“I had her... I had her!” Windburst snarled, wincing. Lieutenant Keris sat behind him, patching up his first degree burns. “She was in my sights, Commander! I... I didn't take the shot b-because I was afraid of inflicting a mortal wound if I wasn't careful enough.” His beak clattered as he gazed across the charred gates to the north end of Kunmane. Stallions wandered the ashen debris, gathering water in buckets as they put out the last few embers. “Our mission is to bring the rainbow bastard to the Council of Verlaxion alive, is it not?”
“A wise precaution, Sergeant,” Seraphimus said, pacing. “What matters to me is that you're still in one piece. That was quite a fright we all suffered.”
“What I wanna know is how did she commandeer a friggin' firework launcher?!” Raptr exclaimed.
“She didn't,” Keris droned, wrapping bandages around Windburst's feline haunches. “We saw her. She was in the streets. At ground level. She never reached the rooftops.”
Seraphimus looked over at Starstorm. “Sergeant? Your report?”
Starstorm gulped. “The pyrotechnicians on the rooftops mention nothing about a pegasus mare attacking them or stealing their launcher.” Her feathery brow furrowed in the starlight. “However... the ones who dropped the launcher that fired at Windburst claim that a set of rooftop shingles... slid out from underneath them.”
“What do you mean 'slid out?'” Raptr blinked. “As if it was an accident?!”
Starstorm explained, “They say that a rusted rain spout fell over, causing a chain reaction.” She looked at the other members of the Talon. “According to eye witnesses, a fleeing figure kicked a metal bucket into the rain spout—which led to the calamity.”
“I don't believe this...” Raptr plopped back on his haunches, beak agape. “Are we expected to believe that the Rainbow Rogue can just... b-bend reality to her will?!” He tossed his talons. “That she can just wave a hoof and then stuff will explode into our faces for no reason?!”
“Get ahold of yourself, Sergeant,” Seraphimus growled. “What occurred was nothing more than coincidental circumstances.”
Keris calmly looked up. “Commander—” He breathed.
“Nothing more!” Seraphimus shouted, her voice echoing across the mountainous slopes. A few nervous citizens glanced over from afar. “This beastly vagrant is capable of sly and unorthodox tactics, yes, but she is no damned wizard!” She seethed. “We've hunted down miscreants ten times more powerful and resourceful than the Rainbow Rogue. So far, she has proven to be agile and lucky. Nothing more!”
“Commander...” Keris gazed at her.
Her claws scraped the ground. “I will not let exhaustion and paranoia trick us into confusing fortune with finesse! Now she is no longer masked by a crowd. She's alone in the Mist Cliffs with very few supplies and resources. If there was any opportunity for us to nab her, now is that time!”
Keris frowned. Taking a breath, he boldly said, “I only mean to say that Windburst needs to rest. His injuries are easily recoverable, but not if we work him to the bone.”
Seraphimus hung her head, sighing. “Yes, Lieutenant.” She gulped, her fury draining with each breath. “Your advice is... sound and wise.” She looked up again. “Sergeant, remain here in Kunmane. Hydrate yourself and catch some sleep.”
“Not necessary, Commander.” Wincing, Windburst struggled to stand up. “I need to pull my own weight after that disastrous show—”
“I need you at full health,” Seraphimus insisted.
“You're going into those mountains to find her and I'm your best eye in the sky!”
“Which is why I'll need you if worse comes to worst,” the Commander retorted. “You are to stay in Kunmane with the Lieutenant until sunrise. And that's an order.”
With a sigh, Windburst nodded. “Yes, Commander.
Keris—in the meantime—blinked curiously. “You... wish for me to stay?”
“The Sergeant isn't the only one injured and in need of recovery.” Seraphimus pointed a talon at Keris' sling. “You've flown long enough with that being punished by the winds. I want you to rest as well.”
“But Commander... you'll need me in the mountains.”
“So long as the Rogue's flightless, she doesn't stand a chance against three airborne members of the Talon,” Seraphimus said. “Nothing that's grounded in the Mist Cliffs can outrun us. Those mountain paths are like self-devouring snakes. We'll be onto her in no time.”
