Laments of the Dimension-Stranded ⁽ᴿᵉᵐᵃᵏᵉ⁾

Rainbow directed her gaze through the windshield and observed as the Initiator flew by yet another damaged utility pole with its severed and frayed wires dangling loosely. "Those things aren't gonna lead anywhere. This is a waste of time." Accompanying her pessimistic remark was a lethargic sigh.

Raindrops continued to fall, and the weather gradually transitioned to stormy. Vincent briefly glanced downward and lifted his hand from the steering wheel to activate the windshield wipers. "Hey, we can either go with your vague sixth sense or follow the literal breadcrumb trail." When his eyes returned to the windshield, they suddenly focused and widened in shock. "Holy shit!" He firmly slammed the brake.

The vehicle came to a screeching halt beneath Rainbow and her body lurched as momentum carried her forward. She slammed against the dashboard with a grunt. "Wh–What's happening?! Why'd you do that?" When she raised her head to investigate their surroundings, however, what had attracted his attention became apparent. Through the windshield under assault by sheets of rain, beyond the crest of the hill they were parked atop, was a massive foundation of concrete and runways miles in length. A wide expanse of steel and concrete buildings encompassed practically their entire view.

"Holy haystacks!"

Vincent cackled with the unabashed lunacy of someone who had discovered an oasis after previously being stranded in a desert. "Stuff!"

Rainbow grinned and echoed his succinct exclamation. "Stuff!"

"I thought that feeling of yours was bullshit! Boy, am I glad I was wrong!" Vincent slammed the accelerator and they soared down the hill. With an inelegant and bumpy ascent, he guided the Initiator onto a collapsed section of the crumbling foundation and ascended it to access the elevated parking lot.

As they passed, he gestured to a small car with a distinct curved hood and curved roof, its metal shell overgrown with a carpet of thick mint-colored moss. "Check it out. Slug bug!"

Rainbow grinned giddily. She deeply enjoyed seeing her companion joke around and smile, even if most of the jokes were foreign and incomprehensible to her. "Park this thing somewhere so we can get inside already!"

Vincent navigated through the derelict parking lot, its chipped and mossy asphalt worn by the elements, and wove between its many abandoned vehicles, drove across one of the huge runways, and finally halted the Initiator near a wall of smashed windows.

"What was this place? It's so huge. What were all of these buildings for?" Rainbow looked around in wonder.

"This used to be an airport. Humans can't fly, so we made machines that do it for us." He motioned to one of the huge commercial airliners which lied abandoned in the runway. "Those are the hangers down there, the ones with the giant doors. That’s where the engineers, mechanics and other crew maintained the planes and prepared them for flight. That's one of the terminals where passengers waited for their flights. And that tower up there is air traffic control. They monitored traffic and authorized landing and departure.”

He jerked the gearshift lever and shifted into park. Rainbow bounced in her seat excitedly. "Do you think there's food stashed away somewhere here? Like, real food?"

"Probably!" Vincent took a deep breath to steel himself, opened the door, and leapt onto the ground outside. He retrieved his rifle from the rear seat, then rushed to one of the broken windows and vaulted through quickly to escape the unabating downpour.

As Rainbow emerged from the pickup, she unfurled her healthy left wing and spread it above her body, using the interlocked feathers as an umbrella to shelter her head. She traipsed through the sea of broken glass carefully, and, when inside and sheltered from the rain, she folded her wing.

The atrium was well-illuminated with natural sunlight. Beyond the rows of fenced galleries overhead was a glass ceiling that had miraculously survived unscathed, albeit overshadowed partially by creeping vines. The integrity of the walls, however, was a different story. Most of the windows had been smashed, spilling a tide of shattered glass. Rain surged inside through the countless entries and had flooded the bottom floor. Exuberant vegetation sprawled, thriving in the pooling water, and the creeping vines snaked through the open window frames. Rainbow avoided the deep pool, sparing herself the indecency of trudging through filthy, brackish water.

