Ofolrodi

by Imploding Colon

Get That "Exploration" Achievement

Logan, Ariel, and Kepler finished dragging the two sleds down into the upper hangar of Darkreach. The faint twilight of the outer world was swiftly drowned out by a bright array of buzzing red lights filling the spacious chamber below. Metal equipment, Cylindrimanian tech, and random other pieces of junk lined the otherwise vacant compartment.

"Well... I must admit..." Kepler finished dragging Seraphimus' sled in with Ariel's help. He stood up and dusted his claws and wings off with a tusked smile. "This makes a grreat deal morre sense! I suspect you have unveiled the main entrrance to this domain, Rrainbow One!"

"Not by myself, I didn't," Rainbow shook her head as she finished dragging the equipment sled in with Logan. "Flynn gets most of the credit, although we'd be nowhere without Wildcard's senses and the girls'."

"Does this mean everything's lit up in this place?" Ariel asked. A slight shudder. "I wouldn't want to be stuck in a darker-than-dark place in the middle of nowhere."

"Flynn says we should boot up the manasystems slowly," Rainbow said. "Or else we could overload the central power core or some crud." She pointed at the massive gears locked in place and holding the large hatch above the ramp open. "Right now, about seventy percent of the juice is being used to open this baby."

"So... we gotta redirect the energy right after closing up?" Logan asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Something like that."

Logan exhaled. "I can dig it."

"Prrobably forr the best that we close this hatch at all times that we do not need it," Kepler said, observing the continuous hum of manacircuitry illuminating the place in a crimson glow. "This is a larrge, well-arrmorred doorr. No doubt the Emerraldinians felt it necessarry to shield themselves frrom something."

"Like what?" Ariel asked.

"Hrrmfff..." Seraphimus muttered, low on sleep and functioning vocal chords. "It's your own damned fault that the wendigoes are out and about."

"Hah!" Logan grinned. "Are you for real? Even after all this time?! The Edge of the World?! The day-less trek through Cragville?!" He stood before the bound griffin, gesturing wildly. "And now this nosedive into the throat of a lone mesa drowning in twilight?! Still you deny where we all are, toots?"

Seraphimus glared at him. "Do not call me 'toots.'"

"Heh..." Logan leaned back. "Poor turkey. I think you've drained all your brain matter into a lonely throbbing bitch gland."

"Don't get too close to her, Big Show," Flynn said, trotting into the hangar from a side entrance. "She's liable to bite off your only remaining inch of pride."

"What if I'm into that, Baldy?"

"Eugh... Goddess help us all."

Ariel waved. "Hi, Flynn!" She waved again. "Hiya, Wildcard! How are you holding up?"

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

Wincing, Ariel turned to look at the others. "Okaaaaaaaay... guess we found shelter right in the nick of time."

"I can't sleep," Rainbow said. "Not yet. Not until we've mapped this place out more."

"I whole-hearrtedly concurr!" Kepler said. "We must make a surrvey of Darrkrreach as soon as possible! Ascerrtain the tools we can salvage frrom this sanctuarry's hallowed halls!"

"Don't get on your knees and worship this place yet, Keps," Flynn muttered. "The lower floors are pretty ransacked. Whoever left this place may have taken everything with them."

"So..." Ariel squinted. "...it is completely abandoned?"

Wildcard nodded.

"Looks like it," Rainbow said. "Plus, Fluttershy's not sensing anything... or anyone."

"Still..." Kepler cleared his throat. "We have an entirre plane of chaos ahead of us... and I suspect this is the one and only place that will be even rremotely hospitable."

"Four eyes is right," Logan said. "I say we start gutting immediately." He gestured behind him. "How about getting this tin can shut?"

"Will do!" Flynn said, looking at Rainbow. "And then—if you want—I can go about powering up the whole of Darkreach in sections. We can explore each of them in quadrants."

Rainbow nodded. "Until we're able to power up the entire place?"

"Precisely."

"Well then..." Rainbow cracked her neck muscles and flew forward. "Let's get to work."

---

Bodies huddled in a dark room.

Flynn's voice echoed from a distant corridor far below.

"Central quadrant...!"

