Hold Onto Your Flanks
Rainbow Dash scampered down a stairwell and took a right turn. Ahead of her, the manacables and metal fasteners flickered along the length of the corridor's low ceiling.
"There, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight Sparkle pointed as Rainbow's friends phased ahead of her. "Forwards and towards the left!"
"I see it!" Rainbow growled, flapping her wings to give herself a little boost. "I know I'm fast, but outrunning pure magic is a tall order!"
"The air's shiftin'," Applejack said. "Do you feel that?"
"We're about to enter an enormous room!" Rarity said. "Slow down, Rainbow! There are lots of randomly jutting objects!"
Rainbow Dash only half-heeded her warning. She galloped through a doorframe and into a great black void. Her ruby pendant caught the edges of numerous metal spokes and gears and manacoils. Grimacing, she scuffled to a stop before she could slice herself on any of the dormant instruments.
"Oh goodness...!" Fluttershy glanced all around. "Did we enter the Machine Layer?"
"Nah..." Rainbow shook her head. "Too deep."
"Besides, the machinery in this room was built by mortal hooves," Rarity said, her ghostly horn glowing. "I've sensed the real thing up on the Light Side. There's a clear difference."
"But..." Pinkie looked at Twilight and Rarity. "Didn't alicorns carve this place up?"
"Reckon they hollowed the mesa out for sure," Applejack said, peering up at the looming metal contraptions. "But everythang else musta been filled in by the folks from Emeraldine." She whistled, her green eyes tracing the lengths of metal levers and pulleys. "Good golly... it's like a convoluted cider makin' machine in this place!"
"I really don't think the Emeraldinians came to Darkreach to produce cider, AJ," Rainbow Dash droned.
Applejack smirked at her. "Bet you wish that they did."
Rainbow Dash sighed long and hard. "Yeah... ... ..."
From the corridors above and behind Rainbow, echoing hoofsteps and voices could be heard.
"Rainbow?! Rainbow Dash?!? Did you find the source?!?"
"Incoming Flynn!" Pinkie chortled.
"And Wildcard's not far behind," Fluttershy said.
Rainbow turned around and hollered through the generator room's entrance. "I'm down here guys! Don't charge in! It's pretty cramped and bulky in here!"
Not long later, a balding unicorn and goggled griffon stumbled to a stop in the doorframe.
"Ah jeez...!" Flynn leaned against a wall, panting for breath. Sweat glistened from the illumination of his horn. "I was worried for a second there, Rainbow..."
"Dudes..." Rainbow smiled crookedly. "It's alright. I've got the girls with me."
Flynn gulped. "Guess I-I keep forgetting that part..."
"Awwwwww..." Rarity smiled at the others. "It's so deliciously sweet how much he cares."
"Give it a sec," Applejack droned. "He'll be droolin' over the ancient machinery soon enough."
"Oh wow..." Stars filled Flynn's good eye as his muzzle dropped and his limp limbs carried him forward. He gazed up, up, up at the towering machinery... his ears drooping in awe. "...so this is the generator room. Look at all that ancient Emeraldinian tech..."
"Cylindrimanian," Rainbow Dash corrected. "Don't forget that, buddy. I've seen this sort of grimy gears'n'tesla coil cereal before." She huffed, pivoting about to gaze lethargically at the dormant metalwork. "It's got New Ring City written all over it."
"Yes, but that was all in present day," Flynn stammered. "Still, must have been no less of a wonder to behold..."
"I dunno. I was too bummed out by the dead foals at the time."
Flynn glanced over. "Dead foals?"
Rainbow Dash heard a pained squeak emanate from Pinkie and Fluttershy.
"Uhhhhhhhh—but enough of that!" Rainbow grinned awkwardly. "What can we do to get the juice running in this place again?"
"Goddess help me..." Flynn rubbed his scalp. "I-I don't even know where to start!"
In the meantime, Wildcard silently shuffled past them. The griffin's tail flicked contemplatively as he peered up into the forest of metal parts... dangling chains... dead-still axels...
Rainbow looked at Flynn. She lightly smacked the stallion upside the head. "Give him light, ya melon fudge!"
"O-oh! Right!" Flynn licked his lips, shone his horn brighter, and stepped right up to Wildcard. "Any sign of a crystalline buffer assembly?"
