Rainbow's ruby eyes twitched.
Panting, she tilted her head to the left.
The seashore stretched in a straight line, slicing due north with no sign of deviation.
With a shudder, she turned and tilted her head to the right.
Ocean waves crashed evenly against the Grand Choke, stretching south as far as Rainbow's vision could see.
It was as though the world had received a surgical incision, cutting the desert off completely so that the Grand Choke dipped neatly into a churning blue pool that stretched far and wide. If Rainbow didn't know any better, this could just as well have been the edge of the world. Everything about the dividing line between the sand and the waters was perfect—almost too perfect. She felt a cold shudder in her veins, making her shiver for the first time in countless days and nights.
But as her mind struggled to come to grips with the dip in the continent before her, something deep inside bubbled to the surface, exploding out her muzzle in a fractured giggle.
“Mmmmfff... heh...” Rainbow grinned, eyes twitching. “Heheheheheh... it's... it's so...” She gulped dryly. “Like the lake beds beneath Cloudsdale. So blue. So dang blue, Ding Dong. I could almost... almost...”
She trotted forward.
She galloped.
She sprinted.
“Just one dip!” Rainbow Dash squeaked, her body drawn forward by a cheekish smile. “Just one dip! Omigoshomigoshomigosh! I bet it's absolutely cool to the—”
The sand and stone gave out from beneath her.
Rainbow plunged.
“...!”
She flailed, toppeled over in mid-air, and landed hard on her side. Whump!
“Ooomf!” Rainbow winced, bouncing once, then sliding across a sheet of compact dirt. “Mmmmnngh... guh...” Hissing through her teeth, she weathered the throbbing pain in her body and sat up. “What... wh-what the McFuzz?!” She reached under her satchels and rubbed her flank. “Grnnngh... friggin' Choke. You didn't see that, Belle. Pilate—don't even start...” She frowned and looked behind her. “Totally meant to... to...” Her lips pursed.
Rainbow spotted a burrow in the east side of the desert hill. Right where the ground had given way beneath her was a wide enclosure—a cave of sorts—that stretched east and west for thirty feet. But that wasn't what surprised her...
Framing the cave were several vertical planks of wood... planks that had been hammered in place.
“... … ...” Rainbow blinked, and in that blink she spotted objects in her peripheral. She jerked a glance to her side.
Several rigid structures jutted out of the earth, partially buried by years and years of shifting sands—both the desert's and the beach's. Rainbow saw columns made out of piled stone and mortar, along with the shattered remnants of a bricklaid barrier of sorts. Between her and the enclosure, an uneven surface of random tools and debris stretched. They looked as though they had just been left there by an unknown count of souls, and yet every metal item was clearly worn and rusted by time. For all Rainbow knew, they could have been abandoned for months or centuries.
The mare's lips pursed. Grimacing slightly, she stood up, then trotted the length of the sundered stone along the beach.
“It... it couldn't be an accident... could it...?” Rainbow shook the sand out of her hair—a rather futile act, for the sweltering winds only blew more grit into her mane. “Looks... looks really friggin' old, Pilate. Like... older than starlight.” She blinked, tracing her hoof along a leaning plank of wood in the sand. “Still solid. Like a piece of oak. But... but from where?”
She turned about, staring both north and south at the stretching shoreline. There were no trees to be seen—or vegetation of any sort.
“Chrysalis?” Rainbow shook her head. “They wouldn't build anything like this. The Queen would just... vomit her bug-gunk all over stuff and call it a day.” Gulping, she trotted over to a pile of debris and pawed at the mess like a pensive feline. “None of that would last, would it, Ebon? None of it would... would...”
Her hoof contacted a handle. She pulled at the thing, tugging it out of the dirt. Rainbow unearthed a rust-metal tool with jagged teeth. From the curved shape of the handle, it looked like it was made to fit a fetlock thicker than hers. She glanced at her forelimb, squinted, then envisioned something longer and cloven.
“Well? How 'bout it, Floydien?”
Silence—save for the crashing of waves.
Rainbow Dash wriggled her muzzle. She turned west, facing the cleft of rock where the Choke cut off above the sandy beach. The enclosure loomed, its dark interior both curious and inviting.