"Just crank it, Baldy!" Logan shouted.

Cht-Chtunnnnnng!

The dim red lights flanking the room flickered from crimson to bright gold.

Seraphimus squinted. Released from the sled, the exhausted, bruised griffin was heavily chained to a series of pipes in the far... far corner of the large room.

The rest of the Herald flinched as the chamber lit up like noonday. They saw benches... strewn equipment... and a grand mosaic of Verdestone on the far wall.

"Ooooooh!" Ariel cooed, smiling. "Pretty!"

"My starrs and garrterrs!" Kepler beamed. "Is that... Verdestone?"

"Uh huh." Rainbow Dash flew down the length of the room. "But now's not the time. Focus, everypony. We only have a small window of time to scour this room before Flynn's gotta juice up another compartment."

"Right! On it!" Ariel dove towards a pile of debris and began shifting through it. "Still... this room's so highly decorated. What do you think it was for?"

"Meeting? Rrecrreation?" Kepler suggested, examining random bric-a-brac along a table. "Perrhaps a commissarry?"

"Ohhhhhhhh lawd..." Logan sighed, turning over a large crate. Thud! "I wonder if this place still has a kitchen intact."

"Maybe—but anything we find in there has got to be over centuries old." Ariel grimaced from afar. "You really wanna munch on something that old?"

Logan smirked. "Can't be any worse than stuff I've eaten before."

Seraphimus groaned. "Verlaxion... finish me now..."

"I said focus, ponies!"

With a loud rattle, Wildcard yanked a slender metal object from a pile of dusty junk. He held the thing up victoriously, glancing at the others.

"Whoah..." Logan squinted from a distance. "...the Hell is that thing?"

"It looks manapowerred," Kepler said, adjusting his glasses. "Cylindrrimanian technology, no doubt."

"Yeah... but what's it for?" Rainbow asked.

"Hey..." Ariel pointed in Wildcard's direction. "Is that a trigger?"

"... ... ...?" Wildcard turned the object around. Indeed, he saw a glinting metal nozzle. He balanced the neck of the thing on his left stub and dug a right claw into the instrument. Whurrrrrrr—THUNTT!

The cylinder jolted like a potato cannon, and a grappling hook was violently launched across the chamber. CLANKKK! It embedded into the pipework just inches above Seraphimus' feathery skull.

Wildcard and Rainbow Dash winced. "Okaaaaaaay..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "New rule... no more touching weird things without thinking."

"Got it," Ariel said with a nod.

Seraphimus sighed. "Infidels..." She slinked away from where the metal hook was embedded. "...now they're just teasing me."

"I fearr that therre isn't much to find in herre, Rrainbow One," Kepler said.

"I agree." Rainbow flew off towards an adjacent corridor. "I'm telling Flynn to juice up the next section."

---

"Lateral quadrant...!" Flynn's voice shouted.

Bzzzzz-bzzzzzt!

A long, narrow corridor flickered to life with bright, gold light.

Rainbow Dash and Ariel stood side by side, staring down at an array of narrow doorways yawning open with concrete frames. Dust and grime materialized under the harmonic illumination.

"How quaint," Ariel muttered.

"Quickly..." Rainbow started trotting down the long thin hall, glancing into every room. "...let's do a quick scan."

"What do you see?" Ariel asked, catching up and craning her neck.

"I think..." Rainbow's ruby eyes reflected bunk beds, cabinets, and loose garments. "...this is the living quarters."

"No kidding?" Ariel glanced into each claustrophobic compartment, observing household items like brushes and horseshoes strewn about. "Kinda looks like a college dorm."

"Really? So you've been to Kihutaja?"

"Huh? You mean the Colonial Islands?"

Rainbow sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind—" She suddenly jolted in place, staring into one particular compartment. "Whoah boyoooooo..."

"What is it?" Ariel peered in with her. "Guh!" She grimaced. "Talk about cruddy..."

"Yeah!" Rainbow smirked, gesturing into a compartment the same size as all the previous living quarters—only this one possessed a single bed floating atop a glorious pile of metal junk and inside-out mechanisms. "But it's nifty crud!"

