Rockspot was cowering, his eyes tightly clenched shut as he squatted against the wooden floor of the courtyard. The world grew silent as a hoof tapped slowly on his little shoulder. He gazed up with moist eyes to see his father and older brother smiling at him. Slowly, the entire Turnip family stood up alongside several other ponies. The villagers of Windthrow gazed skyward as inch by inch, the mists began to dissipate.
It was a slow process at first. As the minutes piled up on one another, the fog unraveled faster and faster. Ironhoof gazed along with his wife. Fulltrot stood at Hushtail's side, holding the elder upright. Astral and his fellow unicorns started lowering their magical forcefields as the air became clearer and clearer.
Soon, the streets and alleyways of Windthrow opened completely. The multiple wooden buildings showed in their entirety. The platforms and railings became visible. Even the body of the mountain below and the forests stretching beyond revealed themselves in pristine glory.
Finally, a golden glow settled upon the loft village as a gorgeous sunrise pierced the summit of the mountains above. The dwelling was bathed in an ethereal twilight, evoking colors that had remained dormant and obscured for so long.
There was not a single monster present. As the mists disappeared, so did all ugliness and danger. Birds flocked from treetop to treetop below, occasionally peaking above the edge of the hanging township. With the advent of evening, stars were born overhead. The world felt fresh, new, and reborn. Windthrow was at the roof of it all.
When the cheers began, they emanated over the landscape like sirens through a deep gorge. Earth ponies danced and embraced each other atop the multiple platforms. Several guards tossed their armor, whooping and hollering. Loved ones held each other close and greeted the first clear night with tears.
The Turnip family was no different. Red Senior and his wife nuzzled closely while Red Junior, Rockspot, and the rest trotted in eager, chattering circles. Ironhoof and his significant other exchanged a few tender words amidst the deafening celebration within the central courtyard. Fulltrot was being congratulated by multiple peers and subordinates, many of whom stopped celebrating just long enough to give him a smile and a hoof-shake. Dazed, confused, but ultimately cheerful, Fulltrot could only smile in disbelief at the new world that had been shrouded from him for nearly a decade.
The only ponies who were anything but jubilant were Hushtail and Sladesteed. As the entire village rejoiced, they stood in a quiet slump, with several moving bodies separating them. Their eyes met, along with their dullness and shame, and they merely hung their heads.
Astral noticed this. But then he noticed something else. He gestured to his unicorn companions. The four of them watched as the crowd of ecstatic ponies parted ways. From the mineshafts, two mares were trotting up. Astral couldn't help but smirk.
Gold Petals was showing her bashful side. Her hood was long gone, and her less-than-masculine features were on display. However, nopony seemed to mind, much less pay attention, as they rushed over to congratulate her and shake her hoof. She smiled nervously, exchanging a few brief words with the likes of Ironhoof, Red Turnip Junior, and others. When she stumbled upon Fulltrot, she got a little misty-eyed, and gave the elder a tight hug. Fulltrot returned the embrace, gently nuzzling her, glancing over to smile at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow exhaled long and hard, reeling as a wave of dizziness left her, along with the glow to her pendant. She shifted the weight of the saddlebag over her backside and gazed across the village. Astral was giving an approving smile, only for his image to be blocked by a loud and obnoxious Ironhoof who slapped Rainbow's shoulder before giving her a huge hug.
Rainbow's eyes bugged and she tried to squeeze out of his embrace. Soon, however, Ironhoof's wife dove in and started swatting him hard. He let go of Rainbow Dash and shrugged innocently as his wife dragged him into a corner for a bitter lecture. As Rainbow was free to breathe and gaze once again, she noticed Sladesteed in the distance. She was almost surprised to see that he hadn't run away. Instead, he sat solidly on his haunches and shared a lethargic gaze with her.
A deep breath ran through Rainbow's body. She turned to her side to say something to Gold Petals, but Gold Petals was gone. Blinking, Rainbow Dash gazed across the courtyard. Finally, she saw her. Gold Petals was standing at a distance besides Fulltrot. Fulltrot was speaking to a pair of familiar elders, a mare and a stallion. After gesturing, Fulltrot stepped back. Gold Petals was squaring off with the two older equines, their eyes locked. The stallion shifted nervously and the mare's eyes filled with tears. Gold Petals herself collapsed with a withheld sob, and soon the entire family was hugging each other dearly, reuniting after fate and circumstance almost shattered them completely.
Rainbow Dash stared prolongedly at the scene. Her expression was neutral, calm, serene. It wasn't until several minutes had passed that she realized that she no longer was staring at Gold Petals and her parents. Night had fallen. The moon was rising. The villagers of Windthrow were gathering in the town hall to perform a celebration. But...
Rainbow Dash was alone. She was always alone. As the coolness of the night fell across the mountaintop, Rainbow Dash found herself standing before an unimpeded world, gazing fixedly towards the east horizon.
