Rainbow Dash was expecting many wild things when she and the Herald finally rounded the penultimate crest of jagged rock. What she didn't expect to see were the lights.
There was no mistaking it. Upon first glance through a parting array of stalagmites, Rainbow and her ghostly companions collectively observed shimmering shapes and figures—all of which projected a strange and almost hypnotizing bioluminescence.
They came in various patterns, colors, and arrangements. From a distance, Rainbow spotted what looked like parallel ribbons of alternating strobes—and the moment her wings so much as made a single wing-flap within the bowed niche of rock, she saw the ribbons turning a dull blue as multiple arachnid limbs carried it scurrying to a hidden alcove. A collection of bright pinpricks were far, far slower in their retreat. As Rainbow and Ariel flew closer, they saw what looked like an enormous snail: a creature possessing a large round shell and conveyed on centipede legs so densely packed together that they might as well have been the flagella of a mollusk's hide. Then there were flying... possibly floating things—wispy and threadbare in nature—that shimmered with pale green light as they rotated up and down. When Ariel flew by a pair of them, the wind from her wings sent them spiraling towards the rock walls as they pulsed a bright, alarmed red. Once they made contact with the wall, they flattened and camouflaged themselves with translucent skin.
The further beneath the overhang of rock that the Herald traversed, they found more and more curious wildlife—almost all of them invertebrate in nature and possessing completely random luminescent abilities. Logan slowed the hover craft's drift to a mere crawl, and even Seraphimus was drawn towards looking at the various creatures shifting and scurrying around them.
There was a high-pitched hissing sound. Shadows darted low overhead. Ariel and Kepler visibly flinched. Within seconds, the shadows strobed with bright pulses of light, and the group looked up to see what appeared like reptilian bats gliding swiftly above their ears. Their wingtips flickered with red firelight, and they exited the niche in tight formation as soon as they had entered. If the group squinted, they could spot occasional spots of light streaking in the distance, navigating the troposphere between the ground, the Curve, and the cosmos.
Needless to say, Fluttershy was beside herself with wonderment. Her ghostly wings fluttered faster and faster as her turquoise eyes darted about to observe every insanely new detail.
Rarity looked at her with a delicate smile. "Surely, this must have been worth the entire journey so far, for you, darling."
Fluttershy's response was far less enthusiastic than any of her friends expected. "There must be a lot of carnivores here," she said matter-of-factly.
Applejack glanced over. "How do ya figure?"
"If these creatures were never preyed upon, they wouldn't be scurrying away from us like they are," Fluttershy said. "Also... look at the ones on the ground." She pointed. "Their shells are so thick. So jagged." She gulped. "They've evolved for added protection. I do believe this place is more savage than even the Everfree Forest."
Pinkie Pie nodded. "Coulda told you that! And the only animal I've ever known is a talkative baby alligator!"
"I think we sh—" Twilight Sparkle did a double-take. She squinted at Pinkie Pie for a few seconds, shrugged, then resumed. "I think we should be careful, Rainbow Dash. There's no telling how dangerous these creatures might be. Or venomous."
"Right." Rainbow looked at the rest of the Herald. "Hey, everypony, let's not... y'know... go off petting or nuzzling any of these flickering things."
"Awwwwwww..." Ariel pouted, pointing at a swarm of what could best be described as three headed slugs slithering along the sloped stone beneath them. "But they look so cute and glowy—"
Exactly as she said this, a trio of jagged pinchers suddenly erupted from a narrow fissure in the earth and enclosed around one of the harmlessly slithering slugs. SNAP! The chitinous jaws retreated with its wriggling prey. Seconds later, a faint cloud of ruby-colored energy floated up through the rock formation before being sucked back down into the earth.
"Errrr..." Ariel rubbed her fetlocks, shivering. "Then again..."
"Did you see that?" Logan remarked.
Wildcard nodded.
"Just like with Axan," Kepler murmured. "How currious."
"Alright then." Rainbow cleared her throat. "Note to self. Avoid any large collections of red clouds."
Kepler looked up. "Then that must surrely mean prroximity to feasting, carrnivorrous crreaturres."
"Exactly."
"What about us?" Logan remarked. Everypony could hear an audible growl from the large stallion's stomach. "I'm game for being a feasting, carnivorous creature."
"One thing at a time, Big Show..." Flynn murmured from where he lay across the cart. His mechanical eye reflected the alternating pulses of light. "There's no telling how many of these things will be poisonous to consume." He sighed, wincing again from his aching head. "Or h-how many of them might eat us from the inside."
"Goddess..." Ariel shivered. "That's a nightmarish idea."
"This is the Dark Side, girl." Rainbow looked at the flittering forms of life all around them. Their spectral colors produced a glittery light show against the dull gray surfaces of the entombing rock formations "Let's not let all this stuff dazzle us too hard. It's all brutal beneath the shimmer."
"I wonder..." Rarity was practically purring. Her bright blue eyes deliciously took in the sights. "...what could be the purpose of such beautiful... fabulous display?"
