“So, let me get this straight,” Stu spoke back from where he trotted beside Sam Rose and Swirls along the subterranean wreckage. “You have different modes of weather called 'seasons,' and every year it's the job of pegasi and other ponies to 'wrap up winter' so that the skies will be clear and the land can be warm again?”
“It was all about the group effort,” Rainbow Dash said with a smooth smile. She and Ember Speak took up the rear of the tiny procession, stumbling beneath the gray cavernous ceiling above. “Still, I did do a great deal of ushering around southern birds, but, hey. Who gives a flying feather, am I right?”
Swirls giggled lightly.
Ember Speak was smiling. “That's just so remarkable. Green grass, dewy fields, a forest that grows on its own? Down in Sanctuary, we have to maintain our own garden. The elders of the Council says that it's not a natural formation, but we manage to grow vegetation through sheer Silvadelian perserverence. It's difficult to grasp the idea of green things living on their own.”
“Trees are boring. It's ponies that are awesome,” Rainbow Dash said. “What you guys are doing here? I only know so little, but I'd already say that it's a group effort that puts any Winter Wrap-Up in Equestria to shame.”
“Here's the part that I'm hung-up on,” Stu muttered. “There are dragons where you come from?”
“Er... yes.”
“And they're not trying to devour all ponies?”
“Nope. Not the last time I checked.”
“Are they toothless or something? What's up with that?”
“Dragons and Equestrian ponies have lived together peacefully since—like—forever! I never really had to try and explain it to anypony before. That's just the way things are where I come from. I even knew a baby dragon whom one of my friends kept around as a library assistant!”
Swirls nearly choked on the implications of that thought. “A dragon... Touching books? Walking around a library?”
“Wel, he 'waddled' more than walked, I guess. I'm not sure if he grew wings at this point or not...”
“It's a good thing he hasn't,” Sam Rose grunted. “It would do the world a fair service if the nearest guard pony dismembered them once the whelpling's appendages sprouted.”
Rainbow Dash frowned at him. “Now, that's not frickin' fair.”
“A lot of things aren't fair.” He ascended up a cleft of rock.
Swirls sighed as she followed after her majesty. She glanced back and gave the prismatic maned visitor a smile. “I'm guessing it's because you have alicorns living in your kingdom.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash made a face.
“On account of how much peace and prosperity you've enjoyed,” Ember Speak added. “Even with dragons in your midst.”
“Yeah. I... guess I've been lucky...”
“I hear that alicorns are older than time itself. I'd really love to speak with one someday,” Ember Speak mused. “I wonder what things they could tell me that even the Council doesn't know.”
Rainbow Dash glanced up at the dim, gray sky as they broke the upper surface of ruined Silvadel. “I'm still hoping that that can be arranged...”
“Shhh!” Sam Rose hissed, holding up a hoof. He crouched low at the very edge of the entrance to the upper world. “Everypony, lay low!”
The other followed suit, as did Rainbow Dash, fidgeting.
“I don't understand!” Silvadel uttered, leaning in towards Sam's armored form. “The southeast entrance to Sanctuary is up ahead! We're almost home free!”
“I know that,” Sam muttered, squinting his hard green eyes at the sundered landscape. “I have a feeling that something else knows it too.”
“Huh?” Swirls craned her neck. “What is it that you see, your Majesty?”
Sam pointed forward. “There, upon the pale ridge, about two dozen feet before where the concealed entrance should be.”
The group looked and looked, until finally their eyes caught what Sam's expert gaze had spotted moments before. A single pony was sitting on its haunches, staring up at the smoggy sky.
“Who is that?” Stu remarked. “Doesn't look like one of us...”
“Another pegasus?” Ember Speak remarked.
Rainbow Dash shook her head, gulped, and uttered, “I came alone, guys. It must be one of yours.”
“I recognize each and every one of my subjects,” Sam Rose said coldly. “This pony is a stranger.”
“Then what are we looking at, exactly?” Stu remarked. Swirls leaned into him, trembling, and he wrapped a forelimb around her figure.