"Is it?" Ariel looked disdainfully at oil-stained gears and manacrystal casings. "Is it really?" A sigh. "Maybe we should bring Flynn or Keps in here to take a gander."

"Curious..." Rainbow gingerly shoved a few rattling tools aside, uncovering even more gearworks. "...all of the other rooms are filled with bunkbeds. But here? We've got one cot and what looks like an unkempt garage. What's the deal? What makes this room so special that it stands out from the others?"

"Whyyyyyyyyy so many questions?"

"Honestly, girl..." Rainbow gazed at her with a sly smirk. "...is this your first visit to a derelict abandoned station?"

"In Rohbredden I... uh... stumbled upon many a... ... ... ... ... snow hut."

"Riiiiiight."

"Pffft. At least pay attention to what you're rummaging through." Ariel pointed at the only part of the wall not covered with hanging tools. "For instance, what's that?"

"Hmmm?" Rainbow blinked at a crookedly-framed illustration of an industrial landscape.

"These Emeraldinians sure were homesick," Ariel remarked. "Still..." A shudder. "...I like the mural of Verdestone in the other room waaaaaaaay better."

"Mosaic."

"Huh?"

Rainbow ignored her for a brief moment, her ruby eyes trailing the circular shapes of large "holes" dotting the heart of the painted cityscape. "...New Ring City. No..." She smirked. "Old Ring City."

"Isn't that the name of—"

"—a place in Darkstine. Right." Rainbow trotted in a circle, taking the entirety of the junk-filled room in. "I believe these quarters belonged to a Cylindrimanian."

"You sure?"

"Pretty sure—" Rainbow stubbed her fetlock on something. Thunk! "Augh! Luna's Nipple!" She hopped in place, hissing. A few seconds later: "... ... ...yeah yeah, I'm sorry, Twilight."

"What did you run into?"

"I dunno." Rainbow hopped and hopped. "Something stupid."

"Here..." Ariel squatted low and picked up the item in question. "...let's take a closer look."

The rectangular object immediately flickered with dull red light, causing Ariel to drop it with a slight shriek.

"Shhh!" Rainbow finished flinching. "Calm down."

"It... it's mana-powered!" Ariel gulped. "Whatever it is."

"Huh..." Rainbow reached down to pick up the large, rectangular object. Again, it glowed with a faint red light upon her grasping it. "Must be some pretty wicked tech to still have some juice after all this time." She pivoted it to the side. A series of cables dangled loosely from an open compartment. "Weird... is it some kind of battery?"

Ariel eyed a slender handle along the top of the thing. "... ... ...looks like a briefcase to me."

"A briefcase?" Rainbow turned the thing over, causing the cables to pivot and sway. "Pffft... no lid. Nothing to open it up with." She pivoted it some more, exposing a small hole. "Hey—looks like a crystal housing chamber."

"Look..." Ariel pointed at the side of the device. "Are those... letters?"

Rainbow squinted. "'C'... ... ... 'A'... ... ...'I'... ... ...'" she began reading.

"Hey! Gals!" Logan's voice hollered from somewhere beyond the hallway outside. "Double-Yoo found something super important looking! Come and have a look!"

"Ahem..." Rainbow craned her neck and shouted back: "Is Flynn ready to switch power again?"

"Do I care?"

Ariel rolled her eyes. She smiled at Rainbow Dash. "Do we wanna poke around here a bit more?"

Rainbow looked at her, at the "briefcase," then at her again. "Nah." She tucked the thing under her left wing and trotted out... cables dragging behind her. "Let's get to the meaty bits later."

---

"Okay, Flynn," Rainbow Dash muttered. She stared across yet another spacious chamber. "Hit it."

This time, the bald stallion was within earshot. He stood beside the entrance to the room and cranked a lever. Cht-Chtunnng!

Gold light flickered to life, illuminating a room filled with instrument panels and crystalline stations. In the center there stood a massive table with a dull black surface comprised of countless rusted metal pins.

"Okay..." Logan was the first to huff. "... ... ...what the buck?"

"Just as I thought..." Flynn smirked, trotting away from the lever as he gaped at all the blinking, flickering lights. "...that explains why I was able to power this place up from here."

"Care to fill us in, baldy?"

