Ofolrodi

by Imploding Colon

That Is No Moon

"It quickens," a Dihmer casually said, continuing to march Curveside—away from the phenonemon by about ninety degrees. "The moon is risen and the clamoring begins soon."

"If so, it hides."

"It hides."

"It hides."

"I... uhm..." Rainbow Dash stood dumbly in place as the Dihmers strolled past her. The petite pegasus' friends were likewise pinned to the sight of the luminescent body. "Yeah. Sure..."

Wildcard flew in, perched on a rock, and gestured a flurry of unreadable words.

"Slow..." Rainbow clutched at her own skull. "...down. Friggin' Luna Poop. I can't even think!"

SWOOOSH! Ariel landed in a slide. "Uhm. Did I miss the memo somewhere?!" her voice cracked. "How can the moon be here?!"

Wildcard continued gesturing, his feathers popping loose in random places.

"I... I..." Rainbow's ruby eyes twitched and shook. "I... I... I..."

Seraphimus glided in to a low hover. "Let us all stay calm," she said with a slight growl. "This is a land of chaos and confusion." Her charcoal brown eyes squinted at the pale glow of the thing that hung low to the horizon. "It could very well be an illusion."

"It's..." Rainbow slowly shook her head. "...no trick."

"I mean..." Seraphimus' voice rasped. "...it is most assuredly not the moon." She snorted. "At least... not our moon."

"Reckon she's got somethin' there," Applejack said, snapping her companions out of it. "Put yer minds on the straight'n'narrow, y'all. What exactly are we dealin' with here?"

"Rarity...?" Twilight was staring straight at her fashionista friend. "Can you tell us something? Anything?"

"I... I-I wish that I could!" Rarity stammered, gazing at the glowing thing. "But I've never felt the moon before! Even back on the Light Side! It's... it's just too big and far away—!"

"Rarity, this couldn't possibly be the goddess-dang moon that we're staring at!" Rainbow Dash growled.

"Hey... uh... not for nothin', but uhm..." Logan's voice echoed as he, Flynn, and Kepler road up on the wagon, parking several meters down the slope. "...what's with the friggin' moon?!"

"Big Show..." Ariel began.

"Did it follow us from the Light Side?! Talk about a big sick puppy!"

"It's not the friggin' moon!" Flynn snapped.

Rainbow nodded numbly. "What h-he said."

"Ach!" Kepler pointed a wing'd claw. "Look at the detail of its marrkings! The prroximity to the earrth's surface! Even the sheerr glow it is prrojecting!" He adjusted his spectacles and glanced at the rest of the Herald. "I do believe we arre dealing with a most currious facsimile!"

"Hold on..." Flynn telekinetically floated a pen, marking across a sheet of parchment. His mechanical eye rotated in and out rapidly as he surveyed the phenomenon. "Calculating..."

"Now's not the time for militant space algebra, baldy—"

"Keps?" Flynn grunted out the side of his muzzle in mid-thought. "Tell Big Show to shut up."

"Logan, dearrest frriend, if you would kindly stay thy orrifices."

"Hrmmmfff..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "That's what I get for existing."

Applejack was craning her neck to look at Flynn. "What in the Sam-scratch is he doin'?"

"From the looks of it, utilizing the tools of his implant," Twilight said. "Getting a realistic measure of what we're looking at."

"Well, that's most splendid!" Rarity peeped. "Because I for one would like to know why the sky just brightened!"

"Uhhhhhhhh... girls...?" Pinkie Pie shook all over. "I'm twitch-a-twitchin' like I've never twitch-a-twitch'd before!"

Fluttershy fidgeted. "Hey... uhm..." She looked at the others, including Rainbow. "I think Pinkie's trying to tell us something—"

"Okay!" Flynn exhaled rapidly, finishing his notes. The stallion's mechanical lens retracted with a whurring sound. "I think I got it!"

"Do elaborate, tinkerer," Seraphimus said.

He held the parchment up as Kepler peeked over his shoulder. "What we're looking at is no more than one hundred meters in height and approximately seventy meters across!" He gestured. "Judging from the trajectory, it appears to be suspended about seven hundred meters above the surface—situated along the Omega horizon!"

