Ebon Mane dropped a bowl of broth onto the table in front of Josho. The obese stallion licked his lips, levitated a spoon, and prepared to dig in—
"Is Rainbow still up there?" Ebon asked.
Josho froze within inches of a scrumptious sip. He sighed out his nostrils and grumbled, "Yes, Mister Mane. She's still on the top deck."
"With the sword?"
"With the sword." Josho leaned in again to sip—
"How is that even possible?" Ebon thought aloud, rubbing his chin as he hobbled around the mess hall. A burning sunset lingered beyond the portholes. "I mean, what kind of a pony has an enchantment that powerful to communicate across such a long distance?"
"Apparently a sun goddess wise enough to rule a western kingdom full of sparkles and rainbows. Now, if you don't mind." He opened his muzzle again—
"It just... seems too good to be true, y'know?" Ebon remarked. "I mean, between all of the chaos dragons and changeling queens we run into..."
"Nnnnnnghhhhh..." Josho's eyes rolled.
"...I'm a little concerned if it's the real deal, ya feel me?" Ebon's muzzle scrunched in concern. "What if—like—it's some trick? What if it was Chrysalis and not Hurricane who planted that sword there for Rainbow to find it? What if the battle for Stratopolis never ended?!" He spun about with panicked eyes. "What if—" Three spoons flew into his mouth, shutting him up. "Mmmf-mfmmmmf-mmfmfmmf!"
"Drool on your own time, worrywort," Josho grumbled, leaning to finally enjoy some soup. "Mmmmf... I, for one, intend to relish the golden moment."
Ebon flung both hooves up and popped the utensils out of his mouth. "Well...!" He frowned. "The least you could to is say 'thanks for the meal,' you surplus sized hippop—" He stopped in mid-speech, then squinted across the mess hall. "Say... uhm... has anypony seen Eagle Eye lately?"
Elma reclined on the sofa located in the bottom deck's navigation room. A rumpled set of blankets were draped over the end. Choosing to remain a bit secluded, Elma was allowed to "bunk" in that particular space for the duration of the Noble Jury's journey to Alafreo. She was grateful for the peace and quiet, even though the engineering compartment loomed just a bulkhead away, rattling the ship's frame with a constant hum.
In the changeling's hooves was a book labeled "The Frozen Wastes: An Exploratory Description." Somehow, Floydien possessed the tome in his library. It was the first thing Elma pulled off the shelves when she spent the first night in the navigation room. The book was known far and wide by geographers and merchants on more than one continent.
"I've read this before..." Elma murmured to herself, almost in an inquistive fashion. Her green eyes curved and she gulped. "Or have I...?"
Silence.
She slapped the book shut with a sigh, then curled up against the blanketed couch. She pulled her legs in tightly, envisioning what it meant like to be a hatchling once more. Only...was she ever a hatchling?
"Did you lay me, Chrysalis?" She murmured to the walls "Or was it my mother... my other mother...?"
The changeling ultimately winced. She gripped her skull, moaned, and slid off the couch. On tired hooves, she wandered over to a map lying on the cartography table. She squinted at the illustration. Across from the Frozen Wastes, the continent east of Alafreo was a nebulous blob, mostly unknown to Ledomaritan and Xonan map-makers. She ran a hoof across the jagged fjords and mountainous peaks that represented her home. For the time being, it was just as strange looking to her as it was to the ponies of the western continent.
There was a knock on the door. With a slight gasp, Elma turned towards it. She gulped and said, "Yes? You m-may come in..."
Softly, the hatch turned and the door slid open with a metallic creak. A lavender shade entered, one hoof after another.
"Eagle Eye?" Elma blinked. "What brings you here?" She glanced up through the metal ceiling. "Usually you're spending dinner time with Ebon Mane."
"Funny you should say that," he said, attempting to smile. All that came out of him was a weak grimace.
The changeling squinted. "Eagle?" She leaned forward. "Is everything alright?"
"I... uhm..." Eagle Eye shifted slightly on his hooves. He avoided her gaze as he anxiously asked, "I was wondering if we could talk about you..."
"About me?" Elma blinked. "You mean... about Alafreo? About turtle culture? About the kingdoms east of my home? Belle's told me all about your career as a mercenary. No doubt someone as loyal as you would like to protect the Noble Jury against all obstacles—"
"Erm... no, Elma," Eagle Eye shook his head. "I was h-hoping that we could talk about the other you."
