To End the Great Ender
"Now that I think about it, there's something very strange about Johnny's—... erm... Bard's home," Rarity remarked.
"Oh?" Pinkie blinked at her.
Rarity and the others followed Rainbow Dash as she flew circles over the ranch with Rainbow Dash. "Now, there's nothing wrong with adopted siblings," the ghostly fashionista said. "But... didn't some of Bard's acquaintances call this place a 'foster home?'"
"That—or it once was," Twilight Sparkle said with a nod.
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a foster home supposed to be a temporary arrangement?" She looked at the other spectral mares. "I always thought that, normally, foals are ushered in and out of such a residence, but it's only a brief measure until they're situated with permanent families. But everyone here has grown up and is still living at this ranch."
"Ohhhhhhhhh." Pinkie nodded. "... ... ...I don't get it."
"Doesn't seem too strange to me, Rarity," Fluttershy said. "They were raised in an accomodating family, and it looks as though they've enjoyed the experience enough to stick around and support their relations."
"Only, they ain't," Applejack grumbled.
Rainbow asked, "You mean to suggest that they're miserable?"
Wildcard glanced curiously aside at her, his goggles glinting in the endless starlight.
"Well, no." Applejack folded her forelimbs in mid flight. "Reckon I dunno what they're feelin'. But they ain't exactly happy. That's all I can tell."
"I think we've yet to properly test this supposed 'sense' of yours," Twilight Sparkle remarked.
"I couldn't begin to tell you how," Applejack said.
"Oooh! I know!" Pinkie Pie grinned in Applejack's face. "I love to eat green beans and brussel sprouts all day!"
"... ... ..." Applejack glared at Pinkie Pie with folded ears. "...yer lyin'."
"Duaaaaaaaaaah!" Pinkie Pie gasped wide. "It works! Applejack's a truth wizard!"
"Eugh..." Twilight Sparkle face-hoofed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I almost wish we had more earth before the edge of the world..."
"Let's not dwell on that," Rainbow said. She frowned as she squinted at the crops and farmland below. "Where in the fuzz is Echo, already?"
"Down there, beside the fungal orchards," Fluttershy said, pointing southwest as they passed another grove. "You and Wildcard passed him five times already."
Rainbow's eyes bulged. "Flutters?! Why didn't you say anything, girl?!"
"Uhm..." Fluttershy curled up. "...you didn't ask."
Twilight face-hoofed again.
"Let's just get this over with already." Rainbow signaled Wildcard and the two descended sharply. Hooves and claws raked the soft earth as they landed, approaching a series of wooden crates where a familiar figure sat, his cloak's hood down. "Heyo, Echo. Relaxation time is over. Let's group up and chat with Bard, Remna, and the others about our next course of action."
Echo continued speaking, seemingly ignoring Rainbow's presence: "Ha ha ha! I know! And what kills me is that while everypony is sooooooooo superior to us, they still flinch at the sight of our fangs!" The sarosian's teeth in question flickered in the starlight. He sat on the edge of the crate, his lower legs dangling playfully. "Like... they want to grind us in the dirt, but they're all super stupidly terrified that we'll suck the blood out of their necks!"
"Hahahaha!" A feminine voice chortled from a series of wooden lattices dangling with fungal growths. "I don't even like meat! Why would I want to suck blood?"
"Lemme guess." Echo smirked. "Fruit? Mushrooms? Fruity mushrooms?"
More giggles. "I'm big on buttered cinammon biscuits, actually."
"You can't seriously eat that all the time..."
"Well, no... but it's the only meal I ever bother remembering."
"I can't remember the last time I had anything with sugar in it," Echo muttered.
"Well, you have been in prison."
"Right. All I got in there was salt. Hah!"
"Heeheehee..."
Rainbow and Wildcard exchanged glances. "Uhhhhh..." Rainbow trotted towards the crates. "Echo?"
"Heheheh..." The leafy-eared stallion chuckled. "This one time, I made a guard shit himself 'cuz I told him that smelling our farts would cause him to mutate into a bat upon hearing cricket song."
"You're joking!"
"You think the ponies of the Seven Seas are superstitious? The only ponies who work inside the Frosted Shelves are ignorant bastards compensating for their insecurities."
"Wow... you must have seen sooooooo much of the real world out there. I'm kinda jealous."
"Yeah, well, don't be." Echo rubbed the back of his head, blushing slightly. "I was... uh... kinda sorta high most of the time."
Rainbow Dash whistled shrilly.
Echo's head turned. His slitted eyes reflected Rainbow and Wildcard for the first time. "Oh. Right. The plot. Hello, plot."
"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow squinted. "...who are you and what have you done to Echo?"
"I beg your pussy?"
"There he is!" Pinkie grinned.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so... happy all of the sudden?"
Wildcard gestured.
Rainbow glanced at the griffon, then at Echo. "I dunno what he said, but I'm guessing it's something akin to 'Are you hitting the coral again?'"
"Pffft. I wish," Echo grunted, still smirking. "I might not smell the incredible assetry of this dump's atmosphere."
"Oh come on..." The female voice drew closer, along with a shuffling mare's figure. She brushed her hooves off and tossed a charcoal black mane. "It doesn't smell that bad."
"Not until you get used to it, I bet," Echo said. "Like a dung beetle accidentally climbing into an elephant's butthole and just... learning to settle."
"Heeheehee... okay..." The mare laughed again, and Rainbow spotted a flash of fangs. "So maybe it does reek on occasion."
"'Reek?'" Echo barked. "Girl, this place smells like vomit had sex with a paper mill and shat out a decaying octopus!"
"Y-yeah!" The laughed again, slapping her knee as leathery wings stretched and unstretched. "All covered in night bison spit! Heehee!"
"Hahahaha!" Echo nearly doubled over. "I haven't a clue what a night bison is, but that's still funny!"
"Whoah..." Twilight Sparkle was the first to point and comment. "Rainbow, she's... she's..."
"You're sarosian?" Rainbow Dash remarked.
The mare blinked at her, slitted eyes bright and green. "Whoah. That's a new one." She glanced at Echo. "What's a 'saros?' Some sort of Seven Seas term for bat excrement?"
"Huh? No!" Rainbow Dash frowned. "It's what you're called! Er... ehhh..." She fidgeted. "At least... where I come from, it's the... proper term for Echo's race."
"Uhhhhhhhh... yeahhhhhhh..." The mare side-stepped towards Echo, giving Rainbow the stinkeye. "Is this the 'Rainbow Dash' you were telling me about, Echo? She's a few spores short of a shroom."
"Give her some slack," Echo said with a wave. "Believe it or not, she's being sincere as all Hell."
"Really, I am!" Rainbow nodded ardently, then glanced the mare's way. "Why would you think I'd call you something nasty? I don't even know you. Either way, that wouldn't be very cool, now would it?"
"Wow. That's a change." The mare blushed slightly. "My bad. You see... almost all strangers who see me have something really nasty to say... that is until Tim shows up and kicks their flank. Heheheh... yeahhhhh..." She brushed her bangs back, leafy ears twitching. "Just comes with the territory of being a midnighter." She winked at Echo. "Isn't that right?"
"Right as a ninety degree angle, babe." Echo smirked. "Which is where I'll be in a few minutes if you keep giggling like that."
Sure enough, she chortled, then rolled her slitted eyes. "I dunno what part of the world Johnny scooped you out of, but you're a real hoot." She smirked at Rainbow again. "See? I made a nocturnal pun! How's that for your bits' worth?"
"Sounds like she's used to being ridiculed for what she is," Fluttershy remarked. "That's most unfortunate."
"I wonder if she's always like this," Rarity said. "Or if—perhaps—Echo here has brought a ray of sunshine to her." A dainty smirk. "Or perhaps a beam of moonlight, as t'were."
"Whatever the case, she's the most real pony soul here," Applejack said with a smile.
"Ahem." Clearing her throat, Rainbow Dash stepped past Wildcard and approached the mare with a hoof extended. "You must be Nicole. Bard... er... Johnny and the rest of his siblings mentioned you."
"Pleased to meet you, Rainbow Dash." Nicole shook hooves with the pegasus. She produced another fanged smile. "Is he really going by 'Bard?'"
Wildcard nodded.
Nicole glanced at him. "And you must be 'Wildcard,' the other 'Desperado' that Echo mentioned."
Wildcard raised an eyecrest above his goggles. He glanced aside at Echo.
Turning pale, Echo nervously raised a pair of forelimbs. "All g-good things! I promise, bird buddy, eagle pal!"
After an exasperated sigh, Wildcard nodded with a faint smile.
