Rainbow Dash lives an exciting life and is swiftly becoming the most daring, awesome pegasus in all of Equestria. She would gladly give it all up, though, just to confess her love to Applejack.
High above the western stretches of a sprawling desert, a series of rigid mountains reached high enough for snow to form. This moisture enriched the sparse soil that clung to the uneven earth, allowing for random tufts of tall grass to sway in the frigid winds. A shrill whistle perpetually howled along the summits, sending a rhythmic vibration across the otherwise desolate landscape.
It was here—one wing-flap at a time—that an exhausted pegasus descended, finally setting hoof after hours upon hours of swift flight. As soon as Rainbow Dash's limbs made contact with the hard rock, she shuddered, her body and bones assaulted by the cold sensation.
Nevertheless, she took the moment to stand in place, resting her wing muscles alongside the bulky lengths of her saddlebags. She couldn't remember the last time the feathery appendages ached so bad. Standing there—wheezing for breath—the mare dared to turn and gaze behind her. Her ruby eyes squinted, tearing slightly from the brisk winds.
Below her, a tiny town loomed, surrounded by a random assortment of farmsteads spread across the arid landscape. East of that, a narrow valley loomed between bordering mountains, and—aside from an even narrower patch—it was filled to the brim with lush apple orchards.
"Appleloosa..." Rainbow Dash sighed, then turned west again, gazing at the jagged mountain spires looming in front of her. "Can't believe I've flown that far in that short a time..."
A stone figure popped out of one of the saddlebag's pockets. "And just what—pray tell—is the significance of such a place, aside from its rather uninspiring name?"
"It's... it's the furthest west I've ever been..." Rainbow blinked at her own thoughts being produced out loud. "...like... ever."
"And is that truly such a shock to you?"
"Just... it always felt like such a long trip by train," Rainbow muttered. She squinted up at the dark shadows being cast as the sun fell beyond the rigid summits. "This mountain range... very few ponies dwell past it. Even the buffalo don't cross over. From what I'm told, there isn't much to Equestria beyond this point except a bunch of bouldery hills... and then it's all question marks until..."
"Until what?"
Rainbow shuddered. "Griffon territory..."
"Alright!" Lancie rubbed his stone paws together. "Chicken wings!"
Rainbow grumbled. "Don't even go there, Lancie. This isn't some friggin' walk in the park."
"And is it enough to put a premature halt to your glorious trip for the sister of Princess Frecklestasia."
Rainbow frowned and began climbing. "And here I thought you knew me by now."
"I do know you now." Lancie smirked. "Which is why I said that to begin with."
"Unnngh... could you at least be useful and just tell me if I'm still headed in the right direction?"
"Absolutely, Sparky.' Lancie pointed. "Your destination still lies far beyond these perilous, impenetrable mountain walls."
"Euuguhhhhh..." Rainbow groaned.
"Come come, now!" Lancie produced a fanged grin, his granite eyes wide. "Perk up! So what if it took you all day to get here! We both know you have what it takes to fly even twice the distance when your wings want it!"
"Yeah, but I'm having for the first time to keep an eye out for where I've been," Rainbow groaned. "I've gotta fly all the way back, and it wouldn't do Apple Bloom any good if I miss Ponyville upon returning."
"What can be so hard? Just do the opposite of what you're doing now, Sparky!" Lancie suppressed the urge to yawn. "Just aim for the rising sun and don't veer off course! Heh... something tells me a little practice in that department wouldn't hurt you."
"I can't afford to practice," Rainbow grumbled. "What I need now is to do."
"Spoken like a true doo-doo head."
"Shuddup." Rainbow grunted as she hobbled over a cluster of rocks. Pebbles rolled down the nearly forty-five degree incline beneath her as she climbed and climbed. "How many jars do I have left?"
"Uhmmm..." Lancie reached over her flank, opened the opposite pockets, and gazed at the sloshing contents within. "Looks like three and a half."
"Heh... making good time." Rainbow gulped. "At least I hope so." She looked over her shoulder. "Do you have any idea just how many—y'know—miles are left between here and where Aatxe has got the shards?"
Lancie shrugged. "I'm afraid it's as vague as vague gets, Sparky. I'm certainly something will light up inside me when we get within spitting range. By then, my horn should be hot enough to cook us some morning eggs!"
