It was a good half-hour of flight before Rainbow's group even considered the idea of touching down. When they did, it was several corridors deeper into the foundation of Starkiss, separating themselves from the Hollow—and the Rohbreddenite army—by countless ice-cold walls. The enchanted blue aura of the place still hung mysteriously in the air. The Herald used this to good measure, examining each other's bruises and wounds with proper care. This included a thorough re-bandaging of Theanim's wound.
"I know enough first aid to realize that I'm a lucky fool," the Professor stammered. Nevertheless, he leaned over to allow Kepler to examine his shoulder and spine thoroughly. "Just a few centimeters to the right, and that meathead would have sliced his way into my spine."
"Not on my watch," Echo grumbled.
"Old chap, you're no soldier."
"Damn straight." Echo's nostrils flared. "That means I fight dirty. You're welcome by the way."
"Heheh..." Theanim winced from Kepler's ministrations. "Owowowow... ohhhh what I wouldn't g-give for a decent anesthetic right now..."
"Shoulda taken up coral-huffing."
"Hardy har..."
Echo looked over Theanim's shoulder. "He's going to remain in one piece, huh?"
"Yes." Kepler nodded, backtrotting with a sigh. "Fearr not, nocturrnal one. Yourr companion will have a lasting scarr, but he will live a full and rrich life."
"Hrmmmf..." Echo snorted. "I dunno about the 'rich' part. Damn bastard can't tell his own piss from gold."
"You have a strange way of being sentimental, Old Chap," Theanim stammered.
"Yeah, whatever." Echo's fangs showed behind a tight smirk. "I digged how you let loose on that one guy who clobbered me."
"You..." Theanim blinked. "You saw that?"
"No, but I heard it. Friggin' Theams... trying to professor-uppercut a member of the Central Guard."
"What can I say?" Theanim shrugged his shoulders, winced, but flexed his limbs some more. "Mrmmmff... I got righteous indignant."
"You should try it some more. Your balls could use more hair."
"Eugh... Echo... this is neither the time nor the place."
"Oh please. We're in the unholiest of unholies. I mean... that's the whole point of this trip, right?"
"You two continue being so colorrful," Kepler said, turning around and shuffling across the cold corridor. "Perrhaps it is the best medicine! Ha HA!"
Ariel limped up to the wyvern. "Kepler..."
"Ah! Arriel! Strrong like yourr motherr!" Kepler embraced her, squinting through his bifocals at her bruises. "Let us make surre you arre in one piece as well..."
Ariel gulped. "But what about you?"
"Bah! I am fine! Afterr all, I neverr push that farr into the frray—"
"Kepler..." Ariel rested a hoof on his hairy shoulder.
Kepler opened his mouth to say something. His tusks rattled; nothing came out. Slowly, he bowed his head, taking his bifocals off so he could cover his face. Soon, his shoulders shook... heaved.
Ariel held him close, stroking his back as she nuzzled the top of his head.
The wyvern's scorpion tail curled up delicately as he surrendered to her embrace. Flynn and Bard shuffled over, joining the hug as they held him close.
Logan watched from a medium distance. His nostrils flared angrily as he resumed sharpening his axe blade with a stone. "I swear... if we make it back from the Midnight Armory... a lot of heads will friggin' roll across the banks of Frostknife."
"We won't be making it anywhere if we stay here," Remna grumbled, marching across the corridor. "On your hooves, Herald! We've wasted enough time."
"Oh shove it, ya freak!" Flynn growled across the chamber as he held Kepler close. "Give him a breather for crying out loud!"
"Reckon we all could use a breather," Bard muttered. "Ain't no sense marchin' in on that throne room with half of our wits in tact."
"Unacceptable." Remna shook her head. "Mortuana gave me charge over her flock. Now that the alicorn is dead—"
Swoooosh! Wildcard touched down in front of her. The goggled griffon stared coldly into the mare's face.
"... ... ..." Remna blinked. At last, the mare's violet ears drooped. "Very well," she breathed, wrenching her eyes from Wildcard's gaze. "If you mortals need it so terribly, then I must relent." She trotted ahead. "But not for long. We are at destiny's doorstep."
The air whistled as several wings sliced the ceiling above them. The Talon entered the corridor, forming a tight perimeter.
"I see you decided to join us," Echo muttered.
"Yeah..." Raptr wheezed. He leaned against a cold sheet of ice for support. "...I'm still trying to get over that myself." Gulping, he glanced at his wingmates. "Just how dead are we?"
"Assuming that army follows us in here?" Windburst muttered. "Deader than the siren air force." He pivoted about. "The worse part is... I'm almost out of crossbolts."
"Yeah..." Ratpr exhaled, adjusting his helmet. "Bet you're practically heartbroken."
"I can't believe all of those soldiers were willing to fight for us," Starstorm said. She looked at the others. "Even against so many insurmountable forces." She gulped. "How many of them have given their very lives at this point?"
"Never underestimate the power of true conviction," Keris said, fluttering into the center of the group. "They saw the worst that Verlaxion could manifest." He shuddered, staring into the icy blue haze all around. "They didn't wish it upon Rohbredden or its grandchildren. They gave their all... now we must give ours."
"You made the right choice, Lieutenant," Theanim said, standing up with a pained grimace. "I'm... truly sorry that Commander Seraphimus could not catch a glimpse of your sincerity."
"Yes, well..." Keris nodded. "...she's built many veils for herself over the years."
Wildcard hovered until he was parallel to Keris. He gestured swiftly.
