"W'ynlppa yln N'ymymme!!!" a sarosian shouted, clanging a pair of whalebone bludgeons together after fending off a few unlucky Frostknifers. Hovering just below the main battle, she ushered two other nightblood warriors closer as they regrouped to form a flanking formation. "L'ywynmya syllpa my'wysll syln H'Luun!"
The accompanying warriors echoed as one:
"Sylymym H'Luun!"
"Sylymym H'Luun!!!"
Aiming her blades skyward, the head sarosian lead the charge. The three velvety figures ascended rapidly... just as a flicker of lightning outlined a serrated shadow approaching them from the west.
The head sarosian looked to her left. The thunderclouds shifted; a silver shape came rapidly into focus. Then the sarosian saw nothing, for her eyes had been removed.
SCHIIINK! A pair of talons dug halfway into her skull, twisted, and snapped her neck at a grotesque angle.
The other two warriors scarcely had a chance to react. Whalebone blades swung in the air...
...and reflected off a pair of cold charcoal eyes. With the grace of melting ice, Seraphimus rolled over the corpse in her grasp and flung the body's full weight into the two wingmates.
One dodged swiftly, flying above the bloody fray with a twirl of his velvety figure. He looked down in a voiceless stupor.
The other was not so lucky. He fumbled backwards in midair, suddenly encumbered with the weight of his fallen comrade. Snarling with undeniable fury, he stabbed his blade at Seraphimus' feathery skull.
Seraphimus easily deflected the blade so that—instead—it sliced the jugular of the still-twitching corpse pressed between them. Blood spouted in a stream, dousing the sarosian's face and blinding him. Seraphimus breathlessly took advantage of the moment by kicking the bleeding body away and then descending upon the second warrior like a ravenous harpy. She dug her rear talons deep into his chest, piercing both his lungs simultaneously. The sarosian's body twitched, skewered by her merciless attack.
The third shrieked loudly, unsheathing a dagger and sailing down to avenge his fallen comrades.
Still with claws embedded in the second's chest, Seraphimus glared straight up. A blood-drenched glare flickered between them, and then—with a sickening pop sound—she ripped herself free of the second midnighter and flew straight up to meet the third's charge. She slammed into him—elbow first—uppercutting the confused warrior's chin. Her other talon caught his dagger just as he dropped it. One twirl, and the blade ended up hilt-deep in his neck—disabling him but leaving his nervous system electrified enough to feel the pain of what came next.
Carried by the momentum of her upwards glide, Seraphimus perched on the square of the sarosian's backside, reached out to her sides, grabbed two separate handfuls of leather and—riiiiiip—rendered the warrior completely wingless. His mangled torso plunged towards the waters below, leaving a misty cloud of blood in the thunderous air, serenaded by a final scream.
At last, Seraphimus breathed. Her eyes traced the heavens and—out of all the chaos and confusion—she singled out a single strand of prismatic color. Exhaling... fuming... she dropped the dismembered wings and rocketed up towards the heart of the fray.
"Rrrrgh!" Keris pummeled a sarosian in the face and tossed the body onto a nearby cloud bed where two Frostknifers lay, bruised and barely conscious. Heaving, the Commander spun about to face another pair of combatants.
But before he could even attempt to break up the fight—
FWOOOOSH!
—a silver streak soared up behind him.
"... ... ..." Keris' headcrest drooped. "...oh Goddess."
Beak clattering, he spun about and faced straight up through the heart of the battle. At last, he saw Rainbow Dash...
...and the body that was hurtling straight for Rainbow Dash.
"Commander...?" Starstorm asked from somewhere beyond the immediate battle.
"Talon!" Keris hollered, flapping his wings desperately as he ascended. "Form up—!"
"She's coming, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy wept. Screamed. She clutched at her skull as Pinkie and Rarity struggled to steady her. "She's coming straight for us—!"
"We have to retreat!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. "Fall back! This battle's gone on long enough!"
"Reinforcements will arrive at any moment!" Rarity insisted.
"Rainbow...?" Ariel nervously stammered, hovering closer.
"I'm thinking... I'm thinking..." Rainbow fidgeted in midair as the glinting silver shape grew closer.
"What's to think?!" Applejack hollered.
"AJ—"
"Dag nabbit!" Frowing, Applejack pointed downward. "The moment she gets here, there's only one dang thang that'll stop her from endin' you! From endin' everythang!"