Wildcard looked at Rainbow Dash. He gestured: "It must not be very far away."

"Not far at all." Flynn shook his head. "I'm guessing three to four kilometers at the furthest."

"But... it wasn't always there, was it?!" Ariel asked. "Otherwise we woulda seen it!"

"It rose. Just now." Seraphimus calmly squinted at the bright object. "I do believe the Dihmers said so."

"Where the Hell are those freaks anyways?" Logan asked.

"I-I think they're marching off," Ariel stammered.

"Well—wrangle 'em down! Let's squeeze some answers out of them! Figure out what the Hell this thing is all about!"

"Whatever it is, it's not natural," Flynn insisted. "I'm telling you."

Rainbow blinked. In a fit of curiosity, she reached inside her saddlebag and produced Axan's dragonstone. She raised it up, then tilted it towards Omega—specifically in the direction of the phenomenon.

The stone pulsed with the brightest flare of ruby light yet.

"The Shard of Endrax..." Twilight Sparkle cooed, leaning over Rainbow's shoulder.

"It's there," Rainbow said. She lowered the stone. "That thing is hovering over the Bloodwings' lair."

"But what is it?!" Rarity insisted.

Pinkie Pie was shaking all over, eyes bugging. Fluttershy held her ghostly figure in place. Fidgeting, she looked meekly at the others. "Uhm... girls?"

"Harrk!" Kepler pointed closer to the horizon. "If you look closerr, frriends..."

"Shit..." Flynn winced. "I see it too."

"What?" Logan asked, standing tall atop the wagon.

"Along the horrizon," Kepler said. "Beneath the object in question. If you squint in earrnest..."

"Well I'll be damned." Logan's jaw tightened. "Branches."

"Branches?!" Ariel squeaked.

Rainbow had ascended slightly, eyes narrowing. Sure enough—as her vision adjusted to the pale luminescence of the hovering crescent, she spotted jagged black bands blotting out the starlight along the Omega horizon. What's more—if she concentrated very hard—she could almost make out something tethering the bright white satellite to the earth... something thick and linked... like massive chains.

"Everyone...!" Seraphimus' voice hissed in sudden intensity. "...the Dihmers!"

"???" Rainbow Dash turned around. "!!!"

The hunters had suddenly picked up their pace. Their march had turned into a scramble as they scurried—not towards Curveside any longer, but towards the nearest niches and alcoves they could find. A good half of the shaved equines funneled into a black cleft of rocks. There, they crouched low, filing in like packed sardines and implementing their leather satchels full of viscera as body shields.

"Where the Hell are you guys going?!" Ariel asked.

"It fails."

"It fails—"

"Calmly, dearrest frriend," Kepler said, resting a claw on Ariel's shoulder. He peered into the shadowed fissures where the Dihmers were vanishing. "It is curious. Why does it hide?"

Beady eyes glinted in the "moonlight" as the otherwise emotionless Dihmers scurried deeper and deeper with a sudden state of urgency.

"It incinerates."

"And then it clamors."

"It hides."

"It hides..."

"...or else it sustains."

"What...?" Ariel's muzzle twisted in confusion.

Wildcard cocked his head curiously to the side. All of a sudden, his body froze in place. His headcrest lifted sharply like an exclamation point.

The same thing was happening to Seraphimus. Both griffins tensed up like alarmed felines.

"Does..." Flynn fidgeted in place. "...anypony else hear a high pitched whining noise?"

Logan blinked. "It's not me."

"Ach..." Kepler's hairs rose on end. "I am hearring it now."

Rainbow nodded, muzzle agape. "Me too..."

"Guhhh-uhhhhh-uhhhhhh-uhhhhhh!" Pinkie shook all over.

Fluttershy clenched her teeth. "Girls! She's about to burst!"

"Whoah nelly!" Applejack reacted.

"Pinkie! Darling!" Rarity leaned in. "What's going on?"

"Somethiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing crazzzzzzzzzzzzy biiiiiiiiiiiiig!" Pinkie Pie warbled.

"I... I don't get it!" Rainbow Dash shrugged. She looked aside. "Twilight, do you have any explanation for—" Her words cut short as her pupils shrank.

