"Do you see any movement, Eagle Eye?"
The petite stallion kept his expert gaze trained on a distant temple hovering through Stratopolis below. He levitated a sword and shield on one side of his body and a sound stone on the other. Wiping the rainwater off his muzzle, he took a step back beside the Noble Jury and spoke into the enchanted shard.
"Not a thing. If I didn't know better, I'd say they all bought it."
"We can't know that for sure, kid."
"I know..." Eagle Eye sighed. "But here's hoping." He turned and glanced at the large round building hovering in front of the Noble Jury's temple. "That room you're in has control of the obelisks floating these buildings around, right?"
"Yeahhhhh..." Josho said from where he paced with the levitating shotgun and sound stone. "What you getting at?"
"Well, maybe you could give the lever controlling the Lounge's crash site a good shake. It could toss their ship loose, y'know?"
"Or send them all running, scurrying, or flying towards us," Josho said. "As much as I don't like those creepy-masked dudes, I'd rather keep them at leg's distance."
"Right," Rainbow Dash said from where she floated over the heads of the group. Her voice echoed across the domed chamber. "Besides, from the look of the rods here, the obelisk connected to their crash site is at its furthest distance from the heart of Stratopolis. I don't wanna bring them any closer to where we are or—more importantly—where the Noble Jury is."
"That works for me."
"Keep an eye out, fruit basket," Josho said. "If you see any weirdness, give us a shout, and we'll come running."
"Will do. You try not to get yourself hurt too badly, old stallion."
"Yeah, yeah." Josho dimmed the soundstone and shuffled back towards the center of the room. "Yeesh, that prima donna worries too much about me."
"I think it's a charming trait," Pilate said.
"Go soak your head in charm for all I care, braymeister." Josho rested the shotgun over his flank as he nodded towards the array of rods. "What's going on here?"
"Apparently, a whole lot ay bludy naethin'," Prowse said. He squinted at his neice. "Propsicle?"
"Mmmnnnghhh..." Props licked her lips and tensed her forehead as she stroked and rubbed her hooves around one of the many black-spiked staves. "No luck! It won't budge!" She turned to gaze up at Rainbow Dash. "It won't even glow!"
"How about you give it a go once more, Miss Dash?" Elma said.
"Uh huh." Rainbow Dash flew down and lightly tapped the edge of one shard.
With a loud grinding noise, it shifted ahead, causing two slabs of granite to slide along with it. Rainbow Dash stopped moving the staff before a dim glow could shimmer across the room.
"Yeesh!" Props slumped back on her haunches, her ears folded. "It does it for you almost right away!"
"Well, I think the reason is rather obvious," Elma said.
"And what's that, Tankette?"
"It must respond to winged ponies," the snapping turtle explained. She turned to blink at the others. "This is a city built and run by Rainbow's kind, is it not?"
"That remains to be determined," Pilate said, leaning against the reptile. "From what Rainbow's discovered, her ancient native ancestors occupied this place, but it doesn't seem likely that they built it."
"What about the 'Angelic Host' crap?" Josho stated.
"The What Crap?" Prowse squinted.
"Pilate," Josho said. "Tell 'em about all the Herald junk we ran into."
"What my colleague is referring to is a group of modern day zealots who are of the firm belief that an ancient race of pegasi acted as the founders of the known world," Pilate explained. "Or, at least, this part of the world..."
"This... part...?" Prowse blinked awkwardly.
"There's a big ol' machine dwelling beneath all of us, Unky Prowsy!" Props giggled. "Smexical, isn't it?"
"From the evidence that Rainbow has gathered throughout her travels, and from visions my beloved has shared with the knowledge gained by Nightshade Industries, it would seem there's plenty of data to support this fact," Pilate said.
"Don't forget the book I got from that skeleton in the... erm... giant centipede hole..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin. "Or was it a millipede?" A sigh. "Meh, whatever. I kicked its thorax either way, I'm sure."