She deftly hopped onto a metal fence and perched atop it to avoid the flood water, shoving aside an interloping creeping vine. She gazed around in awe. The modernity of the architecture reminded her of Equestria's most advanced, densely-populated metropolises, though the lack of color was stark. Mint foliage contrasted harshly with the dull grey and white artificial surfaces. She closed her eyes and attempted to envision the locale before it had been abandoned and subsequently subjected to decay. The airport was so large in order to accompany hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of humans—a feat of incomprehensible magnitude. Equestria wasn't nearly as populated. So many individuals in one location would truly be a sight to behold.

Where had they all disappeared to? What had they succumbed to, in the end? She didn't want to ponder the questions. The very notions were painful.

"Hey! You around?" Vincent's call echoed in the tall atrium. "Come over here! 'Employees Only' door! Red plaque!" There was a pause. "Near the Starbucks!"

"'Starbucks'?" she echoed confusedly. Reluctantly, she descended from her perch and hopped into the flood water, producing a big splash. She painstakingly sloshed through the deep water, lifting her long legs high with every step, and went to investigate the various surrounding signs suspended from walls or hanging from the ceiling. Though none seemed to reference any 'Starbucks', she did successfully locate the Employees Only door. She shoved it open and entered. Immediately, she was plunged into darkness.

"Hey." Vincent raised a hand in greeting. "Did you notice how the floor of the big room out there slopes downward? That's what's preventing this whole building from flooding."

"If the rain doesn't stop, that might just change soon." Rainbow shook rigorously to rid herself of the excess water clinging stubbornly to her fur.

"We're safe in here, at least," he reassured her. "For now."

The windowless room was narrow, only designed to provide the minimum quantity of space to accommodate a few workers and contain several rows of tall metal boxes. Rainbow curiously knocked on the side of one of the boxes with a hoof, and the sound echoed loudly inside of the hollow machine.

"This is the room where they controlled the power." Vincent raised a jar of fireflies to illuminate what they were examining. "All of those breaker boxes have switches that deactivate power to different sections."

The circuit breaker panels contained hundreds of switches all labeled with little white numbers corresponding to legends recorded on slips of paper. A drooping, disorganized mass of exposed colored wires connected to each individual switch and ran from the metal boxes. It was a tangled mess, like spaghetti that dangled precariously from a fork.

"Looks like the switches are still on," she observed. "But it's dark in here."

"Well, the main wires are down. We saw them on the way in. They're not connected to any power sources out here, so this place isn't being supplied with electricity anymore. That's why."

Rainbow flipped some of the switches for fun. They made satisfying clicking sounds, but, predictably, nothing happened. She pondered momentarily, and an idea suddenly appeared in her mind—an insane, brilliant idea. "So, you're saying these boxes power this whole place, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And it's electricity that runs through those wires?"

"...Yeah?" Vincent repeated, raising an eyebrow.

She rubbed her hooves together. A small smile broadened on her muzzle, one which rapidly enlarged into a big grin. "Wait here and don't move. I've got an idea."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Please don't do anything stupid. You're thinking of doing something stupid, aren't you?"

"Maybe. Or it might actually work! You never know about these kinds of things!" Rainbow shoved the Employees Only door and rushed through the flooded atrium to the exterior.

She approached a ladder she had spotted during the ride through the parking lot. It was a narrow human-designed ladder, built at a sheer 90-degree angle as opposed to the diagonally-angled ladders back home. Creeping vines surged and coiled over and around its rungs, grasping for the bleak, overcast sky. Above, thunder boomed and lightning flashed, which only served to bolster her confidence in her plan. The downpour certainly didn't aid in her chances of successfully climbing, but she was confident in herself and her capabilities. She ascended slowly and steadily, careful not to slip on the slick creeping vines.

The view of the ground from atop the roof was anxiety-inducing. Not because she was afraid of heights, of course, but because she knew a single mistake would certainly spell her untimely doom were she to fall.

