"'Rainbow?'" Pilate asked.
"Mmmmhmmm," Belle nodded. "At least, that's what her friends called her."
She and her beloved laid in bed under the dim orange dance of a pair of candles upon a nearby dresser. The window next to them was left open, allowing the cold mountain air to blow in gentle waves that kicked at the midnight blue curtains. They shivered slightly, but delighted in each other's warmth beneath the quilted duvet. Pilate's head and mane were propped up while Belle nestled against his upper body, trailing lone circles in his striped chest with a dainty hoof.
"'Rainbow...'" Pilate repeated again, gazing into nothingness as his hoof played gently with Belle's brown mane. "That's quite the odd name."
"She has many of them..."
"What, names?"
"No," Belle said, blinking out of her absent-minded stare. "Friends, I meant. She has many friends." She chuckled lightly. "And she met each and every one of them in very different, unique ways. They're so very different, so colorful, so... so remarkably interesting..."
"You mean she 'had' friends, right?"
Belle sat up, her mouth agape. "What do you mean by that?"
He stirred, startled by her sudden movement. "Only that the subject must have met an unfortunate end if she landed in the possession of Ledomare."
Belle sighed, deflating once again so that she rested her soft head against his chest. "All I know was that she was happy."
"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Mmmm..." she shut her eyes and smiled. "I wish I could share it with you, Pilate: the feeling, the exhilaration of flight." She giggled lightly, her voice humming against his coat as she said, "It's more than the fact that she was a flying pony. She was larger than life, and she knew it. Proving how spectacular she was served simply as a byproduct of her existence. I wish I had that confidence..."
"You are confident, Belle," Pilate said. "More than—as a matter of fact. You couldn't have achieved so much esteem and respect if you were anything but reliable and assertive."
She opened her eyes, and they were thin, jaded things. "Sometimes, I think, the place where I am now owes itself to what I have, and not who I am." She swallowed a lump down her throat as she gazed at the candlelight, imagining the crackling embers of a fire before dear friends. "Or, rather, what I don't have..."
"Hey..." He reached down and caressed her head, stopping to treat her semblance of a horn with gentle care. "We're both here, we're both safe, and we're both happy. We weren't just given that. We earned that. You and me, through hard work, through careful study..." He stroked her chin and tilted her face up so that their muzzles made contat. "And, I trust, through our undying devotion."
She shared a tender kiss, then nuzzled him closely. Shuddering, she said, "I love you, Pilate. And I'm proud of what we've accomplished. But we could have so much more. I owe you so much more."
"You give me your love and your trust," he said, smiling as he caressed her face with both hooves. "What more can I ask for?"
She sniffled and murmured, "A life that's awe-inspiring... that's amazing... that's... that's..."
"Awesome?"
She bit her lip.
He ran a hoof through her mane and cradled her face. "Working for the Council of Ledo is not easy. I can't share the same burden that you carry, no matter how terribly I wish I could. What I know is that in spite of what we have lost, we could have lost so much more. And the reason we haven't is because you've sacrificed so much. And I'm happy, Belle. I'm happy to be here with you, and I cherish every moment we have together. The promise of another life, quite frankly, scares me, no matter how 'awesome.' Because I want nothing more than to be with you, just like I am now."
Her eyes glistened in the candlelight. "You're... you're n-not ashamed of how little we have?"
He shook his head, leaned forward, and kissed her on the forehead. "How could I be ashamed of having the most spectacular mare as my beloved?"
She swallowed hard, her face grimacing between a sweet smile and bitter sob. She buried her face in his neck, murmuring in a wavering voice, "Wh-why are you always so good to me, Pilate?"
"Because you're so good to be with."
"Mmmmm..." She kissed the side of his muzzle. "Good answer."
"Took me all week to think it up."
They laughed lightly into the mountain breeze. The candle-light flickered and steadied. Eventually, Bellesmith murmured, "Pilate?"
"Yes, beloved?"
"Remember when they first brought us here?"
"That I do."
"Remember what they told us about our role in the village?" She gulped and added, "How they said we were to operate?"
He nodded. "They said we were to be like one."
She sighed through her nostrils and gazed into the shadows. "Then why do they only need one pony at a time to perform the sequencing?"
