"Rainbow... Rainbow! Psssssst... Rainbow Rainbow Rainbow!"
"Mrmmmf..." Rainbow's muzzle scrunched and she curled up tighter in bed. "Grnnnghhh..."
"Rainbow, wake up!" Twilight Sparkle's voice squeaked as she floated tight circles around her. "I mean it! Right now! I just came up with the most wonderful idea—"
"Mmmmf!" Rainbow shot straight up, slamming against the ceiling. A few sheets of plaster fell, and she hovered dizzily in midair, bucking her hooves at everything and nothing. "What?! Where?! What is it?! Did Axan show up?! I've got a good mind to..." She blinked tiredly. "...crack skulls."
Twilight grinned at her. "Good! You're up!"
Rainbow groaned. "And you're dead."
"Hah! We've still yet to determine that!"
"Mrmmmmff..." Rainbow yawned, drifting backwards in mid-air. "...deader."
"Come on, Rainbow! I need you to fly to the K.M.C.A. campus library!"
"Nrnnnghhh..." Rainbow's body dangled like a fuzzy blue ragdoll off her flapping wings. "...not a studentchuuuuuuuuuu..."
"Rainbow, I mean it!" Twilight slapped her tail in the air like a whip. "This is serious! I just thought of something, and the only solution is books!"
"That's your solution to... grmmmff... everything."
"Well, the only solution to your situation is a quick dip in the cold surf!" Twilight arched an eyebrow. "Honestly, Rainbow, you slept for close to eight hours! I thought you were used to napping on the go!"
"Guhhhh..." Rainbow blinked wearily out the brightly-lit window. "...used to my hammock on board the Noble Jury."
"Well, that's neither here nor there."
"Mrmmmf... friggin' Floydien stole it and farted west."
"Who?"
"The crazy elk with the... speak speak, remember?"
"Whatever. Let's just go already!" Twilight said, floating towards the door. "Come on! Before it's midday and students start filling the library up for afternoon studies!"
"Grmmf..." Rainbow sighed, drifting forward. "Wanna munch on something..."
"Books first, food later!"
"I wonder if dictionaries taste good in syrup..."
"Rainbow!"
"Right! Library..." Rainbow yawned. "...ho." Twilight phased through the door, but Rainbow slammed into it muzzle-first. WHUD! "... ... ...ow."
Rainbow Dash slumped in her chair, facing a table stacked tall with books. She teetered, eyes thin and weary. Her hoof held a book open while Twilight Sparkle floated over her shoulder and read with great interest.
The musky smell of dusty tomes made Rainbow's nostrils tickle. She squirmed constantly, glancing left and right every chance she got. Whenever she looked away from the table, she saw ponies seated several spots away—jerking their gazes away from the pegasus as they pretended to not be staring at her the whole time.
"Rainbow, stay still," Twilight Sparkle muttered. "And I'm done with this page."
Rainbow sighed, flipping to the next part of the book. "They're still freaked out."
"Hmmm?" Twilight's violet eyes scanned the pages intently. "What's still 'freaked out?'"
"The students," Rainbow droned. "The... Kihutajans... Kihutajanoids... the Ki Ki's..." She yawned for the millionth time, teetering back in her seat. "...aside from that goofball unicorn with the purple eyes, I don't think there's a single soul on this island whose trust I've won."
"Well, it could be worse, right?" Twilight droned, her lips moving between words as she read page after page. "At least you haven't landed amongst bloodthirsty tattooed warriors with a ridiculous caste system, or fire-breathing dragon broodlings, or a bunch of sexually backwards pegasi."
"Hey!" Rainbow frowned. "The Durandanans weren't sexually backwards..." She fidgeted. "More like sassily forwards."
"What's the difference?" Twilight muttered. "Next page."
Rainbow flipped a sheet and leaned her chin against a lazy hoof. "The difference is that—for all of the crud that held the ponies of Durandana back—they've got what it takes to be super awesome. Now that Celestia's got a direct line of chat with them, I'm sure they'll make lots of progress. After all, I did show them how they could leave the crater."