Flynn gestured with a hoof. "This must be the master control room... the operational hub of Darkreach."

"Hey! Cool!" Ariel smiled proudly. "Score."

Rainbow Dash was shaking the rectangular object she pilfered from the sleeping quarters. After hearing a slight rattle, she shrugged, then casually tossed the piece of junk to the ground behind her. Cl-Clunk! "Soooooo..." Dusting off her hooves, Rainbow stared at the table before them. "The heck is this thing? A tetanus baptismal pool?"

"Surrely therre is a deeperr purrpose to it," Kepler said.

"That's what I'm intending to find out. Aaaaaand..." Flynn approached a series of dials and swiftly turned them. "...if I am correct."

Vrmmmmmmmmmm!

A loud hum emanated from the metallic table in the center of the control room, causing Ariel and Wildcard to guard themselves. The air crackled with electrical energy, and the group watched as hundreds upon hundreds of metal needles lifted up from the base of the table. They rose at different heights... forming a pattern... then ultimately a geographical silhoutte. It didn't take long for the Herald to realize they were staring at a three-dimensional model of the mesa and the surrounding ravine—comprised entirely out of magnetically raised pins.

"Ta-daaaaaaa...!" Flynn folded his forelimbs and smiled proudly at the group. "Fillies and gentlecolts, I present you a map."

Wildcard whistled.

"Whoahhhhh..." Ariel blinked.

"That's nice and all," Rainbow said. She turned to smile at Flynn. "But will it blend?"

Logan snickered.

Flynn rolled his good eye and droned, "I think this is pretty significant. It's giving us a pretty accurate picture of the surrounding landscape."

"No kidding." Rainbow rubbed the back of her head. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaybeeeeeeee... it can show us further long to where we need to go?"

"That's what I'm hoping."

"But..." Ariel squinted at the others. "...just how far did the Emeraldinians of Darkreach go? And did they actually map out any of that stuff?"

"Only one way to find out."

"Guess you'll need this place juiced up for quite a while, huh?" Rainbow asked.

Flynn said, "This looks to be the central planning and management area of the entire facility. I'm hoping that any secrets about the whereabouts of the colonists can be figured out here."

"Then you must obserrve the inforrmation storred herre with grreat scrrutiny, brrotherr," Kepler said.

"And I would love to have your help with that, Keps," Flynn said. "Above all else... we must be careful and delicate with all of the instruments here." He shrugged. "Who knows how faulty some of this tech can be?"

"Hey..." Logan lumbered forward, reaching his hoof towards a faintly glowing diode. "What's this thingy do?"

Flynn winced hard. "Dude! Hold up—!"

Too late. Logan pressed the thing.

But then...

FL-FLASH!!! Six separate beams of light shot inward from previously-concealed emitters. The entire table glowed... and an image danced and flickered in the center of the room. Layer by layer, the skull of a pony materialized in three dimensions above the metallic map of the mesa. The cranium acquired an ink black coat and a midnight mane. Deep, wise eyes pooled into being and a muzzle full of immaculate teeth opened in sync with a deep bass voice crackling forth from unseen speakers:

"—scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—" The sagely stallion's face rippled with static, rematerialized, and repeated the fragmented message. "—scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk—"

As the face rippled again, Ariel hovered closer to it... muzzle agape. "A... a hologram...?"

Flynn nodded, dumbstruck. "Apparently..."

"But..." Rainbow Dash squinted. "...who is it?"

"Beats me," Logan exhaled. "Look at his teeth!"

"Big Show..."

"With chompers like that, he's gotta be royalty!"

"Onyxxus..."

The group looked over at Kepler.

Kepler took a deep breath. "The late patrriarrch of ourr beloved Mountain Matrron..." The wyvern bowed with quiet reverance. "...I feel it in my hearrt. This is Morrtuana's fatherr..."

Wildcard stared thoughtfully at Kepler, then at the infinitely repeating hologram.

"Huh..." Rainbow slicked her short bangs back, gazing at the hologram. "...neato."

Comments

[RoboRed]

Well, clearly the next logical thing to do is try and fix that holographic message if possible.

I have a feeling that the grappling hook and case are going to be important later.

