An hour later...
Inside a hollow wooden chamber carved out of the outer roots of the Tree of Mothers...
Wildcard had just finished lighting a brazer. Shriike had just finished rolling out her bed mat. And the Heraldites had just finished arguing with their prismatic leader:
“Rainbow Dash...” Seraphimus implored. “We really must discuss Lexxic and his—”
“Sera—” Rainbow pointed at her. “—stop being so brooding!” She pointed at Wildcard. “Jordan, stop being so awesome!”
“Well said, Rainbow—” Ariel said, nodding.
“And Ariel!” Rainbow's teeth gnashed as she pointed. “Stop being so gay!”
Ariel blinked. “Hrmmfff...” She turned around three times and plopped down on a mat with a frown. “Easier said than done.”
“As somepony who hasn't done anything or anyone in ages, I promise that you'll survive.” Rainbow slumped against the doorframe leading out to the Bloodwing encampments and folded her wings around herself like a blanket. “So just... suck it up about not sucking it up...” A yawn. “...and you'll be fine.”
“Rainbow...” Twilight Sparkle hovered into the petite pegasus' line of sight. Her violet eyes narrowed. “Must you bark at them so~?”
“I can and I will, Twilight.” Rainbow's muzzle hardened. “Sometimes the boss has to step up and take charge. That's what this is.”
After a moment of silence, the two griffons gave into the humility of their defeat. They chose sleeping mats beside each other, but their gazes remained locked on Rainbow Dash.
“She will surely fall unconscious,” Seraphimus stated . “When the time comes, I will take her place.”
Rainbow saw Wildcard talon-sign in the firelight: “It is at least comforting to see you show concern for her.”
Seraphimus calmly retorted: “Simply because it's the rational thing. Don't insinuate that I'm concerned for her out of personal spite...”
“You heard the mare,” Ariel collapsed further into her sleeping mat. “...get some shuteye. I, for one, am ready to sleep like an anvil.”
Wildcard sighed and gestured: “Don't lie. You always kick in your sleep.”
Ariel frowned. “I do not kick in my sleep.”
“He's right. You do.” Seraphimus said, resting as minimally as she could—to satiate the pegasus in charge. “Habitually.”
“How would you know?”
“I'm observant of all things... even the banal details...”
Ariel merely rolled her eyes at that. “I would never kick in my sleep.” Succumbing to exhaustion, she rolled over like a limp feline beside Shriike's sleeping mat. “...would... m-make a horrible cuddle buddy that way...”
Rainbow Dash peered past Ariel. She saw the Imperialist Clerk levitating a scroll of paper and writing words across its lengthy surface. For a brief moment, she thought of swinging her authority once more like a baseball bat—but decided to let it be. Shriike appeared to be most at-home when writing things... whether it was recording others' words or simply jotting down her own thoughts. Considering what Rainbow and her friends had put her through the last few cycles, it was only fitting that Gibbous Sanctum's finest have a chance to relax... even if that just meant keeping a journal.
With a focused breath, Rainbow Dash slumped back against the curved entrance to the place that Azarias had provided for them to retire in for the evening. It wasn't exactly luxurious... but Rainbow was hardly one to complain. Just minutes before the arrangement, Azarias looked ready to murder the whole lot of them. It was something of a miracle—concerning the stunt Rainbow had performed barely an hour previous.
Seraphimus was right to call her out on it. Rainbow knew that. But she also knew it was wrong to just let M'lywthaal'myn perish without attempting to do something—anything—about it. Letting the skulker get mutilated to death: that was one thing. Rainbow Dash didn't like it, but at least there was something the bloodwings could make out of the slaughter.
But killing... executing the captain of the “Cowardly Twelve?” It made no sense except for political gain—a battle of influential wits that M'lywthaal'myn and his brave soldiers suffered for. And what bothered Rainbow Dash all the more was just how quickly the sarosians accepted the “honor” of it all—even M'lywthaal'myn's subordinates themselves. They went as far as to cannibalize on their dying captain's flesh: no better a fate than the amputated changeling limbs back when Lexxic exposed the metamorph who had deceived M'saalt'ym on his return patrol to the Tree.
Rainbow Dash had met nasty... brutal ponies before. The Xonans certainly were a cruel lot when they chose to be—with or without the supposed influence of “Nagu'n.” The Darkstinians committed heinous atrocities under the command of Duke Zaap Nator. The denizens of Rohbredden—and the Seven Seas beyond—knew no end of slavery and suffering.