"From the sound of things, my big brother's been through a lot," Nicole said. "Which, considering the stuff he's left behind, is a crying shame. Still... heh... sounds like he had a fine, feathered friend to keep him safe... not to mention company. Johnny always did like hanging out with Ray the most. I suppose you were just the shoulder for him to lean on." She trotted forward slightly. "I think you deserve this."
Wildcard's headcrest raised in curiosity... until he found himself at the receiving end of a soft, velvety hug. Glancing at Rainbow Dash, the griffon then patted the sarosian awkwardly on the shoulder.
"Hmmmm... you're a friend of Bard's, alright." Nicole leaned back with a tender smile. "You didn't flinch. I guess midnighters aren't the worst things you've faced out there in the Seven Seas."
Wildcard shook his head, then gestured a pair of dragon wings.
"Huh?"
Rainbow Dash coughed. "We've all seen our fair share of... craziness." She looked directly at Nicole. "But nopony should ever have to fear others simply for what they're born as."
"A noble thing to say," Nicole remarked, trotting back to the lattices and vines. "But even harder to commit."
"I understand. Believe me," Rainbow said.
"I believe that you believe me," Nicole replied, climbing a miniature ladder beside a wooden slat. "Echo's told me about how you come from a far-away land that runs on magic and harmony and sunshine."
"Er... yeah..." Rainbow squinted at Echo. "Has Echo here told you everything about me?"
Echo saluted. "Only the sexy bits."
"He says that you're a super awesome hero," Nicole said, examining one fungal growth after another. "And that you've got a lot of crazy, tragic stuff dumped on you." Her hooves squeezed their luminescent surfaces as she chose which ones to pluck free and toss into a wooden bucket below. "And yet, you keep on fighting the good fight... because you care too much to stop."
"Heh... guess he's right." Rainbow Dash smiled. "He's kept things sexy."
"Bet it doesn't feel that way."
"Huh?"
"Just that it sounds like you're going through an awful lot of crazy stress." Nicole glanced over her velvety shoulder. Leather wings stretched for balance. "I'm super glad that Johnny's with you. The best support you can ever get comes from a big brother."
"He's certainly been... big in my life." Rainbow gulped. "I wouldn't be around if it weren't for him and Wildcard here."
"Then that makes me happy," Nicole said.
"In what way?"
"Johnny's done a lot of good since he left the farm. I always hoped he'd be safe... and that he'd be happy." She smiled. "I'm starting to like this Desperado named 'Bard' more and more. He even got Echo here to kick a nasty vice."
"Well... that was mostly ol' Theams' doing, but..." Echo sighed, staring at the ground. "Yeah. Good shit."
"So... uh..." Rainbow trotted up to the ladder Nicole was on. "I've been dying to ask. Just what are you guys growing on this farm?"
"Twilight Grease."
Silence.
"Okaaaay..." Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be important or something?"
Nicole glanced down, wiping some sweat from her brow. "You seriously haven't heard of Twilight Grease?"
"Sounds like the stuff that comes out of Twily's armpits when she's reading a super good book!" Pinkie said.
Twilight nodded. "Yeah! It's just like—hey!"
"Heehee!"
"Remember, Nicky, she's not from around here." Echo smirked at the mare. "I can call you 'Nicky,' can I?"
"Heehee... it's certainly better than other things that I've been called!"
"My favorite thing anyone's ever shouted at me is 'Moth Gimp.'"
"Guh!" Nicole gasped. "I was called that once too! I laughed for a fivelight!"
"But really... what is Twilight Grease?" Rainbow asked.
Nicole pointed. "See this stuff right here?"
"You mean the big clumps of glowing mushroom potatoes?"
Nicole explained: "Well, they're not mushrooms and they're not potatoes. But it is a fungus. In the wild, they never grow this densely. But, after years and years of Twilight Land farmers working on a special way of... uhhh... dangling them... we learned to get them to collect in thick bunches. Like these. And when that happens, they sorta... burst on the inside out and produce this really viscous fluid that happens to act as a spectacular lubricant when mixed with water."
"It's how Rohbredden gets all of its steam machines to operate in such a squeaky clean way," Echo said. "That locomotive steam engine that Remna and the Herald say you totally wasted? That was—like—three farms' worth of harvests all down the drain." He shrugged. "Y'know... for a completely r-random example."
"Wow..." Twilight Sparkle smiled. "How fascinating!"
Rainbow glanced at the vines and lattices. "So... you mean that Blue's Farm here is all about supplying the Rohbredden industrial machine?"
Nicole, in the meantime, had her jaw dropped. "Did you actually crash an entire locomotive?"
"Uhhhh... kinda..." Rainbow gulped. "Along with several tons of explosive dredge coal."
"Wow! Echo wasn't lying!" Nicole beamed. "You are awesome!"
Wildcard nodded. Rainbow gave him a glance, and the griffon smiled nervously.
"Just... y'know..." Nicole cleared her throat. "...don't try pulling any of that sort of stuff here. Blue wouldn't take kindly to it."
"Nor would I take kindly to ya talkin' to complete strangers," rasped a breathy voice from uphill.
"Guh!" Rarity shivered all over. "I didn't know skeletons were capable of speaking."
"Rare-Rare isn't kidding!" Pinkie pointed, wincing. "Look at 'em!"
Rainbow Dash was already turning around. She saw a decrepit specimen of a stallion—wrinkled and hunched over—trotting... more like hobbling towards that particular patch of orchards. True to his name, he had a coat of faded blue coat hairs. His mane was bleached white with age, and he had no small amount of nosehairs glinting in the cosmic sheen.
"Nicole!" Blue spat, his ears constantly in a state of angry drooping. "I didn't raise you to be no hussy! Now come inside! That's enough work for ya today!"
"Oh, come on, Blue!" Nicole waved aside at the other three. "We were just having an innocent conversation! Besides... it's not like they're strangers! These are Johnny's friends!"
"If they's Johnny's friends, then they's worse than strangers!" Blue frowned at Rainbow in particular. "Just look at 'em! Paradin' around with goggles and glitz hangin' off their throats! You dun find that kind of senselessness anywhere in the Queen's lands! Now... come with me! Chattin' time is over!"
"Aren't you being a tad bit unreasonable?" Nicole hopped off the ladder and shuffled towards the old stallion. "There's so much that we don't know about the Seven Seas and beyond, Blue! Besides..." She glanced around, slitted eyes darting. "...from what I hear, the Queen is dead."
"All the more reason for us to be on the guard!" Blue's hairy nostrils flared. "If windigoes get the drop on us, I wanna die with loved ones! Not with these freeloadin' hoboes! Now come along!" He grabbed her forelimb.
"Ow! Yeesh... take it easy, Blue..." Nicole easily batted his fetlock away and reluctantly trotted with him. "I'm going! I'm going already..."
"Well go faster!" Blue grunted, making a living shield between her and the others. "I may not be yer brother Tim, but I'll rip and tear these mongrels if I have to!"
"Whoah... ease up on the bayonets, old timer," Echo said.
"Yeah!" Rainbow nodded alongside Wildcard. "Nicole's telling the truth! We were just talking—"
"No ya weren't!" Blue glared, pointing an accusatory hoof. "You was just pollutin'! Nicole dun need yer kind gettin' her all confused and backwards, especially after all I dun to nurse her back to even wing-flappin'!" He hissed in Echo's direction. "And if you so much as look at her again, I have a good mind to replace yer fangs with firecrackers!"
"Oh. Brilliant." Echo bore a bitter smirk. "You and whose asshole?"
"Echo, please." Nicole sighed, then turned towards Blue. "He's harmless, Blue. Honest!"
"No he ain't! None of his kind are!"
Nicole frowned, fangs showing. "He's my kind, Blue. In case you've already gone blind."
"Ain't the eyes that I'm thinkin' with, girl," Blue said. "A midnighter like him could only stay alive past the Twilight Lands by bein' a criminal or a drug peddler. Ain't nothin' that you should be messin' with, or else the world will be stompin' you to mud and callin' you worse thangs."
"But—"
"You just dun know 'cuz you ain't been out there... flounderin' like the rest of them! Now I built this farm to keep ya and yer siblings safe. So would it kill ya to show an ounce of respect?"
Nicole sighed, although her voice had the tell-tale hint of a growl. She hung her head and droned, "No, Blue..."
"Now go inside! Git! No more chattin' or fluffin' about until Johnny and his floozie friends are all dead or gone! Whichever comes first, by Verlaxion!"
In a lethargic slump, Nicole flapped her leathery wings and glided uphill, disappearing amidst the velvety blackness beyond starlight.
"And you!" Blue hung out just long enough to point an angry hoof at Wildcard. "I already had a gab with Tim! If I catch word of ya glarin' all intimidating-like at any of my children again, you'll be roasted duck come first crystal! Hrmmph!" And he marched off in a huff. "Dayum punks..."
