Trying to Make Ends Meet
"Enough of this absurd delay!" a pony in battered armor growled. The member of the Central Guard stood with a few other soldiers just outside the mouth to the Midwest Passage of the Star Fringes. "We've waited long enough!" He frowned at the Talon. "Where is the Lieutenant?"
"The Lieutenant will brief the lot of you when he's prepared. No sooner," Starstorm firmly replied. She stood—guarded—alongside Raptr and Windburst, forming a thin yet solid perimeter. "Right now, he's gathering information from... from f-former Lieutenant Jordan of the Right Talon of Verlaxion."
The guard gnashed his teeth. "You mean that traitorous vigilante who's consorting with the Blighted freaks?!" He motioned towards Mortuana and the Herald standing by the edge of the cave. "He turned his back to Verlaxion! He's even worse scum than the Rainbow Rogue—!"
Windburst's hawkeyes lit up as he stared the guardian down. "Lieutenant Jordan sacrificed life and limb to protect the interests of Queen Verlaxion as well as the safety of his fellow wingmates! A sniveling piss-stained corporal like you has no right insulting such a hero!"
"Sergeant..." Starstorm gently chided. She sighed. "Until Keris gets back and issues his commands, we should maintain neutral and cool-headed in this situation..."
"Pffft!" The guardian rolled his eyes. "Neutral my flank! Your Commander isn't here! As far as I'm concerned, you're all a bunch of brainwashed turncoats for even humoring this rendezvous!"
WHUD! Starstorm's talon uppercutted the stallion so hard that he flew back five feet and landed on his flank. She loomed over him, beak clattering: "Excuse me?! Excuse me?! My comrades and I were sacrificing our lives and kicking the asses of terrorists all over Rohbredden while thick-headed lazy recruits like you sat around picking your noses!"
"Sergeant!" Windburst yanked Starstorm back. "Get ahold of yourself! For Goddess' sake!"
"Gnnngh..." Raptr removed his helmet and rubbed a talon over his beak. "Why didn't I go to a crochet academy instead...?"
A few of the other guardians lifted up their brethren. He rubbed the blood off his chin and grimaced at the Talon. "Have you gone crazy?! All those days of chasing the Rainbow Rogue's tail must have tainted you with the Blight as well!"
"Oh yeah!" Starstorm spat. "That's your excuse for everything! Can't take a crap without blaming it on the Blight!"
The soldier sneered: "I'm glad the Defense Minister is doing away with you old fossils of war—!"
"I have news for you, buddy!" Starstorm growled. "Chandler's so crooked and dishonest that he's backstabbed pirates! And this so-called Defense Ministry bullcrap?! He's just a puppet for a malicious spirit that seeps from the Throne of Verlaxion itself! But I can't expect a grunt like you to understand that!"
"I understand that the enemies of Verlaxion are encroaching from all sides!" The guardian hissed. "Including the Right Talon of Verlaxion! Tell me... did you get your Commander's permission to come here or are you betraying her too?!"
Upon hearing that, even Raptr and Windburst showed a spark of anger. However, before the Talon or the Central Guard could converge on one another, a regal set of spindly limbs landed between them.
"Silence." Mortuana's wings spread, forcing the two groups apart. "Whether we be foals of Verlaxion or foals of Harmony... it matters not. We musn't act like children."
"Hrmmmff..." The punched guard shrugged his shoulders, backtrotting with an angry squint. "I'm only doing what she says cuz she's so damn spooky."
"Members of the Central Guard," Mortuana spoke calmly, facing the armored equines. "We appreciate the fact that a spirit of peace and respectability has kept you from attacking us along the subterrannean path to this juncture." She turned to face the trio of griffons. "Members of the Right Talon, I understand that it has taken a great deal of faith and sacrifice to risk coming here." She gestured beyond the nearest ridge of mountains. "Your Lieutenant is a wise and good-hearted griffon. Whatever his decision will be, I will pass no judgment upon you for following it." She looked at the Central Guard yet again. "And, as stated before, nopony who has crossed paths with us is obligated to stay. We have emerged from the cave leading to the Midwest Passage. If you so desire to venture south to the Central Prefectures and Frostknife beyond, the path is now open to you."
"There's no way in Hell we're leaving without hearing what the Lieutenant has to say," grumbled the confrontational soldier.
"So be it," Mortuana said with a nod.
"Uhm..." A mare and a few other soldiers stepped up from where they stood nervously on the sideline. "There's more to it than that... Miss..."
"Mortuana."
"Right." The soldier cleared her throat and continued nervously: "Those windigoes... if they show up again, we... we have no chance of outrunning them."
Raptr grimaced. "You were attacked by windigoes?!"
"That is correct." A griffon of the Guard nodded. "They came from the east, accompanied by a Frost Vessel."
"They attacked Rohbreddenites and members of the Rainbow Rogue's party alike," added the mare. "If we hadn't... t-taken refuge with these creatures of the Blight... with these ponies..."
"So many of our brothers and sisters perished," a pegasus said, shuddering. "It... it was the wrath of Verlaxion." He gulped. "Nothing less."
"But..." Starstorm turned towards Windstorm, beak agape. "Th-that doesn't make any sense!"
Windburst squinted at the Guard. "Surely the windigoes acted on their own. Verlaxion has always struggled to constrain them. Why would they suddenly be in league with one of the Queen's frozen messengers?"
"Because, Rright Talon..." Kepler shuffled up, standing at Mortuana's side. "They werre meant to snuff out all witnesses to the Rrainbow Rrogue's herroic jourrney. Furrtherrmorre... they werre meant to test the Austrraeoh's rresolve..."
Windburst and Starstorm exchanged glances.
"If... if the windigoes are being sent to attack the Rainbow Rogue and anyone near her..." Raptr gulped. "Then what are we doing standing around for?!" He pivoted to gawk at his partners. "We have to get everyone out of here! The Star Fringes is a friggin' death trap—"
"Not... without the Lieutenant's word," Windburst said firmly.
"But... does he even know what we're up against?!" Raptr's voice cracked.
Starstorm took a deep breath. "Something tells me he's about to." That said, she turned and gazed worriedly east.
Past a ridge of stony crags, Keris was pacing... pacing... pacing...
Wildcard perched calmly on a stack of boulders. Despite the Desperado's weight, none of the rocks tumbled or fell under his expertly poised limbs. With calm nonchalance, he clutched a dagger in his metal talon, whittling away at a narrow block of wood.