"That'll be a trip," Twilight muttered, squinting at a particular passage. "Here's hoping they don't leave their manners at the door."
"Hey, ponies will... g-get super friendly in order to avoid the horrible crushing pain of loneliness." Rainbow cleared her throat. "That's not so... b-bad a thing, is it?"
"Only if you're raised to greet each other with goofy bird calls, I suppose."
"Twilight, what the hay are we even doing here?!" Rainbow growled, summoning a few nervous glances from a distance. The pegasus frowned at the faraway students. "Yeah, that's right! You want a spitwad with your name on it?!"
"Shhhhh!" Twilight hissed, frowning at the book in Rainbow's hooves. "Would it kill you to tone it down a little?"
"I'd say the same to you!" Rainbow grumbled back while a few students shuffled awkwardly away. "You're the mare who burst out of sleep all piss and vinegar!"
"There's so much that's different about you now, Rainbow," Twilights aid. "You're a lot more... more..."
"Fuzzy?"
"Edgy," Twilight said, eyes rolling across paragraph after paragraph. "I mean, considering all of the things you've battled—Shell, Axan, Josho—it's a tad bit understandable..."
"Josho wasn't a supervillain," Rainbow droned. "He was just fat as Hell."
"See?! That too! Language! I know you've seen many an ocean, Rainbow, but you don't have to talk like a sailor!"
Rainbow's brow furrowed. "Who died and made you the Princess of Etiquette?" She blinked. "Besides yourself, I mean."
"Turn the page."
"Nnnngh..." Rainbow sighed, flipping a sheet. "This the sixth dusty geography book in a row, Twilight. Will you just tell me what you're looking for—?"
"Ah HA!" Twilight grinned. She pointed a triumphant hoof that phased partially through Rainbow's chest. "That about confirms it!"
"Confirms what? I don't book fu like you, book fool."
"Three out of the six volumes list a common fact about this part of the world." The ghostly mare smiled with a twinkle in her eye. "There are six equadistantly-placed points of curious architectural and magical phenomena situated across Rohbredden and the surrounding archipelagos. We just happen to be located along the western fringes of Kihutaja, right within eyeshot of the first of the six points."
"Points... points..." Rainbow blinked. "Wait... you mean more towers like the one where I summoned you?"
"Towers... caves... buildings... mountain structures..." Twilight gestured at the book. "The accounts are relatively vague, but claim that the various cultures surrounding these six spots have their own historians who have kept careful track of them throughout the ages. Apparently these points of interests have been largely lost to time, moslty because of neglect and ingorance over the past few centuries. Coincidentally, the three books that failed to mention them were all published within the last three hundred years."
"Let me guess..." Rainbow thought aloud. "...that's the same period of time during which 'Verlaxion' became the reining deity of Rohbredden."
"Wow, very good, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cooed with genuine enthusiasm. "You drew the same conclusion as I did!" She pointed once again at the books. "Looks like there's been some major historical revisionism over the last age or so."
"Still, what's the point of all this rambling?" Rainbow asked. "So what if I fly to the next parts of the machine world? The journey's different now. Everything is different now."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because...!" Rainbow began, only to be shushed by Twilight. She lowered her voice, as well as her wings. "Because you're here, Twilight! I should be figuring out a way to take advantage of your ghostliness and somehow make you un-ghostly."
"How so?"
"I dunno. Isn't it obvious?" Rainbow took a deep breath. "I fly back."
"Back?" Twilight blinked. "Back where?"
"Back back."
Twilight did a double-take. "You mean to Equestria?!"
"Where else?!" Rainbow cackled, causing more students to stir. "That's where this whole mess began! Now that you're around, I gotta do everything I can to keep you from disappearing again!"
"But doesn't this invisible 'Yaerfaerda' symbol point you east, Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "I mean... it's where you've always gone!"