Wildcard clenched his beak while his metal claws closed into a fist.
"Soooooooo..." Echo slicked his mane back. "Maybe it isn't the crops that smells like shit in this place."
"Sorry to cut things so terribly short, Echo," Rainbow Dash said. "But we do need to have a talk with the rest of the Herald."
"Why are you apologizing?" Echo shrugged. "You're not the one who shredded cow dung over a cheese grater and spread it over this scene."
"Still, no matter how we shake it, it's rather obvious that there are ponies on this farm that don't want us here. And I think we've had enough drama without shaking another hornets' nest." She looked over at her companions. "What do you think, girls?"
"What else is there to think?" Rarity grimaced. "Blue and that 'Timothy' fellow are positively dreadful!"
"But... the rest of the ponies here are so very kind and pleasant," Fluttershy added. "That should mean something, shouldn't it?"
"I know y'all don't wanna hear me say this, but whatever Blue and Tim's reason for hatin' Bard, they're bein' mighty sincere about it," Applejack said.
"Yes, Applejack." Twilight Sparkle nodded. "But you can't mean to imply that they're right for thinking that way about him!"
"It's a complicated world that we live in, Twilight," Applejack said. "I can't pretend to say what yer Bard friend has or hasn't 'done,' but there's some very real... honest-to-badness hate in this here farm." She shuddered. "And it's not just affecting the patriarchs of this land. Nosiree."
Rainbow cleared her throat. "Then the less time we spend here, the better." She turned to face Wildcard and Echo. "Let's split."
"Pssssst..." Pinkie Pie leaned in with a wink. "You should have said 'mosey.'"
"Oh hush."
"Heehee..."
Inside the Frosted Shelves of Central Rohbredden, ponies and griffons from all walks of life huddled once again for shelter. Outside, the bluffs of Frostknife whistled and howled. A terrible blizzard raged, its echoing noise accompanied by the occasional shriek of wayward windigoes.
It was another stampede of the unearthly equines, and their ghostly snow trails once again made the outside ravine of the kingdom's capital completely inhospitable.
While the severity of this stampede was considerably less intense than the initial herd that rolled out of the heart of Starkiss upon the death of Verlax, it had been lasting an awfully long time. Nevertheless, the denizens of Frostknife were considerably more prepared this time. Several shelters had been prepared—one for each family. While cramped, there was a certain degree of comfort afforded... thanks to the torches lit and the food supplies distributed evenly among the huddled populace.
The thick, heavy doors of the former prison's entrance had been heavily reinforced with steel beams and iron rivets. Every window and grate of the facility had been covered in thick metal plates.
While the improvements didn't keep all of the cold out, it assured the structural integrity of the domain. As the hours wore on, ponies maintained a healthy degree of sanity, even to the point of affording somewhat civil conversations between families, friends and trade representatives while they mutually continued to wait out the metaphysically-imposed blizzard.
All in all, the citizens of Frostknife found survival both feasible as well as relatively comfortable. And while there was no guarantee of the frozen stampede outside finishing anytime soon, the Rohbreddenites discovered many affirming things to do with their time. Including—above all things:
"Aaaaand... there," Lieutenant Keris exhaled with finality. Cl-Clank! A final pare of unlocked manacles fell to the stone floor, rattling to a stop. The griffon handed the keys to a soldier of the Central Guard and faced the group ahead of him. "By official decree of the Council of Verlaxion, you and all of your Tribe are free to roam about the sanctum of the Frosted Shelves. Once the windigoes have ceased their latest assault, Frostknife and the whole of Rohbredden are also yours to access freely." He attempted to smile beneath his beak. "Grand Magistrate Hymnos has even authorized the Council to assign protective lands for you and your brothers to settle. If you wish, the Talon can assist you in finding such a location, assuming the windigoes cease their stampedes soon enough to afford a settlement."
One of many wyverns rubbed his clawed wrists. He shuddered, shaking off days' worth of shackling and imprisonment. His soft eyes lifted to meet Keris'.
"A thousand grratitudes, Lieutentant," the wyvern said. He glanced over his shoulder, catching the eyes of other hairy compatriots, including a smattering of Snow-Bloods. "Alas... we only have one home... and it no longerr stands on a single plank of foundation." He turned towards Keris and his fellow soldiers once more. "Wherre is therre forr ourr trribe to live? The Matrron of the Mountain imparrted us many gifts—both of the heartt and the flesh—and half of those have been torrched to ashes by yourr verry own Council... which now desirres to be so belatedly grracious."
The soldiers exchanged glances.
Keris took a deep, melancholic breath. "There is no apology I can make... no poetic pleasantry that I could possibly put to words that can undo the terrible injustice that has been committed against you and your kind. The Council of Verlaxion..." He grimaced. "We were all terribly misled by forces greater than us."
"The Rrainbow Rrogue," another wyvern said.
Keris looked at him. "Huh?"
"You mean to place the blame of yourr actions on the Rrainbow Rrogue," the monk clarified. "That she possessed an aurra of black magic—empowerred by the Blight—that corrrupted you and the Council and forrced you to do things uncharracterristic of sanity and goodness."
Another wyvern spoke: "You arre mistaken. Everrypony is mistaken." He slowly shook his head. "The Rrainbow Rrogue is without fault. We know this... and we will carry it to ourr grraves."
A pegasus soldier grumbled, "They're still tainted with the demon's curse." Shaking his head, he carried a bag full of shackles and marched off, shaking his head. "A damned shame..."
Keris heard him and other members of the Guard trotting off, but he didn't move his head. Staring at the survivors of Wyvern Point, he took a deep breath and spoke: "Whatever the truth may be... the fault is with us... and with me." He gulped. "We have many trials and tribulations ahead, but we shall not overcome them by placing blame on anypony... including ourselves. From now on, we must work together... all as brothers. I can't expect you to commit to this without more than a tiny amount of regret... even spite. But I do expect you to hear my words and believe me with the same sincerity as I am conveying them to you." His hawkeyes hardened as he stared them in the face. "I promise that the Talon—under my leadership and beyond—shall protect the livelihood of the wyverns at all costs... even that of our lives. You shall not perish from this earth, frozen or not... blighted or not. Everypony deserves to survive... and—furthermore—everypony deserves to enjoy the full richness of life. This is the same for you and your brothers, if not more so. And to this, I pledge... willfully and faithfully."
The wyverns exchanged glances. Eventually, one stepped out and spoke to Keris.
"You knew the Rrainbow One?"
Keris blinked.
The wyvern repeated: "You knew herr perrsonally?"
At last, Keris nodded. "That I did."
"We have sensed it," the Wyvern said, nodding back. "She does not grrant a blight... but a blessing... and all whose paths she crrosses—even forrcefully—are betterr for it... whetherr they know it or not."
Keris swallowed. "I believe that too."
"Trruly?" One wyvern asked. "Orr simply because you have to?"
Keris' headcrest drooped. "Some... of the bravest journeys still must be taken... one wing-flap at a time."
The wyvern nodded. "Then we shall supporrt you in such a flight, Lieutenant." A bow. "That shall be ourr solid prromise to you."
Keris' feathery head echoed with the words of the wyverns, even as he shuffled listlessly down the crowded, torch-lit halls of the Frosted Shelves.
On either side of him, families huddled in tiny tents and shelters, all lined up against the tall granite walls of the former-prison. Cells had been converted into lavatories. Mess halls were transformed into hospitals. Foals giggled and chased each other across balconies and platforms while mothers and fathers chatted the time away.
Outside, the windigoes howled and shrieked... growing slowly faint as the hours limped by.
As Keris passed through the heart of the massive shelter, families noticed him. One by one, groups of Rohbredden citizens stood up—only to bow and perform holy gestures, giving Verlaxion's blessings.
Keris looked at them. He nodded, but found very little strength to offer a grateful smile. At one point, the Lieutenant was caught off guard when a mare trotted out from her shelter with a filly balanced on her flank. The tiny foal offered him tiny collection of wildflowers that had miraculously survived the latest windigo stampedes.
Hesitantly, Keris took the buds. He stared at the bright yellow petals. Thus, he was a bit too distracted to register the lips of the filly as she gave the griffon the tiniest of pecks against the nape of his feathered neck. Keris watched as the mother gave him a tearful smile, then hobbled back to be with her family.
Thunder rolled—or else the closest thing to it. The foundation of the Frosted Shelves rumbled, but maintained itself against the tempestous onslaught outside.
Keris stood in a daze, absorbing it all. Thus—he was nearly startled by a familiar voice.
"Lieutenant?" Professor Theanim Mane leaned in from the side. "Did you hear me?"
Keris cleared his throat, lowering the flowers from his gaze. "A thousand pardons, Professor. Would you mind repeating yourself?"
