The corridor opened up to a long, long platform stretching across a gaping chasm. For several hundred feet above and below, numerous spiraling, silver-reinforced floors stretched just beyond the immediate glow of the ancient facility. On the far side of the ten-foot-wide bridge was another corridor leading off into darkness. In the center of the platform, glowing brightly, was a plume of billowing red flame floating a few inches above a golden pedestal.
“Miss Dash!” Astral called out. “Don't go too far ahead! My fellow unicorns and I can't summon as bright a light as you!”
“Where's she going?” Red asked.
“I don't know,” Astral replied as he trotted nervously onto the first few feet of the long bridge. “It's like something's gotten into her.”
Red chuckled. “You just now noticed?”
“Miss Dash!”
“Hold up!” Rainbow flew down and perched just before the golden pedestal. Her ruby eyes reflected the floating fire as her jaw hung in open wonder. “Come and check this thing out...”
The air around the pedestal was just as cool as the rest of the interior. The flame appeared to be giving off no heat. There wasn't any smoke, or any sign of a substance being burnt to begin with. The closer Rainbow's muzzle drifted towards the phenomenon, her skin didn't so much as twitch. If she closed her eyes, she'd have no clue that there was a billowing torch anywhere remotely near her.
While the rest of the group waited behind, Astral cross the bridge until he galloped up to Rainbow Dash in the middle. “Miss Dash,” he panted. “Is this some kind of detour? Not all of us have wings. If we're to cross this chasm, I think it'd be best if you guarded us in case any of us was to fall—”
“It's not even making a crackling sound or anything,” Rainbow Dash murmured. “It's just... floating here on its own.”
“Erm, yes, I see it,” Astral said with a nervous shift of his leg muscles. “It's quite remarkable. However, it has nothing to do with our swift and safe exit from this immeasurably large place. Maybe, once we're home free, I'll return here with an expedition to more properly study—”
“There's no heat!” Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof. “I wonder if would be cool to the touch—”
“Miss Dash!” Astral blocked her hoof with his. He stared at her with a furrowed brow. “Since when did you have such a rabid interest in random magic?”
“This isn't so random,” she said to him. “I... I dunno, but I feel...”
“You feel what?”
She gulped. She looked at the thing. “I feel like I'm facing east...”
Astral's eyes narrowed. He looked worriedly at the group behind them, then back at their guide. “Miss Dash, you're... you're not making any sense...”
“No...” She slowly shook her head. “I guess I'm not.” Her nostrils flared as she turned to look at him. “Astral, you've read a crapload of stuff in your life, right?”
“Most certainly.”
“Have you... erm...” She bit her lip briefly, fidgeting, as if she was on the verge of relating a bitter secret. Eventually, she muttered, “Have you ever heard of the Midnight Armory?”
Astral's eyes twitched. His face paled with surprise as he almost reeled from the name. “Why... Why yes. Yes I have heard of it. Ahem.” He glanced back at the distant, watching group and spoke in a hushed tone, as if afraid that they could somehow hear this conversation. “But that name is a secret to all ponies except those with a Master's Degree in Sorcery.”
“So you know about it?”
“Well, y-yes, but none of my associates do,” he said. “They're technically understudies. They won't be told until they can balance the Harmonic Spells. Then it will be their secret to keep within the orders of sorcery for as long as they live. That's been a tradition in all cultures since the dawn of time.” He cleared his throat and leaned in. “Might I ask, Miss Dash, how it is that you know about it?”
“Hey, I'm a pegasus,” Rainbow Dash said with a tired yet smug grin. “I have plenty of 'little birds' to tell me stuff.”
Astral looked at her. He looked at the flame, then at her dimly glowing pendant. Finally, he took in the entirety of the grand place and said, “Miss Dash, what's really going on here? I think we all have the right to know.”
“I wonder if they have stuff like this in the Midnight Armory,” she remarked.
“That hardly answers my question.”
“I'm not here to find answers,” Rainbow Dash murmured, lifting her hoof parallel to the pedestal's flame. “I'm just here to exist.”
“Couldn't you do that back home in Equestria?”
Rainbow's eyes were briefly moist. “No. No I can't....”
Astral gave her a sympathetic look. “Maybe if you told us what you were searching for, we could help you once we're out of this place, if even in a fraction of the way you've helped us...”
“I just wonder if it's cold or not...” Her hoof stretched.
“Miss Dash, no—!”
Her hoof made contact. The flame billowed, burst, and disappeared. In its place, a rapid glow flew through Rainbow Dash's body. Her head flew back. Her eyes grew wide, flickered red on yellow, and then rolled back.