"It's not colored lavender anymore, Twilight," Rainbow groaned. "It's the first time it ever changed. Maybe it doesn't mean anything anymore. I should figure out a way to get you home."
"What for?" Twilight exclaimed. "You think that 'bringing me back' to Luna or Celestia is somehow going to help?! Assuming you even survive such a crazy backtracking journey to Equestria, how do we even know they can see me, much less help out?"
"Well, egghead, have you any bright ideas?"
"Rainbow, I know I'm just now learning about everything you've gone through... but..." Twilight paced about, trotting through the nearby table and chairs. "All last night, I kept thinking and thinking about this whole 'Austraeoh' business. And... and what if it's not a simple coincidence that I showed up again?"
"What do you mean?"
"You said the vision of Whitemane spoke to you at the Tower, right?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
Twilight scuffled to a stop, turning to face Rainbow. "Did the spectre tell you to stop flying east?"
"No." Rainbow shook her head. "I was just told to 'foal yesterday.'"
"And haven't you done that?" Twilight grinned, striking a pose, mane flouncing. "Look! I'm here!"
"Not in the flesh, you're not," Rainbow droned.
Twilight frowned, not losing her pose. "Still, I'm more here than I was previously. And I still swear I remember being present in some way or another. What if... Rainbow..." She took a shuddering breath. "What if I'm not the only one?"
The colors nearly drained out of Rainbow's mane. She stared forward, burning holes through the walls of every building in Kihutaja. "... ... ...you... you mean the girls, don't you?"
Twilight slowly nodded. "I mean the girls."
"But... but..." Rainbow found herself wheezing. "...this is nuts."
"Is it?" Twilight cocked her head to the side. "Or is it something that maybe—just maybe—this whole 'Austraeoh' prophecy has always meant to happen?"
"Twilight, that's crazy talk. Even for you."
"You told me how Urohringr is—by all definition—a gigantic remnant of a technologically advanced civilization... as in advanced beyond our comprehension, but not entirely capable of eluding rational thought." Twilight tapped her chin, grinning harder and harder. "That means that we musn't rule out the application of science! Rainbow, although though we can't prove how or why you're the Austraeoh, it doesn't mean that there isn't some method that the ancient ponies who first built and/or sundered Urohringr implemented in order to have a future descendant follow in their wingflaps!"
"Future descendant..." Rainbow blinked. "You mean..."
"I mean you, Rainbow! Or—yes—even Commander Hurricane." Twilight gestured. "With enough technological advances, perhaps a civilization could harness a way in which they could carry information or even intellect down the ages through genetics!"
"Genetics?"
"You could very well be an organic message in a bottle!" Twilight danced in place, giddy. "Harmony is the strongest and most wholesome power of this era. Maybe whatever Austraeoh was destined to do, the Elements of Harmony were always meant to assist!"
"Wait..." Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. "How could that be possible? The Elements of Harmony were destroyed."
"Yes... well..." Twilight bit her lip.
Rainbow Dash blinked hard. "... ... ...you mean whoever or whatever purposed Austraeoh planned for the Elements to be destroyed in order to get something done?!" She gnashed her teeth and kicked out of her chair, hovering around. "Buck me sideways. That's as dumb as dumb itself, Twilight!"
"Whatever the case, I think it would behoove us to see what else Yaerfaerda has in store for you!"
"And to do what?!" Rainbow growled, spinning about. "Just see what else 'fate' or 'genetics' wants to have destroyed? Oh! Hey! What about Equestria this time?!" Rainbow groaned. "Heck, why not blow up the Sun and Moon while we're at it?! Let's see what kind of a plot twist that gives the future of Urohringr!"
"Rainbow, let's be serious for a second! I know what I'm saying is preposterous, but... but with just enough proof... and these geographical points..." Twilight hung her head, groaning.
"What? What is it?" Rainbow asked.