“There's a way to find out, for it's another two days' treck to the east entrance and we haven't the food to last the journey.” Sam Rose looked around. He found a pebble lying amidst the rubble. Gripping it in the crook of his hoof, and shot up, jerked his forward body, and tossed the projectile at the equine figure.
The rock flew true, whistled through the air, and struck dead-center in the pony's hide. The skin of the equine promptly fell apart in a cluster of straw and wooden flakes.
Swirls gasped.
Ember Speak murmured. “A dummy!”
“Uhm... Guys?” Rainbow Dash's wings twitched.
Sam Rose looked up at the sky; his brow furrowed. Reaching back to the sheathes of his golden armor, he shouted, “Everypony, spread out!”
Thunder and screams resounded as three sets of iron-hard talons slammed down onto the fractured slabs, followed by breath and flame.
Current Critical Danger: Dragons
Trophy Get: Yo Teach- Pass on some knowledge to a group of ponies.
Also. By Celestia's Teats!!!! Rainbow Kombat!!!
Challenge Completed: Bait Schmait
They can't trick you that easily. Well, Sam, anyways.
Avoid taking the bait: 1/1
+5 XP
Here's hoping RD gets to contact Luna.
It's been a while.
Not even close, dragons
That must have been an amazingly well made dummy to have been constructed out of things that fall apart that fast. And fool a bunch of intelligent beings. Cause I seriously have trouble believing that anything but the most well made constructs can actually fool anything that can think. Fake things just look so...fake.
Seems interesting enough. Gotta put this on m read later list. Probably will read it sometime tonight.
Me too, Dash, me too.
IT'S A TRAP!
It's one thing to be fighting dragons.
It's another entirely to be fighting dragons intimate with the art of war.
I wonder if letters would work if he had brought spike from even that distance.
DRAGONS! DRAGONS EVERYWHERE!!
Just one question though, how do you feed over one thousand fully sized dragons in the barren landscape? I mean they COULD be eating ponies, but ponies ain't that big, especially a few ponies amongst one thousand dragons. They COULD be eating gems or something, but seeing the sheer quantity that Spike goes through just for snacks suggests that they would require a full blown mining operation just to feed themselves each day. What could possibly make the Matriach settle her brood here if it was such an inhospitable landscape? GAH!
So many question!
I guess I'm just gonna have to wait like a good little reader and find out
1356211
Yeah, Dragons with strategic know-how come out on top of pretty much all confrontations. It's just as intelligent as you are, it's several times your size and strength, it flies and it breathes fire. Good luck with that.
Title Obtained: "The Friend of the Moon"
-Minty
1356605
My best guess is that gems are a stone, so is sand albeit much smaller, I'm guessing they eat sand, It may not be nutritious but it keeps them alive I guess.
1356710
It's really no wonder that Silvadel is cinders.
1356744
Yeah, that's possible, but I reckon that we will find out the reason during the Big Reveal of this arc.
1356888
I hope so, I love learning things!
-Minty
1356888
1356937
Throw the dragon sustenance stuff in with the mystery of the calorie burning because she flies 12 hours a day machine that is Dash surviving on bread morsels and a lettuce leaf now and then (or is that pendant magic?). I'm just gonna roll with it. Remember, the matriarch was asleep beneath Silvadel for a long time, probably a couple of centuries, before she awoke and her brood started wreak havoc. That is, and the last few chapters have been in deep exposition about this, these aren't your run of the mill Equestrian dragons.
1357002
And that's why I love having you around, you know these things better than I do, or have better explanations for them, anyway.
Have a moustache
-Minty
1356188
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck...beat me to it...
1357002
cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27534818.jpg
TAKE COVER!!
SQUAD ONE, SUPPRESSING FIRE!!
RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA~~~!
((Ah, Call of Duty 2. Last of the actual good Call of Duty games. So many "Oh shit" moments.))