“Cool... I mean... it still is cool, isn't it?” She shuffled towards the shadowed wooden frame. “I mean... you get it, right, Kera? This... this is something and a half...”
At last, Rainbow approached the barrier that stretched before the lip of the cave. The air was dry, musky, but most definitely refreshing as the temperature dropped all around her. The entrance was lopsided, affording a narrow space between leaning planks of dry, sun-baked wood. A fallen door acted as a sand-covered threshold as Rainbow stepped through.
Her ears twitched. She looked around, her vision adjusting to the sudden dimness. Aside from nightfall, it had been days if not weeks since she last experienced anything quite this dark. At last, she saw a bowed ceiling of craggy yellow earth stretching forward, sloping as it reached the end of the cave about fifty feet from the entrance. It was a great deal more spacious inside the cave than she had imagined, and from the multiple hatch-marks in the wall, she could only guess that most of it was chiseled into being. Rainbow couldn't guess just how many years such a task could have taken—much less decades.
Curious, the mare trotted forward into the claustrophobic coolness. Thin beams of bright gold sunlight bled through the slits between the wooden planks that guarded the mouth of the cave. The lines bent over several dust-laden structures across the hovel, giving the chamber depth and substance. Rainbow spotted several wooden workbenches covered with metal tools, nick-nacks, and straps of leather. A line of sleeping mats lay against the southern wall—all abandoned.
Towards the back of the cave, Rainbow spotted a six-by-twelve foot patch of dark sediment. She suddenly realized that it was a deposit of soil. Spurred on by a desperate breath, she galloped towards the mess, only to skid to an abrupt stop.
There were indeed scraps of vegetation, but they were all thin, papery, and petrified. Rainbow spotted a few gnarled roots of dead material, but nothing more—certainly not anything edible.
Sighing, she turned around and looked towards a line of wooden crates and metal lockers. She saw several wagon-wheels lying against one another, forming a splintery column. Squinting her eyes, she counted a total of sixteen.
“Hrmmm... four wagons? What do you think, Roarke?”
Her nostrils flared.
“They... they couldn't have landed, could they?” She shuffled along the wall of tables, glancing at one pile of mixed tools after another. “Azira spoke of visitors. The tomb. Those ponies were... were...”
She came to a stop, eyes blinking.
At first, she thought she was staring at a bush, or maybe a lopped-off portion of a tree. Several sharp branches stretched up in the dim penumbra of sunlight.
It took careful examination to realize they were—in fact—antlers.
A skeletal figure lay on the ground before her, curled up, its porous body clad in the tattered remnants of a uniform. Along the flank, she saw a very familiar banner, bespeckled with faded coppers and purples. It depicted a threadbare series of branches amidst desert stars.
Her nostrils flared. “Of course, Belle,” she murmured. “Val Roa.”
Oh dear.
It would appear our Rainbow has stumbled into a cave of... dead Val Roan travelers?
I wonder what they were doing this far east?
Oh great. More caves and dead bodies.
I was kinda thinking it was that expedition from the Dark Side, too. But Val Roans? I guess I didn't think they'd made it that far. Either way, I'm supposing there's a ship somewhere in the vicinity. That would be nifty. Almost as nifty as Rainbow stumbling upon this particular stretch of beach out of hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of desolate coastline. I guess that's destiny for you.
My money's on years.
So there were some Val Roans who managed to make their way all the way there. But how? Although once again, ominous cave. Bad cave. Bad. No spouting deadly eldritch horrors, not today.
-Spirit
Of all the shoreline Dash could have stumbled upon, she just happened to stumble upon this.
Just saying.
Some elk managed to get all the way here? Wow. Unfortunately, no food or fresh water. Though I guess she could light a fire and boil seawater? Are their fish in this ocean? So many questions, don't want to wait.
Well, this answers where she can potentially get materials for making a craft to sail the ocean.
But...let's get some answers first. Particularly relating to these spooky skeletons (skeleton, rather) and why they're here of all places.
Also, me no like cave.
Hmm...
Judging from the condition of the vegetation, this cavern is positively ancient. The thing I don't get is, if the cave is indeed centuries old, how can the wooden supports still hold the weight of the tunnel? What's more, the presence of Val Roans indicates that somehow, a group was able to make it this far east. Impossible under current circumstances, so it must have occurred before the Choke was a life draining desert, but that doesn't make sense either. Unless one day, the Choke just decided to become a barren lifeless wasteland that steals magic out of the air.