Wildcard peered and peered across the glaring spotlight. His goggles rattled, and he pointed his one claw up through the mess of machinery.
"What?" Twilight squinted. "What is Wildcard pointing at?"
"I... don't see it..." Flynn squinted. "You sure you've spotted it? Should be full of spent, dormant crytals."
"Rainbow..." Rarity leaned in. "...above the centrifuge, five feet left of the perpendicular gears."
"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow spoke into Flynn's ears. "Rarity says 'above the centrifuge, five feet left of the porcupine gears.'"
"I said 'perpendicular', darling—"
"I see it!" Flynn gasped, spotting a giant porous sphere of metal looming beyond the angle of Wildcard's pointed claw. "Wow! It's bigger than I expected!"
"That's what she said!" Pinkie said, then floated backwards as she giggle-snorted.
"Wow." Applejack droned. "Reckon that's a first."
"And it won't be the laaaaaaast!" Pinkie winked.
"Soooooooooo..." Rainbow glanced between Flynn and Wildcard then back up at the suspended sphere. Half of its holes were full of dead, dull crystals. "Is that thingy really the core of the entire generator?"
"I suspect as much. Genius engineering." Flynn smiled. "From the looks of it, the machine is designed to hold ten times as many crystals as is required—most likely to conserve mana while establishing a spherical leyline web of renewable harmonic energies."
"Sooooooooo..." Rainbow glanced at Wildcard who was likewise dumbstruck. "...that means what exactly?"
Flynn sighed, rolling his one good eye. "We stick a few crystal shards into it one at a time like a pincushion until we have enough juice to boot up the generator for a test run."
"Oh..." Rainbow and Wildcard nodded vigorously. "Why didn't you say so?"
"Meh..."
Rainbow gulped. "So... uh... how do we begin?"
"Just two more!" Flynn hollered from below, shining his magic spotlight up through the metalworks.
Rainbow Dash and Wildcard levitated beside the central core's sphere. Rainbow cradled a mess of crystals in her fetlocks while the Desperado reached in with his one talon and slid the final two shards into their respective holes.
"You sure that's enough?!" Rainbow called down. "This thing looks like a porcupine that's been through chemo!"
"Honestly, Rainbow..." Rarity sighed. "What is your obsession with porcupines lately—?"
"No! It's perfect!" Flynn hollered from below. "We don't want to overload the manacircuits! Especially if this thing hasn't been booted up in Goddess-knows-how long!"
Wildcard and Rainbow exchanged glances.
"Sooooo... uh... what now?"
"You'll wanna fly down from there!" Flynn said, casually trotting over to a series of levers and dials embedded in a cylindrical dais. "Assuming this whole place gets moving again, we wouldn't want you both being decapitated by the swinging machinery!"
"!!!" Wildcard dove in a blink.
Rainbow Dash swiftly followed them.
"Okaaaaaaay..." Flynn cracked his neck and flexed his forelimbs. "...moment of truth."
"If you're gonna yank a lever... just yank a lever," Rainbow droned.
"Shhhhhh!" Flynn squinted aside at her with a smug smile. "Please, Rainbow... this is a stuation that calls for professional lever yankage."
Wildcard snorted.
"Oh hush." Flynn stared into the instrument panel. Licking his lips, he aimed his horn at a crystal diode. Flash He illuminated the first one... then another diode two spaces over... and finally he charged mana into a miniature tesla coil.
Whurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
The air hummed with dull electricity.
"Alright..." A shuddering breath, and the Heraldite rubbed his hooves together. "Here goes..." He reached for a lever.
Rainbow and her ghostly friends watched intently.
"Rnnngh!" Flynn yanked.
Grkkkk—vrmmmmmmmmmmm... The chamber around them shook, rattled, and died.
Wildcard raised an eyecrest.
"It's okay." Flynn re-gripped the lever, tightening his muscles. "That's to be expected. Just got... to crank it!" He yanked again.
Grkkk-kkk-kkkk—vrmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
"Oh jeez... oh jeez..." Pinkie hopped and hopped and hopped in midair. "The tensionnn!"
Fluttershy covered her eyes. "Tell me when it's over!" Applejack patted her shoulder.
"Ohhhhhhhh..." Twilight practically drooled through an anticipatory grin. "I can't wait! This is so exciting!"
"Heh heh heh heh heh..." That last voice didn't come from any of the girls.