Keris' paws formed shallow trails in the ice and gravel. At last, after a frigid breeze blew through the rocky pass, the Lieutenant sighed, then turned to glare at Wildcard. He cradled his cast as he spoke: "I don't even know where to begin with you."
Wildcard tilted his head about. One lens of his goggles reflected Keris' angry expression while the other lens reflected the knife and wood.
"I thought you were dead. We thought you were dead!" Keris exhaled with a shudder. "Seraphimus and I... we grieved for you, Jordan!"
Wildcard inhaled. After a space in time, he slowly nodded.
"You know what your supposed passing meant to us...?" Keris fumed. "And yet you carried on with the fabrication of your death? Fully aware of the sorrow it caused your fellow wingmates?"
Flick! Wildcard sheathed the blade. He stuck the brand new toothpick into his beak and freed his limbs to gesture a response.
Before he was halfway through the blurring motions, Keris snarled: "No. None of this 'Verlaxion-is-evil' rhetoric. We will get to that eventually. What I want to know is what was so blasted important about this new life of yours that you had to break your oath! Your oath to Verlaxion... your oath to the Talon... your oath to us."
Wildcard sighed. He tilted his head to the side—
Swoooosh! Keris landed directly in his line of vision. "You gave up your voice for something. Just how important was it?" His feathered brow furrowed. "More important than blood?"
Wildcard's beak muscles tightened.
Keris gulped. Eventually, he murmured, "We became sworn brothers, Jordan. We fought side by side for more years than most friends will even write one another. You saved my life dozens of times, and I rescued you from just as much peril in turn."
The Desperado stared directly at him. He raised a sharp eyecrest.
"Alright..." Keris exhaled, staring aside. "So... I-I never came close to saving your life nearly as many times as you saved mine... but th-that's not the point!" Regaining his anger, he glared at the mute griffon yet again. "Our bond was one made by dedication... loyalty... and blood. Was none of that enough to bring you back to the Talon? You've... obviously learned a great many things these past few years. Was it not worth sharing with your comrades? With your family?"
With a calm breath, the vigilante twirled and swung his fingers.
"Rnnngh..." Keris twirled about and paced angrily back and forth. "Don't give me that nonsensical drivel! 'A fortuitous rebirth...' As if there is such a thing!" He spun and pointed a rigid claw at Wildcard. "We only have one life to live, Jordan! As members of the Talon, we swore to it! You think any injury—no matter how despicable—can give us license to change that?!" He motioned towards his braced limb. "I had my body scarred... bruised... battered at Red Barge! But not once did I give up on my calling as a Claw of the Talon!"
Wildcard gave a swift reply, staring pointedly at Keris.
Keris blinked. His muscles went limp as he fumbled for an answer. "... ... ...because... because I-I lacked the strength and resources to properly pursue the Rainbow Rogue following the events at Red Barge."
Wildcard smirked.
Keris groaned. He lowered his head, rubbing his brow with his good claws. "And because... I saw Rainbow Dash for more than what the rumors and wanted posters had made her out to be." He gulped. "She was the true savior of the Seven Seas... not I." He tilted his chin up. "I was merely an accessory to something far more complicated and heroic than myself."
The former Talon member swung his flesh-and-metal fingers some more.
"Mrmmmff..." Keris rolled his magenta eyes. "Please, Jordan... I've spent the better part of the last two weeks getting an earful from your old companion—Professor Mane. I've had it up to here with lectures about 'embracing the truth.' I don't need you lecturing me either, for I know quite a bit about the 'truth.' I know that there is reason to worry over the state of Verlaxion and Rohbredden. That's precisely what brought me here... but that's not what this conversation is about. No, old friend... if I can still call you that." Keris shuffled closer. "This conversation is about what it will take to bring me further."
Wildcard blinked. He flung his fingers in curious zig-zags.
"More than the reason why Verlaxion has decided to toy with her foals, I need to know why you became this shadow of a hero," Keris said firmly. "I need to know why you couldn't be true to your old self, but instead had to adopt this... 'Desperado' facade. Why slice your life in two? Why give up your voice and your loyalties to fly a hidden path?" Keris blinked. "Were you... indoctrinated upon recovery? Was it this Mortuana's doing? Did this... questionable 'Bard' character and his motley crew of companions charm you somehow? What? What made you change?"
The mute griffon's response came faster than Keris expected.
The Lieutenant leaned back. He exhaled with a slight shudder. "Funny," he said. "That's precisely why I stayed with the Talon."
Wildcard slowly nodded.
"Tell me..." Keris folded his arms. "...if this... 'Austraeoh' had never shown up... would you still believe you were doing more good for Rohbredden from the outside than from within?
After fidgeting for a few seconds, Wildcard ultimately shrugged.
Keris exhaled. "I see you can still be honest." He gulped. "Tell me, Jordan... did you ever stop to think that you would be doing more harm to the Talon?"
Wildcard tilted his head curiously to the side.
"It's Seraphimus, Jordan," Keris spoke raspily. He stared at his former comrade with a melancholic gaze. "You know how distraught she's been ever since her family... was exposed to dredge dust." He cleared his voice and stepped forward. "The Commander's a strong griffon... to a fault. Always hiding. Always concealing. Always keeping a rigid posture and a straight beak. But when you 'died,' Jordan... when you joined the list of casualties too bleak to mention..." Keris sighed. "...she went over the brink."
Wildcard gulped.
"She... she went over the brink," Keris murmured again, this time to the cold sterile rocks surrounding them. He gazed into the jagged skyline of the Star Fringes with a glossy sheen to his eyes. "...and... and I lost her, Jordan. It's... it's my fault." He cleared his throat, trembling slightly. "You were gone, and I was all Seraphimus had to lean on and... and I let her slip. I... committed the grave sin of having faith in her... in a made-up strength that was as paper thin as her empathy. And that is nearly vanished as well." He slumped back on his haunches, exhaling. "Now... now we are here on the path towards Rohbredden's destruction and... she is not with us... because she is not anywhere. And when the line is drawn—and it will be drawn soon—I can no longer say with any sureity just which side she will be on... but I somehow suspect she will choose the side that decays... because it's all that she knows how to do anymore."
Silence.
Wildcard flapped his wings. Drifting over, he landed at Keris' side. He rested a metal hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder.