"I said that the representatives of the Order have fully situated themselves in the upper hold," Theanim said. "It's a wonderful blessing that you were able to convince the Council to afford us those particular chambers of the prison." He adjusted the goggles over his mane. "We shall proceed with our alchemic experiments in thermal energy distribution immediately. Being positioned above the rest of the chambers shall make it so that we won't flood the residential areas with unnecessary soot and fumes."
Keris simply nodded. "Very well, Professor..."
"However, we've had some complaints from the medical technicians located in the lateral chambers across the hall," Theanim continued. "They're claiming to hear a persistent metal clanging sound."
"Indeed." Keris stared at the multitudes of ponies.
"We're not experimenting in any sort of metalwork. Besides... all of the smithing for the Central Guard and its subsequent recruits won't resume until thirty-six hours from now. So it must be something else." He blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Lieutenant?"
Keris was silent.
"Keris..." Theanim cleared his throat. "At the risk of being forward, might I ask if you've heard anything I've just said?"
Keris took a deep breath. "Can we live with ourselves if the truth dies with us, Theanim?"
The professor shifted where he stood. "I'd... much rather see it as ensuring that our great-great-grandfoals live with the truth, Lieutenant." His eyes narrowed. "And every generation following."
Keris inhaled. "I freed the last of the wyverns and Snow-Bloods that were brought here."
"A very noble thing."
"It'd be nobler if I'd done so without waiting for the legislative go-ahead," Keris said. "The pupils of Mortuana deserved better."
"Yes, well..." Theanim glanced off at the huddled masses within the hold. "We can only afford to do so much without risking the integrity of what's left of Rohbredden."
"Do you believe in that, Professor?"
"No." Theanim frowned. "But it's not about what I believe, is it?"
Keris glanced at the flowers again. "Are we so powerless... that we can't move the foals of Verlaxion in the same way the Queen did... but for the better?"
"Verlaxion's... Verlax's greatest resource was time, Lieutenant," Theanim said. "We have the same tool at our disposal. Just because it's difficult for mortals like us to wield it does not mean that we should cave in and attempt something more desperate... or self-defeating."
"No." Keris shook his head with a sigh. "I suppose not." He looked at the Professor again. "Strange that Rainbow Dash would accomplish so much by doing everything impulsively and wildly."
"She's Rainbow Dash, Keris," Theanim said. "A soul that is as dynamic as she is brave... and vital to the shifting mechanics of this largely misunderstood world. She can't afford to play it safe anymore than you and I can afford to be bold." He gulped. "And yet... do either of us really... truly think that she can accomplish what she sets out to do... and live?"
Keris stared at him.
Theanim stared back.
At last, Keris opened his beak... but only to say something entirely different: "What in blazes is that rhythmic metallic noise?"
"You hear it too?"
"I'm certain all our ancestors can hear it from the Spring Havens."
"It's been loud and persistent like this for the past three hours," Theanim said, grumbling. "Members of the Order believe it's a loose set of pipes along the upper chambers. A few superstitious guards insist that it's the windigoes trying to collectively bore their way into the facility. I've attempted to convince them that the horses of frost are destructive—yes—but hardly that intelligent... much less cooperative."
"Professor, have you ever heard a set of armor being forged?" Keris asked.
Theanim blinked. "Is that truly what it is?"
"It couldn't possibly be anything else," Keris said, craning his feathery head in the direction of the sound. "From the sound of it... a heavy breastplate, befitting a knight."
"But... I thought all of the smithing was being put off while the Central Guard works on sheltering the citizenry," Theanim remarked. "Who could possibly be making armor at this time?"
Keris took a fuming breath. "Who indeed..."
Keris shuffled up a set of stairs. At last, he stepped into a room filled with hot red firelight and thick steam. Off in the corner of a room, a pony was hammering metal plates together. Squinting, he stared past a group of soldiers and smiths gathered around a forge.
At the far end of the chamber, Brye Chandler stood gallantly atop a rusted platform flanked with tool benches and weapon racks. Soot-stained workers huddled around him, fitting him with the foundation of a freshly-forged suit of armor.
"Take your time, friends," Chandler spoke in an authoritative voice. "I know I haven't exactly a gallant frame... but it must fit perfectly."
"And it will, sir," a worker said, fastening a breastplate to the stallion, one leather strap at a time. "However, I can't exactly promise that the comfort of the suit will be—"
"Never mind comfort," Chandler grunted. "I'm going to be accompanying our soldiers into twilight. More than anything, I must survive so that I may lead."
"Aye, sir. But still, if you feel that the armor is too restricting, inform us and we shall modify it to allow you the most mobility possible."
"There's a good pony." Chandler tilted his head up as the breastplate was fully fastened. He kept his limbs straight and his chin raised. "You're doing the Goddess' work."
"Chandler..." Keris stepped straight forward, frowning. "What in heavens' name do you think you're doing?"
"That's Minister Chandler, Lieutenant," Chandler grumbled. He continued looking past the griffon. "And what does it look like?"
Keris looked at the armor, at the ponies suiting the former Consortium executive up, then back at Chandler. "Last time I recalled, coffins are supposed be slender and made of wood."
"I would say that your humor is ill-placed... assuming such a pathetic barb counted as such."
"Defense Minister, in all seriousness..." Keris slowly shook his head. "You cannot expect this to possibly be a good idea."
"Why not?" Chandler snorted. "I've been entrusted with the well-being of Rohbredden."
"All the more reason for you to remain here," Keris said. "Chasing the Rainbow Rogue is a foolish, dangerous endeavor from the start." He fumed. "Isn't it enough that you're sending countless members of the Central Guard after her? Now you have to risk yourself as well?"
"I would not have our soldiers do anything that I myself would not," Chandler said. "It's only noble to join them in the search so as to ensure a proper capture of the Rainbow Rogue. After all, the capture and subsequent execution of the Goddess-slayer is the absolute way to ensure that justice is served."
"No, Minister," Keris spat. "Making sure the foals of Verlaxion survive to enjoy a peaceful future free of windigoes is how we can ensure justice. What you're proposing is a waste of resources—all for a wild goose chase!"
"It's not quite as wild as you think, Lieutenant."
"We don't even know where the Rainbow Rogue is!"
"Do we not?" Chandler took a deep breath. "I've received official word that a group of nine persons—all of mixed, predominantly equine races—were spotted descending from the eastern mountains and into the Twilight Farmlands. That gives us a narrow window, at least."
Keris squinted. "You're joking..."
"Not even in the least." Chandler coughed, wincing from the weight of the armor being fitted around him. "Just prior to the latest windigoe stampede—mrmmff—I've sent messengers out, ordering that the searching batallions converge on the central Twilight Lands. As soon as the tempest breaks, I'll be escorting a final company of soldiers to rendezvous with them. Once we catch sight of the Rainbow Rogue, we'll chase her down... no matter how long it takes." His nostrils flared. "We'll lynch the mare and hang her from the very edge of the world, if we have to."
"And what of the forces that remain behind, then?" Keris folded his talons with a frown. "While you're off on this... paper chase... how will the Defense Minister defend the vulnerable citizens of Rohbredden while the windigoes scour the landscape?"
"Well, I suspect that will be left in your capable hands." Chandler's glaring eyes met Keris'. "I... can trust you... can I, Lieutenant?"
Keris merely blinked. "... ... ...why are you really doing this?"
"For the same reason that I've not fought the Council in accepting you and the rest of the Talon as the same force of righteousness that you so evidently compromised while affected by the Blight." Chandler took a breath. "I have faith that something about this... all of this... is pre-ordained."
"By Verlaxion?"
"It's not enough that her foals thrive, Lieutenant. We must grow... we must learn to exercise strength... courage... and authority." Chandler swallowed. "I intend to do all of that out in the field. If Verlaxion wills it, then I'll be the one to strangle the Rainbow Rogue myself. I was given this position for a reason. All of this... every single bit of it has happened according to her will... in some fashion or another." He gulped. "It has to be true..."
Keris opened his beak to say: "Not everything is given a purpose, Chandler. Oftentimes the truly courageous thing is to discover it for ourselves. I promise you... if you seek it out there in the Twilight Lands—by hunting the Rainbow Rogue—it won't be the sort of purpose you are hoping for."
"If this is your means of expressing concern for the well-being of myself and our fellow soldiers, then I am pleased to hear it," Chandler said. "Despite the haphazard delivery." He stared forward, his eyes reflecting the blazing redness of the forge. "I thought I was the most exceptional businesspony Rohbredden had ever seen. In truth... I was nothing. Before she gave her dying breath, the Goddess I never believed in showed that she believed in me. And I'll be damned if I waste that before finding out what such a purpose is." He bit his lip. "We've lost too much on account of our cowardice and infighting before. Right now... our true foe is still within our grasp. She must suffer for the chaos she's wrought."