“Miss Dash!” Red's voice shouted from afar while Rockspot gasped.
Rainbow fell and collapsed on the platform in a series of spasms. As Astral struggled to hold her thrashing limbs in place, she saw a splash of lavender colors flooding over her vision.
And then she saw nothing.
I don't know whether to love or loathe you for the cliffhangers
LOVE!
Ummmm... What just happened?
What the hay just happened?!
The midnight armory.....
she needs weapons to blow stuff up in Equestria?
I must know more of why she can't go back to Equestria!
-THEpandaman007
She is as good at dodging questions as she is dodging everything else
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Okay...so even I'm not sure what just happened, but I'm going to do my best to try to explain it. Right now in the story, we can assume that Discord is actively trying to possess Dash. This flame tempted Dash to touch it to the point that Discord was given an advantage to attack. He could be nearby - perhaps he went ahead of Dash and set this trap. We all know he likes to play tricks. That's assuming he's even out of his stone prison, though. Also, Dash and Astral mention a term of the utmost sorcery related secrecy: The Midnight Armory. As near as I can figure, this might be Luna's private magic armory to be used in battle. But I feel like this Midnight Armory won't play a big role until later in the fanfic. Anyways, the cliffhangers are back...<groans> But I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happens. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
why...why is this so good?
1604700 A fellow traveler went through here not too long ago! Perhaps there is still hope!
1614065
Wow, you manage to find something to write every chapter.
At this point I'm just like "Oh my fucking god just give us some fucking worthwhile exposition already, I am getting really fucking tired of all this teasing."
Okay, so she can't exist in Equestria? And what is the "midnight Armory"? I'm exited to read more and find out.
I am so confused right now. Maybe the flame is key to purging whatever is up with the dizziness or something?
CRITICAL MISSION FAILURE
RESUME
LOAD
EXIT
And hear I though we were going to get answers, but instead more questions have been opened up. Although, we did learn that she can't exist in Equestria, because she will be taken over by chaos, perhaps?
1614065
It has been a while since you flew through here, traveler.
What great pain Dash has.
Midnight Armory. Obviously something important, but what the hell is with her and east??? Is that where the Armory is? Is it where she will find peace from the discordant magic within or what?
5790969 Luna wants RD to go east
More world building, YAY!
Well shit... world building and crazy things galore. Hopefully turns out alright, especially after that little surprise at the end.
~SolidFire
1286628
Well of course! This is Rainbow Dash we're talking about. The fastest pony ever.
I'm glad this series has a Wiki page. If it didn't, it would have been a good week before I found out what it was.
EDIT: Ah fuck. This is supposed to have 12 stories. 12.
This is going to take fucking ages.
I think chunks of this chapter were forgotten as the overall series was written. Doesn't detract from the overall story in any way, but it is annoying to those who are anal about internal consistency.
02/18/2017 04:00 UTC
This sounds significant.
tres intressant. Je ne sais pas. Mais je pense...Yes Things just got really interesting.
Oh my, what could this be? It certainly sounds neat.
Remember kids, if fire doesn't give off heat, it can't harm you. Just shove your whole arm all up in there, what could possibly go wrong!?
This chapter has compelled me to comment for the first time on this story. I am on my first read through, gave it shot as I've been intrigued by this story's premise for a while now. I've been reading every comment after each chapter, and slowly but surely I've been being sucked deeper and deeper into this fascinating world.
This chapter (as well as the previous 4) in particular has captured a sense of mystery and wonder that I've not felt in a long time.
I know a comment had said this earlier, but it very much reminds me of the Forerunners in Halo. This is giving me the same feelings as the first time I played through Halo: CE. The description of this place, the pristine ancient technology set in nature and underground makes me feel like I'm playing through that game for the first time ever again. I can picture certain locations in the game whilst reading this, and it really just adds to the atmosphere that this story is building.
I can now safely say this is going to be a wonderful journey, and I'm glad I'm making it. Thank you IC, for giving me these feelings again. And thank you commenters, for adding to this journey. I may or may not comment on future chapters, as I prefer to lurk, but we shall see. Wish me luck
Checkpoint reached!
A dark and ominous tower-shaped building. tirelessly pursued through a dying world by the last of an elite group of knight-errants?
Oh yeah, mysterious floating red flame on a golden pedestal in the middle of a giant underground techno-magical labyrinth that gives off no heat or smoke? Just reach out and touch that shit! After all, what could possibly go wrong?
11577336
It's how you get power ups. Didn't you read the manual?