A Pin Drop
With a mechanical whirr, an aluminum panel rotated down from the left hoof side of Roarke's cockpit. She slapped her forelimb against a knob, and a sheathe of metal retracted, revealing a rectangular pool of vertically placed brass needles.
Turning around, the bounty hunter spoke over her armored shoulder. "This is my main navigation conduit. I use it to scale the landscape from here to the western desolation."
"So, it's a map?" Crimson remarked.
Tweak grumbled, "Looks like a rusted cooking sheet."
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and stepped closer to Roarke's seat in the cockpit. "Uhm, Roarke? Is there any reason you've brought us here to... look at a rusted cooking sheet?"
Roarke's nostrils flared. Without looking, she slapped a lever. With a shower of sparks, the console came to life, and each individual brass needle lifted up in a rattling pattern, creating a scale three-dimensional mockup of Aurum, the adjacent ravine, and the rigid topography of Sapphire Valley beyond.
Tweak whistled. "I wouldn't mind baking some bread on that..."
"It zooms out as well," Roarke said. She rotated a handle, and the needles shrunk as the mountains became smaller. The rough splotch of Foxtaur appeared to the northwest, across the ravine. "What's more, I can triangulate various signals. For example, those flea-ridden Killas you crystal farmers are so bent out of shape about?" She entered in a few figures on an aluminum keypad. Several needles clustered to the east of the Aurum settlement burned, their brown tips turning to hot orange as they moved ever so slightly, inching back and forth within a cluster. "There they are, a lot closer than you probably thought they were."
"Sonuvagun..." Tweak grumbled.
"You might wanna spread your glow a little bit more so you can drive them off before they think of anything in the next week or so." She entered in another figure. The "Killas" faded, and instead needles began glowing in orange pinstreaks that floated across the landscape at random. "Here, we have zeppelins, all bearing the Ledomaritan signature." She flipped a switch and one wayward pinstreak could be seen streaking towards the south. "Xonan signature..."
"You can pick up on Xonans?!" Crimson stammered, his jaw agape. "Th-there're Xonans south of Aurum?!"
"Three-legs, there are Xonans everywhere," Roarke droned, her lenses pistoning out as she gestured at the map. "The only reason they haven't dropped the hammer on you or your Ledomaritan neighbors is that they're too busy trying to reclaim their lands in east. Good luck with that, by the way."
Crimson grumbled, "It's hardly my war anymore..."
"At least you're not a sore loser."
"Huh? But I didn't say that—!"
"Anyways..." Roarke slapped the machine and forced it to zoom out at a dramatic rate. Aurum, Foxtaur, and Green Slope became tiny specks bordering the south end of a massive valley with mountains running east and west along the northern edge. "The reason why I brought you here is to show you this. When I did my flyby's of Foxtaur after..." She took a shuddering breath. "...I was severely beaten."
"You weren't beaten, girl," Rainbow Dash said. "You were owned!" She spat.
"After I was beaten, I performed a scan of forest. Since it was catching fire, I knew that I would lose track of everypony I ran into. I had no sure-fire way of tracking Rainbow Dash, but I knew one thing: she had a zebra with a rune-charged manasphere in her possession. Now, runic energy isn't easy to come by, especially with such a strong, isolated energy signature. So, I scanned for it, and then I programmed a frequency for it. Lo and behold..." Roarke fumbled with the keypad and struck a button. The map of raised pins remained the same.
"Nothing happened," Rainbow Dash droned.
"You think?" Roarke grumbled. "But, if I trace the system's memory..." She rolled a lever back. A hot streak of energy suddenly formed along the northern face of Foxtaur."
The other ponies murmured.
"So... it's like a log," Crimson said, thinking aloud. "You can see where Pilate has been?"
"Not the zebra," Roarke said, raising a hoof. "Just the manasphere. For all we know, the zebra could be dead meat by now."
"Don't say that," Rainbow Dash grumbled. "I can forgive most of the cow cookies that roll out of your mouth, but don't ever say that."
"The soul-seller has a point, Miss Dash," Tweak said with a bland expression. "It's been days since all the crap you went through. We know you care about your friends, but what are the odds that Queen Ledo and her 'infinite mercy' actually spared them?"
"Please, Tweak..." Crimson sighed. "We could use some hope to go on here..."
"I'm just trying to be realistic!"
"No way..." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Those bums wanted me. And they totally nabbed my friends and shipped them off to Celestia-knows-where all because of me! So long as I'm not around, they're gonna keep Belle and Pilate around! It's how they want to bait me and stuff!"
"Belle is the mare, right?" Roarke remarked. "The weakling with a coat the color of urine?"
Rainbow turned to glare at her. "Yes. Bellesmith. Pilate's beloved."
"If she was taken away, I very much doubt the zebra was taken with her."
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Namely this." Roarke rotated a lever. One burning pin rested to the north edge of Foxtaur. "This is where the manasphere was located at the precise moment I swooped past the Steel Wing to pick you up."