Keris looked at him. "It's not like she gave Rainbow much of a choice. Though, to be honest... I somewhat selfishly wish that she was a bit easier on the Commander." Silence. The Lieutenant's brow furrowed as he turned about. "Wait... where is Rainbow?"
Bard and Ariel looked up from where they held Kepler.
Remna blinked. She turned, squinting curiously across the corridor.
In another chamber, three walls away, Rainbow Dash hovered with folded forelimbs.
Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity floated across from her.
Rainbow's wings flapped with silent precision. The mare took a deep breath, then spoke towards the echoing walls behind her friends: "So... have any of you guys ever played poker? Huh?"
The four spectres simply blinked at her.
"No?" Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Sooooooo... uhhhh... how about Magic: the Galloping?"
"Do they hurt, Rainbow?" Fluttershy spoke.
"Huh?"
Fluttershy gulped. "Even in the least?"
Rainbow took a deep breath. She then shook her head.
"You're... you're flying with such grace!" Rarity exclaimed. "Such finesse! Is all the stiffness actually gone?"
"Yes, Rarity," Rainbow droned. "It's gone. All gone."
"Do bears make doo-doo in the woods?!" Pinkie Pie barked.
"Goodness, darling!" Rarity blanched at Pinkie.
"What?" Pinkie shrugged. "I thought this was a random guessing-game!"
"Nothing quite so random about it, Pinkie," Fluttershy said. She then cleared her throat. "But... to answer that question... yes..." A slight blush. "Yes they do."
"Fluttershy..." Twilight sighed.
"Even Ursa Majors?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Are there space woods? Space woods for space turds—"
"Rainbow Dash!"
"Ahem... yes, Twilight?" Rainbow peered down at her.
Twilight hovered a few meters closer to her anchor. She squinted. "...exactly how long ago did your wing mend?"
Rainbow took a deep breath. "How long ago do you think, egghead?"
Silence.
Twilight folded her forelimbs. Her muzzle couldn't settle for a scowl or a smirk, so it hung awkwardly in between.
"Don't get me wrong. Chaos sucks... and I hate turning into that... whatever-it-is with a passion." Gulping, Rainbow clutched her pendant as she hovered. "But... it does come with its benefits." A nervous titter. "Especially when you're surrounded by ponies who don't know them as well as... ahem... you do..."
More silence.
"So let me get this straight..." Pinkie Pie waved her forelimbs. Her ears twitched as she stared weirdly up at Rainbow. "...all this time you could have been flying around at the speed of sound but you didn't?!" Her voice took on a squealing octave. "Even if it meant getting beaten around the countryside... freezing to death on snow-covered mountains... and having a stupid crazy fight scene aboard a runaway train?!"
Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat.
"... ... ...do Ursa Majors actually make space turds—mmffrmmff!" Pinkie's eyes crossed as a white hoof clamped daintily over her muzzle.
"Ah-ah-ahem..." Rarity looked up at their anchor. "Rainbow, darling... I do not by any means wish to detract from your... exceptional courage and charisma... but it begs the question." She gulped. "Why?" Her eyes blinked rapidly. "Just... j-just... why?"
"I know... I know..." Rainbow nodded. "I bet you're wondering why an awesome pegasus would throw herself needlessly into so many crazy hazards—"
"Must we forget that you're the Austraeoh?!" Rarity's voice cracked. "And that so much depends on you?! We... depend on you!"
Rainbow gulped. "Ever wondered why an awesome pegasus would forsake all she believes in just to free one of her friends?" She looked at Fluttershy. "Taking a big crap on the Element of Kindness, to boot?"
"Oh Rainbow..." Fluttershy's ears drooped. "Please don't tell me that—"
"At first... I suppose... it was like punishing myself," Rainbow said. "I knew that just taking the pendant off for a little bit—even taking a tiny dip into my chaotic side would fix my left wing right up. But... even after all the crud I did in the Quade, there were some nasty things that even lil' ol' disharmonious me would never ever stoop to. Pretty soon, however..." Her gaze fell on Twilight. "...I found that I didn't have much of a choice."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Red Barge."
"Suddenly, it was all fixed. However..." Rainbow hugged herself, dipping slightly in mid-hover. "I didn't exactly feel 'fixed.'" She gulped. "Even... even after talking so much with Fluttershy... and winning you guys' trust back..."
"Rainbow, you had no reason to doubt yourself," Fluttershy said. "We had forgiven you, hadn't we?"
"You haven't been on this journey as long as me, Flutters." Rainbow sighed. "If you have seen all the things that I've done... heard it... smelled it..."
Her marefriends simply gazed at her.
"I... I-I guess I just got so overwhelmed by all the tests that Verlax has been pushing on me..." Rainbow sighed. "...that I decided that... maybe it was time that I tested myself too."
"But... how?" Pinkie Pie blinked. "And in what way?"
"Loyalty," Twilight spoke up. "You wanted to make sure you were loyal to us... to harmony... to the journey."
"I get it that Verlax is trying to 'temper Austraeoh' or whatnot... but let's face it!" Rainbow frowned. "She doesn't know me! Nopony knows me but... me." She slicked her bangs back. "I'm awesome. But Verlax didn't take that away from me! I took that away from me! And if I wanted to be awesome again... I had to earn it!"
Rarity began: "But how was that going to help you in—"
"And... it's nothing Verlax could have possibly guessed," Rainbow continued. "I mean... this whole last leg of her tests is about honesty, right? It's not like there are any other viable Elements left to throw my way! She tested my generosity at Nealend... my seriousness at Shoggoth! My... k-kindness in Luminar." She gulped. "Now, here in Rohbredden, she wants me to crack under pressure again. What better way to get an edge over her than to throw the wool over the Goddess' eyes?! I mean... she's everywhere, right?! Her frost vessels... her windigoes... her puppets in Chandler's company..." Rainbow shook her head. "I wasn't about to give them the full picture. I wasn't about to let her think she knew the real me."