Keris took a deep breath. He glanced at the prosthetic digits, then up at Wildcard. "Not all things can be patched up so easily, Jordan. At least when you lost your voice... it was something you chose to do."
Wildcard nodded. He gestured something. A pause... and then he gestured something else—
"I believe you. I do." Keris sighed, staring off. "I... always believe you."
Wildcard stepped into his line of sight. He spent a prolonged period of time signing a complex series of messages.
Keris "listened," then eventually replied. "Are you certain Rainbow Dash isn't some blatant substitute?" He raised an eyecrest. "Instead of Verlaxion, you now serve another demigod? One belonging to the lands beyond the Blight?"
Wildcard shook his head, then signaled some more.
"Because it doesn't seem to me as though you're trying to save Verlaxion," Keris said with a frown. "You and your... 'Herald' companions appear to be on a mission of assassination. Even a hatchling could see that."
The reply was a curt one.
"No..." Keris sighed. "After what I've seen... after what I've learned... I suppose I could no longer accept the way things were either. Not with how terribly rotten the Queen has allowed things to be... purposefully or not." He squinted at the Desperado. "But there has to be some proper solution. The 'Austraeoh' is meant to stand for harmony, yes?"
Wildcard nodded.
"Then surely Rainbow Dash is seeking a way to make peace with Verlaxion."
With a sigh, Wildcard sliced the air with his claws.
Keris blinked. "Hmmm..." He clenched his beak muscles. "If that's true, it's a miracle anypony has survived this eastward trek from Wyvern Point... much less Rainbow Dash."
Wildcard signed.
"Quite a resourceful band indeed." With a breathy groan, Keris stood back up, flexing his good muscles. "But I can think of one even more resourceful."
The Desperado tilted his head to the side.
"Why do you look so surprised? I'm a reasonable griffon." Keris smiled ever so slightly. "Or have you forgotten that too?"
Talons and claws twirled between them.
"That remains to be seen," Keris said. "First off... I think I must have a discussion with this... 'Mortuana' mentor of yours. Of course, it would please me to no end if the good Professor could join us. His input would be priceless."
Wildcard shook his head, then gestured briskly.
"Oh...?" Keris blinked. "Where are they?"
Wildcard pointed beyond the nearest ridge.
"Hmmm... I see..." Keris nodded. He and Wildcard stepped side by side, heading back towards the clearing of the Midwest Passage. "Perhaps Verlaxion isn't her greatest challenge yet..."
Fluttershy hovered, looking over her ghostly shoulder. With a sudden smile, she glanced ahead. "Good news," she said. "Keris and Wildcard are heading back to the cave. I think they ended their conversation peacefully."
"Wow!" Pinkie Pie blinked. "Really? No crazy fight to the death?!"
"Good grief, Pinkie!" Twilight blanched as she and the others followed Rainbow Dash into a shallow gorge of frosted white stone. "Why would you even want that?"
"Who wouldn't?!" Pinkie grinned. "Two badflank griffons... both best buds to Dashie on different occasions... fighting for her honor!"
"I don't believe it's just a matter of honor, Pinkie," Fluttershy said calmly. "It's quite obvious by now that Keris and Wildcard knew each other long ago. They must be going through a lot of conflicting emotions. I really hope they made up... maybe even hugged a little!"
"Pffft. Whatever. I was still pumped for a crazy griffon duel." Pinkie "swam" in midair. "Something awesome... like deadly bird clubs at twenty paces... dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnn dun-dun-dun DUN!" she hummed.
"Pinkie, honestly, darling!" Rarity hissed. "Can we minimize the chatter, please? Rainbow is about to have a heart-to-heart of her own and she could do without the incessant prattling."
"Too late," Rainbow grumbled.
"What was that?" Theanim Mane asked from several paces ahead.
"Ahem..." Rainbow squinted at him. "I can't help but notice that you're taking us very... very far from the rest of the gang."
"You've got keen gifts of observation, Miss Dash," Theanim said. At last, he came to a stop within the shadowed embrace of a narrow chasm. He pivoted around to face Rainbow, his goggles glinting atop his head like a second pair of eyes. "You'd make a great scientist if you weren't so fond of explosions."
"I thought those things went hoof in hoof."
"Please..." Theanim sighed. "Let us cease with the levity... for just one moment."
"Very well then." Rainbow glanced at her marefriends, then at the stallion. "So... uhhhh... you accidentally all of Chandler's conspiracy." She broke a nervous smile. "Way to go, Doc."
Theanim sighed, closing his eyes.
"Couldn't have done it better myself! It's a shame that—y'know—Verlax's messenger had to show up and dump a bag of frozen manure all over it—"
"Rainbow Dash, we've already compared notes," Theanim said. "Now that we are—at last—within earshot of one another, perhaps it would benefit us to ask more pertinent questions."
"Like... why in the heck did Wildcard send a letter to Keris to bring you here," Rainbow remarked. "That's taking an awful lot of faith."
"Rainbow..."
"And just why did you and Keris bring Echo along for the ride?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "I doubt he's going to be of much help inside Starkiss, unless Verlax is afraid of bats."
"Rainbow Dash..." Theanim marched slowly towards her. A narrow frown peered out from under the shadows of the ridge above. "...for once in your life... stop fleeing."
Twilight bit her lip. She glanced aside.
Rainbow stared at Theanim. "I'm guessing, then, that you have some questions for me."
"Only one," Theanim murmured, shuffling to a stop. "Care to be even more perceptive?"
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She lingered... then spoke: "You want to know why I did what I did in the Quade—"
"You ruthlessly assaulted helpless ponies, Rainbow!" Theanim bellowed. The narrow confines of the chamber magnified his vitriol a hundredfold. "You invited yourself into their home and burned their sacred domain to ashes! There are dozens... hundreds dead now because of you!"
Each word echoed for a painful, reverberating five seconds. Pinkie and Twilight winced. Fluttershy teared up, covering her muzzle while Rarity leaned over to console her. All gazes rested on Theanim while the thunder subsided.
All but Rainbow's. She closed her eyes, containing her fuming breaths as she muttered in response: "...you forgot the part where I rubbed my feces all over muzzles and set their bibles on fire—"
"Damn you, Rainbow Dash!" Theanim spat, crossing the distance between them on furious hooves. "You do not get to joke your way out of this... this... holocaustal treachery!" Panting, he pointed at himself. "I've spent the better part of the last month cleaning up after the insufferable crimes you committed in the waters of Luminar! I've groveled before the Court of Verlaxion! I've put my name and reputation on the line... trekked thousands of miles through forest and snow... and thrown my mortal body neck-deep into a life-threatening conspiracy all to exonerate your bloody name!"
