//------------------------------// // All That Is Left... // Story: Ofolrodi // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// A steely-eyed blink. Logan leaned back with a long, contemplative breath—a breath that gradually grew into a deep bass groan... before deflating into a sigh. He reached a hoof up to scratch his stubbly chin. Then—finally—with a shrug to the twinkling stars above, he grunted: “What the Hell.” Nostrils flared. “Beats lingering around this diarrhea stain of a city waiting for a shard of Endrax to come to us.” Rainbow Dash nodded at him. “I'm glad you're so...” Her ruby eyes narrowed. “...pragmatic about it all, Big Show.” “It's my gift,” he muttered. “Aside from my prince-like charm.” “Bleachkkk...” Flynn dry-vomited, marching up to stand closer to Rainbow Dash. “So, I think we've already argued to death the sheer dense stupidity of this plan.” “Yes.” Rainbow nodded, deadpan. “Yes we have.” “But let's cut to the chase.” His good eye narrowed. “Who are you taking with you? Not that I'm trying to unvolunteer myself or nothing—” “No, it makes a whole lot of sense, buddy,” Rainbow Dash said. She hovered before the group within the crook of a dilapidated chunk of buildings. “I seriously doubt our previous track-record of hoofing it is gonna work well with the rendezvous. Nat'rdo strikes me as a lot of things—but I wouldn't count 'patient' as one of them.” “She's right, baldy,” Logan muttered aside at Flynn. “Our fat asses would just slow things down. Besides, you left your broken-down jetpack back in Rohbredden.” “Oh yeesh...” Ariel blinked, looking at Flynn. “I forgot you even had one of those.” “Ach!” Kepler nodded, adjusting his newly-fixed spectacles. “Didn't that inferrnal device sufferr horrrible malfunctions everry day that you employed it?” “Not to mention its exhaust smelled like whale farts,” Logan added. “Oh, too true.” Ariel nodded. “Okay enough about my old jet pack!” Flynn snarled, waving both forelimbs with a scowl. “Even I like to forget that I had one!” Sighing, he looked up at Rainbow Dash. “I'm guessing you'll only be taking fliers with you.” “Please be taking fliers with you,” Ariel said. A delicate cough, and she waved her wingtips while fluttering her eyelashes. Rainbow rolled her eyes before melting into a friendly smile. “Well, duh. I don't particularly plan on doing this thing solo.” A clearing of her throat. “My ghostly girlfriends don't count.” A beat. She spoke out the side of her muzzle: “Stop pretending to be offended, Rarity.” A whistle. Everyone looked at Wildcard—who was already gesturing: “We have your back. Do not worry.” “That much is clear,” Rainbow said with a nod. “But—in actuality—I should be more worried for those who come with me.” She looked at the group as a whole. “This invitation was given to me specifically. So far as I know, the Dream Council of Dreaming Dreamers or whoever are extending mercy to the bearer of Princess Luna's enchantment. This—by extension—means the mercy of Lexxic... which sounds like a very friggin' rare thing.” She gulped hard. “I... I've no idea if that mercy extends to others who show up to the rendezvous alongside me.” Ariel's eyes narrowed. “Did Nat'rdo say you had to come alone?” Rainbow gestured. “She didn't say I couldn't come alone.” “Mehhhhhhh...” Logan rubbed his temple. “...I pray to the gods of cinnamon buns that I live long enough to gloat about how right I was about all this nonsense.” “Relax, sweet cheeks,” Ariel said to him. She trotted a few steps toward Rainbow Dash, smiling. “Well, of course, I'm coming with you.” “Right-oh-rooni.” Rainbow Dash patted her shoulder. “That makes you Number Two.” Ariel raised an eyebrow. “Number Two?” Rainbow shrugged. “I mean—heck—we all know that Wildcard volunteered first!” Wildcard nodded with a proud rattle of his dark goggles. “Mrmmfff...” Ariel folded her forelimbs as she glared at him. “Just because he's mute doesn't mean that he's quick.” A metal talon tapped the back of her shoulder. Ariel spun around and jumped at the sight of his impending beak. “Dammit, WC! Stop showing off!” The griffon merely smirked. “The three of us will be faster than greased lightning,” Rainbow Dash said. “If things go south—or in this case towards Alpha—we'll be more than equipped to get the flying mcfuzz outta Bloodwing sight.” “You say that as though you're counting on that to happen,” Flynn said. “Just... attempting to maintain a sliver of caution,” Rainbow Dash said. “But months... years of flying through warzones have left me a bit wary.” “Obviously not wary enough,” Logan muttered. “Big Show, the decision's been made,” Rainbow Dash said firmly. Her eyes narrowed down on him. “There's history here. History in me. History in the Bloodwings. History in the enchantment Princess Luna put in my pendant.” She held a hoof up to the ruby lightning bolt in question—glistening with twilight beneath her fuzzy chin. “This is the bridge... the link between two worlds... spanning the 'Penumbral' gap.” A soft sigh, and she managed a thoughtful smile. “With all of the bleak crap that we're up against, it really behooves us to seize hope while it glimmers within sight. I would hate myself forever if I didn't at least try.” Logan nodded, exhaling in defeat. “I just wish my fatass could hover alongside you—axe and all.” “Given your hardened spirit, I'd really dig having your surly guile beside me as well.” Rainbow waved a hoof. “But... gravity just doesn't agree.” “You're too fat, fatso,” Flynn grunted. “Clam it, nerdspawn. I'll sit on you later.” Logan pivoted back to look at Rainbow. “Just how deep do you plan to go with this?” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “Meaning...?” “How far are you going to follow the murder ponies' invitation?” Logan gestured. “There's only so deep you can slide headfirst before choking the venus fly trap.” “If I can actually meet up with Nat'rdo and her fellow council members—as in face to face—well... that would be for the best.” Ariel shuddered. “Sounds really damn deep to me.” Wildcard nodded. “Guys. Guys.” Rainbow held her hooves up. “Relax. The gals and I have thoroughly thought this through.” “Perrhaps an ounce of charrm and intellectual prrattle could smooth theirr rrough edges,” Kepler stated. Rainbow blinked at him. “Buh?” “Farr be it frrom me to wax prretentious about my own gifts, as meagerr as they may be...” Kepler smiled bashfully through his tusks. “But I darre to think that I may be of use to you in this venturre as well.” Rainbow looked at Ariel and Wildcard, then once again at Kepler. “I'm sorry, Keps. But...” She smiled awkwardly. “What I really really need for this trip are fliers. And you're more of a... glider.” “Ha-HAH!” Kepler winked. “So we agrree on one thing!” “It's not that I don't believe in your... uh... speech level?” Rainbow's eyes briefly crossed. “Ahem. But