"Ye mean techt 'at glowin' lift book 'at ye hae caged up in th' heart ay th' elk's skystain ship?"
"Yup yup up!" Props proudly chirped.
"Weel i'll be bloon tae blaze's bathroom!" Prowse smiled wide. "Zabubadabu gits snazzier by th' minute!"
"Yes, a regular vacation spot," Josho droned.
"Perhaps this city floated over Rainbow's homeland in the past," Elma Boreal thought out loud. "And her ancestors—being pegasi—piloted it far away so it wouldn't rick the local populace."
"You're saying Commander Hurricane and Company sacrificed themselves to escort Stratopolis out of Equestrian airspace?" Rainbow remarked.
"That makes some squeaky sense!" Props said.
"I wish there was a way to test that hypothesis..." Elma spoke aloud.
"There may in fact be a way," Pilate said, pacing in a tight circle. "Rainbow Dash. You said that there are several pegasus skeletons in here? Scattered abroad?"
"Er... yeah...?"
"Being the only pegasus in the room, might you take offense to us... erm... borrowing a bone or two?"
Rainbow Dash blinked, then shrugged. "Knock yourselves out. I'm pretty sure after so many dang centuries, the spooky scary pony ghosts are too flippin' bored to be disturbed."
"So what do we need, Pilate?" Josho asked.
"I suspect a single legbone will do."
Prowse was already trotting over towards a decayed body lying beside a barricade. With a shuddering breath, he converted his metal left leg into a thin blade. "Nopony e'er said archaeology was clean as a whistle..."
Props gulped and stammered, "Sorry about this, Mr. Skeleton Buddy."
Crackkk! With one fell swoop, Prowse lopped a legbone off. He passed it to Props who nervously trotted across the room and shuffled to a stop beside Pilate.
"Now..." The zebra motioned in a vague direction with his head. "Have it make contact with one of the rods."
Props did so, wincing slightly.
Tap.
The bone was resting against the black shard on the top of a rod. Silence ensued.
"Nothing's happening," Props murmured.
"Huh..." Elma squinted her reptilian eyes. "So maybe it doesn't work with all pegasi."
"Or, more logically, it only works with living ones," Pilate said.
"Or maybe it only worked with Commander Hurricane," Rainbow Dash said.
Everyone turned around.
"Huh?" Josho blinked.
Rainbow pointed towards the granite slabs lying beneath the stone effigy of the battle-hardened mare. "Check this out. This is the tomb that I told you about."
"And..." Props shuffled closer, eyes bright and blue. "You think your beloved Hurricane is sleeping here?"
"In the only sleep she'll never wake up from," Rainbow said with a nod. "I mean, it totally matches the way tombs are set up in the old, old districts of Cloudsdale. You see, Pegasopolis no longer exists," she explained with a shrug. "Many of its temples were absorbed into the bodies of newer and younger cloud cities. The remnants of Commander Hurricane's military base are part of Cloudsdale today. But there's one thing that's not to be found there."
"A sepulcher," Pilate said.
"Right. Besides..." Rainbow Dash pivoted around, gesturing towards the corridors on the far ends of the room. "All of the pegasi here look like they were really, really desperate to defend this spot until they kicked the bucket."
"That's rather honorable," Elma said. "To protect the remains of their leader far beyond her death."
"Yeah, but for how long?" Props said.
"They had a lot of pegasi guarding this place when things went down," Josho said. "And they were still in formation when they dropped. Whatever killed them, I think it was sudden. What's more, I'm pretty sure they had no friggin' expectation of it."
"Loch a bludy gas barrage?!" Prowse remarked.
"It could have been anything," Josho said. "Maybe they were here for weeks after she died. Maybe years. Maybe whole friggin' generations..."
"Whoah..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her scalp, shuddering. "That's crazy."
"Assuming that was the case," Elma said, "Why entomb Hurricane here? And in this room? I mean, it doesn't seem to make too much sense, unless—"
"—both the room and Commander Hurricane were super important!" Props remarked, blinking. "Like, perhaps they were inseparable for some reason!"