"I know... I-I know, Theanim..." Rainbow cleared her throat, opening her eyes thinly at him. "Doc, I'm sorry—"
"I'm not seeking a blasted apology!" Theanim huffed and puffed, pacing about. "You know damn well what I want!"
"You want an explanation—"
"I want the truth!" Theanim spun to point an angry hoof at her. "How in all that is holy does a mare who pretends to respect harmony get off threatening the lives of countless monks?!"
Rainbow spoke before the echoes dissipated. "There was a Yaerfaerda beacon within the central stalk of their Reeds. Getting to that was supremely important—"
"Important enough to cast reason out the window?!" Theanim stammered.
"I lost my bearings, Theanim—"
"You were quite balanced back in Rust and Shoggoth!" Theanim exclaimed. "The Desperadoes were still by your side! What... did losing the company of myself and Echo somehow rob you of intellect and common sense?!"
"And even back in Rust and Shoggoth, Verlax was getting to me." Rainbow shuddered, avoiding the Professor's gaze. "And when I reached Quade..." She gulped dryly. "...I gave into desperation, and Verlax provided me with something that my battered mind and heart thought was a solution. The... the villain won, Theanim."
"Excuse me...?!"
"I'm sorry..."
Fuming, Theanim marched towards the mare yet again. "Let me tell you something, Rainbow Dash." He pointed, his voice breathy and venomous. "There are no villains in this world. Life is far too complicated for that." He shouted: "There are only foolish ponies who do wrong things, thinking that they are for the right reason!"
Echoes and echoes...
Rainbow stared at the stallion. She lowered her hood, revealing her threadbare scalp and scarred forehead. "Look at me, Doc," she murmured, lips chapped and coat bruised in multiple places. "Do I look like the kind of a pony who enjoys having done the wrong thing?"
Theanim stared at her... glared at her... then finally spun away with a disgruntled breath. He stood in the shadows, facing the cold canyon walls.
Twilight swallowed a lump down her throat. Amidst the silence, she gazed at Rainbow.
Rainbow sighed. She took a few light steps towards Theanim's flank. "I got my wing shot to Tartarus. I got beaten to a pulp by a monk gone mad. You think that my foolish mistakes ended there?" She cleared her throat. "I sent Bard and Wildcard away. The Desperadoes were super pissed... even more than you are—if you can believe that. My solution was to give them the riot act. And don't even get me started on the rift that I made between me and my closest friends." She glanced aside at Twilight and the others. "At least when they first left me, it was because they were blown to smithereens. But... to lose their trust... the very thing that legitimizes being loyal?"
Rarity bit her lip. Pinkie and Fluttershy lingered on the edge of tears.
Rainbow sighed. She looked towards Theanim again. "I was literally alone when I set out for the high seas. I didn't even come close to Rohbredden. Between wild winds and unpredictable storms, I got lost in the waves and nearly starved to death. My only salvation was a bunch of pirates who hauled my sun-bloated carcass to Red Barge... where I wasted away like the living corpse that I was. And on top of all that... I had my pendant taken away... and I wrecked the b-bodies of even more souls who d-didn't deserve it." She clenched her teeth at the end of that statement.
Theanim hung his head, breathing slowly but solidly.
"I've... done my time for my mistakes, Theanim. Maybe—to you—it doesn't seem worth it, and I won't even pretend to say that it covers for the lives of the Luminards who are no longer trotting this plane. But it was enough to knock some sense into me... and to reunite me with my friends." She shuddered. "So much pain and stupidity that I could have avoided... if only I was honest with the ones I cared about the most." She clenched her teeth. "If only I had shared the truth with them."
Theanim's ears twitched. Still, he said nothing.
"Who knows." Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe I would have done the right thing if I still had you and Echo with me. But I can't pretend to blame anypony else but myself. I gave into despair, Doc. I gave into despair... and I did very unkind things... just as Verlax had expected of me. And you know what? Truth alone didn't save me. After all, I had the truth. What I lacked... was faith in the chance I had of doing something greater... something heroic despite what truth told me."
"You weren't the only one who had to come to grips with that, Rainbow," Twilight whispered.
Rainbow turned her head slightly towards her. She gently nodded. "Yeah... whatever the case... I started to turn into what I feared the most... which is precisely what Verlax expects of me, I think." She tilted her head up. "But now... I've got Fluttershy and the rest of the girls helping me out. Mortuana and the Herald's got my back. The Desperadoes are here—loyal as always... and now you and Echo are here."
Theanim took a shuddering breath. "Now I and Echo are here..."
Silence.
"Did..." Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "...did you really go to bat for me, Doc?" She blinked. "Before the Council and the Talon and everyone?"
"Mmmmm..." Theanim nodded to the shadows. "...and before Chandler too."
"I hear that dude got a real buzz out of hunting for me," Rainbow said. "Spent his entire fortune and sent his psychopathic secretary after me in Braum and everything."
"Yes..." Theanim sighed. "And now Verlaxion has given him control over all of Rohbredden. A real gauntlet by fire... as if you haven't endured that already."
Rainbow gulped. "Seems like I'm not the only one. I... know you're mega-super-pissed at me and everything right now, Doc... but the girls and I... we're really... really glad you're in one piece."
"By no mere miracle, I assure you." Theanim finally pivoted around. He glanced at her with glossy eyes. "Do you know how I came to discover Chandler's treachery?"
"You..." Rainbow blinked. "... h-had some help from Echo?"
"A good guess. But the Old Chap only helped me part of the distance towards true discovery." Theanim trotted slowly towards her. "As fate would have it, Chandler and his Consortium had ferried a hoof-full of surviving Luminards to Central Rohbredden."
"Oh yeah...?"
"One of them was a peculiarly disgruntled mare... a monk whom you might happen to know..." Theanim raised an eyebrow. "...by the anointed name of 'Sonikah.'"
Rarity and Twilight gasped. They looked at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow's jaw hung agape. "...Sonikah."