Elma's dragonfly wings twitched. She sat back on her haunches, took a courageous breath, and spoke in a firm tone. "Alright, Eagle Eye. What is it that you would like to know?"
Eagle Eye straightened his mane and meekly looked at her. "All that you have to give me..."
"...and once we arrive, I guess it'll be up to me and whoever else volunteers to go ahead and scout the place out." Rainbow Dash leaned against the wooden railing of the top deck. She casually cradled the Sword of Solstice across her lower body as she stared up at the dimly-glowing skystone above. "I mean, Alafreo's the only home that Elma Boreal knows. But... she's been through a lot, y'know. She might be better off staying with us."
"Do I detect a hint of concern in your voice?"
"Well, sure, Your Highness. Elma saved Pilate's life and helped clear the cobwebs out of Kera's mind. And all of this after her entire friggin' world collapsed. It'd be a darn shame not to pay her back in a way she deserves it."
"If being on board the Noble Jury is not the life for her, then surely she will tell you."
"That's just it. I dunno if she does have the strength to tell us."
"Didn't you just say that this is the changeling who saved two of your best friends, and through purely courageous and selfless means?"
Rainbow gave a long sigh. Her lips curved a little bit. "I guess it's kinda stupid, huh?" She gulped. "After all this time, to assume that my friends can't hold their own." She ran her hoof through her windswept mane. "I wouldn't be as far east as I am now if it weren't for them."
"If you ask me, Rainbow Dash, Elma Boreal has proven that she has integrity and strength. If nothing else, she deserves your faith."
"True... true..."
"I believe what you're planning about Alafreo is a wise thing. Elma will convey to you her feelings in the end."
"I guess I'm just afraid that... that..."
"Yes...?"
Rainbow exhaled, then muttered. "That some way, some how, Lerris will happen again..."
Celestia answered much sooner than Rainbow had anticipated. "It is understandable for you to be so paranoid. What happened along the warfront was truly terrible indeed. I wish it had not ended up that way, but for all of our strength and power we cannot change the past."
"No. No, we can't."
"And yet, not all is hopeless in your journey. Did you not experience quite fortuitous circumstances back in Stratopolis?"
"Well... at least a half-dozen of Seclorum's company died, including Aatxe. And then you had the Lounge members that—"
"Terrible tragedies indeed. But was it all for naught?"
Rainbow bit her lip. Ultimately, she murmured, "We destroyed the city... we freed hundreds of changelings..."
"Tens of thousands, I would venture to say, Rainbow."
"All in a blink..." Rainbow shook her head. "And... like... are they actually doing okay over in Equestria?"
"Absolutely," Celestia said. "Granted, there've been a few dramatic cases, with shape-shifters who thought they biologically belonged to certain families. But even they—for the most part—have begun adjusting to the new knowledge. Most households have even considered adopting the newly discovered citizens into their fold."
"No way..."
"Why not? After all, every one of us seeks the betterment of others. Of the changeling citizens discovered in Equestria, at least a quarter of them had replaced actual, living breathing ponies. But ever since they became cognizant of their situation, they volunteered whatever residual information remained in their minds. Over the past few days, Luna has sent companies of the royal guard to secret places hidden throughout the kingdom. Already, they have found more than half of the replaced citizens—frozen by Chrysalis' former broods into magically-induced sleep."
"Wow, that's... th-that's pretty great, Your Highness." Rainbow Dash smiled. "So everypony's getting along back there?"
"I would whole-heartedly agree."
"I guess... eh..." Rainbow shrugged. "I've seen so many places and dealth wish so much nasty stuff." She gulped. "Guess it's a bit hard to believe that a place as harmonic as Equestria still exists. But, hey, that's home..."
"And harmony exists with you, Rainbow Dash."
"Hrmmm..." Rainbow fidgeted, staring past the sword and into the wooden surface of the Noble Jury's top deck. "Both you and I know I haven't exactly been doing things harmoni—"
"Harmony exists inside of you," Celestia's voice said. "You are doing great things. You are doing good things. If I cannot convince you of that, then ask any of the friends and allies whom you've earned along your journey."
"Right..." Rainbow nodded, her eyes a bit misty. "I think I'll do that."
The sword started flickering.
With a gasp, Rainbow sat up straight. She craned her head and peered beyond the ship's stern. The sun was going below the horizon.
"Princess Celestia..." She gulped. "The Sun. I'm afraid—"
"I know, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said. "Alas, it is Luna's duty."
"Right..." Rainbow nodded. "I know..."
"Still, fear not. The Sun will rise again. We now have quite the many opportunities to commune."