"Well, they're likely used for social cues," Fluttershy said. "Swarming creatures communicate with each other through the lights. Mates find each other to reproduce. On the other hoof..." She sighed. "Carnivores likely use this bioluminescence to lure all the others."
"Well, I can't say I'm a fan of the latter, but seeing all of this right now?" Rarity sighed through a tired smile. "It's a welcome sight."
"I just wonder if there's any plants or fungae around here," Twilight said.
"Reckon so." Applejack was hovering low, closely observing a fine layer of sediment. "The soil's just startin' to get rich. What's more..." The tilted her hat back, looking up. "The food chain's gotta start somewhere, ya reckon?"
Right about then, Wildcard's goggles began reflecting a dull blue glow from up ahead. He sat up straight from the rear of the wagon and waved his talon dramatically.
"I think Turbo Turkey's trying to get your attention, Dashie!" Pinkie said.
"Hmmmm?" Rainbow looked in the Desperado's direction. "What is it, boy?"
Wildcard gestured to his goggles, then to Rainbow's eyes, then pointed dead ahead.
Rainbow flew up high—avoiding a few wispy, glowy things along the way. Likewise, her eyes began reflecting a swath of electric blue energy.
"Whoahhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie cooed. "Shiny!"
"Oh lawd..." Applejack grimaced. "Forgive me, sugarcube, but..." She looked worriedly at her anchor. "...ain't grass supposed to glow green?"
Rainbow took a shuddering breath. "Beggers can't be choosers." She motioned with her hoof. "Come on, dudes. I think we've found our place to camp for the time being..."
Glowy blue grass! Awesome!
Blue grass, not just a type of music.
Yeah, don't get too distracted by the shiny. No matter how long the boring stretches might get, the Herald can't really afford to drop their guard. And if the food chain starts somewhere, its best to make sure that you're not caught on the bottom of it.
Well, this place actually seems kind of pretty honestly. Glowing Blue Grass would be neat to see.
Shell things remind me of Geemers from Metroid. Hope the grass isn't infected with Phazon.
Dat grass gonna et them.
Whoa this place sounds really cool! Other then the fact that there's most likely danger lurking in every corner. Hmm I'm wondering if the glowy blue grass is edible..
Actual critters! Neato.
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Geemers and Shriekbats.
Seems ):( has been playing Samus Returns.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
I'm betting that there's a sentience nearby watching the group unnoticed. Waiting for camp to settle before crawling in.
It's cool to actually see a living environment on the dark side, but who knows what types of creatures can lurk in there.
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The whole scene sounds more like a homage to the impact crater in the movie Evolution. I wonder if we get a reinterpretation of the fly scene.
We all knew the Dark Side was gonna be different, but this is taking it to a whole new level!
Soooooooo... which of these critters are the ones the minotaurs and Xonans were summoning with the chaos strips?
So like deep sea creatures. Dope
We gonna go down to, Electric Avenue.
Shocking, isnt it.
Don't touch the shiny fauna. You don't know where it has been.
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From the descriptions, none yet
Im getting sentenced to prism feels
Awesome chapter!
Please can one of our peeps draw this scene to life? It'll be worth it just for Fluttershy's look of pure wonder.
So, is it a bluegrass festival?
Spooky blue grass is spooky. And blue.
The Dark Side ecosystem is just getting stranger and stranger.
Is this normal bioluminescence that would work the same way on the light side? Or is it the same effect that makes their own blood glow on the dark side?
I'm glad they're acknowledging this. The previous speculation on Rainbow having to go carnivore didn't make much sense. Sure, there was reason to suspect the dark side is barren, but that would also mean no meat.
Warning: Consuming grass may cause warping due to Phazon mutation.
Son of a b . Welp. Let's deal with arachnophobia in the dark at 1 am!
Why are you even surprised anymore, Twilight?
That took way too long, both for them and us.
Oh, I know those! Where I live we call them birds.
It's like this side of the plane is similar to deep sea life, but I truly wonder how they work. They are awfully weird creatures, and they are very unnatural for land life. Something very interesting must be giving them life.
Camping on a blue meadow? Nothing has ever called for Bluegrass more than this!
...I miss Bard.
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There could be life based around chemical vents.
The kind of flowery descriptive language that has always been among the favorite parts of the series for me, nice to see things like this even in the worst of places. Maybe a symbol of hope for the dark side, just needs a few fixer uppers.
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16:25 UTC
This sounds beautiful. Also...I am Ariel haha. I would totally pet and nuzzle the creepy glowy animals.
A+ choice in camping
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As soon as I found wildlife I'd be looking for what's eating it and check them off the "NOPE" list.
He’s not a dog you know.
Blue grass. Not to be related to a type of music called Bluegrass.
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Bard would’ve loved this place
No, you.
Thought of poison joke. That would've been pretty funny.
I made the Pokemon reference as a joke, but we actually found a bunch of monsters.
Also bluegrass?