"The Hell are you drawing, Keps?" Logan belched.
"Shhhhh!" The wyvern sat hunched-over on the back of the sled Logan was pulling. "I am channeling inspirration..."
"From what? My farts?"
"Please, brrotherr!" Kepler rasped. He drew a pen across a rectangular piece of parchment. "I am attempting to constrruct a map of ourr trravels..."
"Pffft. What's that going to amount to at this point?!" Logan smirked as he marched firmly ahead. "Just drag a straight line across a blank canvas and spit all over it."
"Can we not afforrd a modicum of serriousness?! Should we find the need to backtrrack, we will wish to know wherre we'rre headed and wherre we came frrom!"
"How can you even draw in the dark?" Logan looked over his shoulder. "Do wyverns possess some sort of 'hair sense' that I don't know about?"
"It's ourr whiskerrs."
"Whoah. You dudes have whiskers?! I've never noticed!"
Flynn called out from Logan's left. "You've decided to frame it based on the north edge, right?"
"Stay out of this, baldy!"
Kepler looked over, adjusting his spectacles. "What was that, brrotherr?"
Flynn's mechanical eye glinted in the distance from the twilight. "I said—you decided to frame your map based on the northern edge of the plane, yes?"
"To what end, dearr frriend?!"
"I mean... we're heading west now! I hope you've got that sketched out!"
"The Hell do you mean, we're heading west?!" Logan belched.
"Do kindly explain!" Kepler hollered.
"I mean... first we were going East..."
"Yeah...?!" Logan squinted.
"But—now that we're on the opposite side of the plane from where we started—we're literally going west!"
"Pffft! Are not!" Logan spat.
"We totally are! Think about it!"
"I am!" Logan frowned. "And you're a cancerous asshole!"
"Dude! We never stopped going in one singular direction!"
"Uh... you do remember the big friggin' curve we experienced in the talons of a heroic dragon lady...?!"
"Still to the point! We're going in the same direction that we originally were! Just... from east to west across the same plane!"
"Goddes alive, what an idiot—"
"So I sure as Hell hope that Kepler is drawing a map with us moving from right to left!"
"He totally isn't!"
"How would you know, fatass?"
"If he's smart, he'll be drawing our path from left to right! Cuz that's where we're headed! East!"
"Pffft—Big Show—"
"Space East!"
"East died back at Bleak's Plummet!" Flynn exclaimed, trotting closer. "You gotta learn to think three-dimensionally!"
"Get back in line, dipshit—"
Flynn gestured with a free hoof. "We have the Light Side as a frame of reference. Knowing our distance relative to the length and width of Rohbredden and the Grand Choke we can get a general idea of how far we have to go to get to the Midnight Armory!"
"To what end?"
"Well, if what Rainbow Dash says is true, then it's position on the opposite side of Equestria, right? So if we see ourselves as retracing her path west—"
"That's stupid. You're stupid."
"Dude! We have lest distance to travel because the concave end of the plane has a smaller surface area and—"
"Stop overcompensating for the fact that you're a dumbass and we're still heading east."
"It's not east, bro!"
"It totally is! Look!" Logan looked over his shoulder. "You're drawing us going from left to right, aren't you, Kepler?"
"Actually..." The wyvern concentrated on where he was scribbling with his pen. "I am drafting a vertical map."
Flynn and Logan blinked simultaneously. "Vertical???"
"Indeed." Kepler smiled through his tusks. "And I am endeavorring to anticipate the many obstacles we have yet to face by allowing a generrous amount of blank space along the top porrtion of the map."
"Oh for crying out..." Logan rolled his eyes. "Is there something in the air here?! I swear, the whole Herald has gone stupid."
"A vertical map?!" Flynn grimaced. "Kepler, I love you like a brother, but—are you actually drawing from the bottom?"
"Indubitably."
"That has got to be the absolute most convoluted way to perform cartography! I mean... how are you going to account for latitudes in that sort of a fashion?!"
"In this case, they will be verrtical, of courrse."
"Ugh... I feel like I'm going to vomit."
"What's the big deal, baldy—?"
"You can't draw veritcal maps, Big Show! It's just... just... really gross!"
Just then, Wildcard let loose a shrill whistle in the distance.
"Harrk!" Kepler tilted his head up. A ruby light glinted off his glasses. "Movement!"
"Whoah!" Logan scuffled to a stop as Ariel and Rainbow Dash touched down. "There you gals are! What did you find?"
"Not much," Ariels aid. "Exceppppppt for a lone tower of rusted metal sitting out in the middle of nowhere."
"No kidding?"
"Yeah." Rainbow nodded. "About half a mile ahead of us. It... looks like it was left here by ponies with unicorn powers."
Flynn craned his neck. "What's that in your saddlebag?"
"Oh, this?" Rainbow opened the satchel to reveal the metal slab with etchings. "It's the only thing we discovered that was still in tact."
"What the Hell is it?" Logan asked, muzzle scrunching. "Looks too small to be a hot plate."
"Big Show..." Flynn sighed.
"What?! I'm hungry!"
"The girls and I have been chatting about it while Ariel and I flew back here," Rainbow said, sliding her goggles back. "We think it might be a map. But... it's not like any map we've ever seen. Just... can't make heads or tails out of it."
"Hmmmm..." Kepler scratched his hairy chin. "Perrhaps..." He reached his claws out, repositioned the slab, then held his unfinished map up next to it. "...if you arrrange it verrtically like so?"
Rainbow blinked. For the bottom sliver of the slab, the etchings perfectly matched the meager scratches that Kepler had already begun making on the parchment.
The wyvern smiled victoriously.
Ariel and Wildcard exchanged glances.