Ugh, why do I not like this? Oh, right, it's a cave.
At least she's found materials with which to fashion a raft. If she can't find canvas or hide for a sail, she'll have to wing-paddle it.
It would be absolutely epic if she found some sort of dead enormous, dried-out desert beast she had to peel the hide from to make a sail. Gross, but epic.
And if she ran out of wood, and had to use antlers, bones and strips of hide to create supporting structure for her craft.
And if she had to survive on fish and seaweed during her crossing. And maybe coconuts.
Now, about her hallucinations... I do not consider them as a sign that she is losing her sanity, but rather that it is a coping mechanism she is using to retain it.
5731302
I think she'll have to paddle it anyways. If memory serves, the survivor reported that
the wind failed them on their expedition across the ocean.Correction: the elements turned on them and the sea dashed their ship to bits once they tried to use the wind. That's much worse.Hmmmm interesting, the Val Roans made it much farther then anyone though. Or perhaps they are actually from the dark side and the whole pony travelers thing is a cover story?
I really can't remember when it was mentioned, but there was a theory a while back that there may have been more than one Austraeoh. I do remember that Commander Hurricane was an obvious candidate, but something about her said that there may have been others between Rainbow Dash and Commander Hurricane
What I'm thinking is that somehow this elk here and/or this structure is connected to Austraeoh somehow, which is why Rainbow stumbled upon it instead of anywhere else on the shore of the Grand Choke.
What a hardass. I honor you, Warrior.
I see a sea.
Sea squared.
5731302
I have a funny feeling like the only fish that live in this sea are the ones that are more likely to eat you than the reverse.
Ya know, I figure if a large enough group was determined enough they might be able to build a caravan of break stops. Build a supply house 1 mile in, another 2 miles in, etc.
Or a tunnel system. Or trains. Seriously, trains would be amazing. Cross-Choke Railroad. Just use steam instead of crystals, dammit.
5731336
We still don't know the nature of the Choke's magic. This one warrior made it as far east as it is possible to go, but I believe someone suggested that everyone gets a unique challenge from the choke. Dust storms target fliers, maybe earthquakes against walkers?
I don't think its feasible. Someone else suggested that Dash has died several times during the Choke. We just don't know.
5731201
Might be one of the guys who go out into the desert to die. These ones just made it to the end somehow.
Also, it looks like Rainbow now has the wood to build a ship. And we're talking a real ship, not a Swan Song ship.
Pretty much my reaction. At least she might have some supplies now.
5731357
Eh, doubt whatever the Choke has can screw with basic physics to that big of a degree, though.
5731336 I can't remember where, but a good 20 to 40 chapters ago I freaked out about the possibility of using transcontinental railroads to unite the lands dash has covered so far.
5731360
And that's how the Grand Choke was made. I wonder if the Grand Choke used to be a forest until old deer took down all the trees to make complex subterranean structures to mess with future old deers.
I'm more curious about where the vegetation and wagon wheels originated, doesn't seem like stuff the dying soldier would bring. 4 wagons means 4 elk at least (where are the bodies?) and they certainly weren't meant to cross the ocean. Must be a deliberate expedition - though I wonder why Lunarius and Azira either didn't tell Dash, or didn't know about it.
Rainbow Dash x Skeletal Figure.
It's the only ship we have now, people. Hold onto to it. I know it will.
5731411
5731336
but if they did make a train system, the train companies would eventually want to make some form of standardized time zones to make things easier on them, but the locals would disagree and fight it and it would just be a huge mess for a while.
That's me when it comes to commenting. . .\
Why thank you for noticing, IC.
A hole carved into the ground in the middle of a hostile wasteland where no sane person would settle? Wagon remains? An underground vegetable plot? A lone corpse left to skeletonize in the workshop where it died? Yep, that sounds like embarks I've had.
5731448
5731411
fc00.deviantart.net/fs14/f/2007/033/5/0/Puffing_Tom_by_DerZocker.png
Eh, someone will figure it out. With how sparsed the cities are, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. You may need a big book for it, though.