Keris took a deep breath. “I wasn't speaking about the Rainbow Rogue...”
Starstorm and Raptr fidgeted. They looked from the Lieutenant to their Commander.
Seraphimus glared at Keris. “You have my word—as your leader and as a sworn guardian of Verlaxion—I will bring in the Rainbow Rogue alive.” Her charcoal eyes narrowed. “I saw her with my own eyes, Keris. We stared at each other in the streets of Kunmane. This 'Rainbow Dash' is small... fragile... pathetic. A perfectly helpless vagabond, if I ever saw one. I frankly can't see what could have made her so strong back at Red Barge.”
Keris gulped. “That's precisely what I'm afraid of.”
Windburst winced.
Seraphimus' beak nostrils flared. She turned around while icily slipping on her helmet. “Raptr... Starstorm...”
The two Sergeants joined her side.
“We have a lot of ground to cover... both vertically and horizontally.”
“Aye, Commander.”
“Yes ma'am.”
Seraphimus looked over her shoulder. “Lieutenant?”
Keris stood up. “Yes?”
“At sunrise, take Windburst and fly ahead to Ivory Prefecture. No mortal could have traversed the Mist Cliffs in that same time span. If we haven't found the Rainbow Rogue yet, then that means we'll still be combing the mountain paths for her.”
He nodded. “I understand. You wish for us to stand guard?”
Seraphimus nodded back. “Keep an eye out for all souls entering the province. Ask the townsfolk of Braum to put their best guards on alert. I get the strong suspicion that the Rogue will be heading for that village. It's the only real establishment north of the Mist Cliffs.”
“Very well, Commander. We will meet you there.”
“Verlaxion willing, we won't arrive empty handed.” Seraphimus let out a whistle, and she shot up into the starlight, accompanied by her wingmates.
Keris and Windburst stood in place, watching the rest of the Talon fly off.
Gripping his burnt arm, Windburst shuffled over to the Lieutenant's side. “So... uh...” He gulped. “These 'ghost friends' of the Rogue's...”
“Hmmm?” Keris' beak tightened. “What about them, Sergeant?”
“Can they manipulate fireworks and explosions?”
Silence.
Keris muttered, “Rainbow Dash is gifted. But we are even more so.” He sighed. “Try not to pay too much heed to my warnings. It's best to have faith in the Commander. We are her claws, after all.”
“Still...” Windburst looked at him. “You're worried. I can tell.”
Keris nodded. “Indeed I am. But for another reason.”
“What's that?”
“Braum isn't too far away from Steamfall.”
Windburst's eyes narrowed. “You mean the transit hub for the Shoreline Consortium?”
“Indeed.”
“How... does that fit into all of this?”
“Namely that if we can't catch up to Rainbow Dash first, it's very likely that somebody else will...” Keris exhaled icily as he marched back into the heart of town. “And I doubt it's a party that will benefit any of Rohbredden whatsoever.”
Windburst looked after him. Shifting his bandaged limbs, he cast another worried look into the misty mountains due north.
IC, you're really confusing me now ever since the last chapter. Is Windburst a 'he' or a 'she'? You keep mixing it up when it comes to Windburst. ...Or maybe this griffon is both?
Careful, Commander. Badder asses than you have underestimated Rainbow and paid for it.
Seraphimus....you just underestimate Rainbow. She may look fragile and pathetic but she has endured more than in your lifetime.
Seraphimus is underestimating Rainbow. Mistakes are being made.
Nice chapter
Seraphimus is being very foolhardy at this point, she really does need the rest of her group to keep her in check. She is going to underestimate Rainbow and get her butt handed to her at some point.
Heh, RD managed to beat up cyborg mares with missile launchers even before she got Wall Hacks.
... Sooooo, she's splitting the party up, bringing only half of her force with her, and still somehow thinks that this is gonna be easy.
...
Also, if the mountains are as misty as Nana Pearl implied, it essentially means that the Talon are going to be flying blind, relying on their eyes and ears. Meanwhile, RD has magic ghost mares to tell her exactly where they are and what they're doing.