in all seriousness: you'll be much more useful here.” Kepler was already nodding. “No doubt endeavorring to extrract morre favorrs frrom Kirrbo and his fellow Smelt-Blooderrs.” “It'd be really... really appreciated if you got to work with getting buddy-buddy with the goblins here in Blobstain,” Rainbow said. “There's no telling just how long I'll be doing the leather-wing-shuffle with the Bloodwings. I mean—if it turns out that they're actually willing to play ball with the Harmonic Prism, then maybe we could send for the rest of you.” “I'm not particularly fixing to lay my big butt down with the Dark Vigil,” Logan said. “Big Show—” The stallion calmly raised both hooves. “We'll be working on a contingency plan...” His eyes narrowed. “Assuming all goes to shit.” Rainbow nodded back. “The dihmers—” “—have the key to crossing the ocean of gunk. Right.” Logan snorted out one nostril. “But reaching out to them is like lockpicking with an elephant's tusks. We'll be better off getting information out of the goblins through Keps.” Flynn spontaneously muttered: “Not all the dihmers are a dead end.” The Herald collectively looked at the unicorn. “Huh?” Ariel blinked. “What means you, frriend?” Kepler asked. Flynn's head jerked up, his eyes blinking as if coming out of a deep sleep. “Oh... uhm...” Ears drooped on either side of his balding crown. “I just meant... th-that...” A gulp. “M-maybe not all the dihmers are as dense in communication as we... assume they are.” Silence. “So yeah.” Logan looked back at Rainbow. “We'll figure out how to cross the ocean. Through the goblins.” He smacked Flynn with a blind hoof. “Ow...!” Flynn rubbed his scalp as his metal eye rotated angrily. “Sonuva—” “Brrilliant!” Kepler beamed. “Sounds like a plan worrthy of being spun in motion!” “Myself... Wildcard... Rainbow Dash...” Ariel thought out loud. “Yup yup yup!” Rainbow Dash yup-yup-yup'd. “... … ...so that's it, then?” Flynn asked. Rainbow nodded. “I'd say so. Yes.” Flynn's good eye narrowed on Rainbow. “... … ...are you sure you won't be taking anypony else?” “Yes.” Rainbow's nostrils flared. “I'm sure.” Logan glanced at Rainbow, then at the rest of the group. He kept silent. “So... unless there are any further issues to address...” Rainbow looked around. Wildcard was shaking his head. Rainbow nodded back. “Kewlies. Let's get some rest, then. There's a long flight ahead of us. For the rest—a lengthy discourse with goblins. To tell the truth, I don't honestly know which involves the greater amount of exercise. Or vomit.” She spun tail and flew towards a shadowed niche of abandoned buildings. “Ni-ni!” The group gradually split up. Both Logan and Wildcard lingered... their gazes looking towards an outcropping of rock where a particular griffon stood perched. “... … ...” Seraphimus stared back at them. As they too shuffled off, her charcoal brown eyes looked in the direction of Rainbow Dash's departure. The air shook with the rhythmic throbs of the alien ocean, fluttering at her neck feathers. Leaning back, the former Right Talon of Verlaxion stroked her beak in thought. “It was... alarmingly different this time,” Seraphimus said in a low breath. “Rainbow Dash was acting as if... I didn't exist.” She leaned against a crooked wall of bricks, folding her forelimbs as she stared across the shadows of the dark interior. “All the while she and her allies discussed the most crucial leg of their chaotic journey. There was an opportunity—one that she was expressively given—to mention me. And yet, she didn't. Normally, I would be enraptured to be excluded from this putrid group's conversation. But... something about this meeting felt... pathetically hollow.” She snorted, shaking her feathery head. “Where I come from...” Seraphimus continued “...there is a metaphor about ignoring 'the elephant in the room.' I cannot help but think it applies here. And it infuriates me to be the center of such a situation. Or—in this case—the hollow of the situation. And... most of all... I loathe the fact that it appears to be biting at me so. I've trained my whole life to live and let such banal things be. But, suddenly, I cannot.” “Righ, reckon I've got one queestion for ya, sheila.” “... … …?” Seraphimus' head turned to look across the room. Jacko squatted before a stretched length of reptilian leather, tanning it. His large ears wobbled as he squinted back at the griffon. “Why in the bloomin' 'ells are ya tellin' me all thees, aye?” Seraphimus grunted. She lowered on all fours and began pacing across the mangy Fur-Blooder interior. “Damned if I know...” “Don't get me wrong.” Jacko smirked, serrated teeth showing. “I'm propah stoked you're given me a how-do-ya-do...” He cleared his impish throat, delicately. “But, didja have to scare off all me Fur Bloodah cobbahs in the process?” “Do not blame me for your companions being innate cowards,” Seraphimus grumbled, pacing by a window. “Besides, you appear to be the only one doing any goddess-forsaken work around here.” Several impish heads poked nervously through the windowsill from outside. Seraphimus took one look at them, scowled, and let loose a hawk-like shriek. With childish gasps, the Fur-Blooders scampered away from her sight. Seraphimus cracked the joints in her feathery neck and resumed pacing. “Back to what matters. She's going on a suicide mission and she's elected to exclude me.” “Which sheila are we gabbin' about again?” Jacko asked. “Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus said like she was spitting up poison. Her pacing increased in speed and anger. “Named after an illusion of light and a physical tactic used by a common caitiff.” She grunted. “Neither of which will assist her against a veritable army of bloodthirsty midnighters.” “Bloody Hell...” Jacko chuckled. “Your beak is filled with more marbles than me grandpappy's pantaloons.” He looked up from his leatherworking. “Might theah be a chance you're overthinkin' thees, love?” “Do not call me 'love,'” Seraphimus muttered. “And what's to overthink that's not been overthought before?” She paused and folded her arms again. “To death.” “Well...” Jacko leaned back and scratched his bald goblin head. “You're heah, ain'tcha?” Seraphimus blinked at him. “Reckon a stone-hearted buggah like you wouldn't be seekin' me gab unless you had two streeps to flip over thees Rainbow bird.” “Hrmmffff...” Seraphimus' beak almost formed a smirk. “I am not concerned over Rainbow Dash.” Jacko eventually nodded. “Too right.” “It's... simply the principle of the matter.” Seraphimus huffed, glaring out the window into the decrepit town. Dihmers shambled in random droves from street to crumbling street—reflected in her cold, searching eyes. “She supposedly traveled the world, bringing entire nations to their knees—mine included—and now... for what it's all worth... she's risking everything