Keris sighed, bowing his head as he rubbed the bridge of his beak. "Chandler... despite our differences... and our history... I beg you to reconsider before—"
The sound of scraping claws filled the gaps between metal clanking. A set of silver wings brushed past Keris.
"Defense Minister," spoke a cold, calm voice. "I have the latest report taken from the Central Guard. Your company of soldiers is prepared to take wing the very moment the windigo stampede subsides." The figure stood tall, saluting. "I've already requisitioned two supply wagons... and a chariot that will be capable of carrying you into the pursuit."
"Very good, Seraphimus," Chandler said. "Your assistance is priceless as always."
Keris gasped. He looked up, hawkeyes twitching.
Seraphimus bowed slightly. "Simply doing my duty, Defense Minister."
"Go see the Grand Magistrate. Inform her of the progress made. Our destination is the Twilight Lands."
"As you wish." Mechanically, Seraphimus pivoted around. Her eyes grazed past Keris. "Lieutenant." She saluted subordinately, then shuffled past him.
Beak agape, Keris watched after her. "Seraphimus? What on earth—?"
"She answers to me at the moment, Lieutenant," Chandler said as the ponies fitted bracers to his fetlocks. "You would do well to respect that."
Keris gawked at the stallion. "What do you mean she 'answers to you?!'"
"She did give up her commission as Commander of the Talon, did she not?"
Keris blinked. "Well, yes, but—"
"If I recall, the lowest ranking member of the Talon is bound by the rules and etiquette of any other soldier of the Central Guard," Chandler remarked. "Do correct me if I'm wrong, but I doubt that I am. I'm the Defense Minister of Frostknife. I'm required to know these things."
Keris glanced at the doorway just as Seraphimus left. "But... she's..." He looked at Chandler again. "I gave her no such command to assist the pursuit of the Rainbow Rogue."
"And you did not need to." Chandler looked at Keris. "She offered her services to me, and as Defense Minister... I agreed to take her on as my personal body guard in the upcoming expedition. The same would happen with any other low-ranking soldier able and willing to aid the defense of Rohbredden."
Keris stood in dead silence, his face blank.
"I made my decision the moment I recognized that she had a very legitimate reason for bringing justice to the Rainbow Rogue. As a result, she's promised to protect Rohbredden's Commander in Chief. In return, I'm promising her righteous retribution." He shrugged his limbs as he was fitted with another piece of armor. "It's a true shame, Lieutenant, that you could not provide her with the same."
"Then your nightmares have ceased?" Remna asked.
Rainbow Dash turned around from where she paced across a musky barn bathed in starlight. "Yes. I mean... I dunno..." She winced. "I guess?"
Both Rarity and Twilight face-hoofed.
"Not exactly a good way to sell it, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said.
Rainbow frowned, ignoring them. "Look, I know it was really sucky putting you all through such a big scare. But—for what it's worth—the visions I had grew... less and less freaky." She gulped. "I mean... I haven't gone to sleep since... but I'm willing to bet that if I do, then it won't be quite so horribad an experience for me... y'know?"
"What changed, exactly?" Ariel asked.
Rainbow shrugged. "I don't know. But... the visions... and the shivers started the first time I slept after touching the last Yaerfaerda." She looked at Kepler from afar. "I don't suppose it's... Verlax's doing?"
"Like a final 'buck you, thanks for playing my game?'" Echo suggested.
"Hrrrrm..." Kepler adjusted his spectacles while thinking aloud: "I still theorrize that it is a forrm of trransforrmation that ourr dearr Rrainbow is experriencing. To what end, I cannot postulate, but therre arre key differrences in herr being as well as herr perrception everr since crrossing the Fifth Seed."
Remna looked at Rainbow Dash. "The next Yaerfaerda... you can still see it?"
Rainbow squinted at the distant beacon past the east wall of the barn. "Yup."
"And... it is still erratic in its color distribution?"
Rainbow took a long, deep breath. "Eeyup..."
Remna sighed, her violet ears tightening back against her dreadlocks. "...I don't suppose it is a viable option to avoid it."
"I would not suggest it," Kepler said. "Seeking out the beacons has been a prriceless aid to the Austrraeoh thrroughout the entirre durration of herr jourrney, and it would not benefit herr in any conceivable way to brreak that patterrn now."
"Yeah." Flynn nodded. "Besides, Mortuana was all for her doing the whole Yaerfaerda thing."
"No sense in knockin' something that's only helped her in the past," Logan said with a shrug. "Hell... doesn't she need those beacons to live?"
"I have," Rainbow said with a nod. She glanced at Twilight. "And... y'know... I've never thought of it until now, but..."
Twilight blinked. "But what?"
Rainbow gulped. "Are there even Yaerfaerdas on the dark side?" She turned to look at the Herald. "If not... then how in the heck am I gonna keep myself from going full chaotic and... y'know... dying."
Twilight hung her head in grim thought.
The members of the Herald exchanged glances.
Eventually, Wildcard gestured.
Flynn "read" him, then turned to nod at the others. "Wildcard's right. If Austraeoh and Eljunbyro and Odrsjot have all come into fruition so far..." His mechanical eye pivoted. "...then what purpose would it serve for the Austraeoh to reach the dark side only to be starved of life-sustaining harmony?"
"This, of course, is assuming that all that aligns with Urohringr is a perfectly-executed thing," Logan grumbled.
"We've pledged our lives to it, haven't we?" Flynn remarked. "And as far as Mortuana was concerned, it was pretty damn perfect."
"Hearr hearr!" Kepler nodded, waving a claw.
Remna rubbed her chin in thought.
"Soooooo... what, then?" Ariel blinked at the others. "We'll find more Yaerfaerda beacons on the dark side?"
"Perhaps," Flynn said. He rubbed his bald spot with an anxious hoof. "Maybe they'll even lead us to the Midnight Armory."
"I doubt it will be hard to find the Midnight Armory," Remna rasped.
"What makes you say that?" Ariel asked.
Remna simply looked at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow cleared her throat. "It'll be where all of the battles are."
"Battles?" Flynn remarked.
"The Trinary War," Rainbow explained. "Queen Chrysalis told me all about it." She glanced collectively at the other ponies. "The Lunar Sarosians... the Night Shard... and the Changeling Brood of Tchern have been warring over the location of the Harmonic Prism for eons. A thousand years at least."
"A thousand year war?!" Echo exclaimed.
"Hot damn..." Logan smirked. "Something badass to see before I die."
"Big Show..." Flynn sighed.
"What? Second Best thing to a thousand year orgy, if you ask me!"
"Ugh..."
"Axan, how much do you know about the Trinary War?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Enough to know that it's likely the very reason Endrax disappeared," Remna replied.
"Or... became the 'pieces' of what she once was?"
Remna slowly, gravely nodded.
"I think you know more about the Trinary War than the Herald, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "Even if Axan was following you closely, she still wasn't in the room with you when you had that long conversation with Chrysalis."
"Well, I'm glad somepony knows," Applejack muttered. "'Cuz I'm confused as all get-out."
"Same here." Pinkie nodded.
"Uhm..." Echo shifted where he stood. "One of those names sounds... curious."
"Huh?" Rainbow looked at the sarosian.
"The 'Lunar Empire Sarosians.' One of the three groups of bastards fighting for your Harmonic Pisstaker or whatever."
"Yeah, uhm..." Rainbow brushed her bangs back. "I'm pretty sure that they're the... surviving remnant of the army Lunar Civil War."
"Still clueless over here," Echo said, waving.
"In my homeland of Equestria... over a thousand years ago..." Rainbow explained: "Princess Luna turned into Nightmare Moon and rebelled against her older sister, Princess Celestia, for control of the heavens. It was a long and drawn-out war, with a lot of nasty deaths on both sides. It all ended when Princess Celestia reluctantly chose to use the Elements of Harmony and banish Luna—or what was left of her—to the moon." She brandished her pendant, smirking. "This baby and five others just like it—though not nearly as awesome—are the very same Elements from a thousand years ago. Just a few years ago at this point, Luna came back, but the Elements of Harmony were used this time to cleanse the spirit of Nightmare Moon from her. She's been ruling as the Sister of the Moon in Equestria ever since."
"And... following Discord..." Ariel began.
Rainbow Dash nodded. "She's been in control of both the Sun and Moon. But don't worry... she's totally good'n'stuff now. I certainly trust her with my life. It's... thanks to her that I was given a good boost at the beginning of my journey. Heh."
"She's the same alicorrn who has enchanted yourr pendant so that you might speak with herr, yes?" Kepler remarked.
"Oh. Totally."
Wildcard gestured.
"'How long until you can speak with her again?'" Flynn interpreted.