"Oh..." Logan blinked.
"Huh..." Flynn's ears drooped. "...well, screw me, I guess."
A chapter? In the middle of the day? I was expecting this at 10pm at least.
Well, whatya know, a throwback to the very earliest maps. then again if you have a scroll and a long thin realm, having a strip that you hold at teh top and allow to drop, gives you more room and something you try and hold outspread, using both arms, instead of gravity.
Hmm. Skystone Hyperloops. How, pneumatic.
8238936
Mmnn. Usually updates at 4am for me, a welcome surprise for it to update when I'm awake!
The whole last chapter was to build up to that 'verticle map' moment, wasn't it? That aside nice to know my 'local region' map idea was at least partially correct.
Children I will turn this convoy around!
Forty crunches, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Logan, you should have learned by now. Let the
wookiewyvern win.Reminds me of the slice of life fic where the mane cast bicker about chess. If you have good characters and know how to write them, any argument is entertaining
So now they're going Vertical East. There. Debate solved.
No, more like stuck in a debate on the level of an internet forum rant. "You do it wrong and are therefore stupid" is not the most advanced way to argue.
I assume we will see something interesting pretty soon with the help of the ancient map. It should reveal some points of (former?) interest, maybe even the location of the old gondola station and/or the old settlement.
With Rainbow's luck, this is the moment when everything will go to hell quickly.8238995
fourty? You are a cruel and angry god.
New chapter? In the afternoon that's new. At the same time it sorta reminds me of a heated debate that Sir Mediocre and Czar_Yoshi had a few chapters back for some weird reason.
They are arguing over which direction they are in a straight line. I think they might actually be getting bored. And then Kepler was right all along.
And here we see how Kepler has the lion's share of sense among the herald.
The banter is fuckin' REAL here!
Maps from way back when were often drawn with east at the top, which is why orienteering is so called (orient being latin for east). They did it that way probably because that's where the sun came from.
As for which direction they're going, I figure the northern edge of the world is still north and the southern edge is still south. If directions are based on that, they're still headed east. Just, you know, on the other side.
Huh, it's an hour early.
Kepler does not engage in frivolous arguments.
Someone will Flynn, just have hope, you'll find somepony willing to do the horizontal monster mash with you.
I think one of those weird crystal pony mutants will go for you.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
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I imagined your entire reply being explained by the pony in your avatar. While standing in a musty old store surrounded by globes and tobacco-boxes.
I guess if you think about it, the vertical map makes perfect sense. The one great waymarker in the sky on this side of the plane is the plane itself. When you look up, you see the plane Rising above you so it makes sense that that's the direction that they write their maps in. On this side of the world, they've never had a sun or moon to orient M selves east or west.
8239844
Was he emphasising his points by gesturing with a smoking pipe? It feels like he should have one.
Ah, thus is the age old saying: "Question not a wyvern, for they are likely more intelligent than you."
Still heading East, it doesn't matter which side you're on.
Jeeze, so much arguing about the direction they're going. I feel like this chapter symbolizes us at this point. So meta. Anywho, it's nice seeing them all going forward at this point. Though I can't help but wonder when everybody's favorite sleeping chicken is going to wake up.
~SolidFire
lol
Meta chapter is meta.
What a way to silence both arguing camps
Hehe, at least Kepler has his moment to shine and be smug
V
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R
T
I
C
A
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Now all you have to do is rotate them ninety degrees, and...
Rainbow Dash Flies Up. Now I'm imagining this as the description for Ilrifa.
8239357 That's because Skirts constantly references the comments in this story. It's... well, even more of a given than Rainbow flying east, at this point. Also it's in the afternoon because Skirts was on Seattle's Angels in the evening and might not have had time to write then.
Lol, goddamn it, vertical map! This is somehow Sinrar's fault.
Oh come on , that's not a chapter, that's probably just an edited internet discussion.
*taken directly from the comment section with the names changed.
Chidle Rainbow to the Dark Tower came
And stair by stair e'er up she went,
To where the earth would skyward bent
To ever keen pursue the flame.
8239844 Or with him sitting on a chair in front of random stock videos of old maps with a little overlay at the bottom reading "Pepperbrony, Professor for geographic history at Princeton University".
8241042
Ha, yeah! You got it!
It seems great minds think alike indeed. Kepler, thank you for being the voice of reason between those two.
And now, for our reading pleasure, Flynn and Logan re-enact the comment debate
This geography makes my head spin. Someone draw this place!
When you hit rock bottom, the only way left to go is up.
Dark siders are Space Dwarfs confirmed.
We're even journeying to a dragons lair - of sorts - in this too.
I thoroughly enjoyed how much this chapter echoes the mindscrew I'm feeling with regard to cardinal directions on this side.
Edit:
The Earth is round! There is no up or down!
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"But Dwarves in Middle Earth drew their maps with East facing up, and this map is clearly facing West side up." -Flynn.
This is the third chapter in the last few that I've noticed solving something from the comments - I believe they were keeping track of time amd getting food. It's a nice reminder of the early Austraeoh.
8239946
Meddle not in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.
Frankly, as long as a compass rose of some kind indicating the orientation of the map is present, it shouldn't matter what direction the map has facing up.
10/11/2017
23:23 UTC
Ha! Eat shit, Flynn.
Oh shoot, he’s right. I didn’t even realize that. It’s not gonna be as far because the way the plane is curved. That should make this go by faster.
Less distance?
Lol
I still dony understand how a verticle map makes sence though
#flynnisright
8909498
It really matters on how thick the world is
I loved the arguemenet this chapter.
You could just rotate Kepler's map and the slab map 90 degrees and say they're both meant to be horizontal.
Yuck