Old
Everywhere Rainbow Dash flew, the metal chamber opened up even more. She had to pace herself, or else she'd be drawn into flying too far away from the group of escapees. Every corridor she peered down, the interior held more and more winding passageways full of silver-plated pillars, shiny platforms, and mysterious pieces of machinery.
The place was massive; that couldn't be emphasized enough. Rainbow Dash felt as if she would have far less locations to visit if she was floating in the very heart of Cloudsdale. Not only was the labyrinthine place immense, but it was clean, pristine, immaculate, hardly indicative of a location that was so old and abandoned.
At least, she assumed the place was abandoned. Astral wasn't the only one who felt as though the place showed hints of intelligent design. At every turn, the interior resembled a huge, royal palace. And yet, at every other turn, gigantic gears and levers and conveyor systems rested in perpetual silence.
Rainbow Dash couldn't pretend to guess what the machinery's purpose was. As curious as she was, she wasn't about to find out. She kept remembering that she wasn't the only pony there, the only soul turned breathless by the sights of that awesome place. There was no telling what would happen if she moved a single switch or lever. The twenty-nine escapees needed her. What was more, they needed to pass through this area safely.
But where were they all headed? Rainbow Dash paused briefly in her flight, hovering above the multiple platforms and walkways. She hadn't realized it until a good hour into the trek, but she was being drawn towards a distant part of the place. It was different than when she flew ever eastward in her normal, everyday journey. This was something that was beyond instinctual, something that was pulling at the very fiber of her being.
She gazed down at her pendant. She saw a dim glow at the heart of the ruby lightning bolt. Then, looking down at the platforms, she saw how the seams and grooves in the wall shimmered noticeably around her. The place was incredibly dark on the inside, at least until her presence graced it. Afterwards, the group got plenty of illumination. She never thought about questioning the reason why, but she never felt the reason to. Rainbow Dash had been filled with a great sense of ease upon reaching that place. She didn't fear in the least for the well-being of her fellow ponies. Until an instinct made her feel differently, she wasn't about to panic.
She flew ahead of the group, dashing left and right, checking each corridor before ultimately choosing a passage that was safe—that she somehow knew was without danger. This process of travel continued for a very long time. Hours crept by. The group paused on more than one occasion to collect their breaths, as well as their senses.
“Just how old is this place?” a mare remarked.
“By the Sun Goddess! I can't imagine!” said a stallion. “Somehow I wouldn't doubt if it's as old as Creation!”
“But that's impossible,” another stallion exclaimed. “The Creation of the world was a divine event. The gods and goddesses of old wouldn't have left this place to be forgotten! Obviously, this was built by some later civilization...”
“It could be possible,” a unicorn spoke up. “The world is likely a log older than most Wintergate historians imagine. The only living souls capable of understanding the lengths of time are the alicorn goddesses of Equestria.”
A few ponies looked up at their blue, winged chaperone from afar. They then exchanged glances.
“Why does this place light up for her? Is it because of that thing she wears?”
“You don't suppose she was always meant to come to this place from the beginning?”
“Why would she bring us with her?”
“You... You don't think she means to sacrifice us, do you?”
“Don't be absurd! If we meant so little to her, she would have done away with us earlier! Besides, her only sin is thinking with her gut more than her brain from time to time.”
“I just don't like this situation,” a mare said. “We're in a deep, frightening place that's far too grand and old for any of us to comprehend, and yet she's the only one with a chip on her shoulder.”
“You mean she's the only one who's so courageous?” Red Turnip Sr. remarked, shuffling over to sit with the group. “If you ask me, none of us should begin freaking out until Miss Dash does.”
“Why are you defending her so much, Red? This entire time, you've been practically worshipping her.”
He smiled back at the group. “She brought my son to me. She freed us from our imprisonment. She's filled my entire life with hope and joy. Until I see something break that pattern, I'm standing by her side to the bitter end.”
“Besides...” Astral also joined the group, levitating the last bit of minotaur rations over so that they could have a bite to eat. “Where she is, there's light. I have the feeling that whatever this place is, it was meant for her to find it. There's no safer place in Wintergate to be than by her side.”
“I hope you're right,” a stallion remarked. “I hope this isn't just blind faith.”
Astral nodded, took a bite out of some preserved meat, and swallowed. “I've never been more blind than I am now.”
“Don't you find that alarming?”
“Hmmph...” He swallowed another morsel. “On the contary.” He smiled and gazed up at Rainbow's hovering figure. “I find it rather... liberating. Like I've sprouted wings of my own...”
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This is so interesting, I can't wait to see what's next!
What, no Glados?
So just what is this place?