Alright taking all bets! Which shmuck is gonna be unfortunate enough to be first to get knocked to next Tuesday by the prismatic pony? Paying out 2:1 on Raptr, 5:1 on Starstorm, and 10:1 on Seraphimus. Bonus if they get taken down Predator-style. Also accepting sidebets on whether Longaze shows up in time.
Pinkie sense is the absolute worst thing an elite unit can face, as it is an Unknown Unknown. Something that they can not know they do not know, and thus cannot plan for it.
She forgot to mention intelligent, observant, and able to think on her hooves.
Keris' job seems to be to reign in Seraphimus, so how well will she function when her voice of reason is gone?
Another misstep, she doesn't need to outrun them, a misty mountain is very difficult to search, even by air. I also bet that Rainbow overheard more than a few evasion tips from Eagle Eye when they were on the Jury, which would make their task all the more difficult
I wonder if this is a reference to that discussion that I had with Nicroburst.
What drives her is an idea, the idea of restoring her friends, and an idea can be more powerful than any magic that exists. I am surprised that Seraphimus didn't see a bit of herself in Rainbow, as she to is driven by an idea herself.
And someone knows the bigger picture. However, if Longaze (as a known fugitive who was at Red Barge) does show up there at the same time as Keris, and he recognizes her, then Keris could actually have her arrested for attacking an officer of the law (himself), resisting arrest, potentially conspiracy to commit treason, and likely tax evasion, especially if he asks the local police to do it.
With all of that done, I wonder if we are going to get another of IC's scenery porn. Here's hoping.
Annnd the talon's learning first hand to not question the pink one
That's the gist of it, yup.
Intense game of cat and... other cat in the mountains. Sounds fun. As others have pointed out already its pretty clear Seraphimus is seriously underestimating Dash, but I suppose to be fair to her she hasn't really gotten a good look at what Dash can do. She's hardly seen Dash when Dash is at her best, only as this hunted fugitive who seems uncommonly lucky in her evasions.
6797956
Kinda hard to scenery porn fog, fog, and more fog. Unless we switch into blind POV, which honestly we briefly did that way back with Pilate. Still confusing as all hell being blind and all.
6797914
I'll take a piece of that.
Put 20 bits on Starstorm please, and I'll add 15 onto Longaze showing up.
--------------
You were not about to say that Keris...and Seraph's reaction confirms that.
Well Dash.. you now have another Shell like entity chasing you across a continent... should be old hat right?
I can't wait for her to get a dose of Dash's wit.
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
So that's how that works.
6796484 That'd be the claw of a griffon. What is the collection of talons and palm called, though?
6797860
It's 2016! I can be both male and female! Heck, I can be a flying spaghetti monster according to tumblr! totally a guy though
Wherefore art thou, Wildcard?
That's one way of whittling them down, I wager. I wonder if by the time eventual confrontation becomes inevitable, maybe there will be only one of them left...
6798134 They prefer the term 'griffonperson'.
I can't fault Seraphimus for being so skeptical, but that underestimation is only going to give her a hard slap in the face.
Remember Seraphimus, in the game of chess losing your cool is the best way to start making mistakes and losing not just pieces but territory that you once controlled.
Wonder if keris will bump into the twins or chat it up with nana pearl in town.
41.media.tumblr.com/61e97bc00c7cf4221601b0ccccf6dd0f/tumblr_o0c2rmyrev1soy91jo1_540.jpg
Dunno 'bout that, Seraph.
6797867 ouch.
6797914
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWcCskvU3vE
Their first encounter with Dash and they learned just as much of Pinkie as the rest of the girls.
So, Dash, a master weather worker, accompanied by a squadron of advanced sense and information ability ghosts, who can manipulate cloud, fog, wind, rain, snow, hail and lightning, is being chased through extended mountain ranges by those who want to capture her, who are flying.
Did someone say Predator? or Die Hard? cos otherwise I got nothing.
6798028
Very well could be. Seems Sera's going with your plan this time: jump ahead and set up guard.
