“For real?!?” Ariel's voice cracked. Her tail flicked like a frightened cat's. “Split up?!? We're not even a third of the way across this dimly-lit toilet bowl and you want us to split up?!?”
“Hey!” Logan raised a hoof, bearing a dumb grin. “I've got a great idea!” His face contorted into a scowl. “How about we just turn back time by a few months and throw ourselves off the damned Edge?!?”
“Stop being melodramatic,” Rainbow droned, rolling her eyes. “Nat'rdo has given us a priceless offer and I think it'll help our quest for the Midnight Armory to take it.”
“Weeks ago, you were ready to ditch these fanged melon fudges!” Ariel exclaimed.
Rainbow flashed her a hard glare. “Weeks ago, I didn't have my frickin' back up against an ocean of zombie porridge!!!” The blue hairs on her back bristled. “If I brush off the Bloodwings now, there'll be no take-backs! We'll be giving them more than the cold shoulder by crossing the ocean without shaking hooves, and I don't these are the kind of ponies to forgive!”
“They're also not the kind of ponies to shake hooves unless they've chopped them off first!” Logan said.
“Again, that's Lexxic's game!” Rainbow looked over at him. “And he's stood down! The matriarchs have their war dog on a leash!”
“Yeah, and just how strong is that leash, Rainbow?! What assurance did Nat'rdo give you on that?! Huh?!”
“Big Show, have you stopped to consider that if we win over the matriarchs' favor... we win over Lexxic's allegiance as well?” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “What greater edge could our quest get?!”
“Rainbow Dash, have you stopped to consider that you snorted glue over night and farted up this whole stupid fever dream of a plan?!?”
Wildcard stepped sharply forward, gesturing: “Give her some credit. This is the best possible plan, given what the Bloodwings have promised us.”
Logan squinted at him. “And do you believe what the Bloodwings have promised?”
Wildcard took a contemplative breath. “I believe that every other option is bleaker at this point, and Rainbow has proven to be exceptional at making the impossible work in the past.”
Rainbow couldn't help but smirk lightly at that.
“Jordan is right...”
Everyone looked in surprise at Seraphimus—including Rainbow.
“Given all that is at stake, the lead on the Bloodwings is making Rainbow's decision to pursue negotiations with them the most logical choice at this point,” the former Talon Commander continued. “But it still doesn't change the fact that they could betray us at any time. Lexxic... or these so-called lofty 'matriarchs.'”
Ariel sighed, looking limply at Rainbow Dash. “But to split up?!?” Her ears drooped. “When was the last time splitting up ever did anything good for you?”
“Back in Val Roa,” Rainbow Dash said firmly. “And it saved an entire friggin' civilization.”
“... … ...” Ariel clammed up, wings and tail curling.
“Everry which way I look at it, it seems a valid strrategy,” Kepler said. He looked at their leader. “Am I assume that—if things werre to go south, figurratively speaking—then the grroup positioned herre at Blobstain would arrrange it so that a swift and timely exit could be made across the Ocean?”
“Exactly!” Rainbow's voice cracked as she nodded enthusiastically. “Half of us stay here and warm up to the Goblins and... the Dihmers... as much as you can warm up to them.” She pivoted about and looked at the rest of the Herald. “Those who can fly will join me in meeting the matriarchs face to face.”
“That meeting... would take place in their crazy-ass tree, right?” Logan asked, eyebrow arched.
“That's right, Big Show.”
The stallion blew out the side of his muzzle. “Into the lion's den...”
“Ach...” Kepler nodded. “It could verry well worrk. And assuming you arre successful in winning not only theirr trrust—but theirr favorr and compliance...?”
Rainbow gestured. “We'll meet up again. All of us. Only—Celestia willing—we'll have an entire friggin' army on our side.”
“The same army that ruthlessly slaughtered Abaddon's children and preyed on Gwen's expedition?” Seraphimus breathed. “That is a very tall order.”