Rainbow squinted. "'C'... ... ... 'A'... ... ...'I'... ... ...'" she began reading.

Hmm...any chance of this being someone or something we already know?

Ariel waved. "Hi, Flynn!" She waved again. "Hiya, Wildcard! How are you holding up?"

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

...

...

I THINK HE MIGHT BE AGITATED.

...

...Or perhaps just a bit high-strung.

"That's nice and all," Rainbow said. She turned to smile at Flynn. "But will it blend?"

[Jake The Army Guy]

"Help me, Pony-won Kenobi. You're my only hope..."
"Help me, Pony-won Kenobi. You're my only hope..."
"Help me, Pony-won Kenobi. You're my only hope..."
"Help me, Pony-won Kenobi. You're my only hope..."
"Help me, Pony-won Kenobi. You're my only hope..."

Forty crunches, ):(. Knock 'em out!

[Spiral_Donut]

 "Fillies and gentlecolts, I present you a map."

Maps are very useful.

The cylinder jolted like a potato cannon, and a grappling hook was violently launched across the chamber.

This is also useful. Potato cannons!

[Merula]

Heh..." Logan leaned back. "Poor turkey. I think you've drained all your brain matter into a lonely throbbing bitch gland."
"Don't get too close to her, Big Show," Flynn said, trotting into the hangar from a side entrance. "She's liable to bite off your only remaining inch of pride."
"What if I'm into that, Baldy?"

Pft, hehe!

Seraphimus sighed. "Infidels..." She slinked away from where the metal hook was embedded. "...now they're just teasing me."

How many times has she said 'infidel' at this point? I've lost count

"That's nice and all," Rainbow said. She turned to smile at Flynn. "But will it blend?"

BEST QUESTION EVER! :D

[Doctor Disco]

Seraphimus sighed. "Infidels..." She slinked away from where the metal hook was embedded. "...now they're just teasing me."

Poor Seraphimus, not getting her wish of sweet loving death.

And now we're exploring Darkreach! New gadgets and gizmos and artifacts abound!

I highly expect a vault of some sort hidden away deep within that will, for some reason or another, open by itself. What's inside? In Seraphimus' words, probably some more INFIDELS!

But in all seriousness, this might not end well. They'll get all relaxed and then... boom... No doubt, something from the outside will begin banging on the doors or some age-old secret will be uncovered.

Or I could be completely wrong.
6:08 p.m. MST 14/7/2017

[Cynderfall]

I do hereby demand, as once being the namesource of the late Nightshade herself!
Push ALL of the buttons!

[Those Kids In The Corner]

Well this should be fun. Mystery box and ancient Alicorn hologram.

[Xarchels]

"I dunno." Rainbow hopped and hopped. "Something stupid."

This is the moment I knew that it would work, whatever it was.

[aRestlessCreativeGamer]

Well, the hologram thing reminds me of that scene in Stratopolis with Commander Hurricane. Though, i'm doubting we'll run into the smooze again, i can't help but wonder if there's another abomination lurking

[Tim the Planes-pony]

A loud hum emanated from the metallic table in the center of the control room, causing Ariel and Wildcard to guard themselves. The air crackled with electrical energy, and the group watched as hundreds upon hundreds of metal needles lifted up from the base of the table. They rose at different heights... forming a pattern... then ultimately a geographical silhoutte. It didn't take long for the Herald to realize they were staring at a three-dimensional model of the mesa and the surrounding ravine—comprised entirely out of magnetically raised pins.

If I recall correctly, Roarke had something similar on her Searonese ship, neat to see similar function done in a different manner. Also nice to see the faces of those who came before.

[Phoenix Kitten]

 "...I like the mural of Verdestone in the other room waaaaaaaay better."

"Mosaic."

"Huh?"

I repeat. Heh.

Rainbow Dash was shaking the rectangular object she pilfered from the sleeping quarters. After hearing a slight rattle, she shrugged, then casually tossed the piece of junk to the ground behind her. Cl-Clunk! 

Calling it, that thing is gonna be important.
or explode.

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

[Hyped for what]

"These Emeraldinians sure were homesick," Ariel remarked. "Still..." A shudder. "...I like the mural of Verdestone in the other room waaaaaaaay better."