"Oh! Like... pretty dang soon, actually." Rainbow squinted up at the dimly lit windows of the barn. "Just waiting on the moon to reach a full glow. And after that..." She grinned at Twilight and the others. "...I hear there's a super awesome chance I can chat with Luna for three days straight!"
"Such would be prriceless," Kepler remarked, sharing glances with Flynn. "But only time will tell."
"In the meantime, we should prepare for the very real possibility that Rainbow's discussions with Luna will be just as short as always," Remna said, pacing forward. "And we must use that time wisely to coordinate a plan."
"A plan?" Rainbow looked up. "Like what kind of plan?"
Remna looked in Echo's direction. "Former drug addict. Your attention, please."
"The Mother... of Nightmares..." Echo murmured to himself.
"Sarosian!" Remna hissed.
Echo jumped, his leafy ears drooping as he looked up. "Whoozabuckit?"
"Whether you know it or not, you are the crux of this conversation," Remna said in a growling tone. "What Rainbow Dash was meaning to educate us—I'm certain—is that the sarosians on the dark side, embroiled in the Trinary War, are the very same ponies who fought for Princess Luna during the Lunar Civil War of Equestria, ages ago."
"Yeah, and that's that gotta do with yours sexily, Miss Tall, Red, and Bitchy?"
"Chiefly that the same can be said of the midnighters who dwell within Bleak's Plummet," Remna said. "And the same can be said of you."
Echo's eyeslits narrowed. "You mean to suggest that I'm descended from these Equestrian moon-humpers?"
"Surrely you can perrceive of a deeply-seeded connection, my velvet-coated frriend," Kepler said. "This 'Motherr of Nightmarres'—for whom you possess such great respect and revenance—could very well be the same Princess Luna of olden times."
"Ever since I was a tiny little bat-butt, I've... heard tales of the moon goddess... but... uhm..." Echo cleared his throat. "I haven't... uh... exactly lived a very pious life."
"Yeah." Logan snorted. "No friggin' kidding."
"Besides... I don't know if you've all noticed but... uh... the midnighters of Bleak's Plummet?" Echo gravely shook his head. "Their idea of 'piety' is just a few rungs short of outright scalping."
"They're seriously that nasty out here?" Ariel remarked.
"Why do you think Rohbreddenites hate the 'Seventh Tribe' so damned much?" Echo huffed. He waved his limp, useless wings. "Ever wonder why I can't fly with these stupid things?"
"Err..."
"We midnighters are seriously hardcore motherbuckers. And for whatever reason—regardless of who started what—we've been chased off of the mainland." Echo sighed. "The rocks and shoals at the end of the world are all my kind have left. It's... pretty miserable, and you only get ahead by being friggin' crazy... or lucky. Me? I was neither. And the moment I spoke out, I got clipped for it. I'd like to say I learned a lesson or two... but it all got lost in coral." A half-hearted shrug. "That was about all I expected out of life... until a lame scientist and a certain east horse farted my way."
Remna wasted no time in sympathizing. "These 'midnighters' of Bleak's Plummet. Do they still worship the Mother of Nightmares?"
"Pffft. Totally. They'd get their knees bruised for her if she had a... well... y'know."
Remna looked at Rainbow Dash. "Then we might have our edge."
Rainbow blinked. "You want me to try and get Princess Luna to speak to these guys?"
"I think it's safe to say that we will encounter these creatures over the high seas between the Twilight Lands and the edge." Remna inhaled. "From what I've heard, such an encounter would not bode well for us."
"You could say that again!" Logan smirked. "Those leafy-eared bastards like to plunder and rape everything they get their filthy fetlocks on!" He cleared his throat, nodding in Echo's direction. "No offense."
"None taken... shit-for-tits," Echo muttered back.
Wildcard gestured.
Ariel nodded. "He's right." He glanced at the others. "Midnighters are known for covering the waters all across known latitudes. Either by wing or... whatever mysterious naval capabilities they have."
"That will be most interresting to discoverr in perrson!" Kepler said.
"This is no fact-finding tour!" Remna growled, then turned about. "Our mission is to ferry Rainbow Dash successfully to the dark side. This cannot be accomplished so long as the midnighters remain a threat."
"Can Luna really talk some sense into them?" Flynn asked. "Through the pendant and some such?"
"She'd certainly be willing to. I know that for a fact," Rainbow said. "But... like... she's not the only potential edge we have."
Twilight Sparkle's ears twitched curiously. "What do you mean, Rainbow?"
Rainbow smirked and pointed at Echo. "We have ourselves a messenger!"
"Huh?" Echo looked up. He winced. "Ohhhhhh ho no."
"Ohhhhhh ho yes!" Rainbow grinned. "What better a way to connect your cousins with the Mother of Nightmares than to have a living, breathing ambassador?"
"Those guys will want to murder me as soon as they see me return!"
"Why didn't you say so from the beginning?" Ariel asked.
"I did say so from the beginning!" Echo growled. "But you Heraldic douchebags were too busy melancholoically circle-jerking over the death of a Goddess to bother giving it a second thought!" He sighed heavily. "I'm telling you... they're all meat-headed. It won't work."
"I beg to differ," Remna said. She looked at Rainbow. "Sarosians are magically sensitive, yes?"
"Uhhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash glanced at Twilight.
Twilight nodded. "Yes, Rainbow. Sarosians—as a species—came into being under Princess Luna's watch. The lore is a bit muddled, but their very existence is owed to a magical preservation spell performed by Luna herself."
"So... much like how the alicorns helped manifest all pony races from the original pegasi from Urohringr!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Precisely."
"Smashing!" Rarity grinned at the others. "I just love it when I begin to understand things!"
"If Luna is capable of enchanting your pendant through moonlight, then it's safe to say that the sarosians as a whole will be able to sense it," Twilight added.
"Rainbow?" Ariel craned her neck. "Bit for your thoughts?"
Rainbow looked at Echo. "Echo, buddy... when you're around me... or around my pendant... do you feel something?"
"How many times do I have to remind you chicks that I've been in prison for a long time..."
"Be serious for once, you dummy!" Ariel barked.
Echo sighed, squinting at Rainbow's Element from afar. "I must admit that... it makes my skin crawl just a little."
"Every time you're near it?"
Echo gulped. "Every time I look at it." He fidgeted where he stood. "At first... I thought it was just me going through coral-huffing withdrawals but... I-I've been clean for a while now and... I still sense it."
"Is that enough to go on?" Flynn asked.
"If it works for the Austraeoh," Logan said. "Works for me."
"As if things could be that simple."
"You'd rather wait here and smell each other's farts?"
Flynn clamped his jaw shut.
Wildcard paced and paced. At last, the griffon paused and gestured at the others.
"Flynn's boat should be where he last left it," Ariel replied. "But, if worse comes to worst, I suppose we could appropriate another vessel."
"One as large as mine?" Flynn huffed. "I friggin' doubt it."
Wildcard gestured again.
"Right." Ariel nodded, then turned towards the others. "In any case, we only have about four days tops to reach midnighter waters."
"Why's that?" Logan asked.
Rainbow Dash stood up straight. "Because that's the window of time that we have before Luna's enchantment ends... whether or not I get to talk to her completely for all seventy-two hours after the full moon starts."
"So we can't stay here any longer?" Logan remarked.
"Most certainly not." Remna shook her head. "We should get whatever food and supplies that we can and make for the eastern shore."
"What about the windigoes and Central Guard patrols?"
"Time is our greatest adversary now," Remna said.
"And... will the ponies here at Blue's ranch be willing to give us anything?"
"If not, then we shall have to take what we can regardless."
"Whoah whoah whoah there, Axan." Rainbow waved her forelimbs. "Hold your scales. I know we're in a hurry to get to the next Yaerfaerda and beyond, but let's not add real robbery onto our track history of fake murder."
Remna sighed. "Fine. Then devise a way to get what we need and be quick about it."
"That's not exactly in my court, now is it?" Rainbow turned to face the far end of the barn. "Bard... ol' buddy... I know this may be super friggin' awkward... but is there any way you can convince anyone in your 'family' here to lend us the stuff we need to make for the final leg of our journey?"
Silence.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Bard?"
The stallion in question stood against the wall, staring out a window. His ears drooped under his hat as he sighed... limbs slumped.
Wildcard's goggles rattled. He shuffled over and poked Bard in the side with his claw.
"Hrmm?" Bard looked over, blinking. "Huh? Midnighters? Supplies?"
"Have you even been paying attention?" Remna grumbled.
"Rainbow Dash wants to know if you can get some supplies out of Blue," Ariel droned.
"Oh... uhm... right." Bard sighed. "Not an easy thang."
Wildcard gestured.