Rainbow's jaw dropped.
"It's..." Crimson stammered. "It's right there!" He turned towards Rainbow Dash. "Was Pilate there when you butted heads with the Prime Enforcer?"
"No friggin' way!" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked. "They were taken away! Someplace up north!"
"You saw them fly off?" Tweak asked?"
"No! But Shell said—" Rainbow Dash froze. Slowly, her teeth grit together, nearly cracking. "Why, that cat huffing... snot slurping... plot pancake!"
"Whew!" Tweak smirked at Crimson. "I gotta use that last one on Lucky."
Crimson turned towards Roarke. "Move the log forward a bit in time. Can you do that?"
Silently, Roarke complied, rotating the lever until the hot pinstreak moved. It took a slow northerly course, winding east and west as it approached the edge of Foxtaur.
Rainbow Dash leaned in. "Uhm... m-maybe Pilate was on the Steel Wing? Could it have been carrying him away? That ship isn't exactly fast."
"Maybe if you cross-referenced with where the Ledomaritan zeppelins were at the time?" Crimson uttered.
Roarke entered a figure in the keypad. Several bright orange spots smoked to life, and none of them were anywhere near the original signature.
"Unless Pilate's manasphere can roll around on its own volition..." Crimson began.
Rainbow Dash said, "He somehow got away and trotted north." She gulped. "Or was carried north."
"Then what about Belle?" Crimson asked. "If Shell lied to you, then what could have happened to her? We're totally in the dark!"
"Maybe..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin. "If we can find Pilate, then maybe he will know. He had to have been with her on the Steel Wing at some point." She slapped a metal bulkhead. "Yeah! If we just find Pilate, then we can find my other friend as well!" She turned towards Roarke. "Move it even further in time!"
Roarke shrugged and rotated the lever.
The manasphere's signal blipped north, blipped north again, and went cold. The needles turned utterly cold and blank.
Rainbow Dash's eyebrow raised. She turned towards the metal mare. "I-I don't get it. What happened to him?"
"I wouldn't be able to say," Roarke droned. "What I can tell you is that his sphere's signal escaped the range of my vessel."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Rainbow Dash's hooves danced in place as she stared breathlessly at everypony. "Let's go after him, already!"
"Rainbow, that was days ago," Crimson said. "We can't just 'go after him.'" He turned towards Roarke. "If we flew with this tracking device on, we could perform an aerial sweep of the continent, couldn't we?"
"Most definitely," Roarke said with a nod. "Though, I'm not sure I have enough energy reserves to afford it. Covering Ledomare is no easy task."
"Perhaps if y'all just focused on an area up north," Tweak suggested. "That seems to be where you're convinced the enforcers would have taken her friends."
"But we wouldn't know that for certain!" Crimson exclaimed. "Rainbow Dash, I want to believe that this will be a simple task, but we need to know more!"
"But we do know more!" Rainbow Dash cackled. "They're somewhere north in the mountains!"
"You only think that because Shell told you that! But he was lying! Even if there really was a facility in the north, how would we know where to search for it?"
A voice rang coldly from the ship's entrance, "Because it's located in the heart of the Ivory Mountains, in a hidden excavation known by the Ledomaritan military as Pale Shelf."
Everypony turned to look, except for Roarke.
Imre stood in the doorway, her face long.
The ponies exchanged glances. At last, Rainbow Dash trotted forward. "How do you know that, Doc?"
"Because..." Imre fidgeted. She looked at Roarke, sighed, and looked back at the others. "Because before I was a prisoner of the Searonese, I was a prisoner of the Ledomaritans." She gulped. "There are ponies, held against their will. Pale Shelf is where you'll likely find your friends."
"Do you..." Crimson narrowed his eyes. "Do you know how we could get there?"
"Maybe..." Imre looked over at Rainbow as she ultimately muttered, "It would be a lot easier if... if I-I just took you there..."
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CSI: Austraeoh
Good job RD, you just gave Tweak some new insults and sorta figured out where Pilate and Belle are. Now you just need to realize that they never made it to this Pale Shelf place and are actually living it up with the best accommodations city life in Blue Nova has to offer for fugitives and escaped Xonan foals. Grasshoppers for dinner, yum. Also, when was the last time Pilate actually ate?
ZADUBADABU and good luck IC.
Interesting. Is Pale shelf the aforementioned prison that Nighshade was talking about or totally different? And is Imre telling Dash to go there because she thinks thats where her friends will be or because of her own motivations? TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR THE SHOCKING CONCLUSION!
Idle thought: Would it break Rainbow to arrive to late to help her friends again? I mean after all we still don't know Eljunbyro's true purpose other then to bring wind to Austraeoh's wings or... something? Maybe they could die and their souls give RD an extended dead-line along with a reminder of her true quest or some junk.
hehe get it DEAD-line... Ya I shouldn't be allowed to communicate when I'm tired
Ooh, so close!
I'm sorry, but the answer we were looking for was "Blue Shelf".