Without the ability to fly, wrangling a storm cloud would be challenging. Fortunately, the roof was tall and the water-bloated clouds sagged in the sky due to their immense weight. The conditions were perfect. All she had to do was identify an adequate specimen. And she spotted one. A huge, fat rogue exhibiting aberrant behavior and drifting solo below the herds of clouds.

Rainbow retreated to provide the maximum amount of distance with which she could use to accelerate, then threw herself forward, kicked off of the steep edge of the roof, and launched herself into the air. With an almost-comical poof sound and a splash of frigid rain water onto her coat, she landed onto the small cloud and was promptly absorbed into its puffy mass.

She wrapped her forelegs around the storm cloud and hugged it tightly to ensure she didn't slip. A quick glance downward confirmed her fears: the ground was terrifyingly far below her flailing rear legs. She gulped.

"Come on, get down!" She hauled herself onto the small cloud and balanced precariously. She hopped on top of it, bouncing on its springy surface in an attempt to convince it to descend. Eventually, it did, but not before it shocked her with a small burst of electricity as if to express its irritability.

When the cloud was low enough to the ground, Rainbow hopped off. She molded the storm cloud, decreasing its size and increasing its density so it was easier to handle, then escorted it by giving it little nudges in the direction she wanted to travel.

She followed the intact power lines while escorting the unruly storm cloud. Along the way, she ensured the wires were intact and undamaged, a state that allowed electricity to flow through unimpeded, she logically assumed.

Rainbow paused at the first pole that supporting severed wires. She guided the storm cloud so it was adjacent to the utility pole, then fastened it with the severed wires to ensure it didn't float away. When she was certain the little storm cloud was secure, she bucked it to encourage it to expel its accumulated electrical energy. Her coat and hair bristled as she was shocked.

She didn't hesitate to examine her handiwork. She returned to the airport and hopped through one of the atrium's shattered windows.

Though she would have likely smirked and gratefully accepted the opportunity to boast about her excellence had she noticed her companion's shocked reaction, she, in reality, failed to notice. She was too engrossed in her own amazement. Neon colors and gaudy flashing lights assaulted them from every angle. She fondly recalled the memory of her first encounter with DJ-PON3 and the music pony's fashionable nightclub raves.

"Whoa—!" she breathed. Apparently, some humans were creative enough to utilize color and decorate in beautiful ways.

"What... happened?" He looked at her with bulging eyes.

Rainbow smiled and nodded proudly. The reply was subtle, but Vincent seemed to comprehend its meaning nonetheless.

They departed from the atrium to explore together. Illuminated by harsh ceiling-mounted light fixtures, the colossal corridor they traversed was cluttered with furniture and appliances. Televisions, signs, cameras, and other electronics cluttered the walls. Most were broken. There were shops everywhere with attractive logos and titles plastered on the walls, adorned with colorful blinking letters. As they retreated farther and farther from the atrium, and the average wetness decreased, the vegetation thinned and dispersed.

Vincent vaulted one of the railings of a fenced-in dining area. His trail boots crunched on a carpet of broken glass that littered the floor as he navigated around tables and misplaced chairs tossed haphazardly about. He circled around a bar at the rear of the restaurant to access the beverages displayed prominently behind.

"Booze!" he cheered as he lifted an ornate bottle of fancy whiskey.

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow and eyed him suspiciously in response to his excitable attitude. Though she wasn't entirely sure why, exactly, she sensed possible trouble.

"Hey, don't give me that look. We're both adults here." He stowed the bottle in his backpack, saving it for later.

"Getting hungry. Is there...?" The wide variety of beverages with their bottles and labels displayed on shelves behind the bar were visually impressive, but, unfortunately, she had yet to spot any snacks.

"No, I don't see any chips or peanuts or anything." Vincent swept aside shattered glass and other debris as he scoured the ransacked bar. He experimentally rapped a knuckle against a metal keg at knee-level and revealed it was hollow and had been drained. When he withdrew a jar from beneath the counter to scrutinize it for damage, he identified what was inside, and his eyes lit up. "Maraschinos!"