"No. I can't make it easier!" Bard suddenly snapped, forcing the griffon to lean back. "Look, I got us the shelter, didn't I?! Want me to bleed water from a stone?"
"Bard... take it easy..." Rainbow Dash grimaced. "If it's not possible, just tell us."
Bard took a long breath. He shut his eyes, then muttered: "I can make it work..."
"Are you sure of th—?"
"I said I can make it work, didn't I?! So lemme work on it!" Bard stomped out of the barn. "Just... gotta butter up his wrinkly hide... s-somehow..." With a cold shudder, he left the building.
The Herald exchanged glances.
Rainbow looked over at Applejack.
Applejack slowly shook her head.
Rainbow sighed.
"Uhm..." Fluttershy squirmed. "...are we really going to put this all in Bard's hooves?"
"He's the only pony who knows these mushroom farmers," Pinkie Pie said. "Who else is gonna get us stuff to survive the trip?"
"Whoever does what, we have very little time to make it happen!" Rarity exclaimed. "I don't know about you, but I'm positively dreading these 'edge-of-the-world sarosians.'"
"Somehow... I don't think they're the greatest threat we're dealing with right now," Rainbow muttered. "If Bard can't get through to his 'family...'"
"Believe me, Rainbow," Applejack remarked. "He wants to. He wants to mighty bad."
"I hate to sound cold and unfeeling..." Twilight winced. "...but is this really worth such time and effort right now?"
"Maybe not for us..." Applejack looked at the others. "But for yer Bard friend?"
The other ghostly mares were silent.
Rainbow sighed, brushing a hoof over her short-short hairs. "I'd be lying if I said the Desperdo didn't deserve the benefit of a doubt."
"Yes," Applejack said. "You would be."
Huffing...
Puffing...
Keris hurried through the granite hallways of the Frosted Shelves. He flapped his wings, not wanting to be slowed by sheer leg-power.
"Seraphimus...?"
He rounded one corner after another, breezing past confused guards and worried citizens.
At last, at the end of a long empty corridor, he found a hint of silver-blue feathers.
"Seraphimus!"
"Do excuse me," the female griffon said, marching down the hallway at a firm pace. "I must deliver the Defense Minister's message to Grand Magistrate Hymnos."
"Seraphimus, I must speak with you."
"The windigoes could let up at any moment," Seraphimus droned. "I cannot tarry—"
"Soldier!" Keris shouted, frowning. "Halt this instance! That is an order!"
With dull scrapes, Seraphimus came to a dull stop.
"About face!"
With a cold exhale, Seraphimus turned around. She gazed unemotionally at her former subordinate.
Catching his breath, Keris walked a few more paces before shuffling to a stop. The two stood apart at a distance. Cold lanternlight flickered across the empty space between them.
"You do not need to do this," Keris said. He gulped. "You do not need to be Chandler's bodyguard... rushing blindly into a fruitless hunt."
"He is our superior, Lieutenant. Both yours and mine," Seraphimus calmly replied. "And it is not blind—nor fruitless."
"Seraphimus..."
"Chandler's best recon has already found hints of the Rogue's whereabouts. If we make haste, we will catch her and bring justice to Verlaxion's honor—"
"I am sorry... so very sorry for what happened to your family," Keris said. His beak tightened. "But killing the Rainbow Rogue will not bring them back. Killing yourself... will not make them alive again."
Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "Lieutenant, I am quite aware that my family is dead."
Keris gaped.
"Our Goddess is dead. Our future is dead. And I...?" Her headcrest drooped. "...I have been dead for a very... very long time."
The Lieutenant grimaced.
"I finally have the courage to admit that," she said. "But I'll be damned... damned to an afterlife lost forever from the Spring Havens... if I was to let the Rainbow Rogue reach her destination without dying as well." She inhaled deeply, her expression as cold and steely as her plumage. "All that's left of me is a purpose... a razor-edged sword... and I shall make sure that the Defense Minister slices it across the Blighted pegasus' neck for all that she has robbed from the righteous... from the living..."
"Seraphimus, you're better than this," Keris muttered. "Do not let yourself become nothing but a heartless vendetta—"
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant." Seraphimus turned tail and walked towards the dim edge of the hallway. "But my task simply falls outside of your jurisdiction—"
Keris took a bold step forward. "The Rainbow Rogue did not murder Verlaxion!"
Seraphimus stopped dead in her tracks.
Keris shuddered. He spat: "The whole thing is a lie... conjured up by Rainbow Dash, Professor Theanim Mane, and myself... to preserve the fragile integrity of this nation and its disagreeable Tribes." He took a deep breath. "You see, Seraphimus, the truth is that the Queen's death was never in the Rainbow Rogue's power. The entity that we know as Verlaxion was dying long before any of us was born. Rainbow Dash's arrival simply triggered her last breath... which she anticipated, fully knowing the damage it would do to us... our kingdom... through the windigoes."
Slowly, Seraphimus turned around, her charcoal eyes peering.
Keris nodded. "I lied. I lied to everyone. I did it to protect countless ponies. But it doesn't change the fact... that I've betrayed you... my closest friend and strongest confidant... especially when you needed someone you could trust in. And... I'm sorry, Seraphimus. I'm sorry that it had to come to this... but there simply was nothing we could do... nothing we can do... except live... live and protect the ones who are still left alive..."
Cold, dead silence.
At last, Seraphimus marched forward, crossing the distance between them on cold claws.
Keris stood in place. As Seraphimus approached, his talons tightened against the granite floor.
At last, Seraphimus came to a stop. She reached a hand up... and caressed Keris' beak.
"I lied when I said that I was dead," Seraphimus said. "There's still part of me that aches... aches for you... and all that the Rogue's Blight has done..."
Keris' breath shook. A hint of moisture crossed his eyes. "Seraphimus..."
"He took Jordan from us... and now you..." Seraphimus sighed. "Well... when the Rainbow Rogue is dead... I trust that you will find clarity. Even if it takes a lifetime." She backed up, shaking her head. "That is something I will never enjoy."
"Don't... please..." Keris squeaked.
"I go now to the edge of the world to end the great ender..." Seraphimus marched off into darkness. "I will not return." A cold hint of silver plumage, then nothing. "That is my one and last promise to you."
Keris stood alone in the torchlight. Breathless.
Stats
Page generated in 0.081 seconds
Total duration
1,110 users online
2,221,906 hits today, 2,571,732 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I'm hoping this doesn't come back to bite Keris in the butt, also I hope we truly get 3 days of Luna. That'd be nice right before likely months of silence from Moonbutt.
Twelve chapters till the end of the world. How fitting.
Whew. Things are starting to get intense. This is the final run for the edge of the plane! We're almost there! Dark Side or Die Trying!
The anticipation is killing me! Seraphimus is so far gone...
20/20 (Tunnel Vision) - Graveyard
Yes, just yell out the one secret that is keeping your nation from tearing itself apart at the seams in the middle of a crowded fortress/disaster shelter, featherbrain.
Tumultuous chapter
How? How has Seraphimus been given so many chances, and still never chosen the right path? Is her character arc really going to be that enormous?
Your purpose is to be a tool Chandler. It always was.
And thus... Seraphimus has chosen the final death...
Kinda fitting I think.
Echo has the best lines.
Another convert to the high priestess of awesome.
You seem distracted Keris.
But like the saying change comes constantly
Growth is optional choose wisely
-Companions are abound, frozen spectres hound. Utaan.
Twilight's gonna be punned out like heck in this setting.
Hey!)
(
The batties are made out to be really pleasant, aren't they?
From the few we met, they do seem... "wilder".
Sounds like the alicorns are fond of genetic manipulation.
Whoever first made up "Shellaphimus" some time ago? Sounds even closer enough now.
7274319 honestly Seraph has it worse in my opinion.
Seraphimus is already dead and is a ghost. She's given up on herself and has no purpose or desire. Not even a desire to die.
Imre died when she decided to and in a way that she felt would make the most difference. (Too bad it only made things worse)
Basically even if Imre's death accomplishes less I respect and honor her passion and choices even while disagreeing. Seraph deserves nothing but pity because she has broken and is now nothing but an emotionless tool to be wielded by people she would have considered her enemies at her prime.
Yup, Seraphimus has gone full Shell. Well, 95% Shell. She still hasn't butchered a community yet, like Lerris. Oh, hey, look a farm filled with secondary characters we're only starting to get to know! I sure hope nothing horrific happens to them due to Dash being pursued by militant crazy people that want her dead and wont' care what they destroy in the process of chasing her. I mean, we've already done that plot to death, and IC wouldn't do the exact same thing twice, right?
..........Right?
Well Keris very likely just made everything worse, if Seraphimus tells anyone what he just said. No one will believe him, the Talon or Theanim's about anything and they will lose any kind of influence they have over anyone.