Twilight's horn was glowing hotter than a torch. Ghostly steam emanated from her wincing expression as the unicorn flickered in and out of lavender existence. She flung a teary glance at Rainbow. "So... m-much... magic..." A whimpering sound. "Rainbow... Rainbow you—" Flickering. "—have to hide!"

A high-pitched tone shook through the atmosphere.

The air tingled.

Dust rose from the ground in a pale blue static.

The stars above receded as all perceivable light spiraled towards the Omega Horizon, twirling into a single point of focus.

Flynn was shouting something, but soon his voice too was being drowned in the surmounting bedlam.

Right at that moment—as the noise reached a crescendo—all of Rainbow Dash's ghostly friends vanished. Before she could shriek in alarm, Discord appeared in their place, grinning wildly.

"Now this is more like it!" His voice scratched the suddenly silent air with alarming clarity as he strapped on a thick pair of shades. "I have become God, destroyer of underwear!"

Rainbow weathered the most naked gasp of her life. She yanked Wildcard and Ariel by their tails and leapt towards where the Dihmers were hiding. "Get down—!"

Within milliseconds, from the Omega Horizon—

VROMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

A solid swath of pale blue light fountained across the world. It sailed overhead, replacing the twilight with a brief flash of horrifically bright day. The temperature in the air rose by twenty degrees in the span of two seconds as the discharge impacted a ridge of stone stretching past the flailing Herald.

POWWWWWW!

The shrieks and howls of Rainbow's companions were deaffened by the hellish volley. Chunks of burning rock fell in a smoldering hailstorm across the hillside. Rainbow, Ariel, and Wildcard were lying belly-first against the stone, shimmying desperately towards a hiding place—any hiding place. Kepler and Seraphimus soon joined them, their bodies forming bleak shadows against the brightly-illuminated hellscape.

At long last, the discharge ended. As the sky above went dark, heated air rushed in to fill the wounded atmosphere. Unnatural thunder roared in every direction.

THOOOOOM!!!

This was even louder than the nightmare that broke the sky seconds before.

Rainbow's ears rang until they nearly bled. At the end of the tumult, she heard herself shouting across the clearing. "Big Show! Flynn! Move your flanks—!"

"Get a move on, egghead!" Logan could be heard wailing. "The sky's pissing on us—!"

Rainbow's eyes swept across the landscape. An amber glow settled on the steaming earth. The mountains above were burning all of a sudden.

"Haah haah haah—!" Discord cackled as his body slowly faded back to obscurity. "Armed and fully operational—!"

As he vanished, Rainbow's friends rematerialized.

"Land's sakes!"

"Oh my goodness!"

"Holy moley!"

"Rainbow, darling!" Rarity yelped, rushing in with a desperate expression. "You must get to safety!"

"Safety?!" Rainbow panted and sweated. She winced from the scalding steam and rocks surrounding her. "Where is—!"

"Over here!" Seraphimus' growled. Rainbow spotted her and Wildcard digging loose rocks away and exposing a fresh niche of cool earth beside where the Dihmers had scuttled away. "Come quick! Unless you wish for an early cremation!"

"I'm with murder turkey for once!" Ariel stammered, scrambling towards Wildcard. "Rainbow—!"

"Just a sec!" Rainbow craned her neck, panicking. "Big Show! Flynn—!"

"We're coming! Goddess dammit—EGGHEAD!"

"At least help me g-get the supplies from the wagon—!" Flynn struggled with several crates atop the collapsed vehicle.

"There's no friggin' time!" Logan hollered.

"He's right, Rainbow!" Twilight wept.

Rainbow spun to see the unicorn's horn burning once again.

"It's..." Twilight flickered in an out. "...not over—!"

With a mutual shriek, her friends disappeared into darkness. Discord rematerialized, wearing a tuxedo and clapping. "Encore! Encore!"

Rainbow shouted, "It's firing again!" She dove into the hiding place Seraphimus and Wildcard had made. "Guys! Move your butts—!"

"You heard the Austraeoh, Flynn—!"

"But we can't just leave—" Flynn's bald spot reflected a bright sheen of light. His ears drooped, and his off-muzzle curse was devoured by the noise.

VROMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!

