But There's Something About Her
"Hey! Everypony!" Ariel shouted from a high altitude. It was the next day, and the nine ponies continued their steadfast eastward lurch across the Frost Plateau. "I think I see something!"
"Oh yeah?" Bard looked up. "Where?"
"A bit to the north!" Ariel squinted in mid-hover. "I... I think it's a summit!" She glanced down at the rest. "Could it be the Starkiss?"
Wildcard gestured.
Bard interpreted: "Look a bit north of that. Do you see the start of another range?"
"Uhhhhhh..." Ariel squinted and squinted and—"Yeah! I see two summits now!"
Wildcard gestured again.
Bard shook his head. "Dubya says that ain't the Starkiss!"
"But we've been trotting for days," Rainbow said. "Almost nonstop."
"Indeed!" Kepler's voice boomed from the rear. "The Frrost Plateau coverrs a grranderr arrea than you might think! Therre arre a few noticeable landscapes between wherre we arre and ourr destination! What ourr fairr featherred frriend sees is the starrt of the Starr Frringes! It's a meagerr mountain rrange of rrocky hills that slice norrth and south thrrough the otherrwise flat plains!"
"And just what's after that, Mr. Sexy Geography?" Logan droned.
"Why, none otherr than the decrrepit rremains of the Battle of Starr's Shadow!"
"Whoah..." Ariel gasped. "We're gonna pass through that?"
"What's... the Battle of Star's Shadow?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"A horrible pre-Rohbredden conflict that transpired due west of Starkiss," Mortuana's voice calmly explained. All eyes rested on the alicorn as she marched at the front of the procession. "Just months prior to Unification, four of the six tribes converged upon a single spot. There, after airing their angry grievances with one another, they proceeded to fight for three days and three nights. Countless lives were lost, and—due to the severe cold of these altitudes—the corpses of the fallen are hauntingly preserved... even to this day."
"Yeesh." Rainbow gulped. "But if that was pre-Unification, then we're talking thousands of years ago!"
Mortuana gravely nodded. "Before the four armies of pegasi, earth ponies, griffons, and unicorns could perish completely, the Queen Verlaxion made one of her first major appearances... halting the conflict altogether and stabilizing the temperature so that the survivors could trot home and tell their loved ones of the 'Great Unifier.'" Mortuana's jaw clenched. "However, the armies would never have converged between the Star Fringe and Starkiss if it wasn't for the fact that all four of them had been separately steered by rampaging windigoes."
"So..." Rainbow grimaced. "It was all a set up? Verlax wanted the four armies to converge."
"Mmmmhmmm..." Flynn exhaled through a frown. "And the worst part of it is that she let them hack each other to pieces for three days before she finally intervened. Just... just try to imagine how many hundreds of thousands of future generations would be alive today if she didn't let their ancestors go to waste."
"A dayum cryin' shame," Bard grumbled. "That's what that is."
"One must admit," Remna said. "Her efficiency is remarkable."
Ariel growled down at the bounty hunter. "Remna..."
Remna calmly stared back. "I only mean that we must not take her calculated ways lightly. If the Divine can set a trap for four Tribal Armies, then there's no telling what she could do to nine solitary individuals."
Wildcard signaled in the air.
"Dubya's right," Bard said. "We ain't an army. We're just a bunch of tiny targets. We should be able to use that to our advantage... get lost in the snow and mountains all stealth-like."
"Yes..." Remna nodded. "Only, Verlax's eyes are constantly on the Austraeoh. She's been tracking her long before she even touched down in Colonialist lands." The bounty hunter looked back with a scowl. "For all we know, the Divine of Frost could be tracking her—and the rest of us—as we speak."
"If that's the case, then attempting to hide isn't gonna do us any good," Logan said. "I'd say we just make a run for it." He slapped two fetlocks together. "Straight through the Star Fringes, the Tribal Battleground, and into the heart of Starkiss."
"Does that place even have a friggin' front door?" Ariel remarked.
Rainbow glanced back. "Kepler... what's beyond the remains of the ancient battlefield?"
The wyvern cleared his throat. "Sloping plains, Rrainbow one. The plateau descends into a rrocky foundation. Snow and frrost gives way to slick stone and erroded grranite. A serries of shallow trrenches ebb and flow like a terrrestrrial labyrrinth, all within the grreat shadow of Starrkiss, a mountain most intimidating—none otherr than the highest strructurre in all of Rrohbrredden."
"And... do these trenches bleed into the heart of the mountain?" Rainbow asked.
"Indeed they do," Mortuana said. "Leading into a great cavernous expanse that houses the source of Verlax's power."
Ariel gulped. "You mean windigos."
"Yes."
"How exactly did you find this out?" Rainbow asked. "Does Kepler have a map of the inside of Starkiss?"
"No. It is because I've been there before," Mortuana explained. "I was once an esteemed guest of Verlax's throneroom." She pointed at the windblown bandages wrapped around her horn. "It was how she came to bless me with this."
"Oh yeah." Rainbow gulped, hanging her head. "Right."
"The path ahead of us is quite clear," Remna grumbled. "Less talking and more trotting. Now." A few seconds later, she flinched, then flashed Mortuana an apologetic look. "By your grace, Mortuana."
"Do not be ashamed of your passion, Remna," Mortuana said. "The Austraeoh is quite accustomed to reaching all-important destinations. Trust in her tenacity... and abide by her pace."
Rainbow bit her lip. Her left wing ached, and she flexed her right feathers instinctively.
Remna endured a deep sigh. "As you wish, Mountain Matron." Gulping, she picked up her trotting speed. "I shall continue to scout ahead."
"Huh?" Ariel blinked. "But I thought that was my job!"
"I shall do it more thoroughly," Remna said, and rushed ahead of the pack.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Ariel's face went red as she folded her forelimbs. "Any chance she can freeze to death in the middle of an ancient battleground?"
