Rainbow Dash's muscles ached. She mentally cursed herself for allowing exhaustion to take over. All her life, she had become acquainted with flapping her wings and propelling herself everywhere through the air. With meager shame, she realized that she desperately needed to put her earthen limbs through more of a workout. With the trek ahead of her, now was as good a time as ever to become familiar with her gift for galloping.
Still, her pace was a slow, even gait. She was attempting to master endurance moreso than speed. In a steady trot, she ascended a steep hilltop. She passed through the brown bodies of fur trees. Twigs snapped underneath as she scaled loose rocks and ducked under passing branches.
Her dizziness had almost entirely dissipated, and yet she wasn't about to take wing. Experience had taught her that after such “episodes” it was wise to wait a space of two hours before attempting to fly again.
By the time she reached the top of the forested hill, a deep red glow penetrated the trees. She skidded to a stop, her heart beating, for she briefly feared that her pendant was shimmering again. However, as she came upon a break in the trees, she realized it was something else entirely.
The sun was setting behind her, and the shadow of the mountain swimming over the eastern landscape cast miles upon miles of low lying forests with a purple haze. It was as if a blanket of pure magic had been tossed across the world. Towards the edge of the horizon, where the sun was most distant from the waking world, a thin line of cool blue tones prophesied the arrival of night. If Rainbow Dash was to face west and then twirl one hundred and eighty degrees back towards her boundless destination, she'd be greeted with half a spectrum's worth of melting colors.
The dark shadow against the eastern horizon was still there, but it appeared no closer to her perspective. She wondered over just how immensely huge the structure must have been. From the distant angle, Rainbow Dash assumed that perhaps it could have been a massive butte. There was no telling just how tall the structure was, but the fact that it was noticeable from several miles away made her ponder...
Certainly it had to have been on the map. Rainbow Dash squatted down and reached into her saddlebag. She was halfway through unscrolling the parchment when something dimmed in her peripheral vision.
She tilted her gaze up, blinking. She saw the bands of purple shadows washing over the valley below. To her better judgment, Rainbow knew that it was merely the shadows of the mountain range to the west as the sun dipped beyond the crest of the world. Still, she couldn't help but feel mesmerized, enjoying the poetic notion that she was watching the very edge of night stretching over the world in real time.
Rainbow Dash knew she had only so little light left before she could look at the map without the aid of her pendant. Still, she simply sat in place on the side of the mountain—like a young filly would attend a puppet show—and gazed as the world was slowly swallowed into blissful twilight. The stars broke out overhead. The world was awash in a pale glow. If she shouted into the blossoming void, Rainbow wondered if her voice would echo all the way to the four corners of the earth.
The moon rose, and it was still not full. Rainbow Dash judged it would be just a day or two. She wondered if her voice still had any use other than yelling. Her mouth became briefly dry, so she chose to gaze away from the bright orb in the sky, and once again she was at peace.
Rainbow Dash never saw herself as a mare who appreciated beauty. But, perhaps, it was never too late to start. She sat there, staring into the edge of night, not bothering to count the passing hours. Sleep came upon her like a phantom, and she couldn't remember when the twinkling stars ended and her rolling eyes began.
The description of the purple shadows seems to have reminded Dash of Twilight, perhaps? At least, that's the connection I made.
13 of what? 121 at this point? I am going to drive myself crazy reading this dam thing.
1108339
122 now
IT GROWS
127 as i read this.
heh heh heh.
Definitely seems like Dash is afraid or wary of Twilight for some reason. That would at least explain why she has been so startled each time she sees purple...
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
There isn't much in the way of plot for this chapter, but DAT DESCRIPTION. However, when Dash said "it was never too late to start," she sounded awful...final. Perhaps the event that occurs at the full moon won't be entirely pleasant...These are my thoughts so far.
Also-131
-MASH
Something with the moon...
BTW, 132
-THEpandaman007
Haha! 133
NOPE!
136
1202595 AAAAAAAAAAAnd 137 :P
1226492
NOPE!