This time, the blast struck much lower. It dug violently into the earth about half-a-kilometer away from the group, carving a fresh new channel into the labyrinthine topography of the valley. Within seconds, thousands of tons of burning rock was being sent sailing into the air, blotting out the brightness of the volley itself.

By then, Logan had grabbed Flynn and hoisted him over his shoulder. The heavy earth pony galloped the two of them down the embankment, sliding towards the hiding spot and passing Kepler along the way.

Within the next breath, a chunk of burning earth fell like a missile and—POW!!!—pulverized the Herald's wagon into oblivion.

"Hoverplank!" Flynn shouted. "Nooooo—!"

THOOOM!!! The thunderous blast wave came. It threw Kepler off his claws, and the small wyvern slipped onto his belly. An avalanche of burning rock rolled over him.

Ariel shrieked Kepler's name.

In a fit of concentration, Flynn shot his telekinesis out—grabbing Kepler by the scorpion tail. The gasping Heraldite was tugged out of the way of the burning debris.

"Ooomf!" Kepler slid into the niche, sandwiched between Logan and Flynn. "My starrs and garrterrs—!" He wheezed.

"Everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted, bracing herself between Ariel and Wildcard. The earth shook all around them as Discord laughed in the background. "Stay put!"

"It incinerates," a random Dihmer droned half-a-hiding-spot away.

"Yeah, no shit!" Logan's teeth gnashed.

"Remain calm," Seraphimus insisted.

"Easy for you to say!!!" Flynn hissed. "A paper moon took a shit on my Hoverplank!!!"

Wildcard attempted gesturing something, but he only managed to smack Kepler with his elbow.

"Augh!" Kepler fidgeted with his spetacles—alarmed to discover that one of the lenses had been severely cracked. "Damnation!" He winced through his tusks as the world continued to shake. "Does anypony suppose they werre attempting to hit us with those discharrges?"

"Can we save the artillery talk for another time?!" Flynn grunted, attempting to stay upright inside the shadowed niche. "I'm stuck between sobbing and a fatass right now!"

"The wyvern makes a good point..." Seraphimus looked at Rainbow. "...they clearly missed us by several degrees with both shots."

"If they weren't aiming for us..." Rainbow Dash huffed. "...then what were they aiming for?"

"Uhhhh... I've got a better question," Ariel stammered. "Why's the ground still shaking?"

"... ... ... ... ..."

The Herald peeked outside the narrow cave as more rocks and pebbles—all smoldering—rained down from the higher elevations. The sky above had returned to dismal twilight. The "moon" had clearly finished its assault.

"Maybe..." Logan fidgeted, repositioning his axe. "...it hit a fault line? Caused an earthquake?"

"It's not an earthquake," Rarity's voice said. "But the ground is shaking."

With a breath of relief, Rainbow turned to see that her friends had materialized once more. "Guys! You're back!" She blinked. "I... I think chaos has something to do with—"

Twilight nodded, her horn dim once again. "It's more complicated than that. I definitely sensed lunar magic in that just now. But..."

"One thang at a time!" Applejack looked across from Twilight. "Rarity! If it's not an earthquake, then what's goin' on?"

"Pinkie?" Rainbow gulped. "We're paying attention this time. I promise."

"Pinkie can't help us right now," Fluttershy said. A gulp. "But I can..."

"Huh?" Rarity blinked.

Rainbow winced nervously. "What... is it...?"

The ground shook harder and harder. Soon, the tremors were accompanied by animalistic shrieks and howls. From the glow of burning mountains and rockslides, a frightened stampede of countless limbs rose in an unfathomable tumult.

The Dihmers calmly chanted into their hiding niches:

"It clamors."

"It clamors."

"It clamors."

Wildcard and Ariel exchanged nervous glances.

"All of those creatures that were hiding underground all this time...?" Fluttershy's ears drooped as the madness rushed in from all sides. "...they're not hiding any more."

Comments

[Feigned Ignorance]

Time to fight, run, or hide. Unfortunately, none of these seem like particularly good ideas.

[geb]

What.

[Lightning Bearer]

sandipointe.com/im/baby-girls-clothing-shoes/walmart-baby-3.jpg

[IceKitsune]

Oh boy, the hover plank is gone along with the supplies and now they have to deal with all those creatures at once. This is going to be interesting, I suspect this might be the time we lose at least one of the members.