"So... feigning flightlessness... was your edge?" Fluttershy remarked.
"She must think I'm some harmonious paragon of honesty," Rainbow said with a shrug. "So... what if I maintained a dishonest thing about myself?"
"Just so you could pull the rug out from under her?" Pinkie asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Precisely."
"Wow... how stupid!" Pinkie blinked, then grinned at the others. "And the ultimate prank! Heehee! I love it!"
"I just..." Rainbow sighed. "...had to wait for the right time and place to play my hoof." She gulped. "And there were times when I thought it had happened... there were so many times. But... but I kept holding back..."
"Even when it risked your life?!" Rarity exclaimed. "Our lives?"
"And yet..." Fluttershy looked aside. "...if Rainbow hadn't, would she have met so many nice ponies? Would she have reunited with the Desperadoes?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "Or discovered the Herald!"
"Or found out about Axan," Rarity muttered, hanging her head in contemplation.
"I meant what I spoke to Seraphimus earlier," Rainbow said. "I lost a lot of awesomeness back in the Quade. Call it what you want: stupid... a waste of energy... whatever. If I wanted to be the Austraeoh that you and the Herald believe in, I had to earn it." She sighed. "I... need to be the me that Eljunbyro knows... so that I can look them in the face again someday." She gulped. "Especially Roarke."
Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "Mortuana... she knew, didn't she?"
Rainbow winced.
"That's what she meant when she told you that 'this wasn't your moment.'" Twilight gulped. "Right before she sacrificed herself."
Rainbow sighed. "Y-yeah," she said with a shuddering breath. "She knew. I'm... pr-pretty sure that Axan knew as well. Right from the start when she fished me out of that frozen cave."
"If you ask me, Rainbow..." Fluttershy smiled gently. "Mortuana believed in you. She knew that you would come through when it mattered... just like she did for us and the Herald."
"Yeah... but it doesn't stop me from thinking..." Rainbow fidgeted in midair. "If I had chosen to fly earlier..."
"She still would have expended herself to save the Herald from certain peril," Rarity said, lifting her head again. "Rainbow... I may never be able to rationalize quite like you do—"
"Heheh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "'Rationalize...'"
"—but the fact of the matter is, had you... 'played your hoof,' as t'were... before Mortuana was forced to perform her last act of heroism, then I doubt you would have been able to defeat Seraphimus like you did."
"Stone cold stunning the whole army of Rohbredden in the process!" Pinkie yelped, toppling over in midair.
"Otherwise, Seraphimus might have been prepared for you," Fluttershy said. "I think that shock alone is what turned the tide in your favor against her."
Pinkie floated back up. "Or maybe Dashie's just that awesome."
"So... uhm..." Rainbow fidgeted. "...you're all not mad at me?" She chewed on her bottom lip. "You agree that I did what was best for the journey?"
"Aside the fact that I think your motivations came from a distressing... dark place..." Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat. "Yes. I think you made a very good, strategic move, Rainbow."
"Oh..." Rainbow slumped in mid-flight, swiping her brow. "Cool beans..."
"But..." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "...all things considered, your secret... your edge got you past Seraphimus... not Verlax."
Rainbow blinked.
Twilight pointed into the nebulous blue haze of the chamber. "The Divine of Frost is still out there... waiting... holding Applejack at bay." She gulped. "And her test isn't over, Rainbow. What edge do you hope to have over her now?"
Rainbow Dash's jaws clenched. Beads of sweat formed over her blue forehead—
"She has us," Fluttershy said, gazing at the others. "And she has herself again. Isn't that enough?"
"But... if you take that analogy into full consideration, darling..." Rarity fidgeted. "...it just means that Rainbow Dash is a clean slate once more. Where are the edges in that?"
"None. For that's what Verlax is wanting to draw from her." Fluttershy craned her head to the side. "Isn't that the best chance we have at denying her and what she desires out of Rainbow?"
Silence. The mares glanced at one another.
Fluttershy spoke without looking. "Don't worry. It's just the Lieutenant."
FWOOOSH! Keris flew into the room, shattering the silence. Rarity let loose a shriek and clung to Pinkie Pie before sighing limply.
"There." Keris breathed calmly, hovering alongside Rainbow Dash. "For a second there, you had me worried."
"Oh, I'm not going AWOL," Rainbow said, shaking her head. "Not while Flynn can still cook up cheddar bay biscuits, at least."
"... ... ..." Keris stared at her.
"It's a joke, Lieutenant." Rainbow shrugged. "Remember? Jokes? They exist... sometimes."
"I suppose we'll let history be the judge." Keris took a deep breath, glancing at the pegasus' left wing. "So... when exactly were you going to reveal to us that your wing had mended?"
"I don't know." Rainbow stared pointedly at him. "When were you and the Professor going to tell the Herald about what Chandler had planned for Wyvern Point?"
Rarity and Pinkie Pie winced.
Keris stared at her. "Funny... we proclaim to be nobler than all living things... but when it comes to simple revelations, we regress to the basest of cowardly habits."
"Yeah, but my sin was useful." Rainbow nodded. "Yours was just sad."
"A reversal of the past, 'Rainbow Rogue?'"
Rainbow shuddered. "Sure, I-I guess."