"Calm down, my little pony," Mortuana chided.
"Our boss is right," Logan said with a smirk. "A frozen death is too sissy for a hardcore headbutter like her."
"Let me guess," Flynn droned. "You're gonna suggest she tank against a wave of windigoes?"
"Dude! That's my job!"
"Pffft... good luck with that, fatso."
"For real! I sit on them and punch their snowy faces in!"
"While you suffer the world's most extreme case of blue balls..."
"Hey!" Logan smirked. "My only ticket to immortality is getting the Austraeoh to the Midnight Armory. Besides, at this point in my life I'm waaaaaaaaaay too dangerous for any gorgeous babe to bother tapping my ass."
"Is that why you were at a bustling brothel when Wildcard found you? You were enjoying things while they last?"
"Dammit! It was a convent!"
"Hahahaha..."
"Grnngh!" Raptr stripped his helmet off and threw it against the floor of the armory. Cl-Clank! "They're calling us 'Yesterday's Birds' now!"
"Don't mistreat your equipment, Sergeant," Keris droned, staring out the window onto Frostknife.
"Lieutenant, I'm not kidding!" Raptr's voice cracked as he waved a talon. "Surely you've heard them! Everywhere in the streets and balconies of Frostknife, ponies are chatting... gossipping about the end of the Talon! This... this stupid 'Interim Military Cabinet' is suddenly our replacement or some crud!"
"I don't like it any more than you do, rookie," Windburst groaned, leaning against the wall and fiddling with his crossbow.
"Then why aren't you angry about it?!"
"I am." Windburst's hawkeyes glared at Raptr. "I'm just choosing not to make an immature scene about it." He took a deep breath, polishing his crossbolts. "Right now, the Council is scared. I don't blame them. They have every right to be. In due time, they will require the assistance of the Talon once more. Until then..." He cleared his throat. "...I think the best thing we can do is allow for this panic and paranoia to wash out."
"I don't think that's going to happen overnight, Sergeant," Starstorm said. She sat at the long table in the center of the torchlit room. "The last time the Court created new legislature in regards to the Right Talon, it was over three hundred years ago." She gulped, looking up at her wingmates. "We might not see a valid change in our lifetimes."
"And just what are we to do in the meantime, huh?" Raptr cackled. "Guard the Frosted Shelves? Attend charity events?! Inspect the offices of Frostknife for rat infestations?!"
"Hey... a job with meal benefits." Windburst slyly smirked. "Killer."
"This is no laughing matter!" Raptr barked. "I did not spend four semesters at the academy just so I could become a door usher at the Court of Verlaxion! I enlisted with the Talon because I wanted to make a difference in this world! And up until this... this Rainbow Rogue nonsense, I was almost actually doing that!"
"Don't call it 'nonsense,'" Starstorm insisted. "The Rainbow Rogue is still a threat."
"Why? Cuz a talking blue suit of ice told us she is?"
"Sergeant..." Keris groaned.
Raptr pointed. "With all due respect, Lieutenant, you know the pegasus more than the rest of us! When the Commander rounded us all up at Red Barge, you had a lot of less-than-negative things to say about her."
"We had a common enemy at the time," Keris muttered.
"And we don't now?!" Raptr wheezed. "Admit it! This whole situation sucks! Not a single bit of it makes any sense! If it's Verlaxion's will for all of her foals to take this pegasus out, then why isn't she using us?! Why are we being shelved?! Why is... grnnngh... the biggest douchebag who ever douche'd sitting up in the high seat of this bull hockey Military Cabinet, buffering the Central Guard with thousands of untrained idiots by the stroke of his greedy pen?!"
Starstorm looked as though she was going to say something, but she instantly clammed up at the end of Raptr's outburst. She hung her head, fidgeting in her seat.
Keris was likewise mute.
Ultimately, it was Windburst who spoke: "We all know what we saw... and heard." His sigh was a melancholic one, and yet he continued: "And it is not for us to question the will of Verlaxion."
"So you're saying that the Talon should just... s-sit by and let this kingdom implode over a single mare from the west?"
"She isn't alone," Windburst said. "She has followers now. She's... corrupted the Wyverns in some fashion. We are now down one Tribe, Sergeant." He slowly shook his head. "I don't know about you, but I find that very... very frightening."
"Hey, I'm scared too!" Raptr blinked. "I've always been scared! But you guys? Especially you, Lieutenant?" He spun to face Keris. "You taught me to look past my fear. To be calm and reasonable in the face of adversity. Commander Seraphimus understands this the best out of all of us! Hell, she lives it! She has more at stake than any griffon that I know! And yet she's clung faithfully to the will of Verlaxion as our Goddess has taught us throughout the centuries. No soul in this world has been more loyal to Verlaxion than a member of the Right Talon! And now... all of that... everything we've ever believed in or dedicated our lives to is... being tossed into the muck! Why? Because everyone else is scared to death! But we've stayed true! Are... are we the only ones who see how crazy this all is? Am I the only one?!"
"Then what's your proposed explanation, rookie?!" Windburst spat with a brief wave of anger. "That what we witnessed at the Council days ago was a ruse? That the Wise Unifier is trying to deceive all her foals?"
"Hmmmm..." Keris squinted out the window. "...wouldn't that be most tragic."
The other griffons glanced at the Lieutenant in abject confusion.
"Lieutenant?" Starstorm's beak quivered. "What are you suggesting?"
"What did we find in Sunset Prefecture, Sergeant?" Keris asked without looking.
Starstorm fidgeted in her seat. "...evidence of a grand conspiracy to undermine the Council."
"And who, above all else, did this evidence chiefly incriminate?"
Starstorm gulped, hanging her head once more. "Brye Chandler."