But I have to agree with you. Pinkie Sense is going to mess with their heads. We've already seen examples of how ridiculously strong that can be, though communication delay will hamper it at times.
Further . . . they still have no idea what Rainbow's doing. Keris tried to give them the best heads up he could, but that's clearly over. If Sera doesn't start thinking more clearly about what Rainbow's possible motives might be—and therefore where she's headed—she's going to be blindsided eventually. Certainly seems like the others are beginning to wonder . . .
Also, that Longaze foreshadowing. Fog aside, maybe IC can use her for scenery porn?
6797906
Next thing you know she'll turn collisions off...
https://youtu.be/qc7jblpaPdM
6797860
6798134
6798214
-Are you a mare or a stallion?
-I'm a griffon.
-I mean, are you male or female?
-I'm the Right Talon of Verlaxion
-But what do you have between your legs?
-VERLAXION'S RETRIBUTION.
And what makes you think that they will be able to catch her, hm?
It's cool and all that Seraphimus cares enough about her squad to give them some R&R time but I'm not sure how she expects them to recover after a single day.
6797914 Put me down for 50 bits on Raptr. What's the over/under on the number of suplexes throughout the fight?
6797860
Check your privilege! Windburst identifies with all gender pronouns, so unless you want to become problematic, get with the program and accept his-her-shi's-hir's-it's gender fluidity.
6798646 Not taking bets on suplexes or headbutts. They happen far too reliably.
6798512
Careful. Dr. Hax is always watching.
Aaaaannnndddd I'm back.
Rainbow's going to have a rather deadly confrontation in the Mountains of Mist, I can sense it.
Shit's gonna be hittin' that Steamfall fan.
Inevitable Longbow booty call~
6798646
Sera probably does expect them to be ardent enough to soldier on while injured. It hasn't exactly hindered Keris thus far and Windburst clearly thinks he can follow suit. But it was enough of an excuse to have a smaller group rest up a bit before going to act as sentries on the other side (a wise move on her part, even without knowledge of a certain unicorn threat lurking in that area). Especially when she thinks she has Rainbow sized up to the point where pitting 3 against 1 will be enough where they're heading (not so wise).
You know, I kinda want Rainbow to be captured by the Talon. If that happened, then she would be transported swiftly, by the Talon, to her destination. The only catch is that she would have to escape once there, or be let out by a certain griffon friend...
Well I guess when Rainbow gives Seraphimus the slip, we'll be set up for the next LongBow
makeout sessionbattle royale.Now that the Talon's split up, they won't ever catch Dash. I mean, seriously. Without Keris to hold their hands (paws? Talons?) they won't know just how much of an advantage Dash has.
6799169 You crossed out the wrong words... Fu fu Fuuu
6798748 You have successfully failed to make a good "haha tumblr are is stupid." joke. Conga Rats.
...To be honest, if that's actually on purpose then I'd expect Windburst as genderfluid.
6800361
Mmmhmm. ^_^
It wasn't a Tumblr joke so much as a SJW joke. I actually like Tumblr!
What If after all this time of everyone calling bets on who rainbow is gonna bang, or how Seraphimus is about to be thrashed by rainbow, or that Seraphimus is the next Shell. What If it's Seraphimus that Rainbow gets the snuggles with?
6801422 And then after they snuggle, Seraphimus burns a village and slaughters everyone after finding Rainbow in bed with Longaze. Fuse all the theories.
6799162 Problem with that is that Rainbow and her friends doesn't know where the Talon will take her if they do capture her. Methinks if RD only knew, then she'd probably let them capture her.
...Come to think of it, doesn't Chandler want RD, too? Maybe he wants to bring her to where RD needs to go, too, to show off and finally get promoted!
...So uh, whoever captures RD will bring her to her destination.
Buuut, IC being IC, RD will get there on her own, and then will perform the ultimate facehoof when she learns that the two parties that were constantly after her tail wanted to bring her there from the start.
6798621 Because Longaze. 'nuf said.
6800361 Wrong crowd.
6801710 Which is exactly why it's a good idea to remember the difference between fimfiction and alternatehistory. I don't often read the comments here, do I?
still headcanoning it