on a blind gamble.” She swallowed. “A foolhardy flight into the ravenous mouth of the beast.” “And she deedn't invite you, aye?” “No. She did not.” Jacko shrugged. “All the bettah, ya reckon?” Seraphimus raised an eyecrest at him. The goblin waved: “Ya geet to leeve longah, sheila! Certainly makes eet less likely you'll have your pretty head clobbered off by the time ya help me into Peetra!” “That...” Seraphimus icily turned about and paced some more. “...has not been agreed to yet. Not even remotely.” “Awwww dun geet all sour puss on meh, love—!” The griffon spun to stab her eyes at him. Jacko's ears drooped as his teethy mouth rolled carefully: “Er... liaison!” A cough. “'ow about thees, pretty bird? You tell ol' Jack-o boi heah just exactly what kind of mince-up your fruity-hair'd friend is flyin' into and I'll use me expert goblin brain bone to tell ya how eet ranks on conceptual dumbassery?” A grimy wink and a grimier smile. “Considah thees round free on the house.” “We are no longer trading information.” “No. Reckon we're committin' home invasion. But oi...” Jacko shrugged to the walls before returning to his leather. “Who's countin'?” Seraphimus exhaled heavily through her beak. She leaned against the rickety doorframe, staring out upon the broken streets of Blobstain. “She and her closest allies are flying off to meet Lexxic, so that they'll be escorted to the Bloodwings' lair.” Crassssh! Jacko fell completely into his leatherworking kit like a tiny epileptic buffalo on drugs. “... … …?” Seraphimus calmly turned to gaze at his sprawled-out figure. “B... b-bah... bloody 'ell!!!” Jacko thrashed and wrestled with ghosts before finally kick-vaulting up into a standing position. By the time his wobbly ears settled, he sprinted over to Seraphimus and tugged on her tail. “Ees your friend bloomin' bonkahs?! You call 'er back thees instant!” “She hasn't gone anywhere yet.” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed. “Let go of my tail.” “She's right bugger'd in the bowl to think theah's any sense in talkin' through the murdah minds of them bat-sos!” Jacko suddenly stumbled forward on his grip. “Gah—!” Seraphimus finished yanking her own tail to herself. “I've killed corrupt Prefecture Governors for less—” Jacko teetered back into a standing position. “Now dun get 'ot undah the collah, shiela...” He stepped back with arms up. “I'm simply tryin' to warn ya... to warn your daft friend through you that thees Lexxic drongo ain't to be trifled with!” “I agree,” Seraphimus grumbled. She looked out the doorway yet again with steely eyes. “Everything I know about the midnighters... everything I have heard about him, his tactics, his kin... points to this being an absolute disaster.” “And your flyin' horse mate ain't budgin' on her suicide scheme??” “Not even remotely,” Seraphimus said. “Funny... not too terribly long ago, I would have been more than happy to just stand by and let her fly into an utter demise.” “Well... uh... uhhhhh...” Jacko tapped his fingers together pensively. He craned his neck towards her, tilting one ear up like a blooming flower. “What changed?” “Blazes if I know,” Seraphimus grumbled. “Maybe she's bewitched me. She does possess a near-incomprehensible magic.” “Ah...” Jacko nodded. “Penumbral ju-ju, I reckon?” “It doesn't matter. Magic—blighted or not—is not her greatest asset. Her stubbornness is. Honestly, I have no idea how in Verlaxi—” Seraphimus grimaced. “... … ...how in the Spring Havens' name she managed to get this far.” “Oi...” Jacko fanned himself. “Then perhaps... buggah all...” A shrug. “She's not deservin' of your worry. Or anybody's, for theet mattah.” He put on a nervous smile. “Maybe you should just let 'er go and do the crazy-crazy, pretty bird. It's worked for her before, righ?” Seraphimus looked at him. “Oh... doesn't mattah, aye? You're simply concerned about 'er.” “For the last time. I'm not concerned about Rainbow Dash.” Seraphimus fumed, looking out the doorway again. “As I've said before, it's the principle of the matter.” Jacko cupped a small hand beside his stupidly big ear. “Come again, love?” “Don't call me that,” Seraphimus muttered, but then resumed pacing. “To get to this point—to come as far as Rainbow Dash has gotten—she's had to go through Robhredden.” She scuffled to a stop, glaring down at the imp. “She's had to go through me.” “... … ...” Jacko slowly nodded. “I see...” “I have never faced defeat before—not in all of my years of defending my homeland. But then Rainbow Dash shows up and—against all odds, utilizing blighted abilities beyond my comprehension—she changes everything... destroys everything I have ever worked to preserve.” “It... ehhh...” The Fur-Blooder scratched the back of his head. “...makes a gobb-o wondah why you even hang out with the hobby-horse these days, aye?” “Because...” Seraphimus' headcrest deflated as her eyes fell to the floor. “...because I've since come to understand the scope of why she did what she did.” “Eezzat so?” “Verlaxion... the goddess that I presumed to serve... was a deceiver...” Seraphimus shuddered as she said it. The emotion was gone, but the weight remained as heavy as ever. “She had sculpted insidious plans into motion for countless centuries. And while Rainbow Dash shattered the foundation of the empire beneath my former deity's... sc-scales...” A cold breath. “...she freed us all the same from a future of enslavement.” Jacko blinked, as if having witnessed a continental shift. “Damnation...” Seraphimus hissed bluntly into the shadows of that dilapidated hovel. “Damn if it doesn't poison me to say that out loud...” “Too righ...” Jacko pointed at her. “...but ya did have to say eet, aye?” Seraphimus threw him a sharp glare. “What do you even know about it?” Jacko shrugged with a coy smirk. “Reckon t'ain't much I need to, pretty bird.” Seraphimus was silent. “So...” It was Jacko's turn to pace. “The bright horsie shiela took everything from ya—but in the name of cleanin' up your roost dan undah Penumbra.” He nodded. “Good onya. I can get behind that. Ol' Jack-o knows a thing or two abouts sweemin' een the streep debt, aye?” “I am not indebted to her,” Seraphimus mumbled. “Oh, of course not! You're jeest arsed to considah every bloody thang she does een the futuah, geevin' the fact that she's humpin' the legacy of your hometown on her vulnerable li'le horse shanks!” Jacko pointed. “Theah's a right buggah'd peeckle ya've hollowed out for yaself shiela. Gives me hope of sweet-talkin' your honorable side into makin' the treep to Peetra that you owes me!” Seraphimus' eyes narrowed burningly. “Hahah! Too righ!” Jacko coughed out the side of his mouth. “One lick at a time.” He glanced aside while twiddling his sharp fingers together. “Seems to me that eef she had to blow through you to geet to where she's et now...” He raised an eyebrow at