5731250 It depends on who made it. If it was made by her "predecessors" than being directly in line with Yiffy only makes sense. If made by the current... resident then I got no clue.
Then again with how far out of it Dash has been it might have even been dug by her.
i.imgur.com/Cpq7sSH.png
You know...I'd like one chapter where we look through Dash's eyes rather than as clouds and phantoms.
I bet seeing all her hallucinations would be...jarring.
-Treachery and deceit, kingdom of conceit Yaerfaerda.
Please hold on to your sane mind, we are now entering the obligatory cave (of doom, probably) that is required to be in every story. Thank your for travelling with
AirWalk Austraeoh.So... Now that we've met some dead Val Roans, can we get around to an explanation? I for one believe this tunnel is a result of the great Zadubadabu people of the Grand Choke leading the Val roans accross the Grand Choke and teaching them how to dig a tunnel. Now RD will use this tunnel to completely bypass the Grand Sea. Let's do this.
5731312
Crying, Waiting, Hoping won't do her any good. It's not like she's trying to go Across the Universe, it's a great big sea, but she can't cross it, by Flying, the Blue Jay Way. Now thinking "I can do this With a Little Help from my Friends" is all well and fine, but she can't be hung up on Yesterday, she needs to find Every Little Thing she can to help her.
Maybe she feels a sense of reverence for the dead, and That's Alright, but she can't just Let it Be.
Anyway... I've Got a Feeling that it was just magic that makes things go all Taxman on you. You just have to Act Naturally, and do things like harness the wind, Slow Down, and see what happens... then you're Free as a Bird. That's How You Do It.
Unless she finds a Yellow Submarine or something.
Huh... why weren't there any more Val Roan outposts and crap inbetween bere and Val Roa? Or was it only a one-wway trip from Val Roa to here? Or... what if it was the other way? Crazier shit has happened already.
24
There was a network at one point. This is what happens when your outlying colonies get left out of contracts and legislation, you loose infrastructure to keep some citizens alive.
The messed up thing is that the queen would have known about the outpost(s), but didn't think rainbow would get this far. What other information was dash not told?
I'm not sure I buy that the grand choke is unconquable. I mean, humans conquered the Sahara with less technology. Val Roa should be able to build a road through it.
So they made it all the way. And have information laying around probably.
Holy shit snacks I forgot about the expedition.
5731400
But magic (or anti-magic, in this case) already fucks over the laws of physics on a regular basis
Finally, as the story is reaching it's end, a cave! Not that there were no caves in this story, but Dash hadn't entered any until now. The description of the cave makes me think our dear author has been enjoying Skyrim.
So... where's the monster of this cave, then?
5731361 What, no Rainbow Dash X Boat? Don't you realise its the OTP?
Rainbow Dash discovers the Channel Tunnel project? Or, how many carts set off on the caravan to get there, and which route did they take to get through the badlands, or were the badlands there when they came through.
As for the soil that the plants are groing in?
What do you think happened to all the others on the expedition?
They might have taken a flat pack ship with them, assembled it,a nd sailed off, leaving someone behind to keep look at an outpost.
But politics did a NASA on them, and there wasnt a resupply coming.
So the loyal officer waited.
And waited.
And Waited.
5732123
The thing people often seem to forget is that our bodies operate according to the laws of physics. If basic mechanisms like hot steam pushing against a big fan stops working, then there's a good change that our bodies are going to start glitching out. I can accept magic doing some stuff outside of it, but it doesn't warp how a body works without major energy costs to keep them from catastrophic consequences.
5731293 You're thinking of softwoods like pine: hardwoods are much tougher. I was always told that hardwoods, if anything, got tougher as they aged, but I don't know how true that is.
5731357 And perhaps some individuals of sound mind simply have a nice flat road to the sea.
5732580 “What do you think happened to all the others on the expedition? “
Fava beans and a nice Chianti
Would have been faster if she took Blaine....but Blaine is a pain.
5731694
My thoughts precisely. This chapter reminded me so much of encountering a new location after wandering around for hours in Skyrim. That moment where the music changes and you get a glance at the full majesty of where you've stumbled into.
Wow. A Val Roan made it all the way to the Great East Sea?
shpooky
5731816 Oh you.
What an interesting discovery. I don't see any logical explanation for this, so I suppose we'll figure it out sometime in the future.