Keris sighed. "It is because of diabolical cretins such as Chandler and all others whom Verlaxion has tolerated that the Professor and I made this journey to meet you and your Herald to begin with. It was a leap of faith... but so is the hope that we can stop future nightmares such as the attack on Wyvern Point from happening in the future." He raised an eyecrest. "I don't suppose you believe me."
Rainbow blinked. "Of course I do!"
"Then what else needs to be said?" Keris gulped. "Except... that I'm sorry."
"Not as sorry as Verlaxion is going to be," Rainbow muttered. "Glad to still have you on board, Keris... especially after..." Her words trailed off.
Keris perched on a cold stretch of stone. "I should thank you."
"For what?"
"For not murdering her."
Rainbow blanched. "Did you really think I would?"
"The moment I saw you take off, I didn't know what to think anymore." Keris' headcrest drooped. "Even the windigoes don't move that fast. And... that outstanding explosion that you conjured up..." His beak hung agape as he squinted at her. "Didn't you ever consider outflying them and all of Verlaxion's other instrumentations before?"
"I'm not here to survive, Keris."
Keris stared at her.
"Rohbredden deserves a future just as much as Austraeoh," she considered. "If not more so. Seraphimus deserves to be there. I just... had to knock some sense into her... or else some senselessness out of her. I... I-I may have gone a tad bit overboard." She gulped. "S-sorry..."
"Would you believe me if I told you that the Commander's endured worse?"
"Uh... no?"
"Good." Keris shuddered, glancing aside. "Because I wouldn't believe me either."
Hoofsteps.
The two looked over.
Remna trotted up. "Hmmm. Good." Her violet brow furrowed. "Can we please head towards the throneroom now?"
"Hmmmm... let me see if I remember this right..." Keris flapped his wings until he faced her, hovering. "You're another Dragon Divine... much like Verlax... only stuck in the frame of a deceased bounty hunter."
"That is correct." Remna squinted. "What of it?"
Keris exhaled. "I look forward to a peaceful future devoid of these mind-bending anomalies." He flew higher in the chamber. "So, yes, by all means... let us proceed to Verlaxion's throneroom. I'm ready to embrace the future—no matter it's color."
"Then let's toss you many." Rainbow gained some air. "Axan... go round up the kiddies." She faced Yaerfaerda, squinting into its orange brilliance. "Bathroom break is over."
Rainbow Dash descended. The Herald limped alongside her, led by Remna and followed up by the Talon. Keris and his wingmates studied every nook and cranny of the frozen compartments around them. They observed that the floor was declining steeper and steeper. Soon, fissures formed in the ice-cold stone... and those fissures took form, turning into timeless steps that had been carved into foundation ages ago by incomprehensible forces.
The blue haze in the air grew deeper... denser. Flynn's horn strobed in response. Every other pony and griffon felt their flesh tingling with each minute of their subterranean trek. The cold temperature remained the same, even as icicles diminished, giving way to perfectly geometric slices of rock and stone.
The deeper they went, the more they felt overwhelmed by an ever-pervasive hush in the air, as if the bowels of Rohbredden were silent... a quiet tomb built by a frost dragon that surrounded them, receding at every turn or glance. They could only fathom to guess where they were in relation to Frostknife at this point—if perhaps they were stumbling some untold depths beneath the very crust of the plane.
Rainbow Dash—at least—had a point of reference. Yaerfaerda lulled her forward, its orange glow taking shape, forming a familiar texture that pulsed with its own ghostly heartbeat. Rainbow struggled to fly in a straight descent. Her nostrils tickled, imagining hay... sawdust... apple spices. A hint of moisture sprang every so often from her eyes, and she rubbed her lids dry consistently.
In her peripheral, she sensed a yellow sheen. Fluttershy floated close by, humming an old familiar tune beneath her breath. It calmed Rainbow, as did Fluttershy's warm smile. The mare sighed, closing her eyes... imagining the sway of a hammock to soothe her nerves. Rainbow allowed the orange light to wash over her, becoming the backdrop to the thickening silence. The percussion of her and the Herald's hooves were like white specks... freckles against the horizon surrounding Yaerfaerda. She felt all the closer to her goal... the only goal that mattered at the moment.
The path was a complete stairwell by now, descending steeper and steeper. The walls stretched insanely high. Snow-white bulwarks loomed over the narrowing path... until there was nothing whatsoever. Out of nowhere, the corridor opened up to a great blue chamber, and the claustrophobic journey was replaced by a wide and ever-mesmerizing gasp.
Logan practically ignored it. "So... all this time... Rainbow could fly... but chose not to."
"Yep." Flynn nodded, marching ahead of him. "That seems to be the gest of it."
"Huh... how completely and utterly stupid."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
"Well, yeah... but that sonic rougeboom she did..."
"'Sonic rainboom.'"
"Whatever," Logan belched, dragging his axe. "Could have come in handy a bunch of times earlier."
"Then she would have blown her cover."
"So what? I'd have happily blown a lot of other things just to get out of those messes—"
"Everypony, don't move!" Windburst suddenly hissed from above.
Keris look over his shoulder. "What is it, Sergeant?"
"Eyes up!"
"Hmmm?" Logan tilted his head up. He gasped, jumping aside and clutching ahold of Flynn. "Holy shit!"
"Shhhhhhh!" Ariel insisted, floating below the Talon as her features paled. "No sudden noises!"
"No sudden anything!" Flynn hissed.
High above them... clambering all over the ceiling of the tremendous blue chamber... were hundreds upon hundreds of windigoes. The ghostly horses scuttled across the walls and bowers like ethereal white cockroaches. The more they moved and stirred—with restless abandon—the more of them there appeared to be... until the Herald and the Talon realized that they were standing in the eerie shadow of an entire herd.
