“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...?”