"Yeah..." Rainbow nodded again, smiling this time. "The Sun will rise again..."
"Sleep well, Rainbow Dash." Celestia's voice grew more and more distorted. "Dream harmoniously... as y-you d-d-d-deserv-v-v-e—"
Her voice cut off.
Rainbow's hears drooped. As carefully as she could, she hugged the sword and its hilt to her chest.
From the open cockpit, Floydien turned his antler'd head and hollered back, "Done with the glow glow?!"
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Done with the glow glow." She tightened her jaws and stood up. "For now."
A Hemmingway reference? Considering the main character of the book is PTSD war vet, this is a great reference.
Please let this last. Don't just yank another lifeline away from Dash.
Forty side-straddle hops, ):(, four counts. Knock 'em out!
No Ebon! Don't give IC any more ideas!
Prediction: Elma is actually a double sleeper agent. She's not a changeling but really a turtle hailing from the dark side of the world. She's an agent of Tchern, the inofficial turtle queen who's rallied her forced to destroy any living creature without a shell. This means that by killing Shell, Rainbow has really triggered the apocalypse. Ebon is actually a dolphin and is hiding away his unlimited intelligence for personal reasons that involve a spatula and a gatling gun from Floydien, who ever since Simon's death has been highly allergic to peanut butter. Josho is already planning to turn Ebon into food, but Props knows of his plans and now is working to turn Josho into a sprocket instead. Unaware of this, Rainbow is calling the Ring Wraiths towards their position every time she uses the sword, which will eventually cause her to grow a horn.
Calling it now.
I really hope we see the Elma/EE conversation and not just the aftermath of it. That would be really interesting.
I don't know how I'd feel if Ebon ends up being a changeling after all.
Probably confused.
4575845 Please, as if IC would be that predictable.
EE must really be convinced that Ebon is a changeling.
Wait, if Elma is a Turtle in hiding with Dashs crew, does that mean she is,
:sunglasses:
A Blue shell?
...right.
While the above was colorful, I am calling something else less nebulous.
Alafreo will be one of the many opportunities to use the enchanted blade, because something's about to go down there that no one was expecting to happen. More sleeper agents, perhaps? And then there's Val Roa, which will more than likely either be in shambles, or in the midst of civil war by the time the Noble Jury gets there. As bad as either sounds, war is the lesser of two evils, because war can be stopped while it's still going on.
This however I agree with... we need more Celestia. Because Rainbow Dash needs hope, at least once every morning.
"What if it was Chrysalis and not Hurricane who planted that sword there for Rainbow to find it?"
Oh my gawd SHUUUT UP EBON YOU'RE MAKING ME WORRY DAMMIT.
He has a good point though, that would really suck.
4575901
No. No Shells allowed anymore. We're done with Shell.
Gotta love Celestia.
4576034
static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/9/96109/2635071-1158893875-tumbl.png
right, still going for either the ebon's a tchernian changeling, or EE is by some weird twist.....
and yay for equestrian changelings!
Eagle, if you're worried about Ebon being a changeling, you should ask Pilate to check him. Or maybe just confront Ebon about it. Not that Elma doesn't deserve the company, though.
If it really was Chrysalis who planted the sword, she wouldn't have been able to resist showing glee at the mention of Lerris. I think we're good.
4575845
Never llamas
Let me guess, tomorrow it's going to be cloudy or something.
Elma's looking to be a very interesting character. I just hope that IC doesn't kill her off in Alafreo or something.
4575770 This comment quite literally stumped my brain with how that would actually work
So we have changelings back home that have all the memories and feel like they're a pony that is still alive, so there is basically two of them. I get the feeling that someone has read Hard Reset and its sequels (it is Hard Reset and such, right? I've read so much I can't remember straight :P).
4577070 Hard Reset,Stitch in Time and You can fight fate.
the time loop trilogy by Eakin.
Considering how the sword dispersed the smooze, I can't imagine it's not legit. And if it's legit, I can't imagine that Chrysalis would have much luck fiddling with it. Ebon doesn't seem very comfortable with the sword. And I don't just mean his conspiracy theories here; previously, he was keeping below deck, cooking, while everyone else was up above watching as Rainbow conversed with Celestia. EE made note of it, too.
I'm now suspecting they won't see the sun again for a long time, for whatever reason...
>I've seen so many places and dealth wish so much nasty stuff
Double typo?
Hey guys, I'm starting to think Ebon might be a changeling.
4576038 "Praise the sun! but horse."