"There's..." Starstorm gulped. "...hundreds of them."
"More like thousands," Windburst grumbled. "Must be every single windigo that even exists."
"If that's so..." Kepler thought out loud. "Then it has to be overr fifty times greaterr than any stampede we've faced since setting out from Wyverrn Point."
"Hoooooooo boyo..." Pinkie Pie whimpered. "That's a lot of snowconers!"
"Hey... uh..." Echo raised his hoof. "The token midnighter has a question. Why aren't they attacking us yet?"
"Shhhh!" Theanim Mane hissed. "Don't give them any bright ideas, old chap!"
"It's a mighty fine question, though," Bard remarked. Wildcard nodded.
"They... seem to be just chilling," Ariel said. "Like they don't even see us."
"Why... does that make me even more sc-scared?" Raptr exhaled.
Rainbow and the rest of her marefriends gazed up at the living ceiling of windigoes. "Twilight..." She murmured aside. "Any thoughts?"
Twilight rubbed her forehead. "They're... just as strong and potentially lethal as any of the other windigoes we've faced, Rainbow." She gulped. "However... something's holding them back."
"Something...?" Rarity looked across the group. "...or someone?"
"We're not alone here," Fluttershy said. "It's not the army. They still haven't caught on to our scent."
"Is it you-know-who?!" Pinkie asked. Just as she said this, her body flickered in a lavender blink.
"...!" Rainbow spun about.
Twilight and the others flickered once again. Twilight looked at Rainbow dead-on. "Either she's coming close to us... or we're getting close to her."
Rainbow Dash stared down the stairs. She saw that several other angled platforms were converging on a central dome at the very bottom of the chamber. There were twelve stairwells total, and they all met a large, round arch that presumably led into the interior of the ice-blue dome. "I'm willing to settle for a little of Column A and a little of Column B."
"Are we just gonna stand here and let these damned freaks shadow us?" Logan remarked.
"I... don't think they're going to attack," Rainbow said.
"Why not?"
Rainbow pointed at the dome below. From its very heart, Yaerfaerda beamed. She could almost touch it. "Because we're right at the throneroom's door. I think this is it... an open invitation."
"After all this time?" Starstorm blinked. "I don't get it."
"It was never Verlaxion's desire to stop the Austraeoh from reaching her," Theanim said. She looked across the way. "Isn't that right, Rainbow?"
Rainbow nodded. "She only wanted to make the journey tougher. These windigoes could end me... which precisely why she hasn't sent them stampeding my way."
"Then what, pray tell, is she saving them for?" Keris asked.
"I suspect that we shall discoverr this shorrtly," Kepler said. He looked at Rainbow. "Rrainbow one?"
Rainbow gulped. "We proceed." She looked over. "Axan?"
Remna nodded. "After me." She turned and resumed marching down the steep, steep steps. "Stay close, Austraeoh. Watch over her, Herald."
"Darn tootin'," Bard said, walking up behind Rainbow.
"Talon..." Keris signaled to his wingmates to descend. "I think it's better if we make the rest of the journey on foot."
"Won't get any protests from me," Starstorm said, nervously eyeing the ceiling.
"Reckon y'all should follow suit, Dubya," Bard said.
Wildcard relented with a sigh. He and Ariel touched down, shuffling carefully between the Herald and the Talon.
Rainbow stared ahead. The distant breaths of the windigoes grew loud and quiet in random waves. The occasional shriek pierced its way to her heart. The petite pegasus shuddered. Clasping her pendant tightly, she proceeded, following Remna's violet figure. Yaerfaerda shone through her like a burning candle.
As they continued down the steps, they passed by frozen statues of Verlaxion flanking the staircase's stone framework. The group strolled under the statue of two facing effigies. Rainbow's marefriends flickered in and out of sight. At that exact same time, the eyeslits of the two statues glowed a bright, icy blue. The windigoes shook and shrieked overhead, and a familiar voice echoed out of the statues' separate cores: "An honest pay for an honest day's work..."
"Whoah dayum!" Bard spun, extending his metal staff.
Wildcard, Logan, and Keris braced themselves, facing the statues.
Neither of them moved. Ice melted, revealing rusted metal beneath their frigid exteriors. "Of course... if you were stale enough to believe in that, you'd never have flown east to begin with, would you?" And as soon ase these words were uttered, the glow in the statues' helms disappeared. Simultaneously, both effigies crumbled, their rusted plates peeling off and plummeting into the icy abyss below.
Nerves wracked by the spontaneous display, the Herald and Talon resumed their descent. Minutes passed. They passed by another pair of statues, and were only partially surprised to find the helms glowing vaporously as they strolled on.
"You've done many... many unkind things." Cracks and fissures formed across the statues. "But bluffing isn't cruel... it's a joke. Do you intend to laugh your way to the Midnight Armory?"
With loud, metallic clangs, the statues crumbled to pieces. Windigoes whinnied and hissed high above. The chamber echoed from the rusted plates coming to a rest far below.
Twilight and the others exchanged nervous glances. They flickered in and out of lavender waves. The blue haze of the chamber grew dim and dimmer. All the while, Rainbow stared straight ahead... eyes on the orange glow that burned bright and brighter.
"The Sundering started all of this. Tell me, Austraeoh. What is more dishonest? Thinking it will all end without another Sundering?" Sure enough, these statues shattered to pieces as well. Rainbow suspected the same fate for the last pair of statues lingering at the blue dome's doorfame at the base of the stairs. "Everything comes full circle. Bless you, Austraeoh. You've made it this far... and now you shall be prepared to go beyond."