"Whit in th' cruddy boomsticks ur ye ramblin' abit, propsicle?"
"Rainbow Dash...?"
Rainbow spun about, realizing that Pilate had trotted halfway across the room on his lonesome.
The zebra was feeling up the statue above the tomb, touching Hurricane's stone features with gentle hooves. He gazed into nothingness as he said, "This is the effigy in question, I presume."
"Right on the money, Stripesy."
"I can't help but notice..." Pilate rubbed his hooves together, then furrowed his brow. "...there seems to be a fine layer of sediment over this."
"Well, yeah, Pilate." Rainbow fluttered over him. "I know you can't see it, but this place is old as all friggin' get-out."
"I think this is important," Pilate said. He leaned forward, rubbing his hoof across the very front of the tomb just beneath the statue. "I sense that there's something beneath the surface... like fine impressions..."
"You mean like engravings?" Josho said.
"Perhaps. Do you see what I'm talking about?"
"Uhhh..." Rainbow Dash squinted. "Barely."
"There's too much dust on it," Elma said. "It's impossible to read."
"Hauld oan, wee jimmies an' burds." Prowse stepped forward, cracking his living joints. Clak-clak-clak! His left limb turned into a metal cylinder. "Ah hink i've got jist th' solution we need. Propsicle? Coods ye support th' wee statue oan th' other side?"
Props rushed up, gripping the muzzle and ear of Commander Hurricane's effigy. "Got it, Uncky Prowsy!"
"Micht an aw dae yerself a favur an' cowre yer gob while yoo're at it." Prowse's eyes narrowed with concentration. His forelimb vibrated with a constant, steady hum. Props swiftly slid her goggles over her eyes and tilted her wincing expression away. Elma, Josho, and Rainbow Dash watched as the stallion's instrument shook the excess grime and sediment of time off the statue's surface. A fine cloud of dust rolled across the room in a invisible breeze.
"You're doing it, Professor! It's working!" Elma exclaimed.
"Yeesh..." Josho exhaled, his eyes narrow. "That's a lot of words."
"There we go..." Prowse stepped back, converting his limb into a normal brace. "'At shoods be clear as day, noo."
"Are the words legible to you, Rainbow?" Pilate asked.
"Uhm..." Rainbow Dash hovered until she was barely an inch off the floor. She blinked at the engravings. "Believe it or not, yeah! This is some crazy-old form of Equestrian Basic! But the words totally make sense to me! Huh... imagine that—"
"Uhmmm..." Props fidgeted. With an audible gulp, she trotted back, pointing at the effigy. "Dashie?"
"Hmmm?" Rainbow glanced at her, then at the statue. "What—?" Her ears instantly drooped.
With all the dust cleared off, the statue had exposed its true colors—complete with a faded paint job across Commander Hurricane's muzzle, eyes, and ears. The most noticeable detail was the granite mare's mane, more specifically its different hues—all seven of them.
Elma's beak hung agape. She glanced at Josho, and then both of them stared at Rainbow Dash. Everypony but Pilate was staring at Rainbow Dash.
"Huh..." The pegasus blinked. "...well that's groovy."
Hm.
Suddenly, I can understand Prowse a lot better.
Interesting.
Prowse is speaking in Normal! CHANGELIIIING!RUN FOR THE....THE...There isn't anywhere to run, is there?Edit: And he's indecipherable again.
Theories on Hurricane: RD gets booted back in time, and leaves something behind in her own grave for her younger, future self to use.
Or clones.
Or those of the Rainbow Hair are all Prophets of awesome. Like the Will of D.
Now it's time to play...
LONG LOST RELATIVE or PROPHETIC VISION?!!
4198207 4198240 Clearly we've just gotten used to his accent.
I wonder this says something about Dashie's lineage, or her soul.
3.bp.blogspot.com/-_sp7B59210c/TzrEizsbTHI/AAAAAAAAEYI/2oSxs5YMwLY/s400/suck%2Bcut.jpg
"Uncle Prowse! It sucks and it cuts!"
