//------------------------------//
// Just a Short Survey 
// Story: Ofolrodi 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

Ariel levitated at a high altitude, peering into the grand black curve of the world.  The twilight above cast a silver sheen across the gray tips of her fuzzy ears.

It wasn't long until a prismatic shape was hovering at her side.  Rainbow Dash's pendant glinted as she pivoted slightly to face Ariel.

"So... how's it looking to you?"

Ariel exhaled slowly.  "Well... I never thought I'd hear myself say this... but I kinda wish Echo was here right now."

Rainbow nodded.  "That dark, huh?"

Ariel pointed a hoof nebulously into the continental shadows.  "There's a flat plain of solid stone—for sure—and it stretches waaaaaay out."  She tilted her hoof slightly to the right.  "There's a dip of some sort from... the north?  Is that north, now?"

"Might as well be."

"Hrmmfff..."  Ariel tossed her mane, squinting.  "Anyways... there's a valley that juts into the plateau—I think.  Otherwise, the rock is perfectly smooth.  Like a pearl, even.  The further away from the Edge of the World, the shinier the rock gets.  Of course..."  She grumbled breathily.  "That could just be an optical illusion on account of the twilight."  She rubbed her fuzzy nose, then turned to glance at Rainbow.  "You suppose that the further we get from the edge, the easier it will get to actually see things?"

"You're hoping for too much, girl," Rainbow said.  "This isn't the Light Side.  Firmaments or no Firmaments, there's no Sun or Moon to help us on our journey.  Only the stars."

"Egads..."  Ariel shivered.  She hugged herself in mid-hover.  "I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with... that much darkness."

Rainbow bore a bittersweet smirk.  "It's not like they called this place the 'Pizza Side.'"

Ariel blinked sideways.  "Huh?"

Rainbow blinked back.  "You've... you've never had pizza?"

"Should I have?"

"I mean... wowsers... it's like layers of cheese and tomato sauce served on a circular pie of dough and then you've got broccoli and mushroom toppings—"  Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-sentence as she saw how adorably confuzzled Ariel's expression was.  "Ahem."  She hung her forelimbs behind her back and gazed into the dark continents.  "Well, when we get to Equestria, we should totally have Pinkie Pie bake some for you."

"Heehee..."  Ariel brushed a bang back.  "Now there's a goal.  Never mind the Harmonic Prism."

"That'll be one for the history books," Rainbow Dash muttered as thunder rumbled over their heads.  "When Celestia, Luna, and the Council of Canterlot ask me why I went on such an epic around-the-world journey, I'll tell them: 'I did it for pizza.'"

"Hahahahaha..."

Silence.

Ariel gulped.  "So... uhm... where the Hell are we going first?"

"I was hoping you'd have something to help me with."

"Well, I'm afraid I don't."  Ariel swung a forelimb.  "Either we march towards the fuzzy black area or the fuzzy gray area."

"It's not all blank, though."  Rainbow squinted hard, her neck tilting up as her eyes traced faint glowing lines and splotches in the indiscernible distance.  "There's definitely stuff going on out there."

"Yeah.  Stuff we want to avoid."

Rainbow gritted her teeth slightly.  "Not forever, though."

Ariel nodded, gazing down slightly.  "Yeah..."

"Well, we've got something to start with, at least," Rainbow said.

Ariel looked at her.  "What's that?"

Rainbow's brow furrowed in the twilight.  "Darkreach."

Ariel's ears twitched.  "Oh.  Right."

"If this exact spot is where the Emeraldinians surfaced, then their Dark Side encampment can't be too crazy far away," Rainbow said.  "Between Kepler's knowledge of Mortuana's records and Rarity's crazy senses... we're just bound to find it."

"You think?"

"Definitely."  Rainbow nodded.  "And that's as good a place as any to head to first."

"Have you talked to the others about this?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."  Rainbow's cheeks turned ever so slightly rosy.  "I will now!  Yup!"

Ariel giggled.

Rainbow smirked.

"Ahem... but seriously, though..."  Ariel blinked nervously at her.  "What will we even expect to find there?  The Gondola obviously hadn't been used in a while when you discovered it.  I doubt there was travel between the Light Side and Dark for decades... centuries even.  Would there still be any Emeraldinians alive in Darkreach?  Descendants... perhaps?"  She grimaced.  "If I was holed up in a place like this all my life, I'm not sure I'd want to be visited by blood-glowing strangers."

"I... kinda doubt anypony's going to be waiting for us there," Rainbow said.  "But... who knows?  It could have supplies.  Stuff we could use to help us on the journey ahead."

"Fair enough."

"I dunno about you... but I kinda want something familiar to help me... to help us feel 'grounded.'"

Ariel nodded shakily.  "You won't get any argument from me."

More silence.

"Guess... we'd better get going, then, huh?" Ariel remarked.

"Yeah."  Rainbow inhaled.  "First thing's first, about Bard..."

"Rainbow..."  Ariel rested a hoof on her shoulder.  "We already told you.  It wasn't your fault—"

"Hey.  I'm cool."  Rainbow turned to face her.  "Well... cool enough.  But this isn't about me."

"What are you getting at?"

"Maybe... uhm..."  Rainbow gazed down at where the rest of the group were gathered.  "...now's as good a time as ever to let everypony else clear the air."

"Oh."  Ariel stared down at them as well.  She hesitantly nodded.  "Y'know... that's not a bad idea."  She looked at Rainbow.  "What did you have in mind?"

"The better question is..."  Rainbow looked back.  "What do you guys have in mind?"