"No time for eating," Rainbow grumbled. "No time for sleeping."
"Oh come now, Sparky, be—"
"If Apple Bloom can't wait, then neither can I!" Rainbow snarled. "I'm only trotting now so I can let my wings rest a bit. Once they're back in business, then it's time for flight again! I gotta ration the potion so my limbs can last the whole trip and back, but if I gotta do all of this with my wings and wings alone, then so be it."
"I'm certain that wings will be your only concern once we enter dragon lands, my little pony."
"No, they'll be your concern." Rainbow glared. "Cuz if I don't make it out of this mess in one piece, you don't get your shards back! And if you don't get your shards back—"
"Alright... alright," Lancie rolled his stone eyes. "No need for the mid-plot exposition, Galadriadashie. I know what's at stake here." He squinted. "And I know who the dragons will be tying to a burning stake if you're so weak upon arrival that the winged lizards can play tiddley winks with you. I've seen you headbutt a steam-powered tank. I know you've got it in you to be a badflank."
"Dang skippy," Rainbow grunted, struggling up a craggy cliffside.
"Then why not ration the time for food, drink, and nappy-naps?" Lancie shrugged. "I know you love Applejack and will do anything for her or the red-bowed pipsqueak doppelganger of her... but what's the point in saving the damsel when the damsel-saver is in thirty burning pieces?"
"One thing at a time, Lancie," Rainbow grumbled. "I just gotta get there."
"Uh huh..." Lancie leaned back, gazing lethargically at the mare. "So... once again... you're going the distance for the pony you love..."
"Call it what you want."
Slowly, his fanged muzzle curved. "And... does the pony you love... know that she's the pony you love?"
"Gnnngh!" Rainbow slipped and caught herself, bruising her shoulder. She rubbed her aching limb and winced. "H-huh?!"
"The letter, Sparky," Lancie droned. "The damnable missive that you spent forever and a fart trying to put to paper. Did you ever hoof it to her?"
Rainbow's nostrils flared.
"Well?"
"After this... after this then... well..."
"Yes?"
"... ... ..." Rainbow's ears folded. "We'll see."
Lancie chuckled. "Ohhhhh Sparky." He sighed, leaning his granite chin on a tiny talon. "You truly are hopeless."
"Not so long as I still have a chance of getting the shards..." Rainbow wheezed. "...and you still have a chance of conjuring the iced lavender for Apple Bloom."
"And is that somehow gonna magically win the freckled fae over to your heart's oyster bay?"
"If there's anything you gotta learn, Lancie, is that loyalty is its own reward." Rainbow gnashed her teeth as she pulled the weight of her body and her belongings over the next cave, pressing ever westward across the mountains. "You ever think that maybe it's enough that I make sure that Applejack's life is healthy and wholesome?"
"You what I think?"
"What?"
"I think there are far lazier, less convoluted ways of committing suicide."
Rainbow sighed. "You know what...? Leave the thinking to me from now on."
"Lordy...!" Lancie blinked. "You are desperate, aren't you?"
"Mrmmmf..."
"...well aren't you?"
"Shut up."
"Heh..." He slid back into the saddlebag's pocket. "Shutting up and a half."
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How patriotic of you... I think.
<<INSERT "RAINBOW DASH FLIES EAST/WEST" JOKE HERE>>
Oh, she's had MORE than enough practice with that.
Okay, just how in the heck did Lancie miss the magic signature of that darned tracking crystal when he opened the flap of that other bag to check Dash's potion supply?! He's supposed to be a magic sensing...thing!
Of sorts.
And with that, I bid you all good night, as I'm shutting things down and heading to bed. I'm pooped.
I'll see you all in the AM.
6154692
Can't tell if this is just a joke, or if this is foreshadowing...
*sighs* I hate that Applejack didn't get the letter... I hate that Applebloom is dying... I hate this story right now... I mean, not really, but come on...
cdn-img.fimfiction.net/story/po0r-1432432038-25966-medium
Ah, another chapter of Lancie and Dash banter. It's almost as wonderful as main six banter.
Imagine Rainbow Dash reaching the border of the world in a couple of chapters.
I see what you did with the title. (See chapter 602 of Austraeoh, i.e chapter 2 of Odrsjot).