"And who has Verlaxion—in her infinite wisdom—decided to grant military authority to?"
Windburst growled. "It's his chance at redemption. Verlaxion's messenger made that perfectly clear. And... and look at what it's done!" He waved a talon. "The Council is working together harmoniously! In ways that they haven't in decades. I don't know about you, but I thought for a second there that the Tribes might break out into civil war! But this? This changes everything!"
"Or... perhaps it makes everything exactly the same as it was before," Keris muttered.
Windburst blinked. "Lieutenant...?"
Keris exhaled. "The Tribes nearly went to war because they were blind to what Chandler was doing behind their backs, feeding off their mistrust and anger and frustration. But now?" His headcrest ruffled as he frowned. "He is being lifted up on their shoulders... praised as the key to a new age of strength and glory. He sits in the central chair of this Military Cabinet and he signs off on new laws that have never even existed before." He turned to look back at the rest of the flock. "Is this truly redemption? Or a brand new blindness?" He exhaled. "One that's far more dangerous to the heart of Rohbredden than the Rainbow Rogue could ever hope to be?"
"If... if that happens..." Raptr gulped. "We... we can put a stop to him, right?"
"The Council would never allow it—" Windburst began.
"Screw the Council!" Raptr hissed. "Are we the Right Talon of Verlaxion or aren't we? If Chandler is truly a threat to the foals of our Goddess, then it is our righteous place to put an end to his rise to power!"
"I... don't even see how that's possible, Sergeant," Starstorm said in a nervous tone. "The Right Talon of Verlaxion is a small elite squad of paramilitary experts. We have been and always will be. And if there grew a need to usurp Chandler..." She winced. "...he has the entire Central Guard at his disposal... an already epic army that is gaining tens of thousands of new recruits overnight. It... would not bode well for us to attempt such a thing at this point."
"Indeed." Windburst gravely nodded. "Especially considering the fact that our numbers have dwindled over the years."
"Yes..." Keris stroked the bottom of his beak in thought. "...almost as if this was meant to happen."
The others snapped him a worried look.
Keris looked up. "Once upon the time, the Right Talon of Verlaxion numbered in the thousands. At our peak, we were a large enough force to fight off any possible invasion that the Colonialists might have attempted. Years ago, when I first joined, there were a dozen of us. But now?" He gravely shook his head. "There are only five. It's... almost absurd, when you think about it."
"I never questioned the number," Starstorm said softly. "I always figured that there were enough of us to get the job done. And up until the Rainbow Rogue... that was the case."
"Indeed, there was always enough of us to get the job done," Keris said. "As appointed by the Council." He shook his head. "No legislative measure was taken to increase our numbers. It's a miracle that we even got Sergeant Raptr after the passing of Jordan."
"Do... do you think we were always meant to have such tiny numbers?" Raptr gulped. "So that, during a time of massive change like this, we could all be swept under the rug?"
"Only fitting," Starstorm said. "Seeing as we have the knowledge and experience to actually question the role Chandler's been given."
"This is crazy..." Windburst grumbled, pacing suddenly. "What you're suggesting is... is..." He stomped his paws and swiveled to frown at the group. "Who on the Council could even have the foresight to orchestrate something like this? We're talking hundreds... thousands of years of setup!"
"It'd be a very, very easy task," Keris murmured. "For an immortal."
Windburst blinked.
"Lieutenant..." Starstorm gently cleared her throat and looked up at the superior officer. "Permission to speak freely?"
"What have we been doing for the past five minutes, Sergeant?"
She nevertheless shuddered as she spoke: "I... wasn't privy to every detail of your conversations with Professor Mane. Nor was it my place to eavesdrop. Nevertheless... my vigilant ears caught enough spoken words to assume that... your faith in Verlaxion has been marred as of late."
Keris nodded. "Perhaps."
"... ... ...should we be questioning our faith too?"
Keris stared back at her. But before he could respond—
There was a loud groan of door hinges, followed by a burst of cold air. Heavy claw-steps scraped across the floor, approaching the center of the armory.
Raptr gasped. With a jolt, he rushed forward, scooped his helmet off the ground, and slapped it back on his feathery head. At the very last second, he stood at attention.
Starstorm stood up and Windburst holstered his crossbow.
Commander Seraphimus entered the room, her charcoal eyes cold and glazed. She walked in a straight line, skirting past her gawking wingmates.
It was Keris who eventually spoke: "Commander. Do you have an update?"
Seraphimus scuffled to a stop, avoiding their gazes.
Keris cleared his throat, shuffling closer. "You... were in conversation with both Hymmnos and Chandler over the past few days." He blinked. "We were... wondering if you might be briefing us on the situation sooner than later."
"... ... ..." Seraphimus took a deep breath. "We are to stand down until further instructions are given."
Windburst's headcrest drooped.
"Stand down?!" Raptr wheezed.
"That is correct, Sergeant."
"But... what does that entail?" Starstorm remarked. "Do we assist the guard in Frostknife? Do we inspect the prison...?"
"We are to relinquish our duties until told otherwise," Seraphimus said. She began walking forward again. "That is all—"
"But... b-but..." Raptr stammered.
"Commander..." Keris marched after her. He spoke more firmly: "Seraphimus!"
The Commander shuffled to a stop again, she sighed. "Lieutenant, if you do not mind, I greatly need rest in order to process my thoughts concerning the matter. I would suggest that the rest of you take advantage of the same grace."
"I fail to see the grace in what is evidently a pathetic rung beneath full-out decomissioning," Keris said, frowning. "Did either the Grand Magistrate or... mmm... the Defense Minister state precisely what is being done to combat the Rainbow Rogue and her escort?"
"Yes." Seraphimus spun around. Her tired eyes swept across her subordinates. "While Chandler establishes a base to train the new recruits, he has sent several batallions of the Central Guard to form a defense along the western edges of Starkiss."