"Mmmmm... indeed..." Theanim nodded. "The tragedy at Quade left her as chief elder. I made a trip personally to the hole-in-the-wall where Chandler had chosen to hide her and her leftover compatriots. It took much strain and toil, but I was finally able to relocate them to a sanctuary to the southwest."
"What... k-kind of sanctuary?"
"A site for griffon roosting," Theanim said. "It would appear that the majority of Luminards have been relocated there... where they now live in peace... cooexisting with the griffons and assisting them in hatching and training their young."
"You... you gotta be kidding me..." Rainbow gulped. "How did they get there?"
"Under the supervision of a young but emotionally-empowered monk... who goes by the name of Nicro."
Rainbow's ears folded. "Nicro..." Her breath came out in thin, panting squeaks. "Nicro is... is alive...?"
"And very much dwelling in harmony," Theanim said. "I showed this to Sonikah... and she finally let go of the ascetic shackles that bound her to the misery of the recent past. She now leads the flock that Nicro brought to Rohbredden... as a new and loyal Kyron to the monks."
"Rainbow..." Twilight murmured.
Rainbow gulped. Her knees wobbled, until she fell on her haunches, shivering against the cold stone. "Nicro... and Sonikah... they're... they're—?"
"It was a long and arduous journey that brought them to that place, Rainbow," Theanim said. "But a warm and prosperous future awaits them as a reward for their good faith."
"Just... mmm..." Rainbow held a hoof up before covering her muzzle. Tears formed along her eyes, and she sniffed more than once. "...one s-sec, Doc..." She shuddered, wet trails forming along her muzzle. "...Luna poop..."
Pinkie and Fluttershy smiled tearfully.
Rainbow wrestled control of her lungs. She looked up at the stallion. "How... h-how did they even g-get that far...?"
Theanim took a deep breath. "It would seem that a certain member of the Right Talon of Verlaxion saw their plight first-hand in the Quade. He wrote a letter to the Central Guard, sent via pegasus courier, requesting that a ship transport Nicro and her fellow monks to the new sanctuary."
Rainbow whimpered. Her wet muzzle curved ever so slightly. "Keris..."
Theanim nodded. "It was before he encountered you... before your mutual plight in Red Barge."
"He... he t-told me about the Quade... but... but I never th-thought that..." Rainbow's face contorted as she fought the urge to weep. She breathed in and out, rubbing her eyes dry once more. "Keris is a good griffon..."
"That he is."
"A very... good griffon..."
"And an exceptionally courageous soul. Like one I've known before." Theanim knelt until he was at eye-level with the emotional pegasus. "Rainbow Dash, I wasn't there at the Quade. I can't pretend to understand what made you do what you did. I'm a scientist and I require proof to ascertain the reason behind things."
"There's..." Rainbow shook, shuddered. "...there's not much to g-go on in this tr-trip, Theanim." She slowly began to calm herself. "I'm glad that Wildcard sent for you, but—"
"Perhaps this is an opportunity for the proof I need."
Rainbow looked at him, blinking. "What kind of proof?"
"Proof that you haven't entirely abandoned courage, Rainbow," Theanim said. "The courage to do more than just pursue harmony... but to manifest it. Austraeoh or not, that's what makes you exceptional... what makes you awesome."
Rainbow gulped. "Verlax ain't making it easy for me..."
"Then let us make it hard for her to test you further," Theanim said. "And then... when we get to her throne... will make her own up to the Truth."
Rainbow breathed... breathed... and formed a crooked smile. "When we get to her throne..."
"Indeed." Theanim nodded.
Rainbow exhaled, her grin a fragile, tender thing. She reached a hoof up. "Doc, I..."
"We've both done our time in the crucible, Miss Dash." Theanim strongly pulled her up. They stood face to face in the shadows. "Let's not dwell on the ashes any longer. Unless I stand to be corrected, I do believe there is a beacon that needs reaching."
"Yeah..." Rainbow tilted her head to the right. Yaerfaerda burned bright beyond the rocks and ice, closer than ever before. "...there t-totally is."
And the two trotted back to the main group.
Keris stood face to face with Mortuana, talking intently with one another.
From a distance, the bulk of the Herald couldn't make out their words.
Ariel and Bard reclined in Kepler's wagon while the wyvern stood side by side with Flynn and Logan, peering at the conversation.
Kepler adjusted his spectacles.
Logan squinted, leaning against his axe.
Flynn pretended to polish his remaining manacrystals, all the while his mechanical eye remained locked on the scene.
At last, it was Ariel who spoke. "Am I the only one freaked out by all this?" She turned her head to the side, her ocean blue eyes reflecting the silver glint of the Talon's armor. "The Right Talon of Verlaxion... talking with the Mountain Matron?"
"No forrm of bloody eviscerration has yet occurrred, my dearr," Kepler remarked.
Ariel gulped. "Well, now that you say that..."
"The Talon knows what they're up against," Flynn said. "Especially after that Lieutenant guy had a heart-to-heart with Wildcard."
"Can you guys actually friggin' believe that Wildcard was once a member of the mother-buckin' Talon?" Logan grumbled.
"Are you kidding?" Ariel tossed her mane and glared across the mouth of the cave. "I'm still trying to get over that."
Remna sensed Ariel's eyes on her. The violet mare sighed, continuing to squat on a lofty boulder with her forelimbs crossed.
"It certainly begs the question," Flynn remarked. "I mean... secret societies gonna keep secrets and all... but am I wrong to say that Mortuana is going a bit overboard?"
"All things considerred, the motherr matrron is doing fine by herr timely rrevelations so farr!"
"Well of course you would say that, Kepler," Flynn said. "You and the boss are like family. You've both been members of the Herald the longest."
"Ha hah!" Kepler grinned wide. "All the morre rreason I have to rrejoice in my undying faith in the alicorrn! She most definitely leads us, my frriends! But she does not lead us astrray!"
"Still..." Ariel sighed. "...would it kill her to level with us sometime?"
"Actually, it might," Logan grunted.
Ariel rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant..."
"Eh... give it a rest, y'all," Bard said, stifling a yawn. He plucked his guitar with nimble feathertips, all the while resting his hoof. "Mortuana has done right by y'all... and she's done right by me too. What's to get all up in a tizzy about?"
Ariel squinted. "You're being awfully calm about this, considering that your fellow Desperado is revealing himself to be a former member of the Talon."
"Yeah... how is that even possible?" Flynn remarked. "Just... try and imagine the sort of stuff he had to give up for ditching them!"