This time, as the plates fell, Twilight and the rest were finding it difficult to stay in one piece.
"Her power..." Twilight winced. "...too much... hard to... in one piece..."
"I know where we are now, Twilight," Rainbow said calmly, although the orange light blinded her. "So long as the beacon's still burning..."
"We will see you on the other side, darling!" Rarity said.
"Don't be afraid," Fluttershy stammered, fading in and out.
"We..." Pinkie danced like a matchstick's flame. "...believe in you..."
"Whatever happens, Rainbow..." Twilight spaced her words out carefully as she morphed into a lavender blur. "...we trust... in you... to do the right thing..."
Rainbow gulped. "Twilight...?"
There was no response. The lavender haze and the blue haze had become one. All Rainbow Dash could seen now was orange. It pulsed with every heartbeat, and Rainbow was at a lost to guess whose it was.
"Girls..." She gulped. One last step, and she stumbled forward on a cold, even plane. "Axan," she whimpered. "I... I can no longer see. What's ahead of me?"
"A door, Austraeoh," Axan said. "A round metal door. It consumes the entire icy frame."
"By the gods," Kepler's voice echoed in a suddenly small space. "Somehow... Verrlax built herr thrrone out of an entrrance to the machine worrld..."
"Wouldn't be the first time she done that," Bard drawled. "Remember back in Lower Shoggoth, Dubya? That chamber full of frost vessels? That was metal too!"
"Is something on the d-door?" Rainbow asked.
"There is," spoke Theanim Mane. Windigoes howled in the distance. "The same symbol that was in Nealend. Six circles inside a larger circle, all joined by a curved line."
Rainbow Dash gulped. "Ynanhluutr..."
"I've seen it myself," Keris said. "On the tower that stood in the Quade."
"Five of them are lit." Ariel. "Blue... lavender... white... pink... and yellow. There's one that isn't lit, though."
"Applejack," Rainbow said.
"Huh?"
"Axan..." Rainbow stretched her hoof out. "Could... could you guide me to the unlit circle?"
"That I shall." Rainbow felt a strong, muscular hoof taking hers. The mare was led forward... until her fetlock made cold contact.
"It's lighting up!" Flynn's voice said, followed by the tingling sound of a glowing horn. "I... I think it's opening!"
"The Austrraeoh's touch is worrking..."
"Stand back, y'all! I've been inside one of them thangs once. It ain't fun."
"No, Mr. Bard." Theanim. "I do not believe that this is going to be very fun."
"This is it, right?" Echo. "Boss time? No turning back?"
"Everyone behind me," Remna spoke. "That includes you, Austraeoh." Her voice drifted ahead, as did her hoofsteps. Rainbow heard an eerie hiss while her body felt a cascade of cold vapors all around them. She felt as though she was strolling right into an ice box illuminated by a heatless orange flame. "I suspect we're in for a fight.... the full extent of my sister's fury..."
"Talon, stay close to Rainbow Dash," Keris said. "We're going in. Jordan?"
Rainbow couldn't sense Wildcard's response. She couldn't sense anything... do anything but move forward. She panted, numb from the absence of her closest friends. Their voices echoed in her mind... along with a fifth's. She concentrated on it... on the pretty green eyes it belonged to. It was almost enough to soothe her nerves... and stifle the urge to whimper as she pressed forward blindly into the cold.
As it was foretold.
Once more unto the breach!
Onward herald!
All this time... she could have just... flown...
65.media.tumblr.com/082c043adc3ca309e3b6f762ca180368/tumblr_n3zg68AtJ41tsttfdo1_500.gif
So intense.
Verlax is pretty 'cool', honestly.
Time for the final showdown. Who will live? Who will die? Find out next time on Utaan!
7203382
Your opponent lays down his cards, smirking, proud of his four Kings. He's won for sure, it takes a lot to beat, and you've been unsurely calling his outrageous bets. He thinks you're an idiot. Suddenly, you smirk, and place down four aces. Your opponents stutters, in shock, he cannot fathom anything in this moment.
The power of shock is how Seraphimus was beaten so easily. She was not prepared for Dash to fly. Sure, she had a four of a kind, but Dash had a royal flush.
Don't forget to save your game before fighting the boss.
7203429
I don't know, I think that was part of it but I also think that everyone kind of overestimated how good she actually was. I think that is part of the point; everyone, Seraphimus included, overestimated both herself and her ideals. I personally feel that while she is good, as I said before she is likely just as good as Keris at best and I think she is actually far less skilled then Wildcard. Basically if that fight had been with Wildcard instead of Rainbow it would have ended similarly.
Thus it was written, thus it shall be! (If you know this reference, you get a cookie!)
So... boss time. This is gonna be some shit right here. Everyone, get your drinks while you can! My bar will be closed for the oncoming storm.
Verl really didn't catch on in Braum? Because gaining master rusemare status here would be a major fucking achievement for Dash.
Would have thought that muscle atrophy would prevent her from cranking the wing power up to 11 after keeping those wings locked in place for however many weeks. Unless chaos healing also extends to keeping any previously injured areas in good nick.
7203438
I think it's clear that Sera wasn't as composed as she wanted to appear before prismatic beatings. The army at her side would have given her some reassurance, but to finally see your own comrades on the other team flanked by a ghost you once knew? Now that must have played havoc with her increasingly tangled attempts to stay loyal.
Looks like this the last last beacon on the light side, unless there is going to be another near Bleak's Plummet to take her down to the Dark side.