"... ... ...?" Rainbow Dash stared into the crytals she was cradling.
A hairy muzzle smiled. A sharp fang glinted. "Aaaaaaaaaand boom goes the Dark Side."
Rainbow paled. Her blood ran cold as she looked up at Flynn and Wildcard. With a jolt, she blurted: "No! Wait—"
"Rnnngh!" Flynn cranked one last time.
Rainbow flinched hard, dropping all of the crystals loudly to the floor.
But in the meantime—
VROMMMMMMMMMMM! The entire room lit up with a flash... the settled to a cool blue glow. And as for the machinery above them...
Clkkkk—Clkkkk—Clkkk—Clkk—Clk-Clk-Clk-Clk! THUMMMMMM!
The ancient machinery twirled, spun, and rolled to life. Soon the entire room was purring like a giant metal kitten underground. The core of crystals shimmered elegantly while the grimy gears and axels spun into a smooth blur.
"Ha ha ha!" Flynn hopped up and down. "Now we're talking! Wooo! Looks like we're in business, folks!"
Wildcard, in the meantime, was staring confusedly at Rainbow. He glanced at all of the crystals she had dropped, and then his goggles reflected her breathless face.
Rainbow panted and panted. She looked at the shiny shards—but the chaotic reflection was gone.
"You alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "Things are up and runnin', it seems. Ain't that a good thang?"
"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash shuddered. "Sure it is..."
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I just knew that was going to be the chapter title, I just friggin knew it.
media.giphy.com/media/OCu7zWojqFA1W/giphy.gif
Probably should mind it when the chaos god is happy...
Also:
Dark Side is Dark Souls?
Twenty close-hand pushups, ):(. Knock 'em out!
Now that the powers back on, all the doors will unlock, letting out whatever killed everyone here and ate their bones!!
Or not, I'm good ether way.
Good news, place has power. Bad news, it probably lit a 'here I am, shoot me' beacon bright enough that it can be seen on the light side of the plane.
So Flynn, does a professional yank it with their left, or right appendage?
I wonder if Dash actually expected the place to explode, there? Discord's going to be getting in a lot of teasing shots like this one, isn't he? Though I suppose we don't know just what might've gotten turned on with this generator thing.
8293860
EXACTLY!
Ok now the place has power, but I think it has just become a huge waiting game for when things start to go horribly wrong.
8293787
have you been watching resident evil?
Task: Return Power to Darkreach ( ✓ )
You don't wanna know, Flynn...
Oh, he'd know that sort of yankage real good now wouldn't he? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Huh, is Discord messing with Rainbow because he knows about a threat inside these tunnels, or is he just trying to drive her into a state of total paranoia? Hard to tell.
8293761
Let's hope they meet a better fate than this dude. Just say the magic word...
That would have been an end to the chapter, Dash and Wildcard carrying Flynn, trying to outrun a fireball.
Just ignore Discord, Dash, it's how I got through his bullshit.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
We've spent a few chapters down here... does that mean something bad happened outside?
*will happen
8294006
Probably both, considering that this is Discord that we are talking about.
When getting the Phoenix ready to fly again, its good not only to give a couple of good yanks, but also a blind shot, just to flush stuff through.
Given Dash can see the Armory almost twenty thousand miles away with it being so dark, everyone from the far edge of the plane back can now see Eat At Joes?
Or does Darkreach have such a large Generator Room, because an Emperor Titan Needs such a large source of power.
To Move?
And with a flash of mana, they all died.
The End.
huh.. the lever didn't zoop. Also that chapter title oddly makes sense.
Boom goes the dark side eh? I'm inclined to believe that somebody is gonna notice the reboot and isn't going be be very happy about it. Hopefully they'll be outta there before they arrive. If someone does anyway.
8294328
The sparkiest.
Oh. My. God. Finally caught up after reading this series for over a year.
Hi fellow readers!
8294494
Welcome.
They blew it up didn't they, tell me they did
Silly Rainbow, the city was called Ringfall before the Darkstine era. New Ring City is the new Darkstinian name.
The incoming chaos monsters don't want to be fed.
Chaos monsters want to hunt
8294494
Welcome aboard the Noble Jury.
Glad we could pick up another soul after their craft was dashed by the trip over the edge.
Cabins are on the 4th floor, though I think we have one or two on the third that have opened up.
Enjoy the rest of the flight.