6154690
I think it's more referencing these purple mountains (though I could be wrong).
6155779 It's reference to the song America, the Beautiful, and the Fourth of July just happens to be coming up. The original words are For purple mountain majesties. Substitute mad at thee for majesties. Sorta sounds the same if you say it fast enough.
[youtube=LINsNCaxZ5U]
Why now and not five days later? I can only assume there was no practical way to delay reaching those mountains for five chapters.
Ah, LancieDash. It's good to have you back.
6154909
Wait wait wait ...
Is there a reason that Appledashery isn't a prequel to the Austraeoh Saga?
6156469
The whole Discord incident plays out way differently. So do the scenes with AJ and Dash meeting for the first time. Plus, this one ends with them cuddling, remember?
6156469
well, I mean, it's been discussed before that this may be a prequel to Austraeoh (the events in Dredgemane clearly show that they take place in the same world). My guess it's that they're alternate timelines, whereas in this book, Rainbow a.) has her muscular atrophy, and b.) shattered Discord's statue.
Although, I wouldn't put it past IC/JE to time it so that this book ends with the other mane 6 being disintegrated at the same time AJ is resurrected in a corporeal state in Austraeoh. Then Austraeoh would become Appledashery 2, and it could end with cuddling.
6156044
Both chapters are number 602, which I find hard to believe is a coincidence.
6154724
He's a chaos magic sensing...thing, I don't recall him sensing regular magic in quite the same way he does his shards but I could just be forgetting things.
Also don't forget, he is the master of manipulations and planning. He could have sensed / found the tracking beacon and is just staying quiet because he knows that the bad guys following Rainbow will be needed for something in the future. Perhaps to detract the dragons while Rainbow and him make an escape?
6156501
Austraeoh being the continuation of this would take some serious work to make the two stories mesh. For instance, Rainbow's physical illness would need to be fixed before she could even go onto do the feats she does in Austraeoh and beyond. YoshiFawful64 also makes some good points that would need to be addressed if these two stories were planned to somehow connect. The alternate timeline theory is perhaps the more plausible of the two theories.
6157575
I personally believe in the alternate timeline theory. But allow me to play the Devil's Advocate here:
(if you haven't read Austraeoh, do not continue past this point)
Discord's chaos magic basically made Rainbow Dash immortal (source), as seen in both what Princess Luna states, and how whenever the pendant is removed then reapplied, Rainbow heals any injuries sustained from the transformation. This could have easily fixed her atrophy, or some other effect of the chaos magic could have done this as well.
Other than that, we don't know. IC/JE isn't above the occasional retcon, so we'll see when it happens. Like I said, although I believe in the alternate timeline theory, I wouldn't put it past the author to pull that one on us. After all, there is plenty of cuddling with Roarke in Yaerfaerda, and maybe some cuddling with AJ coming up in Ynanhluutr/the rest of the series.
I believe this is the first time Lancie has referred to AJ by her real name and not some nickname he invented.
6157575 Hmmm, good points all the way around.
6157605
You play a convincing Devils Advocate, Mister Saxon, in regards to my main point of contention with the 'continuation theory'. How would your Devils Advocate respond to the points that were brought up here 6156494 though?
It will be interesting to see just what IC/JE has in store for us at the end of this particular tale, for most of our theories seem to have some level of evidence to support them.
6158094
Thank you
Obviously this is Austreoh Scootaloo filling the Dash shaped hole in her heart as Dash never returned from her trip to the other side of the world and now she writes epic stories to herself about Rainbow Dash.
She also figured out that Dash had the hots for Freckle Horse and is super into AppleDash shipping, because who isn't?
I laughed. I wonder when it is I started laughing at Lancie. I didn't find him funny early in the story.
Yeah, it's not exactly your usual direction.
6157605
I agree. Whether or not they're alternate timelines in the same universe, they certainly start very close to each other relative to the canon timeline: Austraeoh kicks off during The Return Of Harmony when they try to use the elements without Rainbow Dash; Appledashery starts just after the gala, when Rainbow accidentally breaks the statue (thereby preventing Discord from returning).
And since as you point out, Rainbow's disorder might have been fixed by chaos, the single point of divergence idea is quite plausible.