"You... you mean the Star Fringes?" Starstorm grimaced. "That... that place is utterly inhospitable!"
"Those poor soldiers will freeze to death in days!" Windburst exclaimed.
"Verlaxion has declared a distinct reliance on her foals to protect her during this time of great adversity," Seraphimus said. "Any and all cost is necessary if it means ensuring our Queen's survival."
"At least talk to Chandler and convince him to send in the Talon!" Windburst said. "We may be few in numbers, but we're quick... strong... mobile... and—most importantly—we have experience in combating the Rainbow Rogue!"
"Indeed." Seraphimus nodded. "As we also have a history of failure in capturing her."
Windburst blinked.
"Our Queen is weak because of us... all of us..." Seraphimus fumed. "Our lack of faith in the Great Unifier... the distrust between Prefectures... the allowance of terrorism and embezzlement..." Her beak muscles hardened. "The Queen would not have become so vulnerable if her foals had struggled to be more vigilant. Now... the Blight has collapsed—only to manifest itself into this venomous monster that seeks to fly her way into the heart of the Queen's Throne and murder the only important thing that has ever... ever brought warmth to the continent of Rohbredden." Seraphimus gulped. "If it is our Goddess' will to employ the strengths of Brye Chandler... then so be it. We can only weaken her by proving to be more disobedient."
"Commander..." Keris took a bold step towards her, frowning. "He is a liar... a conspirator... and a traitor. Do you honestly think that our Goddess would willingly employ such a criminal?"
"I do think so... because she has done so." Seraphimus turned tail and walked off. "Her will has been made manifest."
"Dammit, Seraphimus!" Keris snarled, marching after her. "We're the Right Talon of Verlaxion! We simply cannot tolerate our kingdom being handed over to the hooves of a monster—"
"Do NOT lecture me on monsters, Lieutenant!" Seraphimus turned, glaring in Keris' face. "You... who have sided with the Rainbow Rogue—not once, but twice. You... who have filled my ears neverendingly with unholy sympathy for the one element that threatens to strike death at the unifying heart of the Tribe! This most recent crisis is as much your fault as it is mine for tolerating it!"
Keris blinked, leaning back with his beak agape. "I... have only ever... been loyal to you, the Talon, and the foals of Verlaxion, Commander"
"I know." Seraphimus nodded, her charcoal eyes piercing. "Which is why I trust in you here and now to follow through with my command... with Verlaxion's command." She coiled her wings tighter. "We are to stand down until further instructed. And that is that." With a shudder, she marched off into the next chamber. "Let us hope—in time—that Verlaxion decides to be as merciful and forgiving to us as she has been with the Minister of Defense. We can humbly expect n-no less..."
And with a cold scrape of claws, she was gone.
The Talon stood in cold silence.
The Sergeants exchanged jittery glances.
"So... wh-what do we d-do?" Raptr stammered.
Keris stared at the hallway after Seraphimus' departure.
Starstorm murmured: "Lieutenant?"
"Remain vigilant," Keris quietly but firmly said. "As ever... and always." He swiveled about, reaching for the table and grabbing his helmet. "The Court of Verlaxion might have a traitor in its ranks. But right now—more than ever—I worry the most over Seraphimus' defeat."
His wingmates hung their heads in silence.
"There may still come a time when our intervention is required," Keris said. "Until then... I intend to increase my knowledge."
"H-how, Lieutenant?"
"By speaking to the right ponies, of course," he said, marching for the armory's front door. "And the wrong ones, as well. If you need to find me..." He exited into a brisk gale of cold, frosty air. "...search the Frosted Shelves."
"Girls, I am... somewhat alarmed by the landscape surrounding us," Rarity said. The sun was setting, and a dull brown sheen glinted off the snowy sheets. Jutting rock peaks emerged through the frosted beds, forming random obstructions on all sides of Rainbow and her Heraldite companions. "Those stone formations that we see? They're the only legitimately solid bits of the ground. Everything else beneath is us..." The ghostly unicorn shuddered. "...compact snow and porous ice at best."
"Well, that would make a great deal of sense, Rarity," Twilight said. "From a combination of high altitude and northern extremes, I suspect this place has been completely frozen for centuries... millennia." She looked back at Rainbow and the others. "The ice below us is probably the exact same moisture that froze in place long before there were ever ponies living on this continent."
"Well, I'm glad you find some sort of curious contentment with the notion," Rarity muttered. "I, for one, am rather alarmed." She pointed straight down at the ground. "I wasn't being jocular about the 'porous ice' bit. Some of the stuff down below is extremely fragile."
"Probably years of weight and displacement has caused the ice to become fractured," Twilight said. "But it seems stable enough to support our weight."
"For the time being, yes. But still..." Rarity sighed. "How I wish I had been awake for when we traversed this part of the continent. Perhaps that way I could have gathered a proper measure of what's beneath us."
Pinkie Pie's nose scrunched. "What did the fuzzy wyvern call this place again?"
"The "Star Fringes,'" Rainbow breathily explained. In spite of the cold, she sweated profusely, climbing up a ridge of crooked rock as she followed the rest of the Herald up a shallow incline. "My guess is that this used to be a major mountain range, but then all of the snow and ice piled up on top of it."
"No doubt courtesy of the windigoes," Twilight remarked.
"It really would have helped if I was around to sense the start of this geological formation." Rarity pouted. "Rainbow, darling, did you truly have to let us 'sleep' for so long?"
"Come on, Rares," Rainbow murmured, squinting at Bard, Wildcard, and Flynn up ahead. She followed their path up the deathly hilltop of stone and dust. "You gals deserved a breather."
"But we're trying to help you!" Rarity exclaimed. "You can't rely entirely on the Herald, you know!"