her. “...and you're about the toughest bird me eyes have evah scraped upon.” He shrugged with a toothy grin. “Why the 'ell aint'cha tacklin' thees Lexxic bollocksin' togethah?” “Because—'tough bird' or not...” Seraphimus stood up straight. “I am not aiming to commit suicide.” Jacko squinted. “Why do me brains geet the feelin' this was just a recent change in the soul pool?” Seraphimus stared at him. “Keep. Talking.” “Erm. Right...” Jacko paced past her, gesturing. “Reckon it may not be suicide, aye? Maybe there's a gleamin' bucket'o'starbeams at the eend of this heah road your friend ees travelin'?” “How so?” “Thees Lexxic drongo...” Jacko hopped up—with a little struggle—and finally sat in a nearby window sill. Even still, he wasn't head-to-head with the former Talon Commander. “...ehhhh... perhaps thees ees a shiny silvah opportunity, ya reckon?” “Just seconds ago you were convulsing on the floor at the sheer mention of his name,” Seraphimus droned. “Truer words have nevah been spittled!” Jacko held a hand over his chest. “Forgive an old bludgeah, aye? Fear and tremblin's in me blood—beside Fur, of course. Hah!” He slapped his knees and smirked coyly. “None of us gobb-o's can evah truly shake the jettahs! Been clingin' to us since we rose from the Marrow, savvy?” “Uh huh...” “But just think about eet...” He squeezed his own skull with impish fingers. “Think long and hahd...” His eyes narrowed with each leg of his speech. “Lexxic. Leadah of the bats-o's. So bloody brilliant and frightenin' and scary thet he drives the change-o's and shard-o's away.” “But not the dihmers.” “Point being...” Jacko pointed. “He's more than proven himself to be a high horsie of horror. He dun need any buggah but heemself to get by. At the rate he's goin', the bloody Sarcophagus and all ets loot could vereh well be 'is! So... why in Peetra's Flame is he botherin' to mosey on down and give your Rainbow shiela a friendly how-do-ya-do?” “It is very likely a trap.” “Or...” Jacko raised a finger. “...theah's somethin' that he knows. Or that his uppah branch yabbos know...” His eyes hardened in earnest. “...that—for the first time evah—puts heem in a place of need.” A dry chuckle. “Bloody 'ell, shiela, that's what us gobb-o's would call a prime opportunity for profit! And where theah's profit, theah's more branches of Peetra's Flame to spread!” “Hrmmff...” Seraphimus' headcrest lifted. “Then perhaps you should be going out to meet him.” “Pfft! Me?” Jacko laughed scratchily, teetering on the window. “Ohhhhh not ol' Jack-o! The Metal Mum, mayhaps! But Queen Avril ain't leavin' Peetra for anythang less than the world splittin' in two! Splittin' again, as t'were. Hahaha—Whoah!” He nearly fell out of the frame but caught himself at the last second. “Ahem... and as for me... I ain't got the wings. But you do, pretty bird.” “I can't be expected to share Rainbow Dash's burden,” Seraphimus muttered. “I've seen the depths to which her blighted magic has driven her. I do not envy that madness.” “Who says ya have to, love?” Jacko spread his arms out. “But after all she's given ya... after all she's robbed ya... after all the bloody bumps ya've taken to get heah in Blobstain... don'tcha owe it to yourself to see if any of the crud was worth eet?” He leaned his head forward. “Can ya leeve the rest of your life in thees heah darkness without knowin' whether or not the horse who screwed ya ovah has a futuah of her own to buggah off to?” “... … ...” Contemplatively, Seraphimus gazed out into the cold, twinkling starlight. “She's headed straight for you,” Fluttershy calmly said. “Rainbow Dash?!?” Ariel's voice echoed across the small clearing between buildings where the Herald had made their camp. “Do you have the last of the mushroom provisions?” “Uh huh,” Rainbow Dash said. She calmly squatted over a patch of dirt, digging her hoof in the sediment and making random broken quarter-circles. “Enough to satisfy the three of us.” “More like the one of us!” Ariel exclaimed. “Those provisions are for you and you alone, Miss Vegetarian!” “I got it.” Ariel briefly looked up from her rummaging through the camp supplies. “Wait...” Her fuzzy muzzle scrunched. “...what would that be called? A Mushroomtarian? Toadstoolvore?” “Fungivore,” Twilight Sparkle muttered into Rainbow's ear. “Egghead says 'Fungivore,' Ariel,” Rainbow said, still digging tiny lines in the dirt. “Yeah, that's nice.” Ariel rummaged and rummaged. “You got the helm that Flynn salvaged from Hoverplank? “It's packed nice and tight,” Rainbow muttered, her tail flicking against a canvas satchel. “For what it's worth.” “What about the boomstick? There should be a few runic bits of ammo left—” “Ariel.” Rainbow finally looked up, eyes hard above a deadpan expression. “I am the packiest of packed, a'ight? I couldn't possibly be more packed than I am at this very moment.” “I'm just... y'know...” Ariel shrugged from a distance. “...double checking. Triple checking—” “I've been ready to go anywhere—and everywhere—for ages now!” Rainbow exhaled heavily. “All I had left to do was decide. And the deciding's been done! All I'm doing is waiting for you guys!” “Right...” Ariel nodded. A long beat. “...maybe we need more runestones.” Rainbow sighed. She looked at her ghostly friends. “What the heck is Wildcard up to?” “You remember what he 'said' earlier, darling,” Rarity said. “He's off fetching a few things with Kepler.” “Always a resourceful partner, that cat-bird,” Applejack added. Fluttershy said, “She's headed straight for you.” Rainbow returned her attention to the dust below. “Have any of you girls ever been so dang ready to go someplace and do something but then when the moment came it felt as if the stubborn world slowed down around you and you were suddenly the only one chill about it all?” “Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie Pie flopped around like a fuchsia cloud, waving her hoof. “Every time the Cakes bake banana bread!” “The Grand Galloping Gala comes to mind,” Rarity said, fluffing her mane. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie collectively nodded and murmured. “Dang spiffy...” “Ooooh, the Gala!” “You've got a point there, Rarity.” “Heh...” Rainbow Dash smirked off to the side while carving more patterns. “The Gala. Friggin' Equestria...” “The afternoon of that day took foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” Pinkie Pie pulled at the ghostly muscles around her eyes. “I simply couldn't contain my excitement—I had to funnel it somewhere! Where was a good trampoline when you needed one?” “If I recall correctly, you had a trampoline,” Twilight said. “You were bouncing on it all morning.” “Oh yeah!” Pinkie beamed. “Super!” “I was ready and willin' to go by dawn.” Applejack tilted her hat back. “I had doubled all the chores the day previous so I could have the whole darn day free.” “Wow, Applejack...” Twilight Sparkle gawked at her. “Did we hang out much that day? I literally cannot imagine you sitting around and doing nothing all afternoon.” “Well, if you ask me, sounds mighty relaxin'. Guess we'll never know.” Applejack turned to glare at Rarity. “Because somepony decided to kick us into overdrive—goin' through a whole heapin' slew of dressin' up and gussyin' up!” “Unh!” Rarity recoiled in faux shock. “The sheer audacity! I'm the only reason we ever stood to turn heads that evening, darling!” “Ayyyyyyyy!” Pinkie snickered. “Way to take the stage, Rare-Rare!” “What she means, Pinkie, is that she exclusively opened Carousel Boutique for us so we could prepare for the Gala,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Mmmm. Yes.” Rarity's eyelashes fluttered. “That too.” “And how can we ever possibly forget the amazing dresses that she made for us?” Twilight added. “You mean the dresses that ended up in tatters and rags by the end of that awful disaster of a night?” Rainbow droned. The girls laughed and giggled. “Ya ask me, it was an upgrade!” Applejack smirked. “By the end of the evening, it felt like we was draggin' victorious war banners behind our tails!” “Signing the armistice at Donut Joe's!” Pinkie cooed. “An ending I'll never forget!” “Well, we still got the best out of my creations,” Rarity said in a breathy tone. “I have fond memories of our enthusiasm right before arriving in Canterlot.” She hugged her marshmallow self with a rosy smile. “That coach ride out of Ponyville was still so... charming and splendid—was it now?” “Mmmmmmmm... a regular whizz-banger of a chat we had!” Applejack said. “Quite so.” Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I remember explaining the history of the Gala—” “Don't you mean trying to explain?” Pinkie giggle-snorted. “I sabotaged that with the force of an angry alicorn,” Rainbow Dash said in a mischievous voice. She drew more quarter-circles. “I think you got as far as the inbred niece of Puddinghat inventing a new waltz before I started rambling about the Wonderbolts, and then Rarity gossiped about Soarin's supposed love interests and Fluttershy started talking about having run into members of Spitfire's extended family back in Cloudsdale...” “Wow...” Twilight blinked wide. “That's... some good memory you've got, Rainbow.” Rainbow's nostrils flared as she stared deadpan into the designs in the dirt. “I spent a long... long time remembering little moments like that, Twilight.” Her ears drooped slightly. “For ages, I never thought I'd be sharing them with you girls again.” Silence. Rainbow's companions exchanged somber expressions. “I... uhm...” Rarity cleared her throat daintily. “...I suppose the night of the Gala is the most awkward analogy to make in regards to our current predicament.” “Maybe it'll... work in reverse?” Applejack said with a shrug. “How so?” Twilight asked. “I mean that the Gala was never seen as a 'predicament'—not until it happened, of course. This here meetin' with Lexxic is sure-as-sugar a tight pickle. But maybe that means we'll for sure make it through right as rain! Sort of... the opposite of th-the Gala!” “... … ...” Twilight squinted tightly in the direction Applejack like an award-winning actor starring in a metaphysical heist flick. “Hey, I'm doin' my best, ya hear?” Applejack tugged her hat back with a huff. “Believe me—if I had a horseshoe, I'd toss it over our collective shoulders!” “She's headed straight for you,” Fluttershy said. “I do believe that Rainbow Dash has planned out any and all eventualities at this point,” Rarity said. “You can only think something so much to death. If it isn't obvious by now, I suspect that Rainbow has fully emerged from the contemplation stage and into—” “The suicide stage?” Twilight droned. “Enough with the rampant cynicism, Twilight!” “You said it was a trap, Rarity.” “Yes. But the decision's been made. I... uhm...” Rarity fidgeted. “...I-I'm trying to be f-fabulous about it! Like a Runway with slightly voracious audience members!” She ghost-sweated with a nervous smile. “Eheheheheh—quick! Pinkie! Change the subject!” “Hey Dashie!” Pinkie smiled, hovering upside down over Rainbow's shoulder. “Whatcha drawin'?” “Her usual hoofnail clippings,” Applejack said. “Ew. Gross,” Rainbow droned, continuing to sketch the curves in the dirt. “And before you ask any more questions about it—I haven't got answers.” She huffed. “This is just... strangely relaxing for me...” Twilight Sparkle drifted over by their anchor's side. “You weren't always bent on drawing these patterns, were you?” “Uh uh.” Rainbow shook her head. Rarity glanced between the two. “What does she mean by that?” “Rainbow didn't pick up the habit until after speakin' with the spider lady.” Pinkie blinked. “Is that true, Dashie?” Rainbow slowly nodded. “It was shortly after experiencing the vision with Abaddon that... I got obsessed with these circles.” “Circles?” Pinkie squinted at the dirty mess. “They barely look like croissants to me!” “Maybe... it's a metaphor...?” Twilight remarked. “Symbolism related to Urohringr?” “The Sundering, darling!” Rarity chirped. “All of those dreaded planes lost and drifting—” “Only one plane got lost from the Sundering, Rares,” Rainbow said. “The one that we're on.” “... … ...” Rarity froze within her own smile, sweating. “...I knew th-that!” “Maybe it dun mean a thang?” Applejack said. “And by that... it means everything,” Rainbow droned. Applejack blinked. “Beg your pardon?” “That doesn't make much sense!” Pinkie said. “Exactly.” Rainbow nodded. She leaned back and dusted her hooves off. “Which is why I think he takes a liking to it?” “He? He who—?” Pinkie's eyes widened. “Ewwwwwww... maybe you should leave the half-baked croissants alone, Dashie.” “Yeah. Probably good advice.” Rainbow exhaled. “Besides, Seraphimus wants to talk to me.” She tilted her head aside. “Right, Flutters?” “She's headed straight for you,” Fluttershy repeated one last time. The other four spirits turned to look—then jumped with mixed yelps as they found themselves staring down the beak of the former Talon Commander. “Rainbow Dash,” Seraphimus spoke firmly. “We need to talk.” “Yeah. I figured.” Rainbow stood up and turned to face her. “'Supitcha?” Her charcoal brown eyes narrowed icily. “I am going with you to meet with Lexxic and the Bloodwings.” Silence. Rainbow's friends exchanged wide-eyed expressions. “Okaaaaaaay...” Pinkie squeaked. “I was... not expecting that,” Twilight Sparkle remarked. “I did,” Applejack calmly breathed. “Oh hush!” Rarity insisted. Fluttershy looked at Rainbow. “She did not hurry along the way here, Rainbow. I do not believe she's made this decision lightly.” Rainbow kept her gaze locked with Seraphimus. “You're probably wondering why I didn't ask you to come during the previous meeting.” “Does it matter?” Seraphimus