*picks up jaw off the floor*
Did not see that coming.
4198241 To me this was much rather the solution to one earlier question: prophetic vision or empirical prediction? As in: is Rainbow the first Austraeoh? You could've told me they predicted the Austraeoh's race and role through prophecy of some sort - but even her hair colour? And then erect at statue of her over Hurricane's grave instead one of her? No, I am rather convinced that this has confirmed the Spark as a repeating pattern, the rainbow pattern most likely as an optical trademark - and Hurricane as an earlier incarnation.
Or perhaps I'm trying to fulfill my own prophecies. If they journey was not perfect then do it again, over and over, until you get it right.
bloody-disgusting.com/photosizer/upload/darktower102411.jpg
But Rainbow's hair only has six. Does that mean the next Austraeoh if Rainbow fails will have five? Also, it's granite. Differing hues, but still rainbow looking mane ----> Daring Do.
Another note: I think it'd be totally awesome if that tomb was actually a machine stasis chamber and they open it and have Commander Hurricane join them on their epic quest :D
Horray for rainbow manes!
I guess their little play was more accurate than they thought. Groovy.
Prowse, are you a changeling?
Also, Dash is totally the second coming. Or Hurricane was the first Austraeoh and fucked up. Or something. A lot is happening very quickly.
Well this is interesting...
Its Megamaid, shes gone from suck to blow.
Given how unpleasantly efficint the Lounge have shown themselves to be before, I wonder how quickly they will be able to target the largest cetral target and make their way there.
I almost didn't recognize Prowse. I had such problems reading his dialogue before, but now it's weird NOT having it nigh impossible to understand.
One why is Prowse suddenly talking without an accent? Two Well this is a rather interesting development, I'm thinking that she was Rainbows relative and
as Nevlamas suggested the Austraeoh stuff is just repeating every few generations (or more)
4198351
Also speaking of the Dark Tower series I also consider that ending a likely ending to this series as well.
4198566 It's either a trick and he's a changeling. Or Colon forgot to go back and change it. If I were a writer, and heaven knows I'm not, I would write understandable talk first, then make it fancy and scottish afterwards.
4198608
Yeah the fact that Props is not saying anything about it, (in fact no one is) likely means that IC just forgot to edit it in.
Godammit, Rainbow Dash died for your sins!!!
And then Rainbow went back in time and showed the ancient pegasi her boomstick.
My only though is "whoa, SHIT!"
Is Dash a direct descendant of the Hurricane line? You'd think something like that would've been passed down through the generations though...
So the pillars are powered by rainbows. Groovy.
"Groovy" - Duke Nukem
Maybe if Hurricane was the first Austraeoh, she could have tried to use the city as some sort of tool to fix the broken world, and sent out pegasi with the books to light the fires of the machine world. Of course she has failed, but still - who attacked her, and for what reason?
Hurricane is a time traveling Old Mare Dash who will mentor Dash further and teach her the ways of Austraeoh.
When Rainbow reaches the Dark Side of the world this time traveling one will return to Ponyville while present day Dash completes the ring and goes back in time to not only be her own ancestor but also guide Stratopolis out of Equestria and then reawaken to be her own mentor.
(Crazy fan theory is crazy.)
I forgot to mention Older Dash will hit on Roake when they meet up and the shipping will continue.
Yes this is total self-serving trash, but if love it.
so are they related? or does Dash go back in time later and take a different name... or an Austreoh reincarnation... or something...
if that is true, then maybe the number of mane colors show how many lives they have left, Hurricane had 7 left, regenerated, and RD has 6...
NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
It can't all be the "RAINBOW DASH SHOW!" Where's the justice in this world?
i1.ytimg.com/vi/iLWq2d21lVQ/maxresdefault.jpg
The seventh hue is white for being old.
