//------------------------------//
// Meet at the Instance Gate 
// Story: Urohringr 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

	"A control room?" Josho shouted across the wind and rain.

"Yup!"  Rainbow Dash jumped the gap between the circular building's balcony and the adjacent temple.  She landed a few feet in front of the Noble Jury's dormant bow.  "In that it seems to control the buildings that are floating around here."

"And..."  Belle squinted from where she stood with Kera alongside Elma.  "...the core that runs this place?"

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath.  "I... haven't had quite as much luck finding that," the pegasus muttered.

"Hrmmmf..."  Floydien rolled his red eyes.  "Assuming such a glimmer wad exists."

"Hey!"  Rainbow frowned and pointed a hoof.  "I'm gonna find it!  Okay?  I've just got... y'know... more places to search."

"Seems like an awfully large building," Eagle Eye said, squinting through the constant drizzle.  "Could take hours to explore... days even..."

Ebon blinked.  "What if we split up?"

Zaid scowled at him.  "Were you friggin' born yesterdouche?!"

"I was j-just suggesting something!"  Ebon bit his lip with folded ears.  "In the interest of time..."

"If ye ask me, aam raither glad tae hae aw th' time in th' warld tae explair thes magnificent waterlogged bungaloo!"  Prowse said with a bearded grin.

"Yes, we all know that," Rainbow Dash muttered.  "But we've gotta set our priorities."

"The faster we get out of here, the safer we'll all be," Belle said.

"An' jist whit makes ye certain ay 'at, Miss Paranoia?!" Prowse barked.

Belle frowned across the way at him.  "You're not the only pony here with a doctorate."

"Let's all try to calm down and not bite at each other," Pilate said, his voice raised above the thunder.  He waved his forelimbs as he spoke towards the hissing weather.  "Rainbow Dash, you've found evidence of mechanical purpose to this place, yes?"

"Right."  The pegasus nodded.  "There're a bunch of poles inside the centermost piece of the place that control the floating obelisks.  It seems as though two or three temples are—like—somehow magically attached to these dark structures.  When I move the poles, I move the obelisks, and then the temples float along with them."

"So you have access to the entire city?!"  Props remarked, bright-eyed.

"Seems like it."

"Hrmmmm..."  Prowse rubbed his fuzzy chin with a metal prosthetic.  "Main be some sort ay prehistoric leyline aura manipulation buffer...."

"Or just a bunch of fart physics," Josho grumbled.  "I, for one, say that we go in search of the core."

"Would we even know what to look for?" Ebon asked.

"Rainbow, this place with the levers that manipulated the floating buildings," Props spoke.  "Where were they inside this big-big building here?"

"In the center..."  Rainbow jolted and pointed.  "T-towards the top!  Like, it's right beneath this glass dome thing."

Props glanced at her uncle.  "If I was an ancient race of mysterious sky ponies..."

Prowse nodded back.  "Eh'd fancy buildin' mah energy cair in th' huir uv a center ay th' most important structure."

"Seems kind of presumptious, don't you think?" Belle said.

"If I can make a suggestion," Pilate said.  "Perhaps if Rainbow Dash led a group back to the control room beneath the glass ceiling, everypony can work together to find evidence of where the central energy core of this Stratopolis is."

"What's the point in doing that?" Zaid asked.

"Whoever built this place must have exhibited a great deal of intelligence and creativity," Pilate said.  His ears twitched in the wet wind.  "It stands to reason that there would be patterns interwoven in their work," he remarked.  "If you look in one important control room, you'll likely find evidence for where to locate another important energy junction."

"Makes a big auld buckit ay sense tae me!"  Prowse smirked.  "Ah loch ye, zebra! Yoo've got iron an' brains in atween them stripes!"

"I... dunno if I can recognize any such patterns," Props said.

"But I know somepony who can."  Rainbow Dash smirked.  "Pilate?  Feel like coming along?"

Belle did a double-take.  "What...?!"

"I..."  Pilate gritted his teeth, fidgeting.  "I would just be a burden.  I mean, without O.A.S.I.S..."