"Mosaic."

Also that case could be pretty useful.

[Booster Spice]

Teh Machine layer might be a long way down normally, but Dash has seen how far the Spires can protrude. What if there is a similar pattern on the Dark Side, and Dark Reach is the Ringworld Engineers maintenance bay equivalence locally, and all the Emeraldines construction has taken place in one of the maintenance hangers?

A bedroom with ALL the robot parts? I didnt think Id been describing ,my place That accurately, although the wiring the whole house with floor to cieling LAN and induction loops didnt come to pass so far.

I get this image of the Thing Dash just threw away as being a cross between a self propelled Walkman.

[FloydienSlip]

Too late. Logan pressed the thing.

I have a feeling this is foreshadowing for the rest of the series.

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

8298256
One can hope. Rome wasn't built in a day, so I doubt she'll change any faster.

[IceKitsune]

8298412
This was my first thought as well

Sometimes it's the best idea to just push the buttons without thinking.

Rainbow squinted. "'C'... ... ... 'A'... ... ...'I'... ... ...'" she began reading.

I wonder if this is going to mean anything in the future.

[ZanyZapper]

"Hey..." Logan lumbered forward, reaching his hoof towards a faintly glowing diode. "What's this thingy do?"

And just like that I'm reading Logan in Deedee's voice and Flynn is now Dexter.

[Lamplighter]

"Fillies and gentlecolts, I present you a map."

Now all that need is the compass and boss key.

[Redante]

8298455
Concur'd!

To the big red button ho!

[dewtrotted]

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/words-that-start-with-cai

Yeah, not that helpful.

[Jerrrry]

This book series is dauntingly long I like that but there is a point at witch it just becomes too much for me

[Cotton Fluff]

Seraphimus sighed. "Infidels..." She slinked away from where the metal hook was embedded. "...now they're just teasing me."

There is no way this is not going to come back and bite them later.

Pretty neat for them to discover a message, though it seems to be one that won't really tell them what happened here. Still, any info (and worldbuilding) is better than none

[Phoenix Kitten]

8299197
That's why it's separated into easy to swallow instalments.

[Nevlamas]

So to recap: last chapter we had the energy management puzzles from Riven, now we have Achenar's room:
lparchive.org/Myst/Update%208/43-47_Achenar%27s_Room.jpg
The needle map:
i.ytimg.com/vi/vbgglvcXpWk/hqdefault.jpg
And the Atrus hologram:
lparchive.org/Riven/Update%2022/3-AtrusForeChamber.jpg

Sure is getting Mysty in here.

[Haysit T Ganaram]

8299315
Now you're just making me nostalgic.

But no seriously Austraeoh itself had a fucking awesome Myst vibe going on, particularly with the symbols.
Too bad it's continuously ruined by mediocre characters and Mary Sue plot lines.

[Almeryst]

I would so love to find and explore somewhere like darkreach. It sounds awesome.

[Luminard]

Push all the buttons and pull all the levers!

[KMCA]

8298443

gadgets and gizmos and artifacts abound!

We got gadgets and gizmos aplenty
We got whosits and whatsits galore

Just a Disney flashback there.

[mongoosegoose]

"The heck is this thing? A tetanus baptismal pool?"

Good God.

[Hap]

Seraphimus glared at him. "Do not call me 'toots.'"

Shipping senses tingling...

[Haysit T Ganaram]

8299554
Myst was still fun, some of the serie's puzzles were a bit obscure.

And I meant adding stuff like diff languages and explanations of things we have no chance of being able to visualize.

[Revan]

And now we wonder... *Inhales* I love puzzle-solving RPGs...

[arancaytar]

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

Dude, chill...

"Mosaic."

"Huh?"

comprised entirely out of magnetically raised pins.

... that resembles Searonese tech

Rainbow Dash was shaking the rectangular object she pilfered from the sleeping quarters. After hearing a slight rattle, she shrugged, then casually tossed the piece of junk to the ground behind her. 

Don't throw away plot items, Dashie!