"Cherries?!" Rainbow jolted as if she had been electrically shocked. She grinned, and her tail wagged eagerly.

"Hey, wait, hold your horses!" He hugged and cradled the jar like a newborn to protect it.

Seeing the delectable treats and their accompanying sweet syrup withdrawn from her grasping hooves, she groaned in frustration. "What? What's wrong?"

He used his hunting knife to break the jar's stubborn seal, then, using a stirring stick, he attempted to fish one of the cherries from their container.

"Oh, come on! I'd eat them off of the floor if I had to! Don't be a baby." Rainbow tapped her hoof against her enchanted pendant to summon its power and utilized levitation magic to extract one of the cherries from the jar. She momentarily considered the purple-and-green magical aura which shrouded it, then floated it through the air and popped it into her mouth.

Vincent gaped in awe at the demonstration of magic. "Wh–What are you— How the hell are you doing that?!"

"Mmm..." She closed her eyes in delight as she chewed the cherry tactfully to appreciate its potent flavor and overwhelming sweetness. She knew a proper response to his inquiry would be polite, but, at that moment, she was too busy to care about courtesy. "Not me, it's the necklace. Story's too long. Will explain later."

"So, magic is real... I thought you were just... damn." Vincent frowned. He mounted the bar and sat on the edge of the counter, then used his stirring stick method of obtaining cherries and successfully extracted one.

"It's everywhere in Equestria. It's just how the world is. I've lived my whole life with it." She fidgeted absent-mindedly with the pendant. "I can't imagine living without it. It'd be hard."

As the cherry entered his mouth and he chewed, his eyes lit up and his demeanor visibly shifted. He smiled blissfully, and his eyes closed peacefully.

She raised the sapphire pendant above her neck and over her ears, then presented it. "Do you want to try? Twilight said different creatures have different magic, so maybe you do have some, but you just don't know it yet."

"Really? Well, I guess I've never actually tried. I always figured it was a stupid myth." With hesitance, he accepted the offered necklace. He held the gold setting delicately in his fingertips and inspected the flawless sapphire mounted within. "Who's Twilight?"

"She's my friend. I love her, but she's a total nerd."

"Well, if your nerd friend said that, then who am I to doubt it?" He chuckled. "So, what do you do?"

"Hold it close to your heart. You should feel something. Do you?"

"Uh, no." He clutched the gold chain, thrusted the pendant forth in the direction of one of the bottles of alcohol displayed behind the bar, and waved it like how a magician might handle a wand, but nothing happened.

"It's okay." Rainbow smiled reassuringly. "Twilight said some creatures take extra time to learn how to use magic. Besides, no one gets how to do something on their first try."

"Or, realistically: I just can't do it at all." He returned the pendant.

She slipped the chain over her ears to safeguard the necklace for the foreseeable future. "You want another one?" She presented the jar.

Vincent gladly scooped another cherry from the jar, then accepted it and fastened the lid. "Definitely saving these for later." He stood and stowed the jar in his backpack.

"Where do you want to head next? Where's all of the real food?" She leapt over one of the fences and waited on the other side.

He stretched with a groan, then vaulted the fence and assumed his position ahead as they walked. "Bound to be a sandwich shop around here somewhere. Airports always have a shitty, overpriced sandwich shop. That's, like, their hallmark. It's practically a law of nature."

She consulted signs hanging from the ceiling. They offered directions to various gates or other key destinations and included helpful arrows.

Concourses B & C ↗

✈ Gates B1, B2, B5, B7 ↗

↖ Luggage Retrieval 🏷

↖ Information Kiosk ℹ

"Hey, watch your step."

She lowered her gaze to confirm she wasn't walking into a wall or other obstacle and gasped when she spotted what lied ahead. Escalators were present to transfer passengers to and from the elevated floor above. "The stairs move!?" She crowded all four of her hooves onto one step of the escalator and rode the machine up.

