//------------------------------//
// The End of Line 
// Story: Ofolrodi 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

"Surprising development:  According to he who would be Lieutenant Warhol, they who would be the indigenous ponies of the Dark Side have only used one proper noun in all of their conversations.  It is a very curious word:  'Spindlers.'  This word has come up multiple times in the fleeting conversations carried between those who would be indigenous and those who would be the scouts of the Verdestonian Expedition."

The Herald gathered in the HQ room of Darkreach, huddled around Kepler and the "talking" briefcase.  Ariel squatted on the metal table.  Flynn and Wildcard leaned in, craning their necks.  Rainbow Dash hovered close to the ceiling while Logan stood with folded forelimbs before the stairwell.

The ancient voice of Chief Engineer Ranort continued:

"Informational analysis:  The weight of the word 'Spindlers' in the otherwise passive speech of they who would be indigenous suggests attributed purpose—even sapience.  The pluralization of the word suggests a possible faction in some sort of psychological or political faculty.  Why they who would be indigenous would make an exception out of their vocabulary to label this group—it cannot be explained.  He who would be Lieutenant Warhol has hypothesized that they who would be called 'Spindlers' may be a faction older than any observed in the totality of the Dark Side.  It is possible that there is a certain degree of innate psychological respect to be had for they who would be called 'Spindlers,' which might explain why they who would be indigenous do not treat they who would be called 'Bloodwings' with the same grammatical respect.

"Observational thoughts:  They who would be indigenous have been mostly taciturn in responding to questions posed by we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition.  However, when inquired about the location of they who would be called 'Spindlers,' they who would be indigenous were actually quick to indicate an approximate geographical location of this nebulous faction.  He who would be Lieutenant Warhol states that the locals described 'large, towering structures' when explaining the location of they who would be 'Spindlers'.  I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort finds this curious, in that they who would be indigenous appear to be describing a 'city' of some sort, which sounds completely inexplicable given the nature of the Dark Side.  Nevertheless, this geographical location has been added to the map, and the information has been supplied to she who would be Commander Gwen.

"Personal assessment:  I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort am pleased to know that she who would be Commander Gwen has agreed to send a band of scouts to the location of this fabled allotment of 'towering structures' situated Curveside—the purpose of which is to ascertain the nature of those who would be called 'Spindlers' in hope that deeper information regarding the Dark Side may be supplied.  So whole-heartedly does she who would be Commander Gwen believe in this mission that she has agreed to accompany he who would be Lieutenant Warhol in the matter.

"Enthusiastic development:  What's more, she who would be Commander Gwen has finally agreed to bring I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort along for the venture.  It is believe that I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort would be of better use in the field, ascertaining the structural integrity of these 'towers' expected to be situated in the location of those who would be called 'Spindlers.'  If their name serves any deeper purpose than mere mystique, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort greatly suspect that any knowledge that can be attained by such a faction can greatly improve the survivability of that which would be called the Darkreach Colony.

"Somber aside:  One thing is for certain—if that which would be called the Verdestonian Expedition does not make any headway soon, then all the work put in by he who would be called King Onyxxus as supplied by they who would be the Twin City Council will be for nothing.  Supplies are low and we who would be the Verdestonian Expedition simply do not possess enough crystals to power us through another year.  It is with great courage that she who would be called Commander Gwen leads this latest venture, and I who would be called Chief Engineer Ranort am deeply proud to assist her in a mission of priceless fact-finding.

"Temporary conclusion:  A lengthy journey awaits.  I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort must suspend this journal until future tasks in maintaining the energy core of that which would be called the Darkreach Colony can be resumed.  Until then, I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort leave the facility in the capable hands of they who would be my Cylindrimanian brothers and sisters.  The heart of technology beats harder and harder, and I who would be Chief Engineer Ranort carries its pulse.  End of line."

With that, the crackling voice ended.  A dull electrical hum died out, and the briefcase was eerily silent.

Ariel blinked.  Her muzzle hung agape.  "That's it?!"

Kepler nodded.  "The last jourrnal of Chief Engineerr Rranorrt ends therre."

Wildcard scratched his feathery chin with his partially-finished prosthetic.

"Well... shit..."  Logan exhaled.  "There's gotta be more."

"I'm afrraid therre is not, frriend."  Kepler looked across the room, adjusting his spectacles.  "I rrealized we werre rrunning thin on time and rresourrces," the wyvern said.  "So... I parrsed thrrough what was left of the crrystals... listening just farr enough into the opening entrries to ascerrtain the date of rrecorrding."  He pointed his claw at the briefcase.  "That which have just listened to is the verry last entrry by ourr ancient engineerr inforrmant."

"Well... uh..."  Logan scratched his chin, fidgeting.  A shrug.  "Listen to the other ones in between!  Maybe one of the older entries will—"

"Will what?"  Flynn squinted.  "Shed any further light on a later, all-conclusive journal entry?"

"You call that 'conclusive?'" Logan cackled.

"Look!"  Rainbow spoke loudly.  "It doesn't matter.  What we've got is what we've got."  She looked over at Kepler.  "Keps—thanks for doing the homework.  You're awesome."

"A pleasurre, Rrainbow One."  Kepler sighed.  "I only wish I had found that entrry farr soonerr."

"What's it matter, though?"  Ariel shrugged.  She pivoted about on the table and shrugged.  "It's not giving us much to go on!"

"It's given us enough."  Rainbow looked at the group as a whole.  "'Spindlers.'  We've all caught wind of this term before, haven't we?"

Wildcard attempted to gesture something.  He winced, having to use his other hand to move two metal fingers and "force" a final word into completion.