looked the mare down. “Ever since I woke in this goddess-forsaken place, you have pursued all avenues possible to give me a second lease on life.” “Jee, you're welcome.” “Such is not the aim of this conversation.” Seraphimus paced around the petite pegasus. “To bring me to this point of understanding, you keep preaching pedantically about 'harmony' and 'heroism' and the 'bigger picture'.” Rainbow's head turned to keep up with the griffon's meandering. “That's an abridgment if I ever heard one.” “Well???” Rainbow shrugged with a crooked smirk. “You won't get any argument from me.” “You insist that all that you've done for me, Rohbredden, and the world-at-large has been committed under the constraints of your ultimate quest to save all life.” Seraphimus' talons scuffled through the dirt-lines as she swiveled to face Rainbow. “Now you seek to distance me while you embark upon your most foolish venture yet???” Rainbow glanced briefly at her ruined sketches beneath Seraphimus' limbs, then back up at the former Talon leader. “I've put a heck of a lot of work into bringing you out of your bottomless funk, yes. But let's not kid ourselves. You've never exactly been... buzzed to be a part of my Ogres and Oubliettes group here on the Dark Side.” “Ogres and Oubliettes???” Rarity murmured. “A game for colts,” Twilight leaned in, whispering. “Spike loved it. I'll explain later.” Rainbow continued: “You saved our hides quite a few times back there, Sera. But only for the sake of survival. You also had a lot of chances to leave...” She gestured. “I left that in your court. I'd figure I would do the same here.” “Because you don't have faith that I would commit,” Seraphimus said. “No—because that's not the issue. Look—I have enough loyalty to spare the entire friggin' plane, okay?” Rainbow held a hoof to her chest as she smirked. “I'm just that awesome. But with you...?” She pointed. “It was never a test! Because there was nothing left to prove!” She sighed, her ears drooping. “...not once you stopped screaming and begging for death.” Seraphimus stared at her. “There were times when... like... you were super Tartarus-bent on having Big Show smash your skull in with his axe just because.” Rainbow shook her head. “But that's not the case now. I wish you knew just how... jazzed that makes me.” She cracked a smile... but lost it just as quickly. “But that's not the point. You're free, Sera.” Her ruby eyes narrowed. “You're free... and I don't want to take that from you. Not after all you've been through.” Seraphimus' eyes remained steely and unflinching. “You are endeavoring to undergo a task that will surround you with unpredictable foes.” “Uh huh...” “Murders. Vagabonds. Creatures born into misery and from misery.” “Sure...” “They can turn on you in any moment, and you'll be powerless to fight them all off.” “Well... pffft... I wouldn't know about all that...” Rainbow shrugged with a smirk. “I've got a Wildcard.” “You will need someone experienced with defeating dishonorable miscreants to help you survive such a gauntlet.” “I've also got Ariel coming with us.” “... … ...as I said, you will need someone experienced with defeating dishonorable miscreants to—” “Seraphimus, if you're so friggin' worried about me, you can just come out and say it—!” “I am not worried about you,” Seraphimus growled, her headcrest raising slightly. “I could not care the least about what horrible fate you endure.” “Wait for it...” Applejack pointed. Seraphimus exhaled, her wings uncoiling slightly. “If this insufferable domain is to become my home, it will plague me forever to think that the forces which conveyed me here were as fleeting as the snow in Silt Prefecture.” Applejack smiled. “There it be.” Seraphimus took a step closer to Rainbow Dash. “What travails next—between you and the Bloodwings—has the potential to reshape the entire climate of this putrid place.” Her beak hardened. “I need to know—once and for all—if your wisdom can pass this ultimate test. Only then can I finally ascertain... how truly alone I am here.” “... … ...” Rainbow smiled. “Love you too, gal.” Seraphimus snorted, leaning back. “Do not expect me to accompany you with the willingness towards dialogue. That is Jordan's proficiency.” “Uh huh. Spoken like a true Bard.” “I simply wish to maintain the security and proficiency of the upcoming exchange.” “And after that?” “And after that—” Seraphimus jolted in place, blinking—as if not expecting to have a question of the future breached so casually. If at all. “Mmmm...” A flick of her feline tail. “... … ...we shall see.” “Indeed we shall.” Rainbow held a hoof out. “Welcome to the club.” “Pssssst...” Pinkie hissed into Rainbow's ear. “Dashie, don't cross the streams!” Seraphimus looked at Rainbow's hoof, then back at her face—just as disdainfully. “... … ...I see that this will be a most annoying journey.” She marched off with an angry ruffle of her feathers. “Damn this whole mess. I am going to slay that insect in his sleep.” “'Insect?'” Rarity remarked. “Who do you suppose she's talking about?” “Probably the goblin she was talking to a few blocks away for the past hour,” Fluttershy said. Applejack nodded. Twilight looked at them, then at Rainbow. “This trip's getting more interesting by the second!” Rainbow nodded, then called out to Seraphimus. “Be sure to pack your toothbrush!” “Cease the jocularities, Rainbow Rogue!” “Ehhhhh...” Rainbow leaned back. “Classic Sera.” Ariel peaked her head out from behind the camp's supplies. “Hmm? What's that? Need dental care, Rainbow?” “No. But a few more runic charges would be snazzy.” Rainbow looked back at the mare. “Sera's coming along.” “... … ...” Ariel blinked. “... … ...I don't know what bothers me more. That? Or the fact you're shorthoofing her name now.” “Well, what am I going to call you? 'Ar-Ar?'” Ariel sighed long and hard. “Fine. Cool. Whatever.” She marched off under a cloud. “Guess I'll go tell Wildcard.” “Odds are he already knows,” Rainbow huffed. “Friggin' bodyguard on steroids—” There was a shrill whistle. A shadow passed overhead as a bundle of rune-stones were dropped at Rainbow's hooves. Rainbow gazed up into the starlight, saluting and smiling. “See? What did I tell ya?! Cancel the runes, Ar-Ar!” “Don't you start calling me that!” “Well...” Flynn shuffled up to a veritable wall of junk. The relentless “hearbeat” was a deafening thunder down beneath the cliffs of Blobstain, but he didn't try too hard to speak over it. “...here ya go. Have at it.” Seraphimus stared at heaps upon heaps of random bric-a-brac: rusted armor, even rustier weapons, splintery chunks of furniture, worn-out tools, animal bones, animal carcasses, and many-many more indiscernible things thrown awkwardly into the encroaching pink edges of the blob. The unnatural sea washed in and out with its own creepy tide, coating some of the materials