The lyrics seem appropriate.
Remember to talk to the statue by the door, it will restore your SP so you can cast Mediarahan.
No soul, robust
All dust, we bust
Justice to the mare
with no life
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
Turns out it's just a really snazzy Taco Bell inside.
Verl gives Dash her final test: tacos with ghost pepper hot sauce.
Everyone else gets sriracha quesaritos.
Mmmm...
God-fucking-damnit-
CarlRainbow.Time for the final confrontation, no more deceptions, no more lies, a clean slate for both sides.
This place aint big enough for the both of us.
At this point, wouldnt the second person to be saved the most be Kepler? Or someone would have to go dig out that spare temporal box in the store room.
Bad enough Dash is blinded by the light, but Verlax has that horde of windigoes ready to flash freeze the heros, and theres whatever chance that through the machine world itself, Verlax has hauled in teh Chaos Beasts.
chapter 180.5 for those who want it for the collector edition
http://www.fimfiction.net/group/1477/austraeoh/thread/252802/short-skirts-and-explosions-and-the-forgotten-chapter-with-comments
So the whole time the plan was to run into the throne room and yell "Hey Verlax guess what, I can FLY now! Bet there's nothing in your vast array of godlike powers that can counter something like that!!"
That's actually pretty stupid...
Definitely would have worked!
And now we stand before the throne of ice. The bearer of flame must still tread carefully, lest all be lost.
I would argue that concealing something like that is... well, it's gray to the point that someone needs to do a spectrum analysis on it.
The East continues... but all things must come to an end.
Which isn't quite the same as saying that there won't be a new beginning.
This is just a teaser. Nothing is set in stone at the moment, or beyond revising.
That's one hell of a cliffhanger
Okay, I lost it here
I can see where Rainbow was coming from (other than west), but wow, that's some determination. And acting skill, it seems.
---
Oh no.
I see what this is.
Mutual assured destruction by windigo.
I can't help but imagine Verlax as Seath, even though I think she's more then likely going to appear as a pony at first.
Also if Verlax lets Rainbow get close enough to active the flame then I suspect a trap to try and take the Spark from Rainbow.
I might be paranoid but it seems to me all Verlax's banter about making sure Austraeoh completes the circle isn't directed at Rainbow Dash, but the Spark it's self. Dash is just a vessel for the Spark, and I think Verlax wants to be that vessel.
heheheh. Looks like it's time... to break the ice.
images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/36800000/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-is-Magic-image-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-36800756-900-779.png
I'm not sorry.
FRIGGAN chills man!
18
Here comes the final showdown. Fire vs Ice, Spark and Fire against the encroaching frost...
But I think Rainbow's got this. Burn 'em down, firebug. This pyro is rooting for you.
7203429
7203438
7203495
7203704
Reading about Rainbow's fights since she became ground bound, I kept thinking she had become weaker somehow, but now she's airborne again the truth seems clear. Rainbow's combat skills on the ground are good, but her ability whilst airborne is very serious business. Think of her fights with Roarke and Axan etc. On the ground she may win but she can be knocked down, in the air however, you'd better bring a howitzer (for all the good it will do you).
Seeing her stomp Sera just made that clear to me. If she'd had to fight Sera on the ground, well RD might win but she would have had to work for it, airborne however, pffft. Rainbow hasn't suddenly become overpowered, I think we just forgot how good she was in the air.
I dunno, it's still kinda hard to see Rainbow feigning her injury while so many dangerous moments occurred. Not even just dangerous to her; Rainbow can obviously take care of herself, but what about the innocents in the tavern fight with Braum for example? She risked a lot to maintain her guise and while I'm glad it worked, I'm skeptical about how seamlessly it was done.
Anyways, I wonder if Wildcard is going to start speaking again now that he and Keris are undoubtedly on the same side once more. It's not like Keris has given up his wings.
Go get 'em, Rainbow!
IT'S HAPPENING
7203188 7203259
Thanks! Though I'm wondering - where did the Lunar Ninth come from? I don't recall them from back when I last hopped on board (around the first quarter of Ynanhluutr).
Impactful chapters
sonuva bitch...you and your cliffhangers. I wonder how many you have left.
My two cents on the sera fight: I have to echo the sentiment of 7203438 ; she was vastly overestimated.
i thought at one point during the course of this book, that it had been determined that Sera was likely not at the same level as Rainbow. Seraphimus is a commander of a military force during what was basically a time of peace. When the terrorists hired by chandler began their attacks, the sory seemed to point that Sera was largely unsuccesfull in quelling the threat in any major capacity. Not just that, but also: what
7203495 said. Sera has also been shown, throughout the entirety of the book, to be outdone by Rainbow in nearly every way.
Moving on from that: damn Rainbow, when did you become so calculated and combat efficient?
7204373
Been there, done that.
If you'll consider some advice from a fellow passenger on this strange train, I have of late found that nailing my limbs to the carriage floor is super effective at preventing apostasy.
Spade-Heart took the gif out of my mouth. I mean, it's sorta makes sense, because I never understood why her injury didn't heal when her pendant was removed in Red Barge. But still... things would have been soooo much easier if she could have flown. Her reasoning also seemed a little thin. But I can't deny the awesomeness of that moment when she took off and tackled Seraphimus, so maybe it was worth it just from the reader's perspective.
Also, big boss time. I can't even pretend to know what's gonna go down. The next however-many days are gonna be hell.
Redemption City - Corrosion Of Conformity
Aaaannnnnd....there's no fight. Veralax gives her a congratulations and a warm pat on the back. Beverages were served, libations were had. And it was smooth sailing from here on out...