Flynn nevertheless read him.  "Yeah.  The maps are labeled with it."

"Do you remember precisely where?" Rainbow asked.

"Sure."  Flynn stepped forward to the table.  He whistled at Ariel.  "Yo.  Off."

"Mrmmmff..."  Ariel reluctantly took wing like an exacerbated cat.

"Good girl."  Flynn slapped a button, and the rusted pins and needles rose out of the table in topographical coordination.  The unicorn pushed a slider, and the map "zoomed out" to display the mesa of Darkreach in relation to the solid parallel cutting the wasteland off from the overgrown Curveside.

"Where's the spot that Ariel and I found the living forest partially cleared out by the glass sheet?" Rainbow asked.

"That would be... ... ..."  Flynn turned a few dials.

The pins and needles shifted, revealing more of Alpha.  A geometrically rigid set of pins lowered in a tiny rectangle, standing out from the rest of the map.

"There."  Flynn pointed.  "About seven and a half kilometers in a straight line between Darkreach and Alpha."

"'Kay..."  Rainbow "paced about" in midair.  She hovered above Flynn and the table.  "Let's assume that's our best point of entrance."

"Entrance?" Logan breathed.

Rainbow nodded.  "For piercing the chaotic wilderness beyond the sundered parallel."

"Riiiiiiight..."  Logan folded his forelimbs again, jaw clenched.  "That's gonna be a lotttt of weed whacking."

"Not unless Flynn's genius hoverrocks can help us scale most of them."

Flynn grumbled inwardly.

"Save your grumbles for another time," Rainbow said.  "Now... can this table triangulate the spot where the ancient maps had 'Spindlers' labeled?"

"Errrrr..."  Flynn nodded, his one good eye squinting.  "Maybe."

"Maybe is good enough."  Rainbow looked at the crowd.  "Anyone wanna lend our genius a hand?"

A slight whistle.  Wildcard marched over.  He placed his good hand on Flynn's shoulder, then gestured at the table with a few sharp claws.

"Right.  I-I forgot the coordinates for a second there."  Flynn took a deep breath, twisting and turning knobs.  "Mmmmmmmmm... adjusting for the plane's curve... Alpha and Omega variations..."

"Just... how far out are we talking about?" Ariel stammered.

"Oh you're not going to like this."  With that, Flynn took one last look at Wildcard, then slapped the central button on his console.

The rusted pins rattled as they dropped rapidly, then rose up at a much sparser rate.  The mesa of Darkreach had become nothing more than three rusted needles at the very end of the table.  About two-thirds of the way across the map, a series of pins nebulously rose, framed by a geometric rectangle.

"There isn't enough data to ascertain the topography, but..."  Flynn pointed.  "There you have it.  'Spindler' territory... or whatever."

Ariel's ears instantly drooped.  "You're right.  I don't like it."

"That has to be overr five hundrred kilometerrs..."  Kepler murmured.  "Perrhaps morre..."

"Buck me sideways..."  Logan gawked at the others.  "How are we expected to hack and slash our way through all of that?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but..."  Rainbow's eyes narrowed at the group.  "...how are we expected to hack and slash our way to the Midnight Armory?"

The room fell dead silent.

Wildcard eventually gestured something.

"Hmmmm..."  Flynn sighed.  "He's got a point."

"Care to share with me?" Rainbow hummed.

Flynn looked at the others.  "At least it's a destination.  A fixed point in all this chaos is better than no point at all."

"Do we really believe that these 'Spindlers' are somehow a solution to getting closer to our destination?" Logan remarked.

"Rranorrt has forrged a rremarrkable path forr us all," Kepler said.  "I think it would be folly not to take advantage of that."

"But... we just listened to his last entry, right?" Ariel remarked.  "It's safe to say that this is what ended him altogether!  Heck... all of Darkreach!"  She gestured.  "You heard him!  Both Warhol and the Commander herself took him on this trip to snoop out these 'Spindlers.'  It looks to me like they never came back!"

"The rest of the colony must have gone into disarray as soon as they realized that all their leaders weren't coming back," Logan droned.  "They probably fled the place in a panic.  Became Bloodwing food or worse."

"We still don't know what happened to the ponies who stayed here," Rainbow Dash said.  "All we know is that their head haunchos had one heck of a hunch and they followed it."

"Yeah."  Ariel nodded.  "To their end."

"Or... maybe they made progress," Rainbow said.  "So much progress that they simply couldn't afford coming back to Darkreach."

Flynn looked up.  "Do you honestly believe that?  I mean... look at what we're dealing with here."

"We only half-know what we're dealing with here," Rainbow Dash said.  "But if we retrace the steps of our predecessors... the last known steps they ever took... maybe we can learn just enough to help us get to the same destination."  She gulped.  "And how stupid would we be not to pursue every single shred of information that's out there waiting for us?"

Once again, silence.

"You're the Austraeoh, Rainbow," Logan said.  "What you say, we do.  Where you go, the Herald goes."

Wildcard nodded adamantly.

"Look..."  Rainbow touched down, wings coiling at her side.  "I know you and Mortuana made this super-awesome pledge to be my new Eljunbyro and whatnot..."  Her eyes narrowed.  "But if we're going to do this, then we're going to have to do this as a team.  Even me at my awesomest ain't worth a drop of cider without the help of all my friends anchored to me.  So... what about a vote?"

"A vote?"

"Yes.  Democratic crud."  Rainbow gestured at the group.  "Should we pursue this one last lead?  Or should we venture blindly into Curveside?  Either way, I can assure you..."  A solid breath.  "...it won't be no friggin' walk in the park."

Silently, each member of the Herald looked at one another.  The room was awash in tense breaths and glazed expressions...