146
1043749 Again... Please no shipping. This story is too epic, and awesome to have anything to do with that idiotic subject matter.
1231448
I agree. Shipping is silly.
In my comment, I was referring to the close relationship the two had as such close friends. I mean, if I were close friends with Twilight, and I saw a purple shadows, I would most likely find myself thinking of her.
Just a error I noticed...you were talking about fir trees, but spelt it fur trees. Might wanna fix that.
1231070
STOP.
I can't read this much.
Fucking 163 for me.
Good god, is this entire story going to show off all of Equestria, all the while continually leaving us in the dark of wtf is going on?!
Damnit man, I feel like I walked into a movie just after it finished explaining the whole problem at the intro, and I'm watching the big adventure that follows.
*cough* 164
*cough* 167 *cough*
"183 for me."
187 chapters and I'm sure it'll grow still as we see more of the world outside the known lands
Precisely 200 at this time.
I wonder if we ever get a plot? We must or it wouldn't always be featured.... I dunno
: WHY MUST THIS STORY BE SO LONG?
: Because you can't cram genius into ten or twenty chapters, Rarity!
-Rainbow Dash never saw herself as a mare who appreciated beauty. But, perhaps, it was never too late to start.
:')
Usually I'm not into fics that are a purple-prose carpet bombing, but you did it right! You can actually use purple prose the way it was intended, without sacrificing the story's movement and bogging it down. I'm very impressed with your skill. The emotion in this story is looming with every chapter with the mystery behind her adventure (why is she on it, where is she going) reinforcing it. I like how you chopped up the chapter's into small units, it makes it easier to follow, keep track of and to put a bookmark when I have to stop.
Well done!
Silver out!
LOL, butte.
2102189
You child.
1231448
pfffft
dis guy
errone
dis guy
dis
guy
This story is epic.
>Rainbow Dash knew she had only so little light left before she could look at the map without the aid of her pendant
Check yourself before you Shrek yourself!
Austraeohaiku
Walking's tiring
Dizziness dissipating
Sunset's amazing
Sounds beautiful, I wish I was there. I don't really have much else to say about this chapter, apart from that it was amazing, as usual.
So, not much happened in this chapter, but that's ok because ICC doesn't need to make anything happen to make reading his work a joy, and this certainly was. I need to practice more before I try this one, but I'll make note about it. Music for this bad boy? Let's find something... ah, have a link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG1jqIsyBEA
Now this is a good track. Very mindcraftesque, and it seems to be that people associate this story with minecraft so.... yeah. I think this is probably my favorite song I've shared so far, but I've got a few others saved up.
1941457
Purple prose does not have a use by definition. This is flowery language used correctly.
"Fly by night away from here!"
3826946
Your profile pic and that song do NOT fit
I went to see Rush at the Meadows a few years ago, and in Stratford last year. They were amazing both times.
A powerful scene here. Wow. The sunset and nightfall. It's a beautiful thing to see the night fall in the middle of nowhere. :) Onwards and Upwards to more questions! (I've resigned myself to having to wait for the next book for answers :P )
Thiis is just sooo beautifullll...
You truly do have a gift with words.
With each chapter I read I find myself more and more engrossed in this story. Also, it's insane how Dash has yet to say a single word up to this point. I wonder how long that's going to go on.
~SolidFire
Counting chapters, are we?
1685, right now. And the average words per chapter just keeps on growing...
7709869
I feel like continuing this trend.
Total Austraeoh series chapter count is currently at 1784, on book Ofolrodi.
You are here: 13/1784 (0.7% complete)
The journey has only just begun!
8390152
OH boy...
8418796 13/1910, or 0.68% at this point. This is going to be a long journey east.
So the moon and sun are rising normally. Whatever happened must have been interpersonal among the mane six rather than anything important enough to impact the princesses.
0.7% of this journey...
Oh boy, and i am still wondering where this all began
Pretty.
2002 and counting. If only you knew.