Rainbow chewed on her bottom lip.
A copper smell lit the air...
...and a mutilated set of nostrils tasted it.
Enix spun around, eyeslits peering through the heat of battle.
"Rrnnngh!" another nightblood warrior finished punching a pegasus hard in the skull. Sensing her superior's alertness, she spun about. Her own nostrils flared. "W'ynlppa yln N'ymym... that scent in the air..."
"Fresh as foaling," Enix purred. "Cold as coral."
"Blood..." The hair on the back of the other warrior's neck bristled. "Blood of our brothers and sisters!" Schiiing! Unsheathing a scimitar, she lunged forward—
"No!" Enix held her back with a hoof outstretched. Together, the two peered down at the figure in question.
Like a banshee, the griffon in question ripped and tore her way through the fight. Sarosians scattered left and right, several clutching bleeding limbs and mangled wings.
"What... in H'Luun's name... is that...?" the subordinate stammered.
Enix stared. Pierced fangs shone in the twilight. "A challenge." Schhh-iiiiii-iing! Two whalebone axes kissed the air. "Protect the W'ynlppa yln H'luun!"
"Ywm, W'ynlppa yln N'ymym."
"Rrrrrrrrrrrrr—" With a surly growl, Enix spiraled violently through the fight.
"Rainbow!" Ariel squeaked, glancing aside with a feverish expression. "Call it!"
Rainbow's jaw clenched hard. Her blood boiled with each heart-pounding second that the figure approached.
"Rainbow—!" Twilight sputtered.
"I need..." Rainbow grimaced. "There's..." She grimaced harder. "...no other choice—"
"Wowie-wowie-wowie!" Pinkie Pie clutched her ghostly mane as it billowed in an invisible wind. She clenched her eyes shut and curled up into a mauve ball. "It's the big one—!"
"Good heavens!" Rarity gasped, for within the next second—
Swooooooosh! Enix's figure flew in from the side and tackled Seraphimus' body before she was within talon range. A sky-piercing shriek announced the engagement.
Ariel, Rainbow Dash, and several other figures looked in mid-battle to see...
...the two tangled warriors sailing off and piercing a tall column of dark storm clouds flanking the fight.
Keris' feathery head nearly spun off his neck from tracing the movement of Seraphimus and Enix.
In the following breath, the pair disappeared entirely from the Talon's view, obscured by mist and thunder.
"Mrmmmmf!" Hissing, Seraphimus reached a talon out and caught a claw-ful of cloud. "Rrrrr—Raaaugh!" Anchoring herself, she flung Enix completely off.
Enix flipped multiple times, made contact with the neck of a vertical wall of cloud, and flung one of her dual axes straight back at the griffon. "Eee-eee-eee!"
Seraphimus waited... waited... and flung her talon up at the last second. CLANK! She miraculously made contact with the blade's hilt, sending it sailing skyward. The weapon disappeared in a blinding crack of lightning.
As the strobe cleared, both warriors were left facing each other in the claustrophobic pocket of thunderclouds.
Seraphimus panted.
Enix panted.
A roll of thunder.
And then—
"You are bathed in the blood of my siblings," Enix said. Not taking her eyes off Seraphimus, she casually reached out and caught her axe as it fell back down. "I shall remember that when I carve out your heart."
"Seventh Tribe... forsaken bastards of the Seven Seas." Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. "Filth can only be defecated; never avenged."
"You shall not claim the Blood of Luna." Enix's eyeslits narrowed. "I have pledged my life."
Seraphimus' beak tightened. "Then you have pledged nothing."
"Hrmmmm..." Enix smiled... then slowly... icily sliced a fresh scar across her own chest with the tip of one axe. Moments later, her fangs were flashing in the stormlights. "Hressssssssh!" She charged Seraphimus at full speed.
And Seraphimus waited.
Pinkie Pie's ears drooped. Her teeth chattered as she spun away from the lower stormcloud to gaze at her friends and anchor.
Rarity gulped. "There's... there's no way she can survive that fight..." She rubbed her fetlocks together. "...is there?"
Applejack tilted her hat back, exhaling. "She sure thinks she can."
"Rainbow?" Ariel leaned in. "What now?"