Vincent stood at the base of the flights of escalators and observed. He raised his voice to caution her. "Hey, if you're coming down, be careful not to—"

"Whooo!" Rainbow leapt onto the handrail of the descending escalator and slid down, extending her wing to provide stability and ensure she remained upright.

Vincent raised his hand to interrupt and warn her again, but, partway through the motion, he lowered his hand and silently watched with a smile.

On the way down again, she reclined her body across both handrails of a descending escalator and crossed her rear legs. As the handrails slowly transported her, she assumed a mock sultry facial expression and mimed inserting a rose between her teeth with a waggle of the eyebrows. "Hey there, handsome."

Vincent slapped a palm over his lips to conceal his amused grin. "Alright you idiot, you've had your fun. Are you satisfied, now? Can we go?"

When she reached the curve of the handrails at the base of the escalator and slipped off, Rainbow struck the floor with a thump. She rolled and hopped onto her hooves energetically, giggling boisterously. "Very."

Rainbow downed the final swig of her steaming coffee and tossed aside the scavenged Starbucks cup. She munched a cherry and absent-mindedly fidgeted with her paper plate as she gazed through one of the adjacent windows and observed the gradual descent of Nowhere's dual stars. One dipped below the horizon while the other remained partially set. As a result, the sky was awash with blinding scarlet light. Dusk had yet to fall, so shiny bits in the vast ocean of black asphalt outside reflected the sunlight and sparkled like stars dotting the night sky.

"Do you think the suns rotate by themselves?"

Vincent's eyebrows shot up. He quickly dropped the shitty, overpriced sandwich he had been eating so his hands were free for gesturing. "What kind of question is that? We're rotating around them, Aristotle. Didn’t you pay attention in school?"

"I paid attention in school! Mostly. Where I come from, Celestia rotates the sun from east to west starting at dawn and ending at dusk, then Luna raises the moon."

"Well, back home for me, Earth rotates around its sun and Earth's moon rotates around Earth. But... I guess Nowhere breaks the rules both of us are familiar with, huh?" He bent at the waist and unzipped his backpack lying beside his chair. He withdrew the ornate bottle of whiskey, then assumed a casual slouch and unscrewed the cap, taking a sip. "Not that it matters anymore..."

"So, you're telling me you guys know how to make lots of fancy contraptions, but you have no idea how your sun moves, and you think it isn't magic?" Rainbow stabbed the leaves and veggies of her mixed salad with a fork and popped the greenery into her mouth, happily munching.

"Well, when you say it like that..."

"I think you just need to relax and consider that maybe magic could exist. For everyone. Even you and for everyone back at your home. Maybe you've been thinking wrong this whole time and tricking yourself, and you managed to overlook something important."

"I wish that were true." He swigged and set the bottle down. He flipped the cap on his thumb like it were a coin.

Rainbow gazed longingly through the glass. After the rain clouds had dispersed and the storm relented, after the suns descended and the harsh light of sunset faded, the day said its final goodbye by alighting the sky with mesmerizing red, orange, and yellow colors, like a layered sundae that melted beneath the oppressive sunbeams of a hot day. Enticing, fluffy white clouds ambled through the sky.

"Must be some really great views from up there. Do you miss it?"

She begrudgingly returned her gaze to the table and hung her head sadly. "You have no idea."

He reclined in his chair and folded his arms, releasing a sigh. "I think I do. Maybe a little. Sounds amazing."

"I need to get home. I need to fly again." She sighed wistfully. "Don't you feel the same way? I had fun with you today, but... we can't stay here. We're not free yet. We need to keep going—I really think we're getting close."

Vincent rolled his wrist and waved his hand dismissively. "Dash, you've repeated that like three times by now. I don't care about leaving, and, frankly, the way I see it, neither should you. There's lots of food here; we could live here for months, easily. We should just stay."

"Well, you're right, it was nice to finally eat some real food for once. But..." Rainbow crossed her forelegs stubbornly, and they engaged in a period of prolonged eye contact.

"So, that's the way it's going to be, huh?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Sorry. I just can't go back to doing nothing again."