"But you can still envision stuff in your head, now can't you?"  Rainbow Dash flew towards him and placed a hoof on his shoulder.  "Blinders on or off, you're the sharpest knife in this zany little drawer of ours.  So how about it?  We could really use your pointers on the inside."

Pilate stammered.  "You... y-you really think I can be useful?"

"Dude, when haven't you been?"  Rainbow Dash smirked.

"Striped boomer is the best compass Floydien's ever had," the elk remarked with a nod.  "Nancy Jane would approve too."

Pilate took a shuddering breath.  Clenching his jaw shut, he nodded.  "Alright.  Count me in."

"Wicked sweet!"  Rainbow Dash helped Pilate towards the edge of the temple.  "I'll be having to fly us over one at a time.  Might as well give you a lift, first..."

"Rainbow, w-ait!"  Belle exclaimed.

Pilate jerked to a stop.  Rainbow stared over the zebra's shoulder.  "Something the matter, Ding-Dong?"

Belle's muzzle hung open.  She twitched... twitched again, then drew back into the temple's shadows, holding Kera close.

Rainbow blinked, then turned to face the rest of the group.  "Anypony else wanna stretch their legs in a super creepy building filled with ancient skeletons and surrounded by rainstorms?"

"I bet I could be of some help," Props said, trotting forward.  "You've seen one smexy machine, you've seen them all!"

"An' there's nae way in bludy heel aam sittin' thes a body it!"  Prowse reached back and tugged a certain snapping turtle along with him.  "Hop along, Tankette!  It's Zabubadabu or bust!"

"Wh-whoah!  I... uhm..."  She gulped.  "Do I have a choice, Professor?"

"Please. yoo're a livin' sheel, lassie. Whaur arenae ye safe?  Hmmm?"

Miss Boreal sighed long and hard.  "Just don't use me to bash any doors in."

"Ew, he does that?" Zaid remarked.

"Only one time!"  Prowse frowned, then fidgeted.  "Hoo was Ah tae ken Mintian monks locked aw ay their oothooses?"

"Guess I'd better haul my butt with you guys too," Josho grumbled, shuffling forward.

Eagle Eye did a double-take.  "What?!  Old stallion?!  Why?!"

Josho swiveled around, levitating his shotgun.  "Just because."  He shrugged.  "After all, you never know when or if a water golem or Ledo knows what else might decide to spring out of this place's ancient butt cracks and give us all a headache."

"Two glasses of shotgun keeps the doctor away, huh?"  Zaid asked.

"Just be glad that I've not yet used you for target practice."

"Right.  Erm... shutting up now."

"So it's settled, then?"  Rainbow Dash asked.  "If so, then let me start flying us over there one at a time—"

Pilate suddenly gasped.

"What?"  Rainbow looked at him.  "I know it's a little rain, but I can manage!"

"Do you h-hear that?"  the zebra stammered, his ears twitching.  "Rising slowly in pitch from the distance?"

"The heck are you even talking about?" Josho throated.

"No..."  Ebon Mane winced.  "I hear it too..."

"Guysies!"  Props gasped, pointing straight down into the lightning-riddled clouds.  "Looksies!"

Everypony (and elk [and turtle]) craned their necks to see.  It looked like a dark splotch at first, like a thundercloud bubbling with extra dense precipitation.  But then it shot out of the mists like a cannonball, spinning with a high-pitched whistle.  With random pulses of yellow light, the Lounge's ship spiraled out of control, flew into the heart of Stratopolis, and crash landed deep into a large temple several hundred meters below.  Dust flew, and chunks of marble fell into the gray expanse below.  But then all of the chaos of the impact was swiftly swallowed by the rolling thunder of that dank, dank place.

Belle bit her lip, hugging Kera hard.  Ebon and Eagle Eye exchanged glances.

"Hmmmf..."  Zaid gulped.  "Bummer."

"Uhhhhh..."  Rainbow Dash grimaced.

Floydien glanced at the assembled group.  "All of the time in the world, bearded boomer says?"