"Nothing..." Twilight sighed, nevertheless pouting with sad eyes. "It's just that this is so big a hypothetical scenario... too big for mortals like us. I almost wish that I could get Celestia's second opinion on this. She's so very, very wise."
"Yeah, well, that would just be... peachy... keen..." Rainbow Dash blinked off. She turned around... and around and around and around. At last, she spotted a slowly rotating time-table situated on a table near to where the college librarian sat, perusing files. Fwooosh! In a flash, the pegasus hovered right in front of the old mare. "Hey! You!" she snapped, her voice echoing across the otherwise silent archives. "Does this doohickey tell the time?!"
"Erm... y-y-yes, madame..." The old mare hugged a book to her chest, gulping. "The revolutions of the Sun, stars, and—"
"When's the moon full next?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I have to know!"
"Why... f-funny you should ask, ma'am!" The mare adjusted her bifocals. "This evening, it should have waxed completely!"
Rainbow's ears perked, and she hovered higher, feeling lighter than air.
"I don't get it, Rainbow..." Twilight floated between her and the mare. "...why is that so important?"
Rainbow grinned... then grinned harder. "Twi..." She whispered aside, attempting to diffuse an already awkward scene. "...tonight's gonna be super happy for somepony..."
Twilight could be very pushy sometimes. RD's hate for books wasn't enough. I wonder if there's a Daring Do in there.
...
edit (after finally reading the entire chapter)...
LUNA!
Hell, it's about damn time.
Hmmm...I'm starting to wonder, could it be possible we'll be seeing the rest of the girls sooner than we think? Like, "within the span of one book" sooner? That's probably stretching it, though...
This also makes me wonder. Surely somepony must've overheard Dash's grand storytelling to Twilight over the past couple days. She isn't exactly one to be overlooked, considering the impact she's had on the academy.
Pffffffft.
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The crazy space elk with the speak speak, Rainbow.
I'm glad Twilight figured it out (kinda, sorta). I like that Dash is having second thoughts.
Twilight gets to hear Luna and Celestia again. I'm curious if Luna could cast a spell through the link the link to detect and talk to Twilight or at least notice her presence.
Lu-Na Phone Home.
Somewhere, Jake and Pilate are laughing.
Hurray for convenient Luna time!
NO!
You heard it first here, folks.
When the epic twist in the eleventh story is revealed, remember this chapter.
oh god oh man oh god oh man oh god oh man
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Yay, another Luna talk.
I literally read this 20 seconds (I checked the time stamp on my feed) after it came out... And I'm still the 9th commenter.
HACKS
In a totally unrelated note, any else notice that the number of comments in each story has gone up, but total number of views has gone down?
Look what your casual name inserts have wrought IC. I hope you're happy.
I'd be surprised if the six towers corresponded to the girls. I could see it happening, but I don't expect it to. I can't see the girls all sticking around for the rest of the series.
Y'know, I'm looking forward to seeing Pinkie completely disregard the fact that nopony should be able to see or hear her.
5846916
They could very well appear one per book. There are six books left, including Ynan, after all.
5846925
I'm looking forward to see her embrace it.
Pssst. Rayvinne! That's you, buddy. Also, why are they making fun of Swanny's shipping paradise?
So, now this is going all Assassin's Creed? Sweet!
I am starting to wonder when the local 'authorities' are going to show up now that the Choke has been disabled for over a day now.
Meanwhile, enjoying Rainbow and Twilight in the library. It's a completely different change of pace from most everything else so far.
5846934
Now i'm curious too...
Also, I wonder what Nick is doing.
5846928
Only if they stay in Rohbredden for the next six books and never make it to the Dark Side.
I see you're a wee bit judgmental there Twilight, greeting others with bird calls is completely acceptable behavior. Also sex, lots of sex.
I'm not biased, shut up
5846948
It could be as it was with Ledomare, they kick around there for a whole lotta books, and the final installment is like Austraeoh and they cover half of their way to the Armory in just one book.