Pilate stirred, his face twisting in thought. "Hmmmm..." His gray eyes reflected the candle-light before he uttered, "I can't pretend to think for the Council. I'm sure they meant what we've always expected them to; that half of us would operate the facility and half of us would run the village of Blue Shelf. But, as much as you feel like you are, I sincerely doubt that you're alone in your endeavors."
"They can't get more than one pony to sequence at a time, Pilate," Belle remarked. "Sometimes, though, I wish that they could. It'd help us balance the data more. Sometimes, I swear, the information is way too unbearable." She shuddered. "The subject—I swear—it's like she's a dead statue to me at times. I have to mentally scream to get through to her."
"Have you tried asking politely?"
"Huh?" Belle leaned up over him. "What do you mean by that?"
He smiled. "Simply that the Ledomaritan philosophy mustn't be lost during the sequencing."
"Pilate," she sighed. "I a doctorate in advanced manabiology, and I still can't understand what you're getting at."
"Think about some of the things you've crafted with your own two hooves." He furrowed his metal brow and tapped the dim runes across the surface. "If this half of O.A.S.I.S. simply slammed itself against my neurological system, would there be any hope of my body and the artificial leylines coexisting?"
"Of course not! They have to function together on the mystical plane!"
"So, it's as if O.A.S.I.S. and my brain are becoming one?"
"Where... are you going with this, Pilate?"
He caressed her and spoke gently, "Think of yourself and the subject in the same way. You're not just sequencing with an inert object, you're socializing with a remarkable equine. It's like having a reunion with a long lost equine, or getting along with a very close friend. There's give and take, not cold-hearted, mechanical invasion. Be natural, be fluid, and treat the subject like your missing half."
"And we will become whole," Belle murmured, swallowed, and added, "Like one."
"Exactly."
Belle smiled limply, relaxing against him as if a great weight had been taken off her shoulders. "Have I ever told you that you always see better than I do?"
"Mmmhmm. My hearing's not all that bad too."
"Heeheehee..." She cuddled close, shutting her eyes with soft finality as a lasting breeze made the curtains dance behind them. "All I need now is to learn how to sing..."
This is going to end with Rainbow Dash living on through Belle's body somehow. I knew it from the moment I realized what the sequencing was that it would end like that.
(Or at least, I guessed that it would)
One of these days we'll finally figure out what happened to Rainbow Dash, or how the Council of Ledo got her memories.
One day...
So rainbow might still be alive? We can only hope.
Well, guess that's settled, then.
Not a ton of otherwise new information here, but lots of nice exposition to solidify our collective, existing theories. Lots of ham, too.
EDIT:
There's only one update today because of Belle's epiphany. Watch the chapter titles jump back down to single words, too
Why must you give us such tiny pieces of exposition IC? Why? This plot is like a drug.
Imploding Colon has us all twisted around his finger, releases of chapters and names are all done to accentuate the story, etc... It's very impressive.
If Dash did die in the end, why isn't Austraeoh tagged "Sad"?
1511809
I'd assume because, for the most part, it isn't a sad story. It ends on a sad note, but most of the story is more focused on adventure and exhilaration - it;s even fairly optimistic at times. Dark could arguably be an appropriate tag for the later parts, but not Sad.
1511457
One-word titles will coincide with Dash's consciousness finally taking over Belle. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Belle's existence was a product of Rainbow's "unfortunate end" - simply a vessel to keep her spark alive.
Bleeding Effect. BLEEDING EFFECT. BLEEDING EFFECT!!!
1512032
Precisely. But since we haven't seen an update with a second chapter in 2.5 hours I would wager that this is the transition to Belle really synchronizing with Dash. Bring on the identity crisis!
If Belle and Dash really do become "like one", I can't imagine how Dash is going to react to being unable to fly. It was such a huge part of her...
1511809 my guess is that we will come back to being contacted again threw the pendant by , helps , continues her journey!
Moar!
1511287
I don't WANT Rainbow to live on through Bellesmith...
I want Rainbow Dash back!
Alas, poor Rainbow Dash. We knew her well.
ya know it took me a bit to get back into gear on the story line but yeah, totally there. need more... NOW
It must be nice to know love like that.
I just love this story.
Also, we need a map. A big ol' map of everything, from Equestria to... Ledomare. Huh. Interesting to think I'm a country now.
1512154
Knowing the way these stories have been going there the possibility that they may physically merge into a hybrid of the two ( wings + horn).
1513736
A fascist country!