Thanks for playing, and better luck next time!
Anyone get flashbacks to Riven?
mystjourney.com/img/screenshots/riven-38.jpg
And 2798109 is right. This scene sets a new record for implausible technobabble.
2798361
All the upvotes for you, sir.
2798109
We'll zoom and enhance all day if that's what it takes to find you
Huh. What's with Ledomare and all these (insert adjective here) shelves? And if Blue Shelf was to be an example, why do they have so little to do with the adjective stuck on to them?
I kinda want to see a pink shelf.
2798361
Yesh.
That's probably the most rewarding puzzle to solve in all of video game history.
Wrong self,Imre.
Well, that's a nifty and convenient device Roarke has there. That Searonese tech must be ridiculously advanced.
Annnnnnd now Rainbow's going to the wrong place. Eh, well, knowing IC, it'll all connect together and Rainbow will get there in the nick of time. So, Rainbow, Roarke, Crimson, and Imre, huh? (Assuming that Tweak stays with his family to defend Aurum) That's a cheery bunch, Dash notwithstanding.
2798361
Dear god, I haven't thought of that game in years.
Random thought of the day here: If so far everywhere Dash has gone she has resolved the conflict, how will it work here? What's she going to do to end the war between Xona and Ledo? Is she even going to bother this time, or is she going to try to get her friends safe, and for the first time just leave the place in conflict?
2798647
Seein' the Pink Shelf is gonna cost extra, honey.
Kingdom Of The Lost - Black Star Riders
2798984
2798676
And it's paired with one of the most annoying, and least rewarding puzzles in all of video games. Tay is a gyp, I tell you!
Go forth Rainbow!
It's funny, when I read about all these needles, the only thing I could think of was
matrixeyewear.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Neo-on-Pins-and-Needles3.jpg
You should try it, Roarke!
THE SEARCH BEGINS!!
Pale Shelf? Is that the ridgeside place where Floydien came from?
Imre? Willingly going out on a mission?
Awesome, another possible prison break. Kinda expect something to happen mid-trip, though.
Best cooking sheet ever.
Bitch, please!
No, she was fucked up.
Now THAT is interesting.
I wonder: why can't Lucky give Roake's ship a jump start/ recharge?
2798361
*raises hand*
I see two possibilities for what RD and co. will do
1) Go to Pale Shelf and find Mary Jane, who somehow convinces them to go to Blue Nova
2) The go to Pale Shelf but see the Ledo Airship flying to Blue Shelf and connect the dots.
Doubt connecting the dots nor finding Mary Jane, but hey.
Aw, Imre's gonna take one for the team! And lead them to the "wrong" place in the process, but I'm sure there'll be some hell to raise in this Pale Shelf place, anyhow. Blue Shelf was getting a bit crowded, anyway. Plus, the delay before the big reunion will just make it that much more emotional. I may or may not be expecting a slow-mo run
on the beachthrough the streets when Belle/Pilate/Dash all meet up. Then again, knowing Dash, she'll probably just be all "Sup - you turd-munchers miss me?" and then they'll proceed to kick flank and then coalesce in a big group hug.It is known.
So yeah, I'mma go to the next chapter before my rambling gets any more inane or irrelevantly reference-y.
2803634Wasn't it Nancy Jane?
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
Well, it looks like Imre's back in the game! I'm glad that Dash finally got through to her. Also, just to clarify - none of Dash's friends are in Pale Shelf, right? They're either in Blue Shelf or somewhere else. Hopefully when Roarke sweeps the place, she'll pick up Pilate's signal in Blue Shelf. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
2878036
I think you mean Blue Nova :)
Imre joins as well? Epic.
To Pale Shelf it is. Hopefully this'll shed some light on the whacky experimentation shenanigans we've heard so much about.
so many geographical terms. also, too bad Roake couldn't show us the readers what lies east, could she.
And so Imre does have a past...
Cool map.
Also, it's Blue Shelf, not Pale Shelf!
This is bad.
-Spirit
Great, they aren't even going to where Belle is.
Yes! They're all gonna regroup and meet up, its gonna be...
Celestia damnit, Imre
could imre be "nancy jane"??
Zecoro you are a genius!
Alright, so we're heading to Pale Shelf instead of Nightshade Industries... one more little arc before the main conclusion, we can handle that in 75 more chapters!
Started The Final Cut.
Now they plan their next move, there is something old Dashie would never do.
Will they go to pale shelf, or will they get in range of the manasphere and turn to blue nova? Time will tell.
That is so cooool.
It zooms out as well?!
Glrchk!
So... awesome.
[youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ERwKQNtX03U]
And, recent comment! I may yet find cicilization in the wilderness that is this story.
That pin map is pretty cool.
Though with all the magitek of this world, I'm surprised it's not a hologram. More detail, color, better resolution.
Aaargh not another one. Outside of Blue Nova, I swear Ledomare basically just consists of secret military research bases doing unspeakable things to ponies.
And if you count Nightshade, that includes Blue Nova itself.