Thinking back, RD can call Luna, and she can tell Celestia, who can call the pegasi in the Sex Crater, who can probably find someone who knows where ValRoa is, and then spread the good news that the Choke doesn't choke anymore
The End of Ponies called. They want their premise back.
You mean, Dash, you didn't notice the moon was nearly full when you were telling Twilight your tale for the last two days? Some of it was outdoors in the evening, if I recall.
So six towers, six elements. But only five are dead. What will the sixth do?
Of course: bring back Shell.
5846961 It hasn't been confirmed the Choke is no more. It's possible that Dash is locally supplying magic.
However, it has been confirmed that Twilight cannot do magic. She would turn the pages of the books herself if she could.
5846979
So...
Shell is the Seventh Element?
Luuuuuna
5846979
No, I object.
5846989 I'm getting a hint that I've milked this joke enough.
The question I have is: Will Luna be able to hear Twilight? I mean, doesn't Rainbow's pendant facilitate their conference calls? Because it would be nifty if Twilight could participate. It'll be pretty awkward otherwise.
Also, I agree with RoboRed. It looks like we might get the rest of the girls back in the relatively near future. I guess I'd assumed it'd be drawn out over the next handful of books, but maybe not. Perhaps having all the element bearers present is what will allow Rainbow to cross over to the Dark Side. It also raises questions like:
- What's the significance of this region, with its six equidistant points, and how does it tie in with the Machine World?
- What will be waiting at Rainbow's tower-whatever?
- Is it a coincidence that Verlax camped out near to this region, of all places?
- What the heck does 'Ynanhluutr' refer to, mythos-wise?
I'm excite.
5847026
The rest of Discord?
Excellent
You know, ever since Twilight came to life, I've been wondering what that means for Rainbow's privacy. Twilight could totally accidentally walk on her while she's off to the loo or gettin' it on or something.
I know of the workarounds, which makes it all the weirder that it hasn't been addressed.
5847041
Inb4 pocket ghost Discord.
I've seen this series on fimfiction for a while now and honestly... I'm kinda afraid of trying to read this all and not liking it so please tell me... Is this series good?
5847059
It's actually terrible, that's why we've stuck with it for the past million and a half words.
In all seriousness, the series is pretty awesome, give the first one a shot, if by the first twenty or so (quite short) chapters you're not reeled in, it may not be for you.
5846912 Isn't it great?
5847069 alright then I'll check it.
So? Is she a soul? Huh? huh?
YES.
5847069 alright I read a few chapters and I like what I'm reading but there is little background so far... From what I can tell she is either running from death of the other elements or they no longer like her and Luna gave her a chance to run... I am honestly surprised because most stories with chapter less than 1000 words usually suck horribly
5847148
Finding out what happened is part of the mystery of Austraeoh.
If you think you'll keep going, I'd advise you to stick to the order and try to avoid spoilers.
You're in for one hell of a ride.
5846989
no shut up it's sunset shimmer
stop hurting me in this way you know my feelings on the matter
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5847185
Huh...
I wonder how Sunset Shimmer is doing now that the Mane 6 are not in Equestria. What's gonna happen when she comes out of that mirror and goes looking for the Element of Magic?
Hmmm.... What if Luna doesn't believe her.
On a more cheerful note, it sounds like we may get the other girls back sooner than expected.
5847148
Then again, you have to consider the fact that he updates two stories, and possible writes words for other things every day. They aren't going to be that long by design unless its for a special event.
5847194
she'll realize how futile her task was, go on a sea voyage and catch up with Cadance and Shining Armor in time to meet Sturke, then fly to the dark side with the Divine's aid just in time to save twilight sparkle and win her undying love?
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shut up let me dream
5847201
it'll be ok, kid.
uh
*pats your back awkwardly*
what am i supposed to do
Oh boy! Time for a Luna talk this was is going to be one of the more interesting ones for sure