with an unquestionably toxic layer of goo. Those closest to the cliff's edge were drier—if not broken from an evidently high fall. “It is safe to pick from this?” Seraphimus asked. “So long as you don't touch any part of the flesh-eating death Blob full of living corpses, then, yeah... sure... I reckon you'll be right as rain,” Flynn said. “No, I mean...” Seraphimus turned to squint at him. “Is this considered property? Do any of the communities here lay claim to the material?” “Are you friggin' serious?” Flynn grimaced, his metal eye rotating outward. “We're a thousands of miles from Continental Rohbredden and you're still playing police bird?” “Just answer the question, mercenary.” “The Dihmers tossed this crud off the cliff themselves,” Flynn said, pointing up... up... up at the teetering buildingsides looming rigidly against the starlight above them. “They've got no need for the stuff. So it's got nowhere to go but into the Blob, it seems.” “And the goblins? They don't barter for it?” “Look, Commander, if the Dihmers don't want this crud then it's lower than dirt.” Flynn frowned. “Have you not been paying attention?” “Your point is well-made.” Seraphimus marched forward and started picking from the first pile of trash. “You and your foul scent are dismissed.” “Goddess I'm glad I'm on Team B,” Flynn groaned. “Boring as balls but at least it doesn't have you.” “How precisely did you stumble upon this bounty of... banality?” Seraphimus asked. “I... just happened to... observe this shit being tossed off the cliff,” Flynn muttered, kicking at the floor with a reddening expression. Seraphimus' trained ears instantly caught the wavering tone of his voice. “... … ...just like that?” She squinted icily at him. “Complete happenstance?” “Look...!” Flynn gestured wildly. “What the Hell do you want from me?” “She probably wants to know what hardass stick crawled up your butt and made itself a new home,” Logan said, suddenly waddling up to the scene. “Well, maybe not her, but I'm sure as Hell curious.” “What's it to you, Obesitron?” “Awfully close to the drink here,” Logan snorted. “Feeling parched for an eternity of pink death?” Flynn gestured wildly at the griffon. “She asked if I had found any salvageable resources!” “That you just happened to find being randomly tossed off a cliff.” Logan smirked. “You weren't looking for anypony at the time, were you?” “... … ...you've been talking to Ariel, haven't you?” “Should I have been?” Logan shrugged. “Somepony's gotta remind that girl that more creatures exist besides rainbow-colored ones.” Flynn huffed, turning-tail and marching off. “I don't need any of this shit. I'm bailing.” “About dayum time.” Logan huffed and shrugged his shoulders. “I love his bald ass, but boy if he's not one cinderblock short of a nut silo from time to time.” He turned slowly about and approached Seraphimus. “Need a hoof with that?” “Save your breath,” she grunted. “Heaven knows I always try.” “I know what you're here for. Don't think I don't keep stock.” “Do you, now? And here I thought I was the only one who dreamed of a magic counter in the sky.” “Mmmm...” Seraphimus tugged and jerked at a spear before finally prying it loose from the nearest pile. Schiiiing! “You've come to express your concern...” She turned the weapon about, examining it close to her beak. “...over Rainbow Dash, the party, and the mission as a whole.” “Wrong. Polly want an empty box?” “... … …?” Seraphimus spared him a quizzical glance. Logan shrugged with a slight smirk. “You're at negative ten crackers by now. That's a lot to make up.” “Are you not thinking that I'm a risk to Rainbow and the rest?” Seraphimus murmured. “And you're prepared to employ more intimidation and the threat of violence?” “Oh, all that fluff?” Logan waved. “Naaaaah...” “Why not?” “I only threatened to crush your skull in because we were marching through a whole wasteland of nothing and I needed to entertain myself.” “Liar.” Seraphimus huffed. She reached back into the pile and started pulling at a rusted round object that resembled a shield. “You've pledged your entire life to some sacred Harem.” “'Herald', but close enough for government work.” “And you know very well that a psychotic defender of Rohbredden sovereignty is the one true threat to all that you've worked so hard for.” “No, I'm pretty sure Lexxic is the one true threat,” Logan said. “That—or Ariel's advances. And my axe can only do so much about half of that... not without its fair share of revenge while I'm trying to get my beauty sleep.” “By the Blight...” Seraphimus huffed as she struggled to yank the antique buckler loose. “I can never understand you moronic heretics and your psychotic dependence on obtuse jocularity—!” THNKKK!!! With one motion, Logan reached in and forcibly yanked the metal slab out. In the exposed twilight, it looked far too bent and battered to be practically used. He nevertheless offered the item to Seraphimus. The griffon simply turned away. “The same thing...” Logan casually tossed the shield aside. “...could be said about you and your insistence on eviscerating each and every one of us.” His brow furrowed. “And yet one outshone the other, didn't it?” “... … ...” “Hooooooorayyyy jocularityyyy!” Logan belched. “How... do you know...” Seraphimus flew up, perched on a mound of garbage, and started rummaging through the junk. “...that I won't...” She tossed heaps of metal objects to every side as she searched for use-able armor. “...slaughter the Rainbow Rogue...” She picked up a helmet and grasped it before her deadpan face. “...the first opportunity that I get?” “I do believe we're well beyond that, Miss Tall, Dark, and Emo.” “Isn't that a gamble?” “Not half the gamble you're taking.” Logan shook his head. “And this isn't about Rainbow. If it was—it'd have ended ages ago.” “Is that so?” “Do you honestly think all of us dumb-bucks combined—Wildcard included—would really... really have stood a chance against stopping you if you had that same intent all this damned time?” “... … …” Seraphimus peered down at him. “Things changed long ago, Toots,” Logan said. “The trolls...” He pointed into the air. “The trolls... yes. Yes, I'd say that was around about the time.” “I've learned a lot since then,” Seraphimus muttered. She glanced at a tiny patch of metal in the helm that afforded a scant reflection—foggy at best. “Seen a lot since then.” “Yeah... I'll settle for that.” Logan leaned back, folding his forelimbs with a smirk. “You don't have to say: 'I was wrong.'” Silence. Then— “Tell me something, mercenary...” Seraphimus began. “Oh please.” Logan grunted. “Don't put me on the same level as Baldy.” She continued, unfaltering: “If Rainbow Dash were to perish...” She raised the helmet it, sizing it to her own feathering crown. “...or—better yet—if she had already perished...” She slowly lowered the headpiece