"Like his voice?" Logan said.
Flynn sighed. "I was being hypothetical."
"And yet, it explains his rratherr whole-hearrted adoption of wind speech!" Kepler remarked. "Oh, how I do love a mysterry that pieces itself togetherr!"
"I'd rather be without the mystery altogether," Ariel said.
SWOOOSH! Wildcard landed, perching on the edge of the wagon.
"Gaaah!" Ariel flapped her wings on impulse. Catching her breath, she frowned at the griffon. "I should have gotten you a damn bell for the Month of Thawing!"
Wildcard shrugged, smiling sheepishly.
"Howdy, Dubya." Bard held his hoof out. "Clear out some of them cobwebs from the attic?"
Wildcard fist-bumped him and nodded.
"Well, alright." Bard resumed strumming.
Flynn did a double-take. "That's it?! You're just going to leave it at that?"
Bard shrugged and plucked at the guitar strings. "Eeyup. Why not?"
"Level with us, Dwhinny Yoakam," Logan muttered through a smirk. "Just how much do you already know about Wildcard's past?"
"Not a dayum thang."
"Bullshiet."
"Bullshiet on yer momma." Bard tilted his hat back and squinted at Logan. "I dun ask 'bout Dubya's past and he dun ask 'bout mine." He strummed melodically. "That's how the Desperadoes roll."
"That's waaaaaaaay too simple to carry on for long," Ariel said with a slight giggle.
"Hmmmmm..." Bard strummed again, staring into the Star Fringes. "Dun I know it."
Flynn cleared his throat. "You know... all of this is nice and all... only it isn't."
"Care to be even more confounding in your douche-talk?" Logan remarked.
"What I mean is... shouldn't we be getting a move on?" Flynn said. "All this waiting around is stupidly tense... even for us."
"Tell them that," Bard said, gesturing at the Central Guard.
"I... don't think they need to be told," Ariel said.
"Whoop..." Bard sat up in the wagon, putting his guitar away. "Dun look now, Job Squad. But here comes the Rainbow."
Remna looked up. Her ears perked as she hopped off the boulder.
Meanwhile... over by Mortuana...
"If what you say is true," Keris murmured, pacing. "Then we can expect even more hardships along the way." His feathered brow furrowed. "In the form of stampeding windigoes."
"It would appear to be Verlax's single lasting form of magical manifestation," Mortuana said. "Even her Frost Vessels—I suspect—have grown weak and feeble with the passage of time."
Keris squinted at the alicorn. "To what end?"
"I do not know."
Keris glanced at her bony wings, then at her bandaged horn. "I must admit, madame. I committed to this rendezvous under many pretenses. You're not quite as knowledgeable as I was led to believe."
Mortuana calmly tilted her head to the side. "What did you expect, precisely?"
Keris sighed. "...something painted with the same ignorant colors as the 'Rainbow Rogue.'"
"I may appear beastly to someone as conservative as you," Mortuana said. "But rest assured, I want only the safety and the salvation of Rohbredden and all its tribes."
"I'm tempted to believe that," Keris said. "But what is your desire of Verlax?"
"To cease misleading her foals and release Rainbow of her trials."
"But you make it sound as though our Queen would rather die."
"Indeed."
Silence.
Starstorm, Windburst, and Raptr shuffled nervously in their armor.
"You do realize, as a member of the Talon, my chief task is to combat all enemies of Rohbredden—violently, if need be," Keris said. He glanced at the survivors of the Central Guard looking on. "Whether we stand a chance in succeeding against such malevolent forces or not."
"Why do you think you were summoned to this place?"
"To answer the call made by Jordan," Keris calmly replied. "Bringing Theanim Mane and his assistant so that they may assist in ascertaining the truth behind the corruption of Rohbredden once and for all."
"Then, dear Lieutenant, what is your next recourse?"
Keris stood in silence.
The Talon, the Guard, and the Herald looked on.
It was at this moment that Rainbow Dash trotted up with Theanim Mane in tow.
"Hope we haven't..." She panted. "...missed anything..." She blinked at the tense scene. "Yeesh, what's going on here, Morty?"
Theanim shuffled up next to Echo. "What, pray tell, did we miss, Old Chap?"
"Oh... y'know..." The sarosian shrugged from under his cloak. "...ponies talking to ponies. Griffons talking to giant mutant death ponies. Nobody talking to me."
Theanim nodded, adjusting his goggles above his head. "About as much as I expected."
"Uh huh." Echo glanced aside. "Have fun yelling at Rainbow?"
Theanim jolted. "How...?" He grimaced. "I took Rainbow so far away that you weren't supposed to hear that...!"
Echo lifted his hood just enough to expose a leafy bat ear.
"Rnnnngh..." Theanim face-hoofed. "...why couldn't I have become friends with a seapony?"
"Please. Don't rob me the joy of farting in the tub."
"Shhhhh..." Theanim pointed. "I think the Lieutenant's contemplating something."
"Yeah, no shit, chief."
"Keris...?" Rainbow leaned towards the silent face-off.
Keris took a deep breath. "Sergeants of the Talon..." He swiveled about-face, staring at his wingmates. "Prepare a defensive formation."
Rarity and Twilight tensed up, biting their lips.
Keris continued. "We will be traveling east, close to the ground... escorting these ponies to Starkiss."
A loud murmur rose among the Central Guard.
"Our goal is to make it there swiftly and safely," Keris said. "But—most importantly—we must see to it that the Rainbow Rogue arrives in one piece." His magenta eyes narrowed. "Do you understand the task ahead of you?"
Raptr, Windburst, and Starstorm exchanged glances. At last, they stood tall, saluting.
"Aye, Lieutenant," Starstorm said.
"We understand," Raptr added. "Loud and clear."
"Chicken and gravy," Windburst finished.
"Good." Keris breathed. "We move on the capricorn's signal."
"Alicorn," Mortuana softly said.
Keris cleared his throat. "Precisely."
"You..." A cluster of ponies broke off from the Central Guard, gasping. "You've got to be joking, Lieutenant!"
"At ease, soldier," Keris tried to contain his snarling tone.
"No!" A guard stomped his hoof. "This is treason! Heresy! Do you have any idea what you'll be causing the moment you lead these Blighted cretins to the Throne of Verlaxion?!"