This is exteamily good read I love it
See, this is why I love this story. No matter how goofy Rainbow acts, or how awesomely thrilling the action sequences are, there's still that undertone of seriousness and poetic-y-ness. Its like a perfect mixture of the two. I dunno if you have this stuff planned, or if you're just flying by the seat of your pants, but whatever you're doing, don't stop
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So in this chapter, we again don't get a lot of plot, but we get a glaring neon billboard of text instead that states that this "Iron Factory" (that's what I'm calling it from now on) is a sort of temple for the Elements. Also, Astral has a nice little philosophical moment at the end of this chapter, so that's nice too. I'm also starting to think that this machine might be a manufacturing machine that makes several of one thing. But I can't know for sure...These are my thoughts so far.
MASH
P.S. I have a really bad head cold, so I just want to apologize in advance if any of my upcoming evaluations aren't exactly up to snuff. I had a headache all day today at school...
But as long as I know that at least one person reads my evaluations, I'll keep writing them!
Damn, this story.
i.imgur.com/mrmVE.gif
This place has a sort of Forerunner vibe going on. Perfect, nigh-indestructible construction, ancient machines with no discernable function, everything's all well-kept and pristine despite having been abandoned for ages, and it only truly opens up to a select few.
Yes, it certainly is a log older
My guess is that they'll find the entrance in the mines beneath Windthrow, and she'll 'let them all out there. Then, to satisfy the urge within her, she will fly back into the temple, where she'll discover... something. Well, I don't know what's down there!
3673623
Dem logs tho.
Blind to the world or blind in bliss, neither is without remiss.
The mystery is really captivating me at this point. The story pulls off a wonderful vibe of being way, way deeper and larger than I can imagine, just like these ponies must all feel. It excites and scares me to find out what may come.
Interesting. A possible temple/shrine for the elements.... the mystery is simultaneously aggravating and alluring
1372295 134 weeks is over 2 and half a year, but I still read your evaluations.
5936648 You have given me a goal. About a week and a half ahead of me. I wanna catch up now.
The last couple chapters have been intense. This place is so intriguing, and the conversations the escapees are having about Dash... they bring a smile to my face. I love it! Gotta keep reading, and maybe it'll cheer me up after failing that Organic Chemistry midterm...
~SolidFire
I'm 70 chapters into a 1400+ chapter-long series. I'm going to enjoy this.
6591205 I'm right there with ya!
6790085 holy buck, I'm not the only one starting to read this right now? That's a relief, was feeling lonely xD
~The Dinkster
lot
_____________________
1372295
I'll admit I haven't read most of them *sorry*, but I do like them when I spot them ^_^. It's awesome that you take the time to make these ^_^.
6967570
Huh. I just assumed it was a unit of measurement.
Like, counting the rings on a log from a particularly old tree or a town's 'log book' with enough space for a certain number of years and the term became a generic measure of time, like an aeon.
5977804 Hi!
I'm re-reading, up for another race?
7840210
Woohoo, more members of the reread club!
7861351 Woah! And here I thought I wasn't this close to anyone else re-reading this!
7866928
Heh, I was actually just wondering about that a while ago. With as strong a following as this series has, I wouldn't be surprised if there are at least a couple of rereaders at any given time, and we just don't know. I probably wouldn't have commented if I hadn't seen 7840210's comment. Anyway, welcome (back) to the club!
7867108 Looks like this is the rereader checkpoint, so here is another rereader.
02/17/2017 21:15 UTC
7956168
Rewelcome to the reclub!
Honestly I have no idea how this became the rereader checkpoint. But hey, I'm not complaining. Whoop!
----------READER CHECKPOINT REACHED----------
6967570
Huh. I've stumbled over this twice on re-reading now and just assumed it was some countryism for saying "a lot". Didn't realize it could simply be a typo.
If this is the unofficial rereader checkpoint then I ought to check in. I didn't read the comments last time, a mistake which is being remedied this time around.
8126901 i read some my first time but now ive been reading more
8126901
You have to practically read the comments to enjoy the story to it's fullest. Thankfully I didn't make that mistake the first time around
Re-reading this story and it's still so awesome
First time through and it's amazing hopefully the epic will be fini when I catch up.
8409080
Same. I love this series so far!
7956168
And another reread, still as excellent as ever
07/14/2019
02:34 UTC
REREAD CHECKPOINT REACHED
Ancient machinery lying underground, miles away from the Equestria we know that just so happens to respond to the magic of an Element. Strange. Very strange indeed....
Also, I once again refuse to accept typos in favor of believing a "log" to be a large unit of time for Windthrow.
I wonder what it's for. Gears transmit mechanical motion; conveyor systems transport items and material. Was this some kind of factory or processing plant?