"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "We're your friends! We've been lending you a hoof long before these cool guys showed up!"
"Be easy on her, girls," Fluttershy said with a soft smile. "I, for one, enjoyed the extra shut-eye."
"Silly Flutters." Pinkie stuck her head. "There's no 'eye-shutting' in the Vanilla Zone!"
"Heehee... you know what I mean." Fluttershy winked. "It was really nice of you, Rainbow. I've never felt so rested! Don't worry about the coming night. We're going to look after you very closely for the next forty-eight hours."
Thwump! Rainbow collapsed head-first in the snow.
"... ... ..." Fluttershy blinked. "Uhm..."
"Oh no!" Twilight gasped, spinning around. "Rainbow?"
"Uh oh." Pinkie ducked down low, staring into Rainbow's face. "Is she doing the dizzy-dizzy again?"
"Guhhhh..." Rainbow winced, squinting her eyes open to reveal red-and-yellow flickering.
"She is!" Pinkie squeaked. "Dizzying the devil up!"
"Oh goodness!" Rarity gasped, spinning to face the crowd. "Rainbow, make a noise! Call out! Anything t-to get Wildcard or Bard here—"
"It's... n-not a big one..." Rainbow nevertheless shivered, wriggling painfully in the snow. "Just... wait it out—"
"Nonsense!" Rarity hollered. "Help! Somepony help Rainbow Dash!"
"They c-can't hear you, Rarity," Twilight grunted.
"Still, it's the thought that counts, right?"
From the rear, Kepler halted the wagon. "Rrainbow one? Is something the matterr?"
"Mmmmff..." Rainbow tried waving a hoof, but she could scarcely raise her forelimb. "It's cool. I'll... I'll be..."
"It's okay!" Fwoosh! Ariel flew down, landing briskly at Rainbow's side. "I got her!" She reached in, gently raising the mare one inch at a time. "It's alright, girl. Just breath. Relax your muscles."
"Keep... t-telling you..." Rainbow wheezed, nevertheless standing in Ariel's grasp. "It's... going to pass..." She gulped. "Not a big deal..."
"Of course it isn't." Ariel winked. "You're too awesome to let it bring you down."
"Heh..." Rainbow managed a smile despite her shivers. "Got that right."
"Austraeoh?!" Remna's voice echoed from the front of the group. Heavy hoofsteps announced her arrival. She scuffled to a stop, spraying the lower half of the hilltop with icy pebbles. "Austraeoh! She's suffering another spell—"
"Indeed," Kepler said from where he stood with his wagon. "But she appearrs to be rrecoverring alrready. Hah! Ourr rrainbow one is most verrsatile, wouldn't you aggrree, Rremna?"
"We shouldn't have let her stay so far back in the group," Remna said with a frown. "Here, Rainbow. Rest over my backside. I'll carry you until we make camp."
"Uh... no..." Rainbow squinted. "That ain't happening."
"This is not a request," Remna grumbled, stepping forward. "Your survival is of the utmost importance—"
"Yo, Remna. Chill." Ariel glared, supporting Rainbow's weight. "I've got this."
"But—"
"Weren't you supposed to be taking point and scouting?" Ariel smirked. "After all, you're sooooo much better at it than me."
Remna frowned. She looked ready to say something—
"The Austraeoh is fine, Remna," Mortuana's voice said from the front. "Please, return to your position. Flynn needs your assistance in finding a sturdy camp site."
"Yeah, Remna..." Rainbow managed, standing evenly as her shivers dwindled. "Just chill. It's... it's all cool."
Remna fumed and fumed.
Swooosh! Wildcard flew down, hovering at her rear.
Remna's violet ears twitched to the sound of his wingflaps. With a shudder, she surrendered, then turned tail to reach the head of the march. Wildcard stayed in place for a bit. He looked Rainbow's way, his goggles reflecting to petite mares standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Then, with a streak of dark feathers, he was gone.
Kepler shuffled ahead with his wagon. "Trry not to tarrry for too long, fine madames." He adjusted his spectacles with a smile. "A hearrty firre is nothing without yourr marrvelous tales to sharre the warrmth with! Ha Hah!"
Once the wyvern strolled over the ridge, Rainbow Dash slumped slightly, exhaling as her shivers redoubled.
"See?" Ariel patted her back, smiling. "That wasn't so bad. You've got this."
"Mmrrmfff... barely..." Rainbow glanced aside. "Nice backtalking to Remna." A gulp. "For a second, I thought she was going to chew your eyeballs out."
"Pffft. I'm not afraid of that meathead," Ariel said. "A giant stick up the plot is no substitute for legit courage, and Remna's as stickplotted as it gets."
"Heheh... I like you already."
Ariel nodded. "Welcome to the club." She reached in, straightening Rainbow's hood. Her hoof brushed past the tiny prismatic strands growing across the mare's scalp. "Hey, you're starting to get a shine again."
"Sure, whatever." Rainbow teetered slightly. She gazed at her concerned marefriends. "You're one to talk. You've never seen me with a full mane."
"Still..." Ariel smirked. "I bet it was pretty spiffy."
"Spiffy?" Rarity stammered, trying to chase off her own jitters. "More like 'beautiful!'"
"Heehee! Shiny Rainbowwww!" Pinkie cooed.
"I'm okay, girls..." Rainbow said. She then looked at Ariel. "Really, I... I'm good to go."
"You sure about that?" Ariel asked.
Rainbow gulped. "No."
"I could stick around until all of the dizziness goes away."
"Yeah, you could," Rainbow said. She fidgeted where she stood. "More than anything, I just... want to get to this camp site and call it a night."
"Is that all you ever want?" Ariel asked, still supporting her weight with a gentle grasp. "Just to get to your destination?"
Rainbow lifted her head. Yaerfaerda pulsed closer, orange and steadfast. "Most of the time..."