Edit: Part of me kind of thinks that IC's plan here is to have Keris and Theanim's slowly lose control over the situation and end up having to tell everyone the truth anyway because they realize that Rohbredden is becoming radicalized or something to that effect. Now if this is the case; I would be interested to know if that was the original plan or something he switched to because of some of the criticism leveled at the death of Verlax and Rainbows choice.
So, I have a strange and probably pointless question...
What about Swab?
I've been thinking about the little scamp recently, and I can't even imagine what must be going through his cute little scared head. I mean, he's spent his whole life praying to Verlaxion for forgiveness, and for absolution for his parents, right? Then, he befriends this hurt pegasus and ultimately helps her escape imprisonment. Only to discover that she went on to kill his goddess.
If he believes even a shred of Rainbow's act, he'll blame himself for Verlaxion's death, even as the eldritch Windigoes close in on his new family at White Barge.
I don't think Seraphimus is the only walking corpse this side of the blight.
Yes! More batpone!
orig08.deviantart.net/1686/f/2014/008/b/0/plspls_jasmine_by_vectorvito-d71fqcl.gif
Of course this started off as relatively lighthearted and then got more and more serious towards the end.
Someone needs to give Seraph a smack. And a hug.
I didn't think that Seraphimus could get broken anymore than she already has. I was wrong. I was very wrong
The truth once again isn't enough to shake Seraphimus. I really think it's hate that compels her.
7274432
I think Swab has several advantages that Seraphimus lacks to keep his spirits up. At White Barge he's surrounded by good folk and close friends to help him through things, and unlike Seraphimus he also has that personal experience with Dash, having seen her both at her worst and her best. Swab knows the score a lot more clearly than Seraphimus does, so I think he'd know the lies for what they were, and even if he believed a fraction of it and got depressed, he's got support to help him deal with it. I figure the little guy is alright.
I can't help but feel that Luna talking to the sarosians is going to be an interesting clash of cultures. I mean, the midnighters seem pretty chill, and Luna's super uptight as a general rule (at least in comparison).
Eeesh that got sad...
You know, I almost had hope that Seraphimus would listen to Keris. Of course that would be to easy.
...You shouldn't have told her that, Keris...you should not have told her that. If anything, what Seraphimus just said about her motives shows that she will be going to Chandler with this information. Very bad move.
Welp. I firmly have an idea of where this is headed, and it ain't gonna be pretty.
Good news and a relief that the Wyverns yet live, even if their home has been completely ransacked.
I wonder if this is either an allusion to "one step at a time", or the bond-promise that he made with Jordan...
I'm glad Echo found a moment of happiness there talking with Nicole.
Next destination: the Midnighter shoals. Arrival time: either before, during, or after all hell breaks loose.
7274555
Sounds like only a small minority would be considered "chill". An average midnighter by Echo's reckoning would probably chew Luna's ear off for managing the sun or coming across as soft compared to Mother Nightmare.
A clash of cultures all the same, though.
Seraph is going down the path Shell did once, but there is still hope, faint though it may be, of her coming back from that edge. Unfortunately
It is unlikely that she will catch up to Rainbow without ditching her entourage. Also there Theanim recognizes that the truth needs to come out slowly, and fortunately he has allies in the Wyverns to help with the spreading of that truth. In Rainbows corner it seems like Echo is getting a lot better. Hope Luna can do the same to the rest of the Midnighters at Bleak's Plummet.
hmm...I seriously doubt IC will have Lerris happen again, however, I do think that the farm (assuming it becomes the battleground) will be destroyed in some capacity. Also: if the farm is the battleground, I think Blue is boned.
I don't think the battle will occur at the farm, the nine will have moved on by the time Chandler gets there, though what he'll do to the farm for sheltering RD is anybody's guess.
So Chandler and his crew will continue east, where, somewhere over the eastern seas they will encounter the Sarosians. If by then the batponies haven't pledged themselves to Luna, they'll tear Chandler a new one, as is their nature.
If however they have pledged to Luna, they tear Chandler a bigger one. Either way, I reckon these are Chandler's last days upon this plane.
If there's one song that describes this whole story so far, it's this:
7274308 Or maybe that's the point IC is trying to make. Not all characters get redeemed.
27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnxqlmGEdR1qdldoro1_500.gif
Just a thought: What if Keris had mentioned that he'd met Verlaxion? That he was repeating the words he'd heard from the Goddess' own mouth. How would that have affected Seraphimus?
Things... things are going to heat up pretty quick in the next few chapters, but I have no idea how it's all gonna happen. We have about 3 days or so to get to the Sarosians and have them talk to Luna, but before that we need to get some truth and such out of Blue, Tim, and Bard at the farm. On top of all that, who knows when the Central Guard is going to show up again to mess things up? Damn, I'm getting too antsy about things. Seraphimus needs to be put down though... for her own sake.
~SolidFire
So now the whole charade hinges upon Chandler being reasonable.
Dash might have had a higher chance of success fighting the entire herd of windigoes alone.
7275056 Character arcs don't necessarily end in redemption. I'm just saying that, for the amount of screen time she's been given, it still feels like we're in the middle of her arc.
Although, now that I look back on it, she sort of seems like an analogy for all of Rohbredden. She lived only to serve Verlaxion, fell apart when that belief was shaken, then pulled herself back together again in order to oppose the Rainbow Rogue. So whether or not she sees the truth in the end might say a lot about the future of Rohbredden as a whole.
Well, we finally get to see the Sarosians.
7274862
well he's already part skeleton from how pinkie describe him
googles confirmed for still existing!
EDIT : I just came to realize he may have been talking about wildcard's glasses
story of this story
Well Seraphimus is now in Shell mode.
7275254
):( has already proven that a LOT of things can happen in three days
also, a lot of people fear that seraph will spill the bean, but why would she talk about the "truth" when she believe it is just one more lie/illusion from the rogue? (maybe she'll try to confront rainbow with it, but all those who would hear her would either already know it or will believe it is a lie from the rogue and won't want to spread those treacherous words)
No. No you will not.
Dang
I like Nicole, hope we'll see more of her.
Curious about what's up with Bard.
Was hoping things would go better with Seraphimus. Keris really should've broken it to her more gently and not gotten into a pointless fight with her before, not that I think that would've changed the outcome.
Hilarious. Also made me crave some delicious vegetables.
Poor Chandler. Thinking armor will do Anything against someone who even Before leveling up, could punch through 6 foot of living wood. Compared to that, the quarter inch of steel plate and 3 foot of flesh will be like those dangling potato mushrooms.
Seraphimus has already lost, and cannot improve. Dash has got better since.
That farm is a nightmare. Theres Stockolme all over the place, and when Theanim finds out what the main produce is, he will personally torch the entire area. With Alchemical Fire.
Looks like there still will be a confrontation between Seraphimus and Dash, on the bright side, Chandler will be there too, i really would have hated having him alive in his current position.
I am still curious how far Chandlers little campaign goes back, him being responsible for the attack that caused Seraphimus family to be poisoned, that would be quite a plot twist, Seraphimus would probably still hate Dash but i guess she would settle with ripping chandler to pieces if this could somehow be proven.
Sounds like a twist that could be initiated by a discord driven conversation.
There was a time when I had hope for Seraphimus, and thought she would see the light and become an ally. I have no such hope now. She's crossed the event horizon, and I can see no future for her that doesn't end in death or all out straight-jacket insanity.
On an... incrementally lighter note, Luna's communications with the Midnighters ought to be interesting.
Echo is the only thing smoother than Twilight Grease itself.
It's nice to see Rarity is remembering a bit more about Dash's journey.
Sera noooooooo
So, stone-cold military commander loses their position and their marbles upon realising the finality of their family's death, and decides they are a tool with which to end Rainbow's life for lack of any other purpose in their life or better individual to blame. They pursue her through farmlands full of intriguing yet ostensibly minor characters which are only significant for a certain party member's character arc. Yeah, this doesn't sound familiar in the slightest.
Mad old Blue might just get vindicated by the end of this book. You know, by a small army showing up on his doorstep asking "Have you seen this super-villain?"
7277209
The difference: one can't use magic.
7274392 to be fair it is different, seraph isn't crazy per se
just broken, and with nothing left
shell was full on delusional and psychotic
there are similarities: both tend toward rage, and care very little for anyone who even remotely disagrees
but seraph doesn't seem like the lerris type, were as shell doing that was almost expectable
grim march vs. haphazard chase
I retract any earlier statements made about Seraphimus. Seven Devils it is.
And then Twilight was all like...
7274432 7274515 Swab is Martin Luther King in the making. He'll have his own four legs to stand on.
Seraphimus...
There's still time, though. My theory: Luna will have something to do with her redemption.