457588Well I predicted the absence of cheese and that's going very well, is it not?
4576897 ALWAYS llamas, motherfer!
It's time for another exciting round of Who's The Changeling! Our contestants today:
Eagle Eye!
This Franzington fighter has proven his worth on the battlefield many times, but after a changeling sneaked its way on board the Noble Jury disguised as him, even fooling a couple of its members, who can really know whether the EE we know and love is the same one he's always been?
Ebon Mane!
The Noble Jury's noble chef has long been suspected of being a changeling, through his constant letters to "Mother" and... wait, is that it? I can't remember any other reasons. I mean, unless we're saying "Ebon" is a clue. But that's just judging a name by its color.
No-one!
After the changeling queen Chrysalis was disconnected from the vast majority of her hive (if not all of it), the changelings that were occupying Equestria near instantly decided to out themselves. If that's the case, why would anyone decide to keep the secret, especially given the fact that Elma is a known changeling, that they've known for even less time, and that she's still welcome on the Jury?
Well, that's all the time we have for today, folks, but be sure to keep an eye out for the answers, coming soon to Urohringr!
(Or not, depending on how IC wants to run things.)
4578875
Mother, The slightly not eating, the fact that he was in nightshade's special area with nightshade's entire operation being infested with Changelings, and the fact that he was a chef that was kidnapped alongside genius engineer and whatever Jasper was. I'm not entirely sure if it's legit and he's changeling or if Colon's trollin, but it is slightly more legit a theory than you made it out to be.
4578931 Yeah, that makes a lot more sense. For the life of me, I couldn't remember any of those things.
4578875
Also the part where he seems to feel happier when the Jury is happy.
4578875 Also this.
Innavedr - Chapter 173
4579376
Wow I must have completely missed that quote. I had never really put much stock in "omg gaiz ebun is chagnelin" theory but that puts it in a whole new perspective.
4579376 Yup, Ebon has done impressive bouts of empathy over and over and over again.
Which is probably a giant red herring that we are getting slapped with.
4575692
What's the reference? I can't spot it
Elma's situation is really sad when you put it in the scope of things. She thought she'd lived this entirely different life, and then suddenly she's a changeling. She realises that her life just hasn't been hers. It's all fake. And yet it seems so real. She can't tell what's real and what's not any more. Is she Elma? Or is she just an abominable replacement? It's tearing her apart.
-Spirit
4591781 All i can think of is the Matrix. Same problems, yet different way of coming about them.
whatever the case, i sincerely hope elma finds a way of starting a new life. That's the only real thing she CAN do. Take the forced-upon Clean Slate she has, and start over.
I can't wait to figure out what happened in Nancy's Womb. It sounds odd, but I want to know what EE saw down there.
4579376
That seems pretty suspicious...
Epic sun sword: good. Talking epic sun sword: better.
Well, just because one Princess is no longer available doesn't mean you can't have a chitchat with the other, Rainbow.
You sure about that Celly? 'Cus last time we checked RD was full of the exact opposite...
4579376
Elma asks a good question. Is it possible she had her kids before she became a changeling? Chrissy was about to do the stabby stabby to turn rainbow, and only some of the equestrian changelings were replacements, so who knows how many changelings are really zombies
Cap. [Group / Organization].
_________________
Ebon is so totally a changeling oh my lord
Though I think it's sweet that Eagle is trying to protect Ebon from that all. He's got a good heart
What if we never escaped Ledomare and are caught in some kind of Matrix-like virtual reality controlled by Madam Nightshade?
What? It wouldn't be the first time!
Elma having an identity crisis, Dawn Summers style.
RD, you're worrying over nothing. It's not like this time there is a sociopathic monster with a grudge against you and your loved ones who might want to come after Elma in particular.
Um...
So... plot-wise, this means one of two things:
1. The monthly Luna updates are now irrelevant. They can phone home every day, rather than every full moon. And I presume that Celestia can simply patch in Luna in the same way that Luna conferenced her in. As practical as it is, this would be kind of sad; RD's chats with Luna meant a lot more back when they could only talk a few nights per month.
2. The plot will contrive to break or take away the sword, restoring the status quo.
8137897
I mean it only works with clear skies, Commander Hurricane barely got the chance to report back. So as long as it's sunny and the sword's abover deck and they're not using it for combat they can talk to Celestia and sometimes Luna when she visits the chaos rift.
It's nice that Rainbow can now talk to Celestia. It's probably really comforting.
Also there's no way that Ebon isn't a changeling at this point.