"Yes!" Remna marched up, frowning. "We'll be putting an end to millennia of lies and dictatorship!"
"Simmer down, crocodile," Rainbow growled. Rainbow brushed Remna aside, facing the angry members of the guard. "Look... Mortuana gave you an ultimatum earlier... and a super gracious one." She pointed south. "You don't wanna be part of this trek? That's fine! Home is that way."
"We will not stand for this!" Another guard frowned. "The Defense Minister—"
"Is Chandler here?" Keris asked.
"Huh...?"
"Is Chandler here?"
"No... but neither is Commander Seraphimus."
Keris nodded. "A keen observation. So you acknowledge that I—a Lieutenant of the Talon—am the current highest-ranking officer of the Rohbredden military within a hundred miles."
The disgruntled members of the Guard shifted nervously.
"Choose your treason," Keris said. "I'm choosing the future of our Tribes... and I aim for it to be a healthy one."
"The Council will hear of this," a griffon grumbled. "All of Frostknife will hear of what you've done today!"
"Then if you must tell them, tell them," Keris remarked, nodding. "I welcome the future and all it brings. To do otherwise..." She looked at Rainbow. "...would not be courageous."
Rainbow blinked.
Fuming, a group of five guards immediately began marching south, skirting past the Theanim, and Echo. To the surprise of both the Talon and the Herald, the majority of the Central Guard remained.
"You all know the risk of following my command in this venture," Keris said.
"We do, Lieutenant," a guard said, nodding. "And..." She glanced forlornly south, at the scant few marching defiantly towards the horizon. "...we believe that we will be safer at least under your command."
"I don't know about safe..." Another guard muttered, his nostrils flaring. "But I lost a lot of good friends back on that plateau. I want to know the reason why."
"Can we actually enter Verlaxion's Throne?" a griffon asked, blinking wide. "We? Mere mortals?"
Theanim trotted towards the group. "I suspect that we will be the first in eons to find out." He turned to smile at Keris. "And—I trust—the first to live and tell the truth about it."
"All my life, I've endeavored to protect the foals of Verlaxion," Keris said. He swallowed hard. "But... alas... all foals someday must grow up and move on." He sighed. "...more than anything, I wish the Commander was here to realize this herself."
"There will come a time for personal epiphanies," Remna grumbled. "Or perhaps never." She pointed an angry hoof. "Right now, we must get the Austraeoh to Starkiss."
Rarity face-hoofed. "Alas... there's a beautiful moment utterly shattered."
"Yeah," Rainbow muttered. "She'll do that." She turned to face Keris. "Lieutenant Tweety? I'm guessing you know the way? I... uh... I think my buddies and I could use a hint."
Wildcard gestured from afar.
Keris nodded. "Jordan's right." He turned and pointed southeast. "If we stick to the broader paths, it should take us to Starkiss." His claw pointed higher. "There. Off in the distance."
"Where?" Rainbow squinted. "I can't see it through those tall, dark clouds."
"Ahem..." Rarity floated in. "Look harder, darling."
"... ... ..." Rainbow's eyes widened. "Oh..." She blinked. "Yowsers, I've been grounded for way too long."
Occupying a huge chunk of the eastern horizon was a tall mess of dark gray haze. Rainbow and her friends soon realized that it was a mountain. Its shadow consumed most of the eroded rock and winding ravines that made up the Star Fringes.
"The entrance will be towards its base," Keris said. "One of many. I will attempt to guide us towards the west exit."
"And beyond that?"
"...the Hollow of Starkiss exists only within the knowledge hoofed down to us by the first unified tribes," Keris remarked. "For ages, we've had every opportunity to enter the sacred sanctum... the old royal chambers that surround the Queen's Throne. We never ventured on through... not even up the steps beyond the Court of Verlaxion."
"Talk about trust," Rainbow said.
"Hmmm..." Keris nodded. "Talk about generations of the dead... funneled to the Spring Havens without a single opportunity to lay eyes on their Goddess."
"Will... we actually be the first to enter that place?" Raptr remarked.
"So long as we work together... as strongly as we ever did." Keris flapped his wings. "Take wing, Talon! Let us form a perimeter. Windburst, I want you taking point. We need your eyes."
"Aye, sir."
As both the Herald and the Guard gathered there things, Pinkie Pie hopped in midair. "Woohoo! More walking!"
"But Pinkie..." Rarity rolled her eyes. "All we've been doing is walking!"
"I know!" Pinkie grinned. "But now... we're walking with all the friends!" A blink. "Plus Axan. Squee!"
Fluttershy giggled.
"I, for one..." Rainbow smirked. "...am not complaining."
"Me neither." Twilight shook her head with a smile. "Let's get moving!"
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Well, this is too good to last.
Also, when will Kepler find out that his entire species has basically been made Public Enemy Number Two? I don't recall a point where it was specifically brought up to him except vaguely.
That went well.
Everyone's together now! YAY! Now it is time to start the final trek, this is going to be exciting!
Sooo..
I'm guessing by now Rainbow's wings have mended? Or have they been healed 'wrong'? You know, with all the nearly dieing and moving around.
Still! Huzzah for the
First Regiment of EastLunar-Aplenty!Man, eyes slightly glossed over when Rainbow learned about Sonikah and Nicro still being alive.
If you complete it faster than Mad Dog, you win his weapon.
Wait. I'm a little confused. Did Wildcard lose his voice or is he just choosing not to talk?
Nobody likes poor Echo.
7170427 She was being healed while the arrow struck her wing, so maybe it's a permanent injury. Like someone said here a few chappies ago, the injury is probably all in her head, or probably a spiritual injury, whereas her wing is physically okay. Maybe the next flame will heal her 'properly' and rescue AJ. Or maybe the seventh seed will heal her completely, and/or will give her enough juice for her journey on the Dark Side of the plane.
Yush, this series is like drugs to me...
7170430
If I remember correctly, he made an oath not to talk. I forgot in exchange for what, though.
...I like this Pinkie, she's showing a little Pinkamena.
Authoritative Dash is authoritative.
Well said Keris, Well said.
Also, Keris appears to have retained the clam-like ability to change gender at will.
...I'm not going to meme, sorry Pinks, but still, that was chuckle worthy.
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
New subtitle acquired.
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
7170462 As Keris told it, it's a self imposed punishment for breaking the blood oath.
had Keris broken the oath, he would have to stop flying, but since Jordan broke it, he has to stay silent.