1357002
Given how long they've been underground, I'd say there's a fair chance they are all insane. Like cabin fever, only with fire breath. I know when I've been cooped up for even a day, I want to f something up. Multiply that by a few thousand and then give me a dragon's destructive capability and you're looking at one flattened kingdom. So I'd have to agree - average dragons these are not.
On a different note:
"This cave is not a natural formation. Someone built it, so it must lead somewhere."
Perhaps I played too much Halo:CE as a kid, but this line stuck in my head as something potentially important. Related to the world's machinery, perhaps?
1357657
I thought "not natural" referred to the hydroponics, not the cave formation. Either way, intrigue! Mystery! Suspense! Adventure! <Insert Doctor Who reference here>!
But, yes, I figured "sanctuary" was actually the former dragon nest, or at least part of it.
1357674
You've almost caught up! You can do it! I have a grilled cheese waiting for you when you do!
!
Well crap. How smart are these stupid things anyway? Huh, that was oxymoronic. And Dash really needs to meet with Luna - stuff's getting heavy, and maybe the moon princess could bestow some crazy Grey Warden powers on her or something. Anywho, I've finally caught up! Its taken me weeks, but I've finally done it. Now I have to wait for new updates every day like the rest of you saps To anticipate for tomorrow: Onward!
1355971 it was on a high ridge
re you seriouse? You know Mintelle has a grilled cheese problem so can everypony: stop mentioning it or he'll never get over his addiction. Why do you think he keeps disappearing for long moments of time? Coz hes stuffing his face with grilled cheese that's why1357709
1357657 Halo CE huh. You played the anniversary? It's EPIC!!
This would be epic playing in the background of the dragon fight
spike with wings..hmm
...Aaaand I'm all caught up.
Dragons! Dragons everywhere!
1357709
It's almost certainly of pony or dragon construction. However, the phrase "not a natural formation" wakes up a small voice in the back of my head that says "Important!" whenever I see it. The only reason I mention it here (outside of a cheap joke) is because the world has been established as artificial. That blew my mind, so now I'm scouring every word for clues. This just happened to throw up a red flag.
Also, 1358053 has it right. We must be very supportive of Minty during this difficult part of his life. Ixnay on the illedgray eesechay.
1358967 your missing out Halo CE anniversary is five times better than the original
1358967
Oh, I see what you mean! Sanctuary is actually part of the machinery Dash has been exploring (or at least leads up to it like the mines), that would be awesome!
1359150
Exactly. It's been a while since we've had any developments on that front, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this arc expand on it a bit. Then again, predicting Austraeoh is like trying to catch smoke, so...
On a side note, I read all of your comments in the voice of the HHTTG movie's narrator. Just thought you should know.
1359314
Quite! I shall do my best to continue writing in a manner that evokes his sweet, sweet tones.
1357657
'like cabin fever, but with fire breath' Dear God, that's a bad mix.
1356605
Well, the scavenger dragons were carrying large chunks of the city's building materials, if I recall correctly. Maybe they're eating Silvadel itself?
god-damn it!
this fic is epic, and I am already starting to hate the dragons in that land! >=(
1356113 YOU
IIIIIt's Dashie's Ultimate Marathon Evaluation Time!!!!!
Well, that must have been a pretty convincing dummy to fool Dash. Also, between everything I'm seeing here, I'm almost positive that Dash is going to make peace between the dragons and the Silvadelians. Not much else here...but how would the rebels grow plants underground? These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Two...left...c'mon...you can do it...
I noticed how a few chapters back, the comments went from about 20 per chapter to the 40 here now
(From Ch.170)
1356605
I noticed you made an appearance in the story. Sad you don't know what the sun is.
1853776 I know right?
They are getting smarter.
The dragons are getting smarter now. How did they even make that dummy?
Dragons too OP, plz nerf.
1358058 I have the version of that with the guitars in it. ever slightly more epic than this version. But this version is good too. in its own way.
-Bill from Left For Dead-
Theyre changing.
1357395 Nah, I think first MW and WaW were also pretty damn well-made.