"And as for the rest?" Ariel asked.
"It... it doesn't matter," Rainbow muttered. "Just... I just..." She clenched her eyes shut. "...I have to keep going."
A gentle set of feathers brushed her face.
Rainbow's eyes opened.
Ariel gazed at her. "You... deserve more than that, y'know."
"I'm the Austraeoh." Rainbow smirked slightly. "In case you haven't forgotten, Miss Herald."
"Please..." Ariel chuckled. "Don't call me that. And don't sell yourself short. You were awesome before the whole 'Austraeoh' schtick happen." She raised an eyebrow. "Remember?"
"Believe me, I find it hard to forget," Rainbow said. "Just... it doesn't matter quite so much these days."
"I'm sure it matters to your friends," Ariel said. She gulped. "And it matters to me."
Rainbow bit her lip.
Four ghostly mares glanced back and forth, eyes darting.
"Ariel..." Rainbow sighed. "I'm s-super glad that you're so nice to me... and..." Her words came short, as did her breath, for a soft pair of lips brushed against hers. When Rainbow didn't resist, the kiss grew firmer. Rainbow's eyes closed, and she quivered at the stroke of dark feathers against her neck.
Ariel kissed her a second time, then a third. Each gesture was soft, friendly, inviting. At last, after a fourth kiss, she brushed her nose with Rainbow's, speaking... breathing: "I can be so much nicer, Rainbow." A warm smile, accompanied by a soothing voice. "After all this time, does the Austraeoh deserve any less?"
Rainbow exhaled in a tiny squeak, foalish and yearning. She merely leaned in, accepting a warm kiss, and another—but no more. She clenched her mouth shut after that, brushing necks with Ariel, nuzzling the mare back. After several near-whimpers, she found the strength to speak evenly: "There's nothing... absolutely n-nothing I want more right now... than to let you b-be 'nicer.' You're... you're so awesome... s-so amazing... so here."
Rainbow's eyes opened, brimming with tears. She sniffled.
"But... but you h-have to understand. I... I can't." Rainbow fought the urge to weep outright. "I simply c-can't right now. No matter how much I want..." Her teeth showed beneath a grimace. "There's too much... there's j-just so much and... and..."
Ariel held her close, tenderly.
Rainbow leaned into her, letting loose a sob or two. The Heraldite weathered the tremors. When it was over with, she smiled.
"That's alright..." Ariel patted Rainbow's shoulder. "I understand—"
"No, you d-don't." Rainbow gulped. "And I'm sorry. Truth is..." Rainbow leaned back, drying her muzzle. "There's..." She glanced north, fighting the horizons behind and before her. "...there's another pony who... whom my h-heart is..." Her breath sucked in.
"I see..." Ariel chuckled quietly. Her eyes moistened a bit, but she sucked it up with a serene smile. "...she has to be the luckiest mare on this plane." A gulp. "After all, she's won the best."
Rainbow sniffled, nodding.
Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity stared, gawking, muzzles agape.
"Well..." Ariel nuzzled Rainbow one last time, then drew backwards, her feathers gently stroking Rainbow's neck along the way. "...if ever you should... have a change in heart..." A coy wink, brave. "You know where I'll be."
"You... d-deserve something n-nice too, y'know," Rainbow stammered.
"I have something nice." Ariel stifled a giggle. "The adventure of a lifetime with the most awesome pony ever." She motioned forward and flew ahead with a spring in her wingflaps. "Come on. A warm fire awaits."
"Yeah... I bet..." Rainbow bore the first smile in an eternity. She caught the gaping expressions in her peripheral and instantly sobered up. After a brief fidget, she marched firmly ahead... and speedily.
Before her marefriends could say anything, they were all dragged forward by their anchorage, enveloped in a lavender net, ferried into a cool, calm sunset.
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...
...
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Yus.
Much yus.
Several times yus.
Sadly...not yus.
But, Rainbow still truly belongs to one mare...may she find her swiftly at the end of this mess.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/4/27/883780__rarity_blushing_suggestive_meme_animated_smiling_edit_magic_eyes+closed_vinyl+scratch.gif
Whoa. Anyone else getting major Faramir vibes from Seraphimus? She's so desperate to win divine approval that she's willing to bury her own conscience and willpower in order to perform "the will of Verlaxion." (Just like Faramir buried his own objections to a suicide mission in order to win the love of his disapproving father.) I'm anticipating that Keris will somehow rally her and the rest of the Talon to do the right thing, though!
Alright, I was going to say something about the Talon joining Rainbow, but then Rainbow went and destroyed my lesbian horse-filled dreams.
I had actually forgotten about the Appledashery in this story after spending so much time reading a certain other story.
Well, at least Dash is out of the closet now.
7076465 Kinda saw it coming...but major, major kudos to Rainbow for staying faithful, even when (as she admitted) it would be so much easier to be with someone who is physically there.
Hmm... Looks like the Talon is starting to break up over what happened....
I am starting to take issue with Rainbow still being unable to fly.
Previously she seemed to recover from far worse much quicker.
Seraphimus is getting desperate, and is now blaming herself for the fact that Verlax gives absolutely Zero damns about Seraph or her family. Meanwhile the Talon is also starting to loose faith, and it seems the whole of Rohbredden is only working together because they have to, not because they want to. Harmony does not work like that, it cannot be forced, something that even Verlax doesn't seem to understand.
On the Herald front, Remna is really setting off alarms in my head. I have a feeling that she will betray the rest of them for some reason, but don't know that Reason yet. Rainbow is struggling to stay faithful to Aj It would seem, it must have been hard for her to resist Ariel's advances.
Aw.. Rainbow deserves a quickie before Jackie
Correction: Replace "Rarity" with "Rainbow Dash"
This contrast of hot and cold is beautiful. Remna fumes which doesn't fit in with the whole cold aesthetic. To fit into the surrounding evironment the others give Remna the cold shoulder. Double meanings abound.