[Merula]

Hey Bloodwings, the Galactic Empire called. Said they wanted their battlestation back.

"Logan, dearrest frriend, if you would kindly stay thy orrifices."

Definetely using this

[Phoenix Kitten]

Lunar magic supercharged with chaos metal.

Perhaps this is what got Lexxic to the position of chief tactician for the bloodwings.

-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.

[WanderingPony]

Who needs Khyber crystals when you have chaos metal?

[Sir Mediocre]

It does have teeth.

[The 24th Pegasus]

IT CLAMORS

[Sylicath]

A superweapon of some sort. Either the key to Lexxic's success, or a major part of the bloodwing's campaign.

[DTM]

Come on bloodwings! If the Empire tried doing something like this and failed thrice, then it probably fail for you too. Where's the exhaust port when you need it.

[Blaster M]

At some point in the future, they are going to do the Harbinger charge...

[Mocha Star]

Riddick flows to mind.

[Boersencrash]

"If they weren't aiming for us..." Rainbow Dash huffed. "...then what were they aiming for?"

I assume it's an extensive hunting operation. Firing some heavy shots into the earth to stir up panic is the first step to lure the prey into the open. And as soon as a high number of creatures emerges, the hunters strike directly to catch and/or kill their game.

And R.I.P. Hoverplank.

[Booster Spice]

RIP hovertank. At least it took a Planet Killer to take you out.

Now, in the immortal words of Prince Vultan.

The Hunters, Become The Hunted.

[Dream of Ponies]

Huh that's one way to flush out prey. Why use dogs or water when you have access to a literal Luna damned MOON LASER to shake things up.

[Campo]

Well this just got intense real quick. I think we found what's given them an edge against the other factions.
Seems like the Bloodwings have weaponized their Shard of Endrax, likely accompanied with lots of moonstones and chaos metal to enhance its power even more.

R.I.P Hoverplank

[Nevlamas]

I will say, everyone's confusion for the entire first half of the chapter strikes me as exceedingly slow-witted. Oh boy, a false moon rising and all the natives scurrying to hide, mumbling something about a coming hunt in an area known by everyone to be the territory of the Lunar Hunt, I wonder what it could mean?

[Codaulux]

"It's there," Rainbow said. She lowered the stone. "That thing is hovering over the Bloodwings' lair."

Yet Dihmers seem to be mucking around right outside their tree house as if it’s worth the risk. They may not be on the Lunar Hunt’s menu but with knowledge of a functional bloodwing super-weapon nearby, what reason would they have for hunting here?

If they were so emotionally detached that they didn’t give two shits about death by moonbeam or stampede then they wouldn’t be making an effort to hide. Either they know this particular area is crawling with feral life that doesn’t comprehend the threat and makes for exceptionally good hunting, or they low-key get a thrill out of living dangerously.

[Phoenix Kitten]

8827591
it's more likely a sort of symbiosis.
The Dihmer's wait for the bloodwings to fire their weapon, which sends the creatures to the surface, then they hunt.
The Bloodwings put up with the Dihmers because they hunt the creatures, keeping their territory free of natural threats, leaving them to focus on invaders.

[Tim the Planes-pony]

Well, losing the hoverplank is definitely going to put a dampener on their trip. I wonder how much supplies they managed to get from it before it got blown to Tartarus. I suppose at the moment they have bigger problems though, like the micro death star upsetting the local wildlife.

[ThumsRipa]

Yeesh. If those bald ponies help fight, maybe there's a chance? They do seem more of the hiding sort, seeing as there is almost no life force coming from them. Either way, trouble calls.

[ChaosDX1]

And here's the chaos we were promised! For a plane of chaos, the dark side can be very quiet and orderly.

Also, just an idle thought, what would happen if Rainbow tried to use the death moon to contact Luna?

[The_K_Man]

I have memories of the burning of Foxtaur Forest. Huh, that was over five irl years ago. This Sunday will mark two whole years since we've seen anything from the rest of the Noble Jury. I still wonder what each of their progress is...

[Sumitro]

Within the next breath, a chunk of burning earth fell like a missile and—POW!!!—pulverized the Herald's wagon into oblivion.