Rainbow hovered in a sudden stupor. Snapping out of it, she turned from the battle and faced her friends. "Fluttershy? What do your senses tell you? Is Enix handling it?"
"Rainbow..."
"Be honest with us—"
"Rainbow, it's... it's something else," Fluttershy murmured, calming slightly.
"What?"
Sniffling, the ghostly pegasus pointed down.
"...?" Rainbow spun about. She looked through the fight and saw four winged figures on an intercept course.
"The Talon..." Twilight Sparkle murmured. Her ears perked up. "...Keris!"
"And there are reinforcements," Fluttershy added in a nervous voice. "Another squadron—the first guardians who fell." She gulped. "It's nearly twice as much as our friends are battling now."
"And they're on their way up!" Rarity exclaimed. "I can feel the metal of their blades!"
"Rainbowwwww..." Ariel leaned in. "Please. Talk to me. What's the score?"
Rainbow's eyes were locked on the Talon below. She raised her voice to be heard above the clattering and clanging of blades. "Ariel, you have to trust me..."
"Commander!" Raptr sputtered. "Seraphimus! She just—"
"I saw." Keris nodded without looking aside. "Eyes front."
"Huh?"
"I see," Windburst said, expert eyes locked on the prismatic target. "Orders?"
"We've got to bridge the gap!" Starstorm said. "Once and for all!"
"Agreed. Do not change course!" Keris hollered, accelerating swiftly through the battling bodies. "No matter what!"
"Full feather!" Windburst shouted.
"And once we make contact..." Keris sneered, squinting into the misty winds. "...get her out of the fight!"
"Fire up a flare," Rainbow Dash said, hovering out into the open. "Order a retreat to the east."
"Huh?" Ariel followed Rainbow's line of sight. At last, she saw what the mare saw. "Oh gosh—"
"Ariel!" Rainbow snapped.
Ariel ripped her eyes off the Talon.
"This is your time to shine." Rainbow squinted. "I need you to form the retreat! Let Wildcard take up the rear!"
"But—"
"Then fire another flare to signal a detachment to reach the final platform!" Rainbow said. "Bard's about to split up Chandler's forces! Once that happens, we need to get a drop on them! The drop! Do you understand?"
"I do! But... but what about you—"
"I will be fine! I promise!" Rainbow hollered—then suddenly grunted as she was attacked by a random Frostknifer. She easily fought off the warrior, taking the moment to sneer at Ariel once again: "This had to come to pass! It's the only way to seal the deal!"
"What deal?!"
"Have faith!" Rainbow sputtered. "Faith in Keris!"
Ariel fidgeted in mid-air.
"Friggin' go, you sexy melon fudge!" Rainbow—alone—grunted as more and more Frostknifers singled her out. She spun in a frenzied circle, fighting them off one by one.
Ariel frowned... shook... then spun about completely. She flew up to join a group of sarosians still armed with runic cannons.
"She's alone!" Raptr shouted, pointing. "You see?!"
"She's outnumbered!" Starstorm exclaimed.
"No..." Keris grunted against the friction of the stormy winds. "...she's singling herself out."
"We've got a good bearing on her now!" Windburst grunted.
"Yes..." Keris hissed. "...just as she wants us to."
"Commander...?" Starstorm stammered.
"Do not slow down!" Keris shouted, piercing the heart of the fight as bodies zipped past them faster and faster. "We must make this look good for Chandler's side! Give the soldiers faith! Prolong the battle!"
"To what end—?!" Raptr began, but didn't finish. Two sarosians collided with the rookie in mid-air. Breathless, the Talon member flew sideways, struggling to fight them off.
"Raptr—!" Starstorm made to veer after him.
"Stay on point, Sergeant!" Keris grunted.
"Rrrnngh!" she grunted, twirling to avoid a group of bat ponies lunging at them.
Runic charges exploded above and behind them. Lightning forked as thunder broiled.
Velvety bodies doubled in the Talon's peripheral.
Panting, Windburst yelled aside: "Commander! They'll form a front to blockade us—!"
"Right!" Keris nodded. "Go! Do it!"
Windburst broke formation. Summoning a war cry from deep within his lungs, he barreled sideways and plowed mercilessly into the advancing nightblood flock. The group was thrown into chaos as Keris and Starstorm soared past them.
"Commander..." Starstorm trembled, her wing muscles growing weak.
