"You heard me." Rainbow nodded. "It's a suuuuuuuuper huuuuuuge desert located beyond the Blight! I'm talking about hundreds if not thousands of miles of barren rock, arid mountains, and steep canyons as far as the mind's eye can imagine! I bet your ancestors don't even remember it because the dang thing killed most of them off! Heck, I'd write that out of history as well rather then have my descendants go through the same thing!"
Xarchellus, Enix, and several others exchanged curious glances.
"Aaaaand..." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "...beyond that, you've got... let's see... blood-thirsty goblins, shifty naga, a frozen ocean, tattooed warriors, a warmongering bureacracy, cyborg death chicks, friggin' foxes and diamond dogs and minotaurs... and don't get me started on all the countless number of deep caves filled with Goddess-knows-what that wanna eat ponies whole." She shuddered slightly.
A nervous murmur rolled through the midnight crowd.
"The picture you paint of this world... is most exceedingly perilous," Xarchellus muttered.
"A challenge that my brothers and sisters of nightblood are more than capable of meeting!" Enix said in a bold tone. "Is that correct, Matriarch?"
Rainbow Dash interrupted: "Don't you get it? Sure, the bulk of you might make it—assuming you don't step on any angry ponies' fetlocks. But... there's simply no way to avoid the cold hard truth." Rainbow gulped. "A lot of you guys simply won't make it back to Equestria... and I'm too scared to guess how many..."
"As powerful as my sister and I are," Luna spoke, "There is only so much that we can do. I'm afraid that the chaos rift here in Equestria is far too unstable and dangerous for us to abandon. After all, if we had wished to intervene on the Austraeoh's half, we would have done so months ago, and we would gladly do so for you, my lost flock. However... we have a duty to the tens of thousands of ponies living here in Equestria—the location of our throne—and we shan't forsake them... as they are one of the last bastions of unfettered harmony on this plane."
"So... y'know... if you wanna make the same journey that I did—only in reverse?" Rainbow Dash shrugged as she faced the leaders of Bleak's Plummet. "Be my guest. But don't expect it to be easy. And one of the first things you're gonna have to do is ditch your super-awesome submersibles once you reach the dead, dry shores of the Grand Choke. From then on..." She gulped. "...you've got only the first of several long slogs."
The sarosians stared off in silence.
Just then, there was a whistling sound.
Several heads turned.
Rainbow Dash found herself staring at Wildcard. The Desperado was busily hand-signing something.
"Uhhhh..." Rainbow looked at Bard. "What's he saying, buddy?"
Bard spoke: "'Didn't the Blight fall apart and shit?'"
Rainbow blinked.
Wildcard continued gesturing.
Bard cleared his throat. "And... uhhhh... 'Didn't you leave most of those super dangerous places in a way better shape than they were in when you first approached them?'"
"Uhhhhh..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her fuzzy head. "Uhmmm..."
"Yeah, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie turned towards Rainbow. "Birdo and Bardo have a point!"
"You did do quite a lot of good in those troubled locations," Rarity said. "Stopping civil wars... restoring cities to their original glory... averting coups..."
"You ended the war between Ledomare and Xona," Twilight Sparkle said. "Or—at least—you brought about peace. Remember? Seclorum and Crimson filled you in about it."
"And that Alafreo Continent just sounds... so nice," Fluttershy hummed, smiling. "Especially after what you and your Noble Jury friends did for the sweet elk of Val Roa."
"Yeah, sugarcube." Applejack nodded. "If ya ask me, you done took the brunt of thangs and softened the world up for the likes of Xarchellus and company!"
"But..." Rainbow Dash gestured dramatically. "It's not the same! I'm just one mare! They're a bunch of scary bat ponies—" She winced, glancing at Echo and Nicole. "No offense."
"None taken."
"Shit off the back."
Rainbow turned to her ghostly companions again, "It's not like they can enjoy an easy ride just by taking the same path I did—only in reverse!"
"Sure they can, Dashie! Don't you get it?" Pinkie Pie grinned wide. "Maybe this was the whole reason that the 'Austraeoh' schtick drew you in the direction you did! So you could paint a super awesome road of flowers and sunshine for everypony else!"
"You should be proud of yourself!" Twilight smiled.
"It... it can't be that simple," Rainbow Dash wheezed. She brushed her bangs back, shuddering. "... ... ...can it?"
The sarosians looked on, supremely curious.
"Uhm..." Ariel floated closer. "...care to fill us in on your epiphany, girl?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Rainbow lingered.
Remna grunted, "The path should be considerably less trepidatious so long as you follow the Austraeoh's path as closely as possible."
Rainbow flashed her a look.
Remna glanced back at her, all the while speaking to the sarosians. "For she has left peace and prosperity in her wake. It would be best to pursue this as a gateway... and make your swift flight home."
The entire crowd murmured.
"Is..." Xarchellus looked at Rainbow Dash. "...is this true?"
"Uhhhhh..." Rainbow gulped, then glanced skyward. "What do you think, Your Highness?"
Luna replied swiftly: "It is certainly the wisest thing we recall hearing from Axan's mouth."
Remna folded her forelimbs.
"Well then..." Rainbow Dash plopped back on her haunches. "...it's a start at least."