A "warm fire" is most certainly a bit of foreshadowing. We have a spark on the move so it stands to reason that conflict will "ignite" to stop this rogue. This could also be the fire located in the next beacon.
That's one hell of a way to tell the girls about your orientation, Dash.
Ohmigosh, ohmigosh! I thought we'd have to wait a while before our Ariel X Rainbow Dash ship came to fruition, but no . . . I am pleasantly surprised.
I don't want this to end.
It's so awesome, and that's the right A word...
I'm not ready for the end of her journey, even if it is books away.
Mountains... yheey.
All the intrigue with the Talon is amazing. ):( did an amazing job with the build up and payoff there.
Dashiel! Eeeeeeee!
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Who are you referring to that has your heart Dash? AJ? or Roarke?
So not even Shy knew.
Interesting.
...and as much as I hate to say it, Ariel just raised another death flag, she's now the romantic option for this leg of the quest.
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
Seraphimus isn't taking rejection well, is she?
To be honest, this view point makes a lot of sense for her to take. Ultra-zealotry is the only way she knows how to channel her frustrations.
7076589 only a scant 4 books.
That's only another.. what? Year and a half at current pace.
Romantic chapter
7076648
I'm reading a full book a month (my family and work are waiting for me to pull my nose from my phone and rejoin society... heh, if only they knew). With luck I'll get caught up with this whole story by the time the next one is about 1/16 done.
Then I play the day-to-day waiting game...
Well, that was a quick and easy way to shoot down that ship. Does this mean Ariel is a part of the Prismatic Harem or no? Best part about it though is that the girls were there to see it all!
Now, Rainbow, about that somepony named Roarke you still haven't told them about? Or how you are also still in love with Applejack? Whichever you feel like getting out of the way first.
Hey, we are finally going to cross a place that has something other than just snow!
...Joke aside, the pieces are being put together in front of the Talon, and the only one who still doubts out of defeat is Seraphimus.
As of the posting of this comment and the chapter 'But There's Something About Her', the word count for the whole story, thus far, is ...
2,104,167 WORDS!
That's a lot, like, top three on the site! Keep going and Implode that Colon, brah!
Well, that's one way for the girls to find out which way Dash's barn door swings.
Hmm, I'm starting to get a feeling we might actually lose one or two of the Herald before the book ends, and for some reason Ariel is striking me as a prime target. Already explained her backstory, waaaaaay to emotionally supportive of Dash, and just got the rejection on the romance front... hmm... Don't want to call it yet, but I'm eyeing this situation.
I WANT TO SHIP THIS SO FUCKING HARD. I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS. MY SHIPPING SENSES ARE CONFLICTED.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TO MUCH OR NOT ENOUGH LESBIANS. HELP!
7076465
Roarke?
Also: i am conflicted on the shipping notes here, I love (and will hold a very foolish hope till the end) Rainboarke, but it's hard not to ship DashxAriel. Rainbow's reason here is bs for why she couldnt, but oh well, i can live w/o. Still dont support appledash here yet.
despite it not really having a lot of chances to show, I'm hoping that at least one of them ghosts already knew/guessed about Rainbow's prefrences.
Well, Rainbow was quite insistent about not getting invoved with Roarke cause of AJ first...
Though my skepticism has kicked in. I'm calling it now (and think I'm the first to do so): Ariel is a traitor. There's always one.
To the esteemed Lady Ariel, Fifth Wing of the Rohbredden Herald of Angels,
Hello, and congratulations! Due to your strong background in the admiration and celebration of prismatic patterns, as well as your exemplary performance in leaving an indelible imprint in the hormone-addled mind of the Austraeoh, you have been selected as one of the many ponies to join the Trans-Continental Prismatic Harem of Urohringr.
Years ago, when Rainbow Dash stood upon the precipice of the great mountain ranges dividing the Principality of Equestria from the rest of this great world, she firmly resolved to never stop flying east. Her odyssey is driven by courage, hope, and loyalty to a cause far greater than her own, or that of any single individual living on this world.
But despite her faultless resolve, Rainbow Dash is still only mortal, and fatigue can weigh heavily on the soul. As the Prismatic Harem, it has been our responsibility to lend all manner of aid to the Austraeoh on her noble journey eastward, to provide both emotional and practical support, such that her morale never falter. She has given Urohringr her loyalty; now we must give her ours.
We can only renew our wonderful world if we all work together, and join our efforts to make real and lasting change, so that our foals and our grandfoals can be born into a world free of the threat of global annihilation by the arbitrary whimsy of destiny and the nebulous intent of megalomaniacal demigods. Your ardent interest in joining the Prismatic Harem demonstrates the kind of commitment that will move us a step closer to establishing the additional lease on life that our world desperately needs.
We are proud to welcome you into our ranks, and look forward to seeing the fruits of your relationship blossom.
…Well, if they do. Some of us have had more luck than others.
Best regards,
The Prismatic Harem
Applejack, Gold Petals, Ember Spark, Rayvinne, & Roarke
And now, words of wisdom from our venerated members:
"Try green eye contacts. I heard she likes those." —Gold Petals
"Says you." —Roarke
"Nope, it's true. Wore 'em all the time, now dead, still gettin' mah tail chased." —Applejack
"Also, dyeing your hair rainbow probably won't do you any favors." —Rayvinne
"Does anyone even remember who the hell I am?" —Ember Spark
"Hah. Hah. Shut up. You've got no right to complain." —Lyra Heartstrings
"STOP DECLINING MY APPLICATION." —Swan Song
I don't know how to feel about this... on one hand, I'm sad Dash/Ariel didn't become a thing (at least yet), but I'm also really freaking glad that this helped Rainbow finally come out to her friends. Looking forward to the aftermath in the next chapter.