Poor Rainbow. . . her true goal, what is it?
I want to give Rainbow a hug.
And oh dear? Dashie's chats with Luna have been disregarded? How will the Princess of the night react?
A few errors here and there. But overall good. I'll definitely keep following this.
If you need an editor, I'd be willing.
So... she left Windthrow already? dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_unsuresweetie_flip.png
I hope if she does leave all alone, that she stops back by to see-and possibly stay with-Gold Petals.It would be amazing.
What's east? Is no one else wondering?
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
So with this chapter, I believe that we're wrapping up the Windthrow Arc! It's been quite a ride, hasn't it? The end of this chapter was sad, though. At the end, everything is fixed and all of the families are reunited except for Dash. She's all alone and the only thing that lies ahead of her is whatever's east that Luna sent her to. Who knows what she'll find?
One thing's for certain.
It'll be one heck of a ride.
-MASH
P.S. I want to thank everyone who has read my evaluation time throughout this amazing fanfiction. I can't believe it's already the end of the Windthrow Arc. Anyways, I just wanted to thank you guys, whether I know you or not. And remember that, come snow or high water, I'll always be here, always doing what I've always done.
Evaluating.
P.S.S. Anyone catch my reference?
Day 3: Time to head east, my friends.
B-but.. Gold Petals.....
Damn...she's gonna cut out just like that? I think that this arc might have an effect, if a minor one, on her future endeavors. Maybe this arc was just a piece of a bigger picture, connected with the mission of the rest of her journey somehow. I don't know.
Advancing!
Silver out!
1425766 ... It seems familiar... Pokemon? Background Pony? Band of Brothers? Fallout? Were you being meta and reference your self?
I don't think it's correct, but the title:
Faust- F = Aust
RAinbow dash
Equestria
Of
Highlands
Like equestria but not exactly.
Which makes
Austraeoh!
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The midnight armory of course. And loneliness, nopony but RD.
Chapter
No, no, please don't leave Gold Petals, Rainbow. Bring her with you on your journey, let your relationship bloom into something beautiful.
Loyalty alone. Oddly ironic.
You know, I'm pretty sure sunrises happen in the morning, not in the evening.
83 chapters is a good start methinks, now sleep
Dang, the end of an era. So much success, and yet now with Dash's loneliness it still feels melancholy.
And so, as the great mountain curse draws to a close, and a new day dawns upon its oppressed people, our heroine prepares to leave as alone as when she arrived.
Ever onward, ever east.
Looks like Gold Petals finally earned her families respect.
Golden Petals can't fly east.
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Hey! If Dashie can get Tank to fly, I'm sure she could rig something for Golden Petals ... whom I'll admit the author did a decent build up on it by the time Dash had left for Rocksport.
Just a recommendation to anyone who enjoys music while reading.
Luna's determination by Melodic pony, god rest his soul.
Time to go already?
HURRAH, TIME TO FLY AGAIN!
So it looks like everyone there got what they needed, except for Rainbow
07/14/2019
20:07 UTC
See, that's still the strangest part for me. Rainbow came here and did all these things, saved these ponies, risked her life...
And none of that is what she's supposed to be doing. All of this was just...a distraction. Where do we go from here? Where are we going?
Who are you, Rainbow Dash?
Ok stop to make a comment about the story so far:
This is alredy one of my favorites.The way the author just knows how to control and show the mood of the story is the strogest point of Austreoh as far as i can tell,supported by the mistery tha hooks you on.
Just to prove my point i suspect the entirety of this arc does not realy matter in the grand scheme of things here,its not important for Rainbows quest wich we only know so little by now. Neither i fell like she has grow much as a charecter,and thats not bad because we are only know knowing about her in this aparentily more sad universe where she is not surronded by her original friends.But i am eager to find out!
Sorry for the bad english.Not my first language,also i need some sleep rigth now.
If you are reading this, i hope you keep around with me,becuse i am planning to go to the very end of this series!
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Don't sweat your English; you can do it way better than I can do your native language.
And just like that. With a mere few dozen words over two paragraphs, imploding crashes into us a total reality check. All of this that happened at windthrow, something that could be it's own story completely - was barely a ripple in the almost incomprehensibly vast, rolling world we've been taken to with this fic. Had Rainbow not stopped here, it's likely her main objective wouldn't have been effected in the slightest, the events that were life or death for Windthrow are almost laughably insignificant in the grand journey.
At least, that's the impression I got from those final words on this chapter. Face east to the empty, beautiful world.
I still remember this chapter because of the ending. We've been so caught up in the rescuing and the fighting and the monsters and the drama that the reminder that Rainbow simply cannot stay kind of slaps you in the face. This whole thing, lasting for dozens of chapters, is a detour, and all these characters we've grown to like may just be temporary.
Rainbow Dash flies East.