“One that we can afford...” Rainbow looked at her sharply. “While we can afford any single thing whatsoever in this frickin' realm.”
“... … ...”
“Unnnnnngh...” Ariel pulled at her mane hair, groaning inwardly. “Buttttt splitttttting uppppp... I hate splitttttting uppppp!”
“You're the fastest flier we've got, girl,” Rainbow said. “You'd be on my team.”
“Oh!” Ariel sat up perkily with a smile. “Well, okay, then!”
Wildcard face-talon'd hard.
“You do realize that if your safety is compromised,” Seraphimus stated, “Then the foundation of your entire journey for the so-called 'Harmonic Prism' will be lost forever.”
“Not a single moment of a single day goes by without me knowing that, Sera.”
Seraphimus nodded. “Fair enough.”
Logan rubbed his chin in sullen silence. At last, he looked over towards the one silent pocket of the group—where a unicorn stallion sat, hunched over. “Baldy? You've been pretty frickin' quiet this whole time. Got anything to weigh in on this shit?”
“... … ...” At last, Flynn looked up. The twilight glinted off his cold metal lens as he stared lethargically across the space between the Heraldites. A deep sigh, and he murmured, “This world is nothing but misery and suffering. The only creatures that seem to be living it up are the goblins—and they're a bunch of freaky bastards who'll sell their own brothers and sisters out for money.” He slowly shook his head. “Our only true friends have been bigass spider monsters... and thanks to their tiny ounce of goodness they's been ostracized, banished, and slaughtered.” He looked at Rainbow Dash and Seraphimus standing side-by-side. “If we have an opportunity—any opportunity to wash this place clean of all the blood, stank, and destitution... I think we should do it.” His ears drooped. “...while there are still ponies here who stand to benefit from ending this stupid War once and for all.”
Seraphimus and Rainbow Dash exchanged thoughtful glances.
“We all know that we're here to save the world, Flynn,” Ariel said. “This piece of Urohringr along with the rest. But... everyone who lives here...?” Her eyes narrowed. “They've been suffering for centuries, and I doubt it's all going to completely end the moment we yank the Harmonic Prism out of the Armory.”
“Still...” Flynn rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. “It's worth a friggin' shot, isn't it?” His lens rotated, aimed up at the rest. “I'd say let's friggin' do it. Let's split up... have Rainbow make kissy-kiss with the Bloodwings... use whatever edge we can to do what's good for a change.” He gulped. “Already—from what it sounds like—Lexxic has withdrawn from slaughtering the countryside. That's one extra day of mercy that this world's bought... and it's one day more than these creatures have ever had the luxury of enjoying before we came.”
Wildcard and Kepler nodded.
Eventually, Ariel herself nodded.
Logan rubbed his stubbled chin, sighing. “Well, Rainbow...” He looked across the way. “...I can't say I'm entirely on board with this idea. But so long as Bard's bromancer and the murder turkey are seeing the logic behind it... I can't see why I should stick my stubborn fetlocks into the mud.”
“Jee...” Flynn rolled his one good eye. “...thanks.”
“Your speech was fruity and so are you.” Logan gave the unicorn a light kick before turning to Rainbow again. “Fact is—Rainbow—you're the leader and what you say goes. Are we doing this?” His eyebrow arched. “Are we going full splittsville?”
Rainbow fidgeted in place, feeling all of the eyes on her. “... … ...phweeeeeeee...” Her ears folded. “There'll be no going back from this... huh?”
“Just how much time did Nat'rdo give you to mull it over?”
Ranbow was silent.
Logan cocked his head to the side. “Long enough time to go for a walk...?”