Power is up and running. Let's hope we're the only ones who noticed...
8294494
Heh caught up after reading for half a year as of yesterday.
You don't comment much....
8294066
Boosty I don't know if the armory is a giant glorious golden Emperor praising mecha, but I'm pretty curious to see what the Claus for "alicorns only" is gonna turn out to be
Lever yanking and mechanism activating did a fantastic job back at Stratopolis.
8294080
Rainbow awakes in a field of stars, and after a brief moment of confusion, Celestia shows up.
"You've come, such a long long way..."
:P
8294877
Well, i didn't really comment much, since I've been reading anwhere from 3-10 chapters a day, I can't say I've read all the comments since stating on this series. But I am curious what happened to people like Pilate or dashie76 posting, kinda miss their commentaries.
Is Wildcard carrying ghost passengers too now?
8295067
iirc Dashie76 gave up on the series a little way into Eljunbyro and I don't believe Pilate is very involved in the fandom anymore. I'm still holding out hope that Pilate will come back one day though.
Also, welcome!
Chances are Discord was just pulling a prank there, but this also just made me aware of the possibility that we might be dealing with rogue machinery. If those crystals are the same used by the Night Shard, they might be soul-infused, perhaps sentient, perhaps evil, perhaps both. Possibly the machine itself turned against its creators - it is an option, at least.
So, more pig.
MORE PIG!
8295043
To which Rainbow Dash answers; with all her eloquence and experience,
"Wut."
8295395
Heheh, pretty much.
Little do they know they've just turned on a Doomsday device for the sake of a little light.
8295287
Thanks! Also that's a bit sad to hear. I also recall seeing people talk about Skype or discord groups here and there, but to be totally honest, I didn't want to run into spoilers :p
Dammit, this is getting worse.
8295688
Ooh! I just realized I could totally go there now I'm caught up and out of spoiler territory. Don't know where to find them though, if they're still active.
8295688
. There is a Jury specific Discord group run by Alamais and the largest congregation of people that discuss Austraeoh is probably in Skirts' Discord server. The Jury is a pretty fun and welcoming group, if not just a tad bit crazy sometimes 
. If you want in I'd send a pm to Alamais, he should be able to send you an invite to either.
8295769
Unfortunately, I think the original Skype group is more or less dead nowadays
Propmaster and Skirts should be able to set you guys up in the Lemur Cave too.
Austraeoh Book 9: Ofolrodi
All caught up. Almost. So close.
Started July 13, 2017, 4:48 p.m. MST
After a month and a week of on-off reading and a final two-day binge to finish Utaan...
Noble Jurists, it will be an honour to catch up.
...onwards and upwards...
Interesting to see Discord messing with Dash, it certainly helps to add some tension to the chapters as he could be telling the truth. We could assume he does have an vested interest in seeing Dash make it to the midnight armory alive, if he is anything like the ghost mane five.
8295350
Now that would be a cool story twist.
8296283
Even then, should we assume such? If she fails, the whole plane dies, presumably in a very drawn out, chaotic manner. That might be pretty tempting for him.
8297363
True, but it would be a limited experience - once the plane dies that's it, game over. It would be a bad move to kill off the only mare who can keep the 'party' of chaos going. If Discord is actually tied to Dash like the ghost five (which is speculation at this point), her dying would mean he wouldn't get to experience that last chaotic hoorah either. There's no reason for him to be nice to Dash, and he certainly seems to be trying to get his jollies out of tormenting her, but to lead her to grave doesn't seem like it's in his best interest.
8297872
Oh sure, it wouldn't be in his best interest, I'm just saying we don't know that would stop him. His A/D self did refer to this incarnation as something like a mindless monster or similar disparaging remarks.
Hahahahahahaha!
WOOHOOOOO!
All caught up! ALL CAUGHT UP!
WOOOHOOOOOOOOO!
LET'S GO!
Ah... glad to be here.
1:34 p.m. MST 14/7/2017
8296144
It looks like there's a link on skirts' profile page for getting into the Discord group, which is fairly convenient. I'm checking out the craziness now!
It was a blast, you should've been there. Cyborg stallions, lots of exploration, and absolutely no idea what we were in for. Wait, hang on a sec.
I guess Discord is going to pop up every once in a while to mess with us while we mess around with everything on the dark side.
8297964
Welcome, comrade!