7204602
don't forget the delicious chocolate cake
Think you were going for gist here instead of gest.
I feel like Rainbow did too good a job faking the wing injury, from what I remember there were no hints pointing towards it and it feels like it came out of nowhere.
That fight scene was pretty good though, not surprised Seraphimus couldn't be reasoned with but hopefully there's time for that later.
This isn't as much suspense as the apprehension starting to bubble over.
Not so much cliffhanger as pure foreboding.
I'm legitimately scared for the next chapter.
"..."
"..."
"...guh...Where..?"
"Easy there, sir, don't try to get up."
"That you, Private? Why... can't I see anything?"
"Try to keep it to a whisper, Sargent. We're inside one of the buildings that got half collapsed when the Rainbow Ro... When Rainbow Dash introduced her hoof to the Commander of the Talon's sternum. I've blocked the hole I used to drag you in here, and whoever else I could manage during the chaos."
"How many?"
"...Not nearly enough. I don't know if our 'comrades' of the Central Guard were taking prisoners out there, but I wasn't going to bet my life, or anypony else's on it. I grabbed who I could while everypony else was busy fighting, anypony too wounded to keep fighting."
"You ran from the battle, Private?"
"...Call me a coward if you want, sir. I deserve it, I guess. Always was terrible at actual soldiering. But I am a passable medic. Maybe good enough that none of us will bleed out, assuming we're not found. Seemed a better choice than fighting to the last, but again, that could be the cowardice talking. I... never claimed to be all that noble."
"Did the Herald escape?"
"I assume so. Haven't tried to look outside since I blocked the hole. I'm surprised to hear you call them that. Weren't they all corrupted Blightspawn or somesuch not too long ago?"
"I thought them mad, at best, yes. That was... until I saw the madness inside the Talon's Commander. Its strange, I admired the Talon since foalhood. To see them split so, all of them on the side of the Rainbow Rogue save for their Commander, and to hear her speak with such... such blind obsession. It is enough to make one reconsider one's position on affairs."
"...Not enough for many of our fellow soldiers."
"I cannot blame them for their actions. They haven't had the time we've had to think things through, or see these Herald folk for... for being better than we've thought of them. Ugh, blast it Private, did you bandage these wounds tight enough, you think?"
"Hey, I was worried, and I'm stuck using strips of my own uniform for this! I said I was a passable medic, not a master doctor. You'll heal faster if you quit complaining."
"Giving orders to a superior? You really are terrible at being a soldier. If you survive this, I'd suggest a new career. Jester, perhaps?"
"...Actually, if I do make it out of here... I was thinking of doing some traveling."
"...?"
"Was thinking maybe there'd be some interesting things to see out west."
"Yes... I suppose there might be, at that."
----------
Skits aside, the past two chapters have been a rather fast reading ride. Dash's wing having been healed since Red Barge, neat twist, and her logic behind it actually almost comes close to sense by Dash standards, so kudos to her for finding a way to get at least one thing past Verlax. Also, while the fight was incredibly one sided, it was still a pretty fun bout between her and Seraphimus. I get the feeling of Seraphimus was more honestly in it and not currently a broken sh-... er... shadow of her former self she'd have put up a better fight, but hey, kick ass scene is kick ass scene.
And now we get to see just what Verlax has up her scaled sleeves for this final(?) encounter. I've previously considered that she might've made all of Rohbredden tied to her like she's a load bearing boss and the whole thing will sink if she dies. Also possible her army of windegos get freed after her death and can wreak havoc upon the population if Applejack is revived. I somehow get the feeling this is going to be less a physical battle and more a matter of a massive set of Catch 22s where Dash moving forward is going to have something attached to it that screws over all of Rohbredden even more than it already is. We'll see how it goes.
Well, time to face Verlax . . . yikes.
And so the next stage begins...
I freaking lost it when I read this bit!
And so we pass through the fog wall into the Boss Battle.
Uhhh... where else would future nightmares happen?
Fuck if that didn't give me shivers. Reminds me of some of the moments from The Neverending Story.
No fight scene quite yet, but I feel like that'll be coming in the next chapter. That and a whole lot of yelling. I'm glad we got that explanation regarding Rainbow's wing and all that. Not much to say regarding this chapter, just that things are going to be getting very intense pretty soon.
~SolidFire
AHH! Perfect!
I just realised there were some interesting paralells between Austraeoh and Dark Souls, then, I saw this post
7205105
To wit:
A solitary protagonist, caught on the edge of death, offered some protection by their cursed state, but fearing the moment they turn into a raving monster due to the same. Chasing the remnants of a fallen civilisation on a quest that, by all accounts, seems hopeless at best, just another iteration of an endless downward spiral at worst. All the while lighting flaming beacons, slightly easing their journey in the process.
FINALLY! Took you long enough.
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Well the reason for the no flight time fits, its a stupid plan and it worked but weren't there 1st person moments during the story where she experienced pain in her 'injured' wing ?
I mean it wasn't injured from .. almost from the start,
Am i remembering those 'pain scenes' incorrectly ?
I also still think that Wildcard might be in league with Verlax, we still don't know his voice and have not seen his eyes if i remember right.
Verlax was described as rather crafty so maybe he actually IS Verlax. those frost vessels always appeared when he was around as well.
But then again neither Axan nor one of the M6 got any Verlax vibes from him, but its super sneaky Verlax i am talking about, centuries of planning and preparing.
7203434 Dashie is Iron Man all the way. No brakes, no saves; she has One-Ups, courtesy of Chaos, but otherwise, she has only one speed: GO!