to fit over her skull. “...thereby nullifying your entire quest here in this insufferable underworld...” She let go—and the rusted helm wobbled, its front half catching on her protruding beak. “... … ...would you quit your exhaustive travels and just... settle for a life? Here? On the Dark Side?” Logan took a deep breath. “No.” She looked down at him, the helmet wobbling wildly. “No?” “It just ain't in the cards.” Logan shrugged. “I mean... how could I?” Seraphimus nodded—and in so doing, she lost grip with the helmet. It went teetering down the junk pile with multiple bounces. Clutch! Logan caught it before it could strike the dirt below. “...because you will have known too much,” Seraphimus murmured, her eyes full of cold stars. “Damn straight.” Logan held the helmet up to his face. “And even on my lonesome—without being the Austraeoh... without even having the ghostly Elements of Harmony on my side... I would still look for a way to keep the Harmonic Prism from falling into the wrong hooves.” He squinted, aimed his hoof, and—THUNK!—punched a chunk of it off the front. “And accomplish that righteous task at all cost.” Holding his breath, Logan tossed the helmet back up to Seraphimus. Thppp! She caught it in one talon. “Sound like someone you know?” Logan asked. Seraphimus sighed. She placed the broken helmet back on. It fit over her beak this time. “Almost.” “Well maybe now you know that I didn't come here outta worry for Rainbow Dash.” The two stared at one another. The alien ocean throbbed. Thundered. Boomed. “I hope you find what you're looking for in this, Toots,” Logan said, already turning around. “But even if you don't—you look after yourself, okay? And come back in one piece” He marched the long winding path up the cliffs. “This isn't just Rainbow's quest. It's not for me, and it sure as Hell ain't for you.” Seraphimus exhaled a fuming breath. “I have you to blame for this, you know.” Her beak hardened. “Not her.” “You're welcome!” She clenched her eyes shut. Reaching up, she gripped the helmet and made to toss it out into pink oblivion... But instead stowed it away, moving to rummage faithfully through more detritus. “Okay, so...” Ariel—packed with a canvas bag of tight possessions—perched on a craggy buildingtop facing the Omega horizon beyond the fringes of Blobstain. “...a sarosian and a pegasus walk into a bar. The bartender says: 'Lemme guess! A mug of cider and a glass of moonshine!' The pegasus says 'Just two mugs of cider, thanks.' The bartender looks confused. 'Two ciders?' he scoffs. 'Doesn't your lunar friend want something to quench his nocturnal thirst?'” Ariel smirked. “That's when the sarosian looka up and says, 'Yes, but I already sucked the blood from ten ponies on the way here. I just need a palate-cleanser.'” She winked, eyes bright and prodding. Rainbow Dash and Wildcard gazed blankly at her from where they finished tying up their belongings. They proceeded to exchange unamused expressions. “... … ...” Ariel delicately coughed. “I read that one in one of Mortuana's old libraries up in Wyvern Point. Guessssss it's a little bit on the old side.” “Yeah, ya think?” Rainbow Dash's voice cracked. Wildcard gestured: “Do not tell any jokes among the Bloodwings.” “Pfffft. Hey... give me some credit!” Ariel stood up, lifting the weight of her pack. “I held it in the whole time Echo and Nicole were in the party!” Rainbow brushed past her. “Girl, I'm still in the party and I wanna hit ya.” “Oh?” “...not in the good way.” “Oh.” Wildcard whistled loudly. All three looked up towards the sound of rustling metal, metal, and more metal. A hulking heap of shields, swords, daggers, and plates formed a bulbous black cocoon around the sweating figure of Seraphimus. Nevertheless, the former Talon Commander stood tall under the unsightly weight. “I know,” she grunted. Sweatdrops. “I underprepared.” “Pfffft...!” Ariel's cheeks bulged as she held the laughter in with a hoof to the snout. “Grkkk—who needs outdated jokes when we've got a living one playing shotgun with us!” “One of those, I could not locate,” Seraphimus explained. “I rest my case,” Ariel chirped, eyes rolling. “Sera...” Rainbow paced towards the griffon with a goofy smirk. “Lexxic can afford to bring an army with him. We can't!” “It would be foolish to approach this precarious rendezvous without proper equipment.” “I don't need us to be equipped,” Rainbow said. “I need us to be fast on our feathers.” Her eyes narrowed. “We were hopelessly outnumbered long before we even stumbled here in a banged-up gondola. Trust me—I know how it feels to live with those odds all the friggin' time.” “That is...” Seraphimus started shaking under all the weight. “...incomprehensible.” “Want to know the first step?” “By all means.” Rainbow held a hoof to her pendant, tilted her neck up, and— ZAAAAA-AAAA-AAAAAP!!! —a steady beam of harmonic energy barreled into the junk on Seraphimus' shoulders. Under the relentless onslaught, the equipment loosened and fell awkwardly on all sides of the griffon, raining the crumpled buildingfront and surrounding courtyard with bits of metal junk in multiple directions. Within the span of ten cacophonous seconds, Seraphimus stood only with a shield, a spear, and her helmet. “Mmmmmm... there...” Rainbow nodded, gesturing at the former Commander. “...that should be adequate.” “As you wish.” Seraphimus turned towards Wildcard. A nod. “Jordan.” Wildcard nodded back. His flesh and metal talons sharply signed something in the air. Rainbow blinked. “I... uh...” She turned blankly towards Seraphimus. “...I'm afraid that I don't understand that phrase.” “Be glad that you don't.” “Alrighty.” “Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan...” Ariel pointed nebulously towards Omega. “...we go now?” “So...!” Rainbow marched up the remaining buildingside. “Twilight's lectured all the lectures. Kepler's rolled all the R's. Logan's farted all the farts...” “Poetry in motion,” Ariel droned. “All that's left is to...” Rainbow reached the edge. She gulped. “...take off.” Ariel nudged her, smiling sweetly. “Don't pretend you've never been here before.” Wildcard reached over and rested a brotherly talon on Rainbow's shoulder. The mare sighed, reaching up to pat his arm. “Right as always, Dubya.” She threw on a devilish smirk. “I guess 'all that's left' is only ever all that's to start with.” So—with a daring breath—she kicked off the edge and spread her wings. “Zoop!” Wildcard and Ariel immediately glided after her. The three became streaks of colors against a bleak landscape, slicing against shadow. Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty— “Seraaaa?!?!” Rainbow's voice called back. “Oh! But of course.” Seraphimus shook out of the contemplative moment, ran forward at full speed, and briskly took to the air after them. And the parties were officially split.