I think we’re going to see Rainbow and a few others enter the Bloodwings’ place, realize they’re not as bad as they thought, gain enough trust to figure out where the Shard is, then have the Bloodwings turn on them for some reason (anger at poor treatment of their infantry, maybe), and be kicked out. Then they’ll think they might as well take the Shard while they’re at it, and they’ll run like hell back to the Blob. Someone will probably die along the way (Ariel) and they’ll barely make it off the shore. There’s a chance we’ll have a Lerris-esque slaughtering of Blobstain, and Purple Eyes might come along. I think that’ll be the end of the book.
Or the Bloodwings could just be happy fun times, I don’t know.
Lets see Rainbow and gang do the splits!
Adventure.
Nah! More cliffhangers. Magical ghost friends talk time.
Ariel needs some new characterisation methinks. Her crush is cute and all, but it kinda detracts from the rest of her.
As an aside, Dash's plan is pretty solid, extend a hoof, warm up your wings. I'd like to know what the ghosts think about the prospect though.
So, step on up to the plate, meet your fate
Walkin' straight on into the lion's lair
So step on up to the plate
And if you fall
Get up, rise like a phoenix - that's your fate!
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
I think this chapter really showed off the strengths of Logan's character.
Flynn's speech as corny as it was I think shows the real reason why they should do this.
The reason splitting up the party is traditionally bad is because and adventuring group is typically made up of specialists; fighter, cleric, rogue, mage. Each does one thing very well, while sucking at other areas, and the other members of the group make up for those weaknesses with their own abilities. An adventuring party is kind of like a single organism that just has different parts designed towards specific tasks. So if they split up, then those individual components become vulnerable. The squishy mage get's mobbed in melee. The fighter, lacking ranged support, gets blasted from afar. The cleric might fight alone with no one to heal and back them up. The rogue can't effectively backstab without someone to flank with.
Splitting up makes the well oiled machine kind of fall apart.
That said, Dash and the Herald have never really been specialists. Some of them can fight better than others, but mostly what you got is a bunch of front line fighters; Dash, Logan, Wildcard, Seraphimus. These front liners are backed up by a group of support folk; Kepler (alchemy), Flynn (technomancy), Ariel (...cuteness?).
In short the smart way to split this wouldn't be flyers/non-flyers, it'd be fighters/non-fighters. Have Wildcard and Seraphimus air cart Logan while Dash leads, and all the strong fighters go into the potentially dangerous enemy territory, while leaving the support group to keep networking and doing support things with the goblins.
Not to say Ariel isn't a capable fighter in her way, but she's nowhere near as good as any of the other fliers in a brawl. And she's the cutest. And she's Dash's current potential love interest. And she has no more interesting backstory to cover. And has picked up no new character development elements lately... ah hells.
...And yeah, I'm saying Ariel's survival chances for this upcoming arc don't look good by my estimation. Here's hoping I'm wrong.
Seraphimus x Logan Ship Confirmation Chapter Counter: 71
Logan's pretty committed to being devil's advocate. Always good to have one in the group.
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Ariel's reason for being with the Herald is pretty much summed up with
"Mom did it, I'm doing it too!"
So, it's going to be the 4 samurai kind of party - RD, Ariel, the griffs, with the rest preparing the mother of all absconds.
Good news is, the fliers got probably the strongest warriors, along with the fastest fliers. The bad news, if anything even attempts to invade the Dihmers in the meantime, its more or less just Logan holding the fort with Flynn and Kepler as support. They can hold, right?
Also, wasn't expecting a Flynn speech. Here's to hoping Flynn spends this time warming up to hot with the Dihmers.
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It might not be the deepest of motivations, but its serviceable. I mean, compared to say, Flynn or Kepler who literally seem to be there for the lols and nothing else. What most of the Herald needs at this point is motivations and goals that go beyond Dash's quest. Flynn's off to a good start with this purple-eyed Dihmer mare. Here's hoping that actually grows into something. Logan was pretty flat, but his relationship with Seraphimus has done wonders for his character. Wildcard still has his super-mysterious past to fall back on to keep him interesting. Seraphimus has her growing (but far from fullfilled yet) redemption arc, and a simmering rivalry with Dash. At this point Kepler and Ariel could both do with some fresh goals or character angles to keep them from just being banter boxes.