"Hoverplank!" Flynn shouted."Nooooo—!"

Well now you have to blow that flying fortress up. Or, even better, steal it for yourselves!

[terrycloth]

8827936
Presumably she'd get Lexxic.

[alamais]

8827547
Very much agreed. Hell, ignoring the moon entirely the natives running for cover and saying 'it incinerates' while Pinkie strokes out is your cue to panic and find your own cover, not herpaderp around more. I think it's an indicator that their time chilling with the spoders and having a pretty leisurely stroll from there to this point has softened them up a bit. The loss of poor Hoverplank is the price they pay for that.

[Speckle]

......

Adrenaline rush aside, I do believe we've come across the means that Lexxic is using to turn the war in his favor. No wonder the Spindlers couldn't get any info on it.

R.I.P. Hovercraft; you had a nice, long run.

[AppleTank]

8827547
Reminds me of the (paraphrased) saying,
"The sprinting explosives expert is the leader no matter the situation"

[PropMaster]

Easily one of the fucking coolest reveals in the series thus far, with the inclusion of Discord loving every moment being the star wars referencing cherry on top.

[Labyrinthine]

Well shit. I wish I hadn’t been gone for the past few days — being in a time zone where chapters get uploaded in the middle of the night is tough.

[General Lemarc]

The Bloodwings have created a Death Star. The Bloodwings have created a steampunk, magi-tech Death Star. The Bloodwings have created a Death Star so easily that they are able to use it to hunt with!!!
We're screwed

[Alicorn Capony]

Didn't realize "Lunar Hunt" would be so close to literal.

[RoboRed]

[Hazard]

I am reminded of the Chronicles of riddick. Quite the sunrise.

[Lucasmembrane]

8842204
Add in the freaky things coming from underground and you’ve got both Chronicles of Riddick *and* Pitch Black.

[BleedingRaindrops]

"Haah haah haah—!" Discord cackled as his body slowly faded back to obscurity. "Armed and fully operational—!"

I was waiting for that. Shame the chapter title isn't "That's no moon"

[Cold Bolt]

They have a superweapon.

Well that explains a few things.

So it's basically Bloodwings or bust now, isn't it? They just lost their transport and all their supplies.

[Cynderfall]

Zerg rush!!!

[Rudy45]

"Safety?!" Rainbow panted and sweated. She winced from the scalding steam and rocks surrounding her. "Where is—!"

Woof, Rainbow came dangerously close to quoting The Hound.

[Revan]

The hunt begins.

[Prism Break]

Perfect chapter title!

" Hoverplank! " Flynn shouted. "Nooooo—!"

RIP Hoverplank 6000. First Herald death since Axan.

And what the hell is this?! A bloodwing weapon? Well now there’s no choice but to face them. And I have a feeling there’s about to be a huge bloodbath...

[meanderingNekomata]

8901988
But it's 4 word chapters this book, "That Is No Moon" is the title you're looking for

[NeoNymph]

That’s no MOON! They have their own Death Star!

[Level Dasher]

Welp... gonna take a lot longer now.

[hypervelocity]

"It's..." Rainbow slowly shook her head. "...no trick."

[insert obligatory Star Wars reference here]

"Now's not the time for militant space algebra, baldy—"

This is the exact time for militant space algebra Logan!

Rainbow had ascended slightly, eyes narrowing. Sure enough—as her vision adjusted to the pale luminescence of the hovering crescent, she spotted jagged black bands blotting out the starlight along the Omega horizon. What's more—if she concentrated very hard—she could almost make out something tethering the bright white satellite to the earth... something thick and linked... like massive chains .

So it's a literal fake moon the Bloodwings made? This is some extra as fuck shit. Plus the Shard is in that direction? Hoo boy...

"Does..." Flynn fidgeted in place. "...anypony else hear a high pitched whining noise? "

....OK, well, that can't be good.

"All of those creatures that were hiding underground all this time...?" Fluttershy's ears drooped as the madness rushed in from all sides. "...they're not hiding any more."

FANTASTIC. THE DEATH STAR WOKE UP ALL THE SLEEPING MONSTERS. OH JOY THIS IS GOOD.