"Just a little further..." Keris droned.
Starstorm squinted into the winds. "Only the two of us—?"
"We're going to intercept her," Keris said with his final breath. He braced his upper body muscles. "Only because she's going to let us."
Starstorm nodded in silence. Together, the two remaining members of the Talon threaded their way through the last remaining meters of the battle.
Rainbow Dash kicked one soldier, punched another, and deflected the spear-stab of a third.
She yanked the spear from his grasp, uppercutted the Frostknifer, and spun about...
...to see Pinkie Pie's twitching face. "Brace yourself, Dashie—"
A wall of talons and feathers shot through her and connected with Rainbow.
Rainbow's body was prepared. The spear in her grasp was not. The weapon flew into splinters as Keris and Starstorm impacted her figure.
With a combined grunt, Starstorm and Keris expertly twisted their wings. Their upwards arc curved about, and soon they were plummeting with Rainbow Dash in tow. The combined push threw the whole group downwards, sailing murderously past bruised soldiers and gasping sarosians. Twilight and the rest of the ghostly mares yelped, forced to flail after them by a lavender force field.
"Haaaaaaaaaaugh!" Enix came sailing down at Seraphimus with both axes swinging.
"Hrttt!" Seraphimus crossed her forelimbs, blocking the hilts of both weapons and holding Enix back.
Lightning flickered around them...
...just in time to illuminate the flesh of three bodies piercing that very pocket of stormclouds from above.
Seraphimus' charcoal eyes twitched. Feverishly, she looked all around for a trailing streak of rainbow color that had briefly crossed her vision.
Enix capitalized on the moment, twisting her grip of the axes. "Hssssssssh!"
Sliiiink! Seraphimus' shoulder suffered a deep gash.
"Aaaaaugh!" Seraphimus' pupils shrank. The whites of her eyes brimmed with lightning. "You want blood?!?" With a focused grunt, she uncrossed her arms, knocking back Enix's grip of her axe-hilts. In the shriek that followed, she threw her body forward, mounting Enix's chest and biting a beak-full of ear. Without hesitation, she tightened her neck muscles and twisted.
When Enix next screamed, she could only half-hear it. Dropping both axes, she hugged her savage assailant just as tightly and dug her fangs deep into Seraphimus' right arm. Bloodily, the two wrestled and pinballed off the insides of the stormcloud.
While down below...
...Keris, Starstorm, and Rainbow Dash continued their plunge.
Their bodies formed a single comet of feathers and fuzz as they approached sea level.
The sight was not lost to Chandler's Armada.
"Defense Minister!" a crew pony hollered, pointing northwest from where they cruised.
Chandler wrenched his eyes off the distant Stardust to the east. He caught sight of the three figures in their mutual dive. His jaw dropped. "Verlaxion's sleet, Commander, you've done it..."
Eyes wide, multiple members of the Central Guard watched as the Talon and Rainbow plunged towards the line of rocks.
At the culmination of their fall, they sailed straight into the decrepit shell of a shipwreck...
SMASSSSH!
...and collapsed deep inside the ancient wooden structure.
"Ooomf!" Starstorm sprawled across a rocky bed.
"Grnngh!" Keris went sliding to a stop against the remnants of a battered mast.
"Httt!" Rainbow was the only one to land with a modicum of grace. She backflipped and slid to a stop, surrounded by a smattering of loose splinters. Wheezing, she struck a fighting pose, leaning up on rear hooves. "Look! I told them to go easy on you guys! I mean it—!"
"Rainbow..." Keris wheezed, struggling to stand up.
Starstorm squirmed atop the rocky platform.
Rainbow sputtered into the hazy shadows of the hollow wreck while runic explosions thundered outside. "But it's a friggin' bloodbath! And... and then Seraphimus comes soaring in all panties and vinegar and—"
"At ease!" Keris hollered, glaring.
"...!!!" Rainbow Dash plopped down on all fours, standing at attention.
Starstorm looked up, dazed and breathless.
Keris stood, took a calming breath, and spoke: "Now... we haven't much time."
Rainbow gulped. "No. We haven't."
"Please..." Keris motioned with his talon. "Give us the short version."
Rainbow looked at her marefriends. Then—trembling—she looked back at Keris. And nodded.
"Make it super short," Starstorm wheezed... then collapsed again. Thwump.