My main hope is that the Bloodwings will prove an interesting and diverse faction, moreso than present lore has suggested, and we'll get a host of interesting bat pone characters that have varied personalities, goals, and conflicts with each other that in turn the Herald can interact with to get some characterzation going for themselves. At least until things go tits up. Because this is the Austreaoh series and good things can't consistently happen to Dash. And it's the Dark Side, which has been billed as "grim dark", so stuff has to not only go wrong, but go disasterously, bleakly, abandon all hope kind of wrong.
Kind of the downside to this whole Dark Side in terms of narrative is that it really feels like it hedges Skirts in and limits what we can expect, because no matter what goes down, we know someone, somewhere, is gonna bite it. Its not a question of "if", its a question of "when and how". As a result half the time I just sort of look at the characters and think to myself "Okay, which of you is the most narratively expendable right now?" That logically should create tension, but for me it just creates a background sense of annoyance that characters I'd like to get attached to and invested in are already slated for bodybags, and that no matter how its written, those inevitable death scenes won't add up to a compelling character arc compared to what we'd get if the story wasn't current in "grim dark" mode and making us expect it.
So who will be going to the Bloodwings?
Rainbow, Ariel, Wildcard, and Sera?
I feel like we'd be leaving the second group without heavy-lifters, except Big Show.
Which would be a problem.
This is going to end horribly
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Well, the Wyverns were pretty much all in on the whole Austraeoh biz. So we can assume that Kepler is somewhat of an intellectual exemplar for his species, so he wasn't recruited so much as chosen to fill a spot.
I wouldn't exactly call Jordan's past mysterious at this point. He was a member of the Talon, close to both Sera and Keris, was badly wounded in an op that left him minus one talon and missing presumed dead, was taken in and healed by the wyverns and Mortuana, took up silence because of an oath he made with Keris, was trained by Remna, became a Herald, met Bard and became a Desperado, then Dash happened.
Logan and Sera could really bounce off each other really well in terms of interaction, but they've barely spoken since Sera joined the party, which is a crying shame.
Flynn's backstory needs more fleshing out than just "Logan's backstory happened and he was there." that we have so far.
Same with Ariel, she needs more than just "Mom did it, so I am too." and "Rainbow Dash is cute and I want her to love me."
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I like Keps intellectual side and how enthusiastic he is about seeing and discovering new wonders, even in a place like the Dark Side. He just needs some personal character hooks, like developing friendships among the goblins (I think their Petra-born love of invention can really jive with Keps).
With Jordan the main thing is that we really don't know why he took a vow of silence, or what that op was that went so south. I've gotten the impression there's something seriously dark and unpleasant at the root of his silence, but maybe that's just me reading too much into things? Either way he seems like the only one who really has any potential skeletons left in the closet to discover.
Logan and Sera could use some more alone time, and I'm not just saying that because I want my counter to reach another target goal. They do bounce off each other well, and to be honest I'm not thrilled at the idea of them being separated for this arc.
Flynn could use some more backstory, but I'm just as happy to focus on developing the situation with Purple Eyes right now. As with Ariel, backstory potential seems limited, but that doesn't mean characters can't be made more engaging by giving them fresh new aspects to develop on the Dark Side.
Mostly I just feel like the Herald needs things for their characters to be motivated by and do besides their Austraeoh escort mission. If they're the meat shields meant to take the hits for Dash, they need compelling reasons to want to make it back to the Light Side besides just saving the world or fulfilling duty.
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I'm fairly certain Keris mentioned it at one point. if something happened, can't remember what, then Jordan would take a vow of silence and Keris would give up the use of his wings.
Found it
The mission isn't mentioned in detail, just that it left him badly injured.
Utaan 171: Brothers of a feather, forever.