1513648
If anyone wanted to know, I'd have guessed you
1513845
Ooooh! Rainbowsmith/Belledash semi-alicorn? THAT would be cool.
1514218
And loving every bit of it, mate.
Lost Without You - John Petrucci
Heeheehee... "I a doctorate"
My new favorite I so smrt I brain winning quote. Don't you sass me! I a doctorate!
If the plot is indeed leading to Bellesmith having an identity crisis, I can't help but feel sorry for Pilate.
Until the moment that IC outright states it, I refuse to believe that Dash is dead. Also not liking this idea of 'living on through Bellesmith', either. Not one bit.
Actually, if you think about it, RD's mission is impossible without RD. How can the mission continue without a pony that can fly? Maybe another pegasus could have taken up the mantle, but a unicorn wouldn't be able to do jack shit.
1517465
I completely agree with this. Maybe because I like Dash as Dash, and picturing her through Belle's body would just throw everything off for me. Plus, she has to fly - that's a big part of her character, and, as you said, necessary for the quest thing she has going on.
I wouldn't mind Dash and Belle mind-melding for a little bit in order for Dash to reclaim her body or something, though. Dash shouting orders from Belle's mind as Belle runs around haphazardly trying to be in an awesome action sequence sounds pretty hilarious, actually - just so long as they separate at some point.
Anywho, hoping to get some resolution soon, or if not, at least some more tidbits of information on what the crap is going on.
I do not like the sound of this...
If the become one, that hints that Dashie is nit exactly alive, or at least can't do anything at all. And this:
only makes that seem more likely. There is a lot of information that says Rainbow will end up living through Belle, like 1511287 said.
I don't like how things are looking, but I still hold out hopes that Dashie is still alive.
Also, are we ever going to find out what Austraeoh is?
Or Eljunbryo?
Jeez I'm rambling... again...
1511405
Well, if the previous chapter is any hint, she came to a "bad end", and that's how Ledo even got ahold of her. Whether "bad end" means "dead", I guess we will just have to find out...
1520829
Its very easy to ramble with so many questions still plaguing our poor pony minds!
WTF SS&E WHAT IS HAPPENING???!?!?!
wait don't tell us it will spoil the story!
This is so interesting
Damn, infusment.
Happy birthday to me.
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So we get more hints that the characters of the now confirmed village of Blue Shelf are somewhat slaves. Also, to make O.A.I.S.I.S., Belle apparently had to perform some kind of magical brain surgery on Pilate, which I did not realize. And I'm not sure that Pilate's advice to become one with the subject is good...they may become one and the same. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
bad advise... really bad advise.
I love Pilate's way of seeing things. Enjoy what you have, not what you want.
(Looks at his new Wii U, Violet 3DS, High-end gaming PC, Xbox 360 Elite)
Y-yeah carry on....
I really need to stop buying things.
oh yeah, is it wrong to read Pilate's dialogue with Steve Blum's voice?
1999033
While I'd normally heartily endorse Steven Blum's voice for just about anyone, zebras serve as Equestria's African analogues, so I've been using Morgan Freeman instead.
Minty?
These two are so sweet together. But I fear for what may happen to them. Also, once again,
Short SkirtsI mean imploding colon does such a swell job with showing not telling. Inspires me to up my own game.>I a doctorate in advanced manabiology
I A ERROR?
So many new questions! Maybe Dash will live through Bellesmith? Although that would be so odd Like one...
One is All, and All is One.
1511809
I should also mention that tags are meant to describe the story as a whole. Is it a story mostly sad or mostly an adventure? But you might know this now. It's been nearly two years since you commented on here. XD
3685353
Yes.
1706574
Why did you say happy birthday on every comment so far?
I can't get around this shipping. I don't disapprove, but I can't enjoy it. pony/zebra. uwww.
4735185>>4735188>>4743381 y de fek u trippel-pœst
So, they're able to do this sequencing on account of having Rainbow’s corpse? Hopefully that's not a permanent state...
So RD really is dead. Oh well; they'll bring her back, and it'll be amazing, and Belle's gonna kick flank alongside her.
At the very least, we might get some interaction between Dead!RD and Bellesmith, which I am so looking forward to.
Also, with the whole 'working as one' thing I'm getting kind of an Oblivion vibe from this. Man, that movie was really underwhelming for the cool premise it had...
After all, Greed got brought back. Why not Dash?