in the bushes somewhere, stalking Rainbow?
That title. Simultaneously lazy and apt. But it's good to see Rainbow with a spring in her step.
Well, there's a mental image.
She can't think straight? This is supposed to be news?
Ayyyyyyy!
Come on skirts, don't make it too easy.
They are going to require quite the engorged bait for catching ultimo...and a really big fishing pole. I'm just picturing them using a 20 pony fishing to reel in Ultimo.
While, her murmuring could be a sign of her thoughts drifting to her new plan, I get the feeling that deep inside, dark memories represented by twelve flowers are trying to creep their way to the forefront.
Also, we see a return of the master plan to end all master plans that have ever been planned. The plan that has helped her defeat every foe and conquer every obstacle (even that massive mountain in Austraeoh that she totally could have just flown around, but didn't, cause she wanted to beat it, but it was to big to supplex... I don't exactly remember her reasons. Something about because it was there?)
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Chapter 3 of Yaerfaerda comes to mind:
What an enlightening chapter title.
Ohhhh, here we go. Rainbow's got a stupid idea.
And we all know how well stupid ideas work.
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
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More Words More Words More Words
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We're on a Boat!
I'd like to know how rainbow dash has been transformed, and what the result is.
It'd be a spoiler of some sort, but it also depends on whether or nto I'm interested in this story.
6038079 IC was a liar. "A newly transformed Rainbow Dash" means nothing at all in regards to Rainbow.
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I'll just get it straight from the horse's mouth, then. If you are a writer, like he/she and I are, you'd understand that those "un-understandable explanations made by writers crafting somethign beautiful on pen and paper" are but simple conversations between writers.
Sometiems I just like a few early details to spur on some interest.
6038001 Can't Sleep, Words Will Eat Me
6038118 It really is arbitrary, though. It's even worse than the first six descriptions, which did actually say something true. But either way, I'll leave it to someone else to briefly summarise the story; I've never been very good at that for this one. (Also, IC is SS&E.)
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I would argue that she has transformed, but not in a physical sense (at least anymore than what she already was).
She has "evolved" into a new character. She is no longer the impulsive and arrogant trickster she was at the beginning of the saga. While these traits still do come out, we no longer see her doing back-flips and trying to show her superiority at soccer the very instant she arrives at a new location.
She does not readily tell of her exploits and often shies away from them. She has grownup and become more mature (she's still immature at times, but its almost calculated). She is more likely to think things through (10 seconds is a lot longer than previously). And most of all her passage through the Grand Choke/Blight. This changed her in some way. I read most of those chapters within one sitting, and felt like I traversed a grand emptiness that sapped all magic from the world. That had to have had some kinds of effect on our little Dashie.
Granted, most of this could be because, she wants to hide the monster she feels she has become from her new companion, but I don't think so. She also appears to be "slightly" cured of her dizzy spells. Exposure to chaos strips still gives some kind of reaction, but that's about it (other than whatever happened when she looked into Ultimo's eyes).
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Are you aware that the author has yet to respond to the comments "directly"?
Have you read Austraeoh yet?
Read that first. Then Eljunbyroh. Then, Innavedr. Then, Odrsjot. Then, Urohringr. Then, Yaerfaerda. Then, this. You will have your answers.
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I thank you so much for spelling this out, I totally didn't get the plan until i read your comment!
...And just like that, the problem is practically solved.
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If the summary says something is so, that is because IC's plot-outline for this book says it will happen in that book, sometime, eventually, and IC is not known for changing the summary of one of his books after-the-fact!
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it's 100% chance that Rainbow Dash will transform in this story, because IC is a professional writer (who writes this story unprofessionally) who has used his experience and self-discipline to create and obey his plot outline for all 12 books.
IC did say he left the plot-pace-and-content for books 6-9 wide open before snapping back to the railroad for books 10-12; now we know this is because books 6-7-8-9 take place in locations that are either way too disparate or way too alien for a railroaded storyline to be a fun write/read.
IC is just being a massive troll about the semantics for if/how much the transformation will be physical, magical, metaphysical, emotional, or maturational!
I believe the morning sun
Always gonna shine again, and,
I believe a pot of gold
Waits at every rainbow's end, oh
I believe in roses kissed with dew,
Why shouldn't I believe the same in you?
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You seem to be interested in knowing more about the author: here you go!
If you can't be bothered with links, this is the relevant bit to know:
Really good chapter. Really nailed the bits. Also calling it, Ultimo is the new boat.
but...
every time she has freaked out
she's been horribly wrong???
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Its funny because I forgot a word in there.
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Also, pretty sure that's already been called :p
Ultimo is actually a drunkard (that's why he took a bite of the crystal, he was so drunk, he thought it was a sandwich) and will in fact become the new Josho.
Hopefully she's not going to look for Nick right now. The bloke's got a leaking hole to clog.
Sorry, not sorry.
Skirts has such a way with titles. Next up: "Fish fish fish fish fish fish", maybe?
Is it just me, or is he also very fond of the word "petite"?
Did anyone else draw a parallel between Dash and Persona 3's Makoto Yuki then? Or was it just me?
Completely willing to die fighting at the start but growing more hesitant as things go on due to the forming bonds?
Either way, we're gonna be in for a heck of a doozy next chapter.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Ahab Dash
Please do.
Yes. Fish the big fish.
6039054 Dude, do you even know what "Figure of speech" means?
I know that "Up" and "Down" don't really make sense, but saying "Direction of the mass that is currently catching me on it's gravity field" would be stupid.
The only way I can foresee dash and her friends making the return journey from the midnight armoury is them reaching their goal and tumbling out of the chaos rift conveniently located at their intended destination that is conveniently always watched over by a princess
I've never heard it worded this way before. Almost makes it sound like confidence is a drug.
Action is sparse; Words are plentiful.
Lots of and Plenty of Dialogue.
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And so the Nealanders upgrade their spears and invent harpoons.
Jaws? Moby Dick? Are we going to wombo these in with The Old Man and the Sea in these up coming chapters?
I hope so.
6038001 Spookle shall have her day in frame yet.
Rainbow's gonna need a bigger boat.
Well she is the fastest mare alive.
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All I can think of with that title.
6038008 I'm so glad somebody pointed this out. The image was so absurd I threw my head back and laughed.
So now we have two completely different ideas for how to catch Ultimo. I'm not sure whether or not any one would do better than the other, but I like Nick's idea more in the end.
I approve. Stupid=works.
By the way, this chapter title is cheating. This, I do not approve.
10/10 title
Exactly how many nights has Rainbow Dash stayed up straight without sleep? I'm losing count.
Dying is easy, living is hard. Especially when you have had to make a lot of tough choices like Rainbow did here, even if she decided to take a third option almost all the time.
This seems to be a theme with even canon Rainbow Dash, beat on her all you want and she won't hold it against you. But the moment her friends get involved, she has an amazing ability to hold a grudge.
I hope you've got a good idea for bait, Dash.