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Still pretty iffy on just what went wrong on that mission that caused him to not rejoin the Talon. Was it just the Herald stuff or what? I feel like for something this critical to his character that's a real small blurb to explain it all. Especailly considering I don't recall Keris ever, well, not flying, so why would Jordan still not be talking?
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Perhaps we'll learn the details of that mission later.
As for the oath, well as far as Keris knew, Jordan was dead. Which was still within the terms of the pact. fighting together until their death.
Perhaps Jordan and Keris had a talk offscreen when they met up, with Jordan giving Keris an out to use his wings with the logic that "You made that oath with Jordan... Jordan died that day. I'm Wildcard now."
Or it could simply be that whomever broke the pact has to lose what they offered up.
That's why Wildcard refuses to speak. He's simply abiding by the rules of the pact. Part of his character seems to be an unwavering loyalty and dedication, so it fits with what we know of him.
No matter if Ariel stays or goes, what are the odds that Lexicc will pick her up in order to use Loyalty actions against her. Willingly remove the Element or the cutie loses the other wing?
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Yeah, that mission seems kind of important, since it led to Jordan completely changing his identity and not returning to the Talon. I also could have sworn there was some hints that he'd done something during that mission he wasn't proud of, and I got it in my head that his vow of silence was tied to that. Really wondering about that is one of the things that's been keeping my interested in his character. Kind of a bummer if the silence really is just tied to that oath with Keris, because well, honor is one thing, but blind honor is something else entirely. Being able to verbally communicate would be a critical factor in certain situations, possibly the difference between life and death, so keeping to an oath that literally has no bearing on the present situation and was sworn during much simpler times seems... excessive? Bordering on insanity?
Admittedly Wildcard fares a bit better than some of the other Herald as he has a more personal reason for being on the Dark Side, as his friendship with Dash is far more developed and personal at this point. I'd say he's in this for her way more than the overall duty of it all. That and his now rather complicated relationship with Seraphimus.
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I've been pondering this - specifically, the matter of motivation.
I think the problem is in the way they were introduced. It was easy for us to get attached to each member of the Jury, because they weren't defined to us in terms of a relationship to Rainbow - we saw Josho being a drunk officer, Kera being a street rat, Floydien being a... uh, Floydien, before they even so much as knew about her. Also, they often got introduced alongside characters who would end up ultimately not joining the party for the long haul, like Jasper Clark and Crimson, all of which helped their decision to come along for the ride feel more organic and meaningful.
The Herald, by contrast, were presented to us for the express purpose of being Rainbow's party. We didn't get those same organic introductions this time around, and the characters feel shallower as a result (except for WC and Sera, who did get introduced that way). They've gotten plenty of character moments, sure, but it's not quite the same.
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I'd say you hit the nail on the head. Its not that the Herald are bad characters, really, or that they don't have potential to grow, but the way they were introduced wasn't anywhere near as interesting or natural as the way the Jury was. The Jury got to be characters who's actions and motivations eventually intersected with Dash and grew naturally around her, but weren't there solely to serve her and her quest. I think this is the difference between characters who are... well, character driven versus characters who are plot driven. The Herald feels like they exist largely because of plot reasons, and are only now, after quite some time, starting to grow into their own as characters. Still, I think Skirts is trying to grow them now more organically, and give them more character driven aspects and motives.
You know, just in time for them to start getting super-murdered by Dark Side shenanigans.
Well said Flynn, and glad they are not just rushing in, but taking the time to plan this out.
This is the part of an RPG where the game tells you there's no going back once you start this mission. We're about to make some dramatic progress on this, one way or another.
Also, I don't think Rainbow doesn't _know_ that Lexxic is a problematic entity for the Matriarchs to control, I think she's just in denial as she's grasping for straws here. From her earlier conversations with Nats, it sounded like the Matriarchs are really struggling to keep Lexxic under their control. To me, this feels like the Matriarchs are barely more than a puppet or a figurehead, and Lexxic controls all the power that's propping them up. If he wanted to, he could probably ignore them and do what he wanted to without much blow to his own plans and gravitas, but he's merely playing nice for now since the bats stand to profit from Rainboe going to them.