" —scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk— " The sagely stallion's face rippled with static, rematerialized, and repeated the fragmented message. " —scrkkkkkk—forth with the blessings of Harmony, foals of Emeraldine. Our weary eyes rest upon the—scrkkkkkkkk— "

Well, it's not much, but it beats the "OH MY GOD TURN BACK YOU FOOLS" they got from Hurricane in Stratopolis, I guess.

[Boopers]

"Old Ring City"??! Rainbow you featherbrain, that city was called Ringfall ;)

[Nevlamas]

Also:

Ariel waved. "Hi, Flynn!" She waved again. "Hiya, Wildcard! How are you holding up?"

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

[The 24th Pegasus]

I think I know what that briefcase might be... my D&D party will be excited

[Hazard]

"Help me, Rainbow one Kenobi. You're my only hope."

[General Lemarc]

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

Hmm. Not like him. Important, perhaps?

The cylinder jolted like a potato cannon, and a grappling hook was violently launched across the chamber.CLANKKK! It embedded into the pipework just inches above Seraphimus' feathery skull.

 Thunk! "Augh! Luna's Nipple!" She hopped in place, hissing. A few seconds later: "... ... ...yeah yeah, I'm sorry, Twilight."

I'm surprised she hasn't protested more.

[General Lemarc]

8298536
Hey, it was surprisingly stoppable.

[General Lemarc]

8299004
And we should probably figure out what the dungeon item does. Or not, depending on whether that would make the inevitable plan stupider or not.

[JustAnotherTimeLord]

8299197
I cannot sympathize. I seemingly cannot get enough, and I've been reading this series for years.

[Seraphimus]

8311591
I know that feeling. When the updates started again I was so stoked because this story has literally become just a regular part of my week

[Naterdoo]

Fluttershy still doesn't detect life and they closed off their way out. This is kind of giving me a Vault 22 vibe. In New Vegas, your radar didn't detect these enemies until they fully emerged from the ground, making it a very unsettling sight. I'm thinking something's gonna be ready to wake up and chase down the Herald soon.

[Cold Bolt]

"That's nice and all," Rainbow said. She turned to smile at Flynn. "But will it blend?"

Map smoke. Don't breathe this...

[FOXTrot2]

Heeeeeeey, I remember Roarke having one of these in her manaship!

[Youdidwhat]

"Curious..." Rainbow gingerly shoved a few rattling tools aside, uncovering even more gearworks. "...all of the other rooms are filled with bunkbeds. But here? We've got one cot and what looks like an unkempt garage. What's the deal? What makes this room so special that it stands out from the others?"

Is someone still there

Too late. Logan pressed the thing.

Don’t know why that’s so funny.

[M M]

This vaguely reminded me of A New Hope.
8298412
See! I'm not the only one who gets it.

[Alchemik]

Seraphimus seems to have become surprisingly well-adjusted. You know, denial notwithstanding.

[Level Dasher]

Rainbow Dash was shaking the rectangular object she pilfered from the sleeping quarters. After hearing a slight rattle, she shrugged, then casually tossed the piece of junk to the ground behind her. Cl-Clunk!

Rainbow, have you not learned that nothing that 'works' is junk?

"That's nice and all," Rainbow said. She turned to smile at Flynn. "But will it blend?"

Holy shit, that's a reference and a half.

"Hey..." Logan lumbered forward, reaching his hoof towards a faintly glowing diode. "What's this thingy do?"

"No, Dee Dee, NOOO!"

[hypervelocity]

Wildcard—distracted—bumped into a random support beam. THWUMP! His goggles rattled, and—with a hissing sound—the griffon spun about and punched his one talon repeatedly into the column. A few seething seconds later... he calmed... then waved his claws from side to side.

...uh...I think you all need more sleep.

The cylinder jolted like a potato cannon, and a grappling hook was violently launched across the chamber. CLANKKK! It embedded into the pipework just inches above Seraphimus' feathery skull.

....UH....maybe you all don't touch things??!?

Kepler took a deep breath. "The late patrriarrch of ourr beloved Mountain Matrron..." The wyvern bowed with quiet reverance. "...I feel it in my hearrt. This is Morrtuana's fatherr..."

Hmmm. Is that the last hologram message he sent to Darkreach or something?