7170430
Choosing.
He will be free of his vow of silence when he and keris become fully united under a singular shared banner.
The banner of Mortuana haunts Jordan Wildcard.
The banner of Verlaxion haunts Keris.
Both banners will fall to ashes soon, allowing both the freedom to raise a unified banner of Awesome Friendship.
If Mortuana dies facing Verlax, how will Rainbow learn to use the Harmonic Submarine thingie at The Edge to reach the Dark Side?
The Right Talon of Verlaxion just lost a few claws.
I can't wait for when tje Talon run into Seraph. This'll be interesting.
The A team has been assembled here... and that really could not have possibly gone more smoothly than it actually had... and that means the shit will be hitting the fan soon.
Indeed all the friends are now here. I've got such a bad feeling for what's coming.
I still expect there to be a trial (a court trial) on Quade for Rainbow. And what better way to hear out all the sides and find Truth and Harmony in all this mess?
P.S. I do want RD to meet Sonikah and Nicro
surety
__________________
You're missing a word or two between those.
___________________
I hope that Dashie can patch things up with Sonikah and Nicro. But nonetheless, I'm happy that things are looking up for Dashie, at least for this tiny moment in time. She's got all Rohbredden friends, the Talon (other than our illustrious Seraphimus), and the Heraldic 7. Oh! And some new allies from the Central Guard.
This'll be interesting to see. Although I wonder when the others will let Mother Matron and Kepler know the ruling made on the Wyverns. So far that's not been fully brought up.
7170588
There's no word missing there.
7170621
Yeah there is.
"You accidentally all of"
Accidentally "what" all of?
uncovered? discovered? found? dredged up?
It makes no sense grammatically when there's nothing on what was accidentally X. In context of all of Chandler's conspiracy.
Edit:
Trollspeak and 4-chan memes aren't a guideline to proper grammar
.
7170624 Dash memed, that's all there is to it.
It wasn't a grammatical error, Dash just tried to make a joke to lighten the mood between herself and Theanim.
It was meant to be humorous.
Huh...
Okay. Time for a dungeon crawl.
Everybody's here. Now we can start the party. And there is no party like a dwindling party.
7170502 It still has one big griffon. One big finger.
derpicdn.net/img/2013/2/14/242686/full.png
Yay! Friends forever!
Time taken to rest recollect and collate, with the poor red shirts sent off to discover the windigoes have been busy ahead of them.
As for all thats left in a crucible is ash? Therefore that ash is material which cant be destroyed by mere crucible.
Next, big east mountain, and the difficulty of reaching it.
7170640
Not really. Especially since that meme doesn't exist in Equestria. Especially not in Rohdbredden. So Theanim Mane being a scientist, and Twilight being a grammar nazi would have pointed that out.
So yes. It's a grammar error. Especially in context to the world, and nation they are in.
Yay, an army of Central Guard Redshirts to burn through so we can still have sorrowful death crap without losing a named character. Nice planning, Colon old boy.
Would have liked to have heard a little more of those questions between Keris and Mortuana, and I'm hoping for more awkward interactions between the Herald and their new allies in the later chapters.
I wonder how far those soldiers will have marched off south before they realise they only have five people.
7170624
FTFY
Too good to last. Seraphimus will be the one to fuck shit up pretty soon to be honest family.
7170713
i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/012/132/thatsthejoke.jpg
Meta-jokes are a thing.
You've been waiting forever to use that line haven't you?
Well, that is now Echo and Theanim forgiving Rainbow for the Quade, seems that only Sonikah and Nicro are left. So Keris and the Talon have chosen their side, all that is left is the final confrontation.
Whoa. Keris just changed genders!! Changeling on the loose!!!
Looks like the journey is about to come to a head....
Well I guess 3 books from now we will still be hearing about the FRIGGAN quade. She had no choice, it's over now, move on....Christ.
Haha! Mo~ar party members!
I tried to think of a witty joke for this happy reunion.
Instead?
HUZZAH!
The path is clear... for now. Three groups with differing ideologies travelling together will be a prime target for windigoes, especially if they get to arguing.
Keira just accidentally female'd.
7170980 it's only been about a month since that took place, maybe two. When you do something that leads to the death of hundreds, it tends to stick with you.
Well, at least that's all cleared up. Sounds like it'll get tougher and tougher the closer they get to Starkiss though...
Ah well, the best way to clear all the ice is always a little fire and mayhem, isn't it?
7170713 are you an expert on the societal nuances of either place to claim such? I think not. This is colon's land and he can throw a small joke in it if he so chooses. Grammatically speaking, it's wrong. Perfectly grammatical spoken word (I.e. talking between people in the real world) is exceptionally rare. Rainbow is not an egghead, so the grammatical error/joke fits her personality and helps make her more believable.
7170873
Ahh the best line for this segment of the epic.
7170873 It is a great line.
So much catharsis and tying of loose ends. And now, the path is clear for the final showdown. Whether it'll all end in disaster or in the truth of Verlax being revealed to all of Rohbredden, and what role Seraphimus will play in it all, remains to be seen. It's either going to be extremely awesome, or extremely horrifying. Maybe both. In any case, I know it'll end with apples.
On that note, I just finished reading Cornelia Funke's Inkheart another time. Funny how some words always seem to haunt you.
Nope, not even gonna post it.
RemnAxan really knows how to spoil a moment, huh?
7170384 Oh boy, when he finds out that Wyvern Point has been razed...
7171519
you won't have to
i.imgur.com/TnMdYhE.gif
Theory time: Verlax wants to force a confrontation that will end in either her or Rainbow's demise, with the added consideration that Rainbow (public enemy number one) will, if she survives, be faced with an imploding continent who hate each other almost as much as they hate her.
But there is another choice: Rainbow convinces Verlax to tell the continent the truth, (the next beacon is a test of honesty, after all) instead of killing her and trying to tell a bunch of angry ponies the same thing (hint: they won't believe Rainbow if she tells them, but if Verlax were to tell them, it's another story)
Are we there yet? Euhgawd I can't wait for them to reach the beacon
It's weird that the narration still calls Axan 'Remna' when everyone is now in on the secret.
7171648
Going by the pattern so far, Verlax wants Rainbow to do something dishonest to reach the beacon. It's of course possible (even likely in a narrative sense) that Rainbow this time will subvert it and do the opposite.