7076678
You seem to have miscounted — the actual count is currently over 2.8 million words.
Really when all of the deception is truly revealed Seraphimus is going to go insane, and I think that literally at this point. Its going to be so hard on her and I feel so bad for her right now. Keris is very clearly close to abandoning the Talon altogether it looks like.
So finally one of the last major secretes is out to the girls, I seriously can not wait to hear what they have to say about it. I do have a feeling it won't be in the next chapter though maybe the one after that. I knew she wasn't likely going to get together with Ariel but I have a feeling if the girls take it well there will be a lot of encouraging going on from them.
Well, this'll be awkward
7076583 7076597 7076765 7076478
All aboard the Equestria Speedy Shipping Express! Next stop: Dashiel Station! My name is Swan Song, and it is my pleasure to be your conductor for today. For those of you riding with us for the first time, welcome! As the captain of this glorious vessel, it is my duty to inform you that we predict turbulent waters before us. But have faith in us to deliver you to our destination with haste and aplomb!
7076487 7076664 7076799 7076527 7076548 7076686 7076786 7076846
Oh ye of little faith. I must remind you of the most incorrigible law of the Shipping Express:
T H E R E A R E N O B R A K E S O N T H E
D A S H I E L T R A I N
Choo choo, motherfuckers.
7076859 7076465 7076497
I fully predict that Applejack is gonna reject Rainbow because she's basically dead, and tell her to go after Ariel instead because it's fucking cold, which will lead to an awkward scene where the other five have to figure out how to give Rainbow her privacy.
7076939
I admire your enthusiasm. As an eternal optimist myself I can only hope you're right.
7076939 Vanilla Zone is the best bet... Hope she doesn't call out the wrong name in bed. It'd be hella awkward to call forth AJ during "hammock time" due to screaming the wrong name.
I miss Roarke.
So if the Herald and a huge army of Verlaxion's ponpons were to war in there, all flightless creatures will die when the arena breaks and falls.
...inb4 all of those deaths will be blamed on Rainbow Dash.
):(
You tease. Now we have to wait until the next chapter to see the ghosties' reactions.
Remnabot?
I sense the forshadowing of a place of future showdown.
My kind of griffin.
Keris' proactivity will get him into trouble. Still, Talons crossed.
Hmm, just as I expected. Shipping reactions exploded all over the comment area.
Applejack is a princess?
FINALLY
Well, since it seems like we're never going to go back to Rainboarke (I can dream, damn it!
), Rariel is an acceptable substitute.
Still wondering if it'll survive Applejack. Because Skirts loves Appledash. Holy fuck does he love appledash. But I don't think it can hold a candle to Rainboarke (or Rariel).
Also:
raritybestalternateaustraeohcanconfirm
I mean, she's the one who's had the most level head throughout this whole ordeal, at least when it comes to making difficult choices. Well, apart from Fluttershy, but Fluttershy's fear would stop her from making much progress. Lord knows she's so much more capable of doing it than goody-goody-fourshoes Twilight and the insane cosmic anomaly that is Pinkie Pie.
7076487
7076939
I'm just going to throw this out there: Roarke is who Rainbow Dash is talking about, not AJ. I don't doubt there's still some Appledashery feelings lingering for Rainbow, but she gave herself to Roarke. And Rainbow Dash is very, very loyal.
7076939 Oh man, I have missed your shipping commentary, Swannie.
Seraphimus...are you gonna be ok?
Well, the Talon is right on the verge of falling apart. I predict we'll get a chapter titled "The Right Talon of Austraeoh" before this is all over.
Well that's out now. About time. Maybe now Dash can actually tell the girls about Roarke.
Several things...
Most of the talon going traitor, and they are going traitor, I can't help but wonder if Verlax orchestrated it that way... Giving Rainbow her elite to make things "even"... As if ever was since the beginning
That said, I get the feeling Keris won't be the only griffon to start asking questions
And the Prismatic Harem gets a new member!
And the undead 4 gets suddenly and rudely awoken to Rainbow's sexuality!
Altho, I somehow doubt that any of them didn't at least suspect where it truly lay...
(Pun totally intended)
7077168
I agree with your conclusion, because her faithfulness to roarke happens to be crazy different from her faithfulness to applejack.
Y'See, RD loves Applejack, but Roarke is RD's soulmate.
Rainbow Dash is willing to die for Applejack.
Rainbow Dash is willing to live for Roarke.
Man...i feel bad for ariel. It's dash talking about AJ or Roarke? I hope ariel never stops being nice, she always seems to brighten rainbows mood somehow. Dash better explain EVERYTHING to the girls, I really can't wait for that.
7076939 Admit it, you were just waiting for something like this to happen again. Welcome back, Shipmaster! The helm is yours.
Unpopular opinion: Appledash can go BUCK itself. Roarkebow till the end.
This was most sad. Stop making me unlike AJ, skirts.
7077168
dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw10621-I_like_you.png
Rainboarke 5evar.
And to think I feared the stories of robhedrenite characters would be left aside to have them all just fight Rainbow again. It's nice to see we will see more drama with the griffons.
Fluttershy is not surprised because she didn't know. She was surprised because Rainbow finally showed it.
So many theories I don't even know where to start. When I take a look at the number of The Herald and the number of friends I think we're running into some strange coincidence. How this as a wild Theory, sometime later the Herald's will have to be merged body and souls with the friends. Something like a spirit repossession as a way to save their lives. If that could happen then it might be a game to see which Harold matches up with which friend.
Of course one might wonder which Herald will be mapped with Discord for who else you think is in that last seed?
7077361 lol, 'unpopular opinion' you say, have you seen the comments here? Most of us (at least it seems like it) are all bout that Rainboarke.