Try Not to Cave
Coughing.
Sputtering.
Wheezing breaths.
All was dark—until a unicorn horn shone a cone of pale blue light across the dilapidated domain. Even then, all was full of dust, soot, and ash.
Flynn covered his muzzle with a fetlock as he limped towards what remained of the cave entrance. He kept his natural eye closed while his mechanical lens rotated in and out, searching the full spectrum of available light.
"Grnnghh... mrmmfff... R-Rainbow Dash?" He coughed and hacked. Tears formed along one side of his face as he searched harder and harder through the dense ash. He had to lean left and right to shine his meager light around stalagctites and other random rock formations. "Rainbow Dash??? Kaff! Kaff! Guh... are... are you alive?"
Silence.
He stood limply in the middle of the cave with drooping ears.
"... ... ...am I alive?"
Just then, there was movement.
"!!!" Flynn spun about and aimed his light at the source.
A petite body stood up, shaking dust and debris loose from a prismatic mane. Soon she was helping up a limping griffin whose shallow cuts illuminated the rockfaces around them.
"Rainbow!" Flynn galloped over in a single breath. He leaned in, helping both souls up until they stood as evenly as possible. "Holy shit, girl! Do you always gotta make it a heart-stopper?"
"So long as I've g-got a heart..." Rainbow muttered, wincing. She let Seraphimus lean on her side as they hobbled into a more open spot of the cave. "Hooooooooo boyooooooooo..." She coughed and wheezed. "...are all tunnels on the Dark Side made out of asbestos?"
"Was it worth it?" Flynn asked. He leaned in closer to examine Seraphimus. "Did she make it in one piece?"
"Hrnnnghkkt..." She spat blood and cracked her joints beneath her neck feathers. "Cease your redundant prattling, heretic..."
Flynn sighed. "Eeeyup. Fillies and gentlecolts, we've got an ass parrot."
"Rainbow Dash?!" Ariel flew in. A beat later, and she was gasping wide. "Rainbow!" Swoooooooosh! A gray streak collided with the mare, hugging her tight. "You made it! You made it! You made it! Heeeheeheee!"
"Grnnngh... yeah..." Rainbow wheezed in the other pegasus' fetlocks. "Spttkt... h-how are the others...?"
"Oh! Uhm..." Blushing, Ariel leaned back and stood at attention. "I got Wildcard patched up. He's gonna be okay. Kepler's working on more rune stones and... uh..." She reached forward, dusting Rainbow's coat clean of ash with her feathers. "...we're... like... stuck in a cave."
"Not precisely." Rainbow was still fighting to catch her breath. "Rarity said something about a hollow tunnel system..."
"We must concern ourselves with the ceaseless tide," Seraphimus said.
"What's she talking about—?" Ariel began, but didn't finish.
With angry thuds, the sea of beasts directly outside punched and clawed and clamored at the collapsed entrance to the cave. Ariel shrieked, jumping up and hovering nervously in place. She and the others looked nervously at the fallen chunks of rock forming a fresh wall.
"They..." Rainbow grimaced. "...th-they can't possibly get through all of that, can they?"
Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes narrowed. "Even I refuse to believe that you're that stupid."
"Don't worry," Flynn said, gesturing. "I've got Keps working on a solution."
"Huh?"
Kepler scampered up, grasping several runes. "Look, brrotherr!"
"HA!" Flynn grinned wide, levitating the rocks. "Just in time!"
"You're gonna set another blast?" Rainbow asked.
"Absolutely." Flynn nodded, placing the freshly-primed rocks in evenly-spaced locations throughout that portion of the cave. "Can't risk them getting any closer."
"The thicker the better," Ariel said. She blinked. "Erm, you know what I mean—"
"Just move!" Rainbow exclaimed, already galloping. "Come on! We wanna distance ourselves as much as we can in case there's an extra big cave-in—"
"For once, a wise idea," Seraphimus said, hobbling after her and Rainbow.
Kepler lingered in the middle of the cave. "Do you need assistance with—?"
"No, I've got it. Head for the wagon!" Flynn said, already backtrotting. With a final touch of telekinesis, he tightened the explosives in place. Then—taking a deep breath—he shouted: "H'rhnum"
The runes flashed, illuminating Flynn's galloping figure. Behind him, the tunnel exploded yet again. POWWWWW! Chunks of rock fell in a cascade but stopped at a bend in the corridor. The resulting collapse put several meters of dense debris between them and the exterior of the mountain.
Seconds passed.
Minutes.
The Herald slumped in pure darkness, catching their breaths.
At long last, Flynn illuminated his horn. He took a count of everypony to make sure they were accounted for.
"Where's... Big Show... and Wildcard?" Rainbow stammered.
Ariel pointed down a winding corridor of rock. "Down that way. Minding the cart."
Rainbow looked to the side. "... ... ...let me guess. The wagon's not that far?"
"Couldn't be. Why?" Ariel blinked. "Are you feeling faint?"