Even more worryingly, Lexxic standing down and the Matriarchs inviting Rainbow to their tree could be his plan after all. We know he's violent and destructive, but without somepony very cunning to focus that power to strategic aims, that sort of aggression would fizzle out very fast. Lexxic must be a very smart and competent strategist to sustain the bats' advances for however long, and that's the scary part.
Or to summarize, this whole meeting could be a trap organized by Lexxic, and he's masking his plans by feigning subservience to the Matriarchs and making it look like this invitation to Bat Country is their idea instead of his by presenting it to Rainbow through Natr'do
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Yes yes yes.
And they will all reunite in book 11.
Hm, the previous incident appears to have taken an emotional toll on Flynn. It is as if something broke inside him.
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Think of it this way. If Keris had broken the pact and given up his wings, would he get them back after reuniting with Jordan?
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Luna's teats you're right. If IC doesn't include this I'll eat a sundrop.
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Ariel is what you would typically call a fleetfoot (or at least I do): a competent close range fighter who relies more on speed (sometimes cunning as well) than on brute force. This charater's speed makes them ideal for moving quickly around the battlefield, offering extra support or carrying important messages where needed.
Rainbow Dash also fits this description but she's also the troop leader.
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So what you're saying is that The Dark Side is just Game of Thrones with Ponies.
And griffons.
And a wyvern.
And Sarosians.
And changelings.
And Goblins.
And a bunch of other stuff.
You get the point.
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Do you realize how amazing of a premise that sounds like? I'm just imagining him waking up, using his voice to ask what happened, being frustrated that he can't leave because he's injured, crying out that his friends need to know he's alive. Crying in his sleep, I'm sorry, Keris. Learning about the Austraeoh from mortuana, telling her why he can't stay, leaving to finally go tell them because he's healed, realizing this is bigger than anything he's ever done, tearing himself apart over it, talking to Flynn, returning to mortuana and not saying a word, learning wyvern speak, going on a few quests, meeting Bard, and the story goes on.
But I'm afraid if I wrote it it would never do the original justice.
Aaaaaaand it looks like we're jumping, once again, into the breach
Haven't heard from the Ghostly Five in a while, though. Wonder what their take this turn of events is?
Never change, Ariel.
Please. Please. No more toilet jokes. No more crazy idioms and random zany figures of speech in every character's dialogue, no more to the point where you can't even focus on what's going on because the choice of words is so constantly marked that it distracts from everything else. No more breaks from neutral narration for the sake of comedy. No more meta-jokes and fourth wall breaking from every character.
Just please, if you can find the time, perhaps dig up a couple chapters from Eljunbyro or Innavedr. Make a comparison. Reading through this has become work for me.
The Rainboarke is under fire from a challenger.
Too bad for the Rainbariel, the Rainboarke has superior firepower.
Ariel, if you were any more transparent, you'd join the rest of the mane six.
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THE NEXT CHAPTER WAS YOUR FAULT. I was trying to figure out 'why', and now I know.
Aww splitting up is baaad...
So, a rough plan has been formulated, time to nail down the specifics.
06/11/2018
16:29 UTC
Lexxic is starting to make me think of Magus for some reason, and I'm not really sure why. The comparison isn't even 100% there, but I digress...
goddamnitAriel
Well anyways, looks like this is happening. Again, I don't expect a happy conculsion to this. Fruitful? Yes. Happy? Hell no.
Especially for the lovestruck featherball.
Same Wildcard. Same. This girl. XD
Sure, 'cause THAT'S the biggest relief here.
Hops out of time portal Okay back to where I left off. Time to catch up. I wonder if this will go well?
Dash...that's a pretty big assumption.
....for Celestia's sake Ariel.
Gee, that's not at all ominous.