Yes! Finally caught up. Hate falling 20 chapters or so behind and then having to marathon it in one night. In most fics I've read involving Rainbow and Commander Hurricane it's usually mentioned that either she is related to the Commander or that she shares the rare rainbow mane color that the Commander had. As such I'm not really surprised to see this with the statue here. Regardless I can't wait to see where this goes from here.
Watch as Commander Hurricane wakes up. This reminds me of the Pandorica episode of Dr. Who.
Wow. Didn't see that coming, but it sure is nifty. I think Nev pretty much hit the nail on the head in thinking that Hurricane was a previous (I'm reluctant to say "original") incarnation of Austraeoh. The implication being that the levers, and perhaps the city's weather control abilities, can only be controlled by Austraeoh. Now I'm just eager to see what the inscription says.
4200534 Holy Celestia, I haven't thought about that fic in a while! It's still somewhere in my Favorites, I think... Probably gathering dust near the last few pages because it was never finished. I was actually reverencing Castle in the Sky, but I like yours better.
Oh damn, Hurricane had a rainbow mane like RD? Was she one of the first Austraeoh's, if not the first? Do all the Austraeoh's have rainbow colored manes? Oh, so many questions which we won't see answers to for another several dozen chapters at the least.
24
It would be much more entertaining for the series in the long run if Hurricane was alive, merely locked away in stasis. Yessss?
Just peachy keen
4201181
That would be awesome. The circular pattern on the Pandorica helps draw a comparison to the Urohringr symbol, too. Imagine if Dash had a "I am talking" -style speech.
PS:
-Spirit
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Oh
My
God
HERE WE GOOOO!
So this could be saying that Hurricane is some kind of long-lost ancestor to Dash. That would make sense. However, what I find interesting is that Hurricane's mane has seven colors as opposed to Dash's six. Is that important? What some other people are saying in the comments is that this is indicative of the idea of Austraeoh - the Spark - being a recurring cycle. It's either that the Spark is occasionally reincarnated for the journey to repeat itself over and over again or that there were previous Sparks who failed the journey - Hurricane being one of them. While. I do think that these are interesting theories, I also think that it could be too early to speculate on topics such as these. Won't stop me from talking about them, though! First off, the set of circumstances that surround Dash's journey are incredibly unique - Discord's return and the chaos rift has not happened prior to the events occurring before Austraeoh (the story). At the very least, a Discord hadn't returned yet. So what was supposed to send the other Sparks on their journeys? An equally unordinary set of events? Or is it more of a zen thing - that as long as the plane needs a Spark, SOMETHING will happen to send him/her on the journey. I would lean towards the latter explanation. Moving on, someone mentioned that the colors in the Spark's mane could be counting down - seven for a Hurricane, six for. Dash, and if Dash fails, the next Spark will have five colors. If all of the Sparks failed and the number counted down to zero, would the world be doomed after the Spark with only one color failed? We can't be sure. At the same time, the color could just be indicative of heritage, which would also be cool.
Well, that just about sums it up. And can I just say - I don't think I've been this excited for the series in quite some time. Perhaps all the way back since the beginning of Eljunbyro. This arc is really cool! These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Those guards frozen where they stand reminded me of Shinokuni from One Piece. Anyone who knows that...thank you.
BWAM BWAM BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!
No wonder Rainbow is so awesome; it's literally in her blood.
I don't see how people think that the mane color would determine the spark. Rainbow and Hurricane both have 7 colors. there's 7 in the rainbow after all. All I think is that if Rainbow is related to Hurricane then that would explain her tomboyish and semi military atitude
Ohhhh, that's some juicy info for us.
Well obviously now we know they had something in common, but is it a blood relation or something else?
Weird.
Dash & Hurricane confirmed for 20% cooler.
Sweet, good to see Pilat being useful again. The funks can't last forever.
The message is literally "groovy" because it is displayed though grooves on the "stone." Keen word choice IC.
Isildur'sHurricane's Heir has been found!Ah'll
________________
Woo7! So Dashie playing Commander Hurricane was destiny.