Rainbow sighed. She watched Discord juggling his eyeballs and antlers while riding a ghostly unicycle. "Just a hunch..."
"Hmmm-hmmm-hmmm..." Discord hummed, then glanced sideways at Rainbow through hollow eye-sockets. "What?" He threw what he was juggling high into the air and tilted his head up towards the cave ceiling. "You expect me to be impressed by all that explosiveness? Let's face it, Sparky, you always survive your ordeals." P-P-Plonk! His antlers landed in his eyesockets and his eyeballs atop his scalp. "Whoops."
"Rnnngh..." Rainbow face-hoofed tiredly.
"Still..." The dragonequus grinned. Slamming a fist against his chest, he replaced his eyes with his antlers—Plop!—so he could squint at her. "...you should call me the day when your harmonic lucky streak finally ends. Because—boy oh boy—will that be a sight to behold."
Rainbow clenched her eyes shut.
"I wonder... can you even fill the big curve of Euro-Hungary with enough popcorn to nourish such a bloody matinee—?"
"Somepony tell me," Rainbow's voice growled, even catching Seraphimus by surprise. She opened her eyes, flickering red-on-yellow. "Where in the blue buck did those trolls come from?"
"Trolls?" Ariel blinked.
"Yes, Ariel. Trolls," Rainbow grumbled. "Worthless creatures with no reason to exist except to spread misery."
"Huh... you don't say..." Flynn brushed past Seraphimus, glaring sideways at her. "...must have been looking for a long-lost sibling."
"I'm sorry," Seraphimus droned. "Were you attempting to insult me?"
Kepler spoke before Flynn could retort. "Trrolls... how currious..." He took his spectacles off and used the leathery length of his wing to brush the ash off the lenses. "Ach! But of courrse! Ferral cousins to goblins! Arrcane gatekeeperrs of underrgrround trreasurre trroves!"
Rainbow spun around, squinting at the wyvern. "You've heard of them?"
"Myself? Nay..." He placed his glasses back on and shook his head. "But the Mountain Matrron taught me plenty. A bane of horrse-kind all acrross the hearrt of the Light Side. I suspect they have a historry even in Equestrria."
"According to Twilight, yeah." Rainbow nodded. "But... from the sound of things... they haven't shown their ugly mugs in our lifetime."
"That's because the chaos lorrds who conjurred them werre defeated ages ago by the alicorrns," Kepler said. "A solarr spell—invented by yourr matrriarrch, no doubt—made surre they turrned to stone at the slightest touch of sunlight. Eons since, they've been forrced to live in ruin far underrgrround wherre no otherr living things could venturre." He blinked thoughtfully. "Alas... on this parrt of the plane, they must flourrish... fully gifted with the demonic bloodlust that was bound to theirr essence once upon an unforrtunate time."
"So... they live here... and they're off the chain," Rainbow said.
"Prrecisely."
"Then... what got them all to pop out of the ground like demonic ground hogs and chase us like that?!?" Rainbow's voice cracked.
Ariel and Flynn exchanged glances.
"Isn't it obvious...?"
Both looked at Seraphimus.
The former Talon Commander glared at the group. "...you did something to attract them just now. The entire hoarde. Like moth to a flame."
"You... mean...?" Flynn began.
Seraphimus pointed down the length of the tunnel. "That damnable material that was responsible for the floating rocks. You've dabbled in pure chaos and now it's lit your caravan up like a hellish bonfire." She strolled icily across the dimly-lit corridor. "Is there a single thing your pathetic group has not done since the Edge to sabotage all that you pretend to believe in?"
"Look, lady!" Flynn frowned. "We had run out of magical options!"
"More like you ran out of patience and good sense..."
He growled. "Either we used that shiet to fly the Hell outta there or we ended up Dark Side food for the traps!"
"Trolls," Ariel muttered.
"Whatever!!!" Flynn barked. He pointed an angry hoof at the griffin. "And don't go preaching to us! The only reason you proved to be so useful is that you're just as hungry for gore as those mindless freaks out there!"
Just then, Logan marched into the chamber, dangling a lantern from his axe handle. "Yeesh. What are you squawking about this time, baldy? Did she insult your horn size?"
Seraphimus cut everyone else off: "It does not matter, for soon I will not have to endure any moronic discussion whatsoever." She swiveled to face the large stallion. "I have followed my end of the deal. Are you keeping true to your promise?"
Logan stared at her. His eyes darted across the chamber.
Rainbow Dash blinked.
Taking a deep breath, Logan spoke out the side of his muzzle. "I am. Go on ahead."
Seraphimus merely nodded. "Very well." She left with a flick of her tail, carrying her wounds into the deeper darkness. "You have my word that I won't take much to carry..."
"Carry?" Ariel blinked. "Carry what?"
"Big Show..." Rainbow marched through Discord's figure and approached the stallion with a furrowed brow. "...just what did you promise Seraphimus for all this?"
He looked at her. He took a deep breath...
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fkn lol
I wonder too...
Damn you and your cliffhangers!
Aww goodbye Sera... We'll all miss you.
You can take my life, but you will never take my freedom.
I wonder what Logan offered Seraphimus, and something tells me I am not going to like this
This reminds me of a Rifts game I once played. the party was formed, but differnt members took different vehicles, some in the biggest vehicle, a couple off roaders, and I took a heavy motorbike with a 50 cal or 25mm cannon firing Strike shells. Then I ran outrider, ahead, behind, down parrallel roads, the electron to the nuclear group. Best option is Sera heads off and keeps an eye on things as she discovers herself as the brooding loner.
Or she can nip round the side of the mountain and make a Troll Katamari to roll down on Dash at the first occurance.
8532627
I think it's pretty obvious at this point.
She helped save their asses, and she gets to go free.
Anyway...
Sera has probably been called worse by the thugs she used to round up.
I'm gonna miss Sera, though something tells me she'll be back. If for no other reason than because of Wildcard.
Though I hope by then Flynn has calmed his ass down.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
8532754
More than anything else, I say Seraphimus needs purpose. Before, she had it. Now, she does not.
Once, she sought to serve Verlaxion, to save her family. Then, she sought vengeance, retribution, for crimes done against her and her people. Now, having dealt with the figurative Devil and bargained her way out of Hell, she needs purpose again.
What form might it take, I wonder? She has so much potential as a character that it would be disappointing to see her simply... disappear beyond the firelight in the middle of the night.
With the Noble Jury, we had closure, painful though it was. I hope Seraphimus finds her purpose.
Revelations.
Now is not the time to split the party.
It'd be hilarious if she only asked for a bigger portion of food or something minor like that.
Hmmm, this should be interesting. Even if she was promised the ability to leave it's not like she can go all that far right now.
And she’s taking off. But I’m pretty sure we’ll see her again.
8532894
She'll probably gust as soon as they're out of the cave.
Most likely she was promised her unconditional freedom. I expect one of three outcomes:
1- she's convinced to stay with the group, at least for a while
2- she leaves, but like wildcard after the quade she stays near but out of sight
3- she goes far away and ends up with some group in the war. Best guess is a prisoner of the bats, or a claimed ally (or prisoner) of the new ponies.
8532924
Yeah if it is her freedom that is exactly what she will do
Yep. Stuck in a cave. Fun fact: Cave in latin means “beware.” So, you know, Cave the cave.
Awww, just when I thought Sera was finally joining the party.
She's fine.
Close enough.
This sounds really familiar to the Tartarus Curse in Appledashery.
8533082
Also, as luck would have it, cave is "cavum" in Latin. So... cave cavum.
Oh goddammit murderbird
Ain't that the truth
Depending on what he has promised, Logan might be the one with a problem now. Either because he is facing Seraphimus, or because he is going to do something that could invoke Rainbow's resentment.
Oh wait, nevermind, she is leaving the group. Oh well. I guess we'll see her again at the climax of Book Ten, where she swoops in out of nowhere to save Rainbow's life right in the nick of time.
I don't know how you've managed to write all of these...
Never the less, after binging Austraeoh for two days straight, and getting severely upset at the ending, I had to find the next book. I was surprised to find eight more waiting for me. I have converted them all to eBooks and plan on finishing them by the end of the week. All eight. I will do this. I swear!
This is an amazing story.
8533958
Good luck! It took me over a year of constant reading through all my breaks!
8533994
I'm a fast reader... Or a skimmer... It helps that I developed the ability to scan the pages and get the general idea of what's going on, because that means I can always come back and read something new, because I've always missed something...
But yeah, I'll be done before next year, for sure!
Watch the deal be rendered void by a cave troll attack.
8534429
Took me about three months, with interruptions. AFAIK some recent commenters here have actually done it in two weeks or less, though I can't imagine how.
8534269
24.media.tumblr.com/1e2d1598fd8b54b3da444279a004431b/tumblr_n4l77pyhcS1s5qyvoo2_500.gif
Phrasing!
8534003
Good luck, and enjoy! I look forward to having you join us!
Beware what lurks in the caves, Rainbow. It's probably worse than what you'll find on the surface.
I feel she's not going to distance herself too greatly.
8534479
I read the first six books in their entirety in 6 nights of reading.
Cave a lot.
Please, Rainbow. Kepsipedia has heard of everything.
Is this the end of the line for Seraphimus? Has Big Show flipped his wig? Will Discord share his legendary recipe for potato salad?
Some of these questions will be answered in our next subterranean episode "Exit Seraphimus" or "Griffin the Herald the Bird!"
8533958
Get the readers' edition ebooks from my user page. Then you can follow the comments and the readers as well
Hmmm. I'd call this a "pointing out your flaws doesn't make them go away" moment, but considering who said it there's most likely something more to it.
8561750
I'm getting a Blackjack vibe from that quote...
Oh hell....
Either he promised her freedom to go where she wanted, or that she can come with them as long as she carries stuff.
He promised her to be free from her shackles as long she stays useful, didn’t he.
Hmmm...