But the Bloodwings? This was an entire culture built around bloodshed—not just of their enemies, but those unwilling to do everything in their power to throw their bodies at the opposition. Lexxic—the new and seemingly unstoppable Supreme Commander of the Dark Vigil—knew absolutely nothing about backing down. This contrasted savagely—it would seem—with the hesitant and conservative methods of the matriarchal elite. It was more than abundantly clear which of the two sides had won the respect and admiration of the militant masses, and Lexxic obviously maintained that authority through rituals such as that which Rainbow and her friends witnessed in the Hall of Honor.
It now made more than a little bit of sense precisely why Lexxic did not forcefully protest Rainbow's involvement with his affairs as the “Avatar of Luna.” What every other Son of Nightmares saw as a living ball-and-chain imposed by Gibbous Sanctum, Lexxic no doubt perceived as an opportunity to impress upon a naive Penumbran the full extent of his power and influence. Perhaps Mistress Faatail and Nat'rdo genuinely believed that Rainbow could be their eyes and ears among the Bloodwing elite—but Lexxic sought to spin that upside down on somepony's prismatic head.
So far, he had succeeded in imposing a great deal of dizziness... but it would appear that such a phenomenon worked both ways. The implications that Rainbow Dash affected Lexxic just as severely as he affected her was infinitely game-changing. Rainbow Dash knew it. The Herald knew it. Her friends knew it.
And Rainbow also knew... that while she should have been biding her time acting as a look-out for her slumbering companions... … … this would only be an inevitable chance for the ghosts most dear to her to press the subject even further.
Among other things:
“Can we at least agree that what Rainbow Dash did—leaping out into the arena without warning—was a very very bad idea?” Twilight Sparkle spoke up.
“No. We can't!” Pinkie Pie pouted. “In fact—I'm sugar-shocked that Dashie didn't bother doing it even sooner!”
“To do what, exactly?!” Applejack gestured. “To save that big bloodthirsty crab-critter?!”
“It suffered so... so terribly...” Fluttershy shivered, hugging her ghostly self. “So did the ponies fighting it—but did they really have to resort to torture?” A sniffle. “And on stage?!”
“Fluttershy, darling, we all sympathize with the... creature. We really do.” Rarity delicately cleared her throat. “But let's not forget that none of the Bloodwings who were pitted up against it had asked for such a gruesome fate themselves!”
“Which is why we should have jumped in even sooner!” Pinkie Pie huffed. “Er... I-I mean Dashie should have jumped in even sooner!”
“And done what exactly?” Applejack's green eyes narrowed. “You saw what that skulker thang did to the late captain's soldiers!”
“So?!? Dashie's taken on dragons and quarry eels before! She's said so herself!”
“Even if Rainbow Dash did somehow turn the tide of battle against that beast...” Twilight Sparkle thought out loud. “...she would have been acting in opposition to the entire occupancy of Honor Hold.” Her violet eyes hardened. “And the rest of the Bloodwings of the Tree of Mothers surrounding her!”
“Still, doing something would have b-better than... j-just all of us sitting there,” Fluttershy stammered. Her voice took on a pitiable tone. “Sitting and... w-watching animals and ponies slaughter each other...!”
“Y-yeah!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “She could have gotten Wildcard and Seraphimus and Ariel to help out! Even that stuffy unicorn bookkeeper! Didn't the Noble Jury used to kick flank together with Dashie?!”
“So, instead of a drop of water trying to make a difference in the middle of a volcano...” Twilight glared at Pinkie with a bored expression “...you think a couple of ice cubes would fare any better?”
“I...” Pinkie Pie chewed on her bottom lip. She sank further into the wooden surface beneath their anchor. “I-I...” Her ears drooped as her eyes searched the fire-lit surroundings for meaning.
“... … ...” Rainbow Dash sat still, waiting for her friends to work it out.
Fluttershy wept quietly. “It's just s-so awful...!” She covered her muzzle. “I-I hate not b-being able to do anything!” She hiccuped as tears sprang from her ghostly eyes. “We used to b-be able to stop evil in its place as the Elements of Harmony! Now we c-can't stop death and murder when it's right in fr-front of us!”
“Fluttershy, darling...” Rarity swept the pegasus into a hug. She nuzzled her neck and said: “Were we so helpless on Red Barge? Hmmm?” A hopeful smile. “Or when Rainbow Dash was on the run from the Talon? Or when we needed to mount a defense at Bleak's Plummet??”
“Th-that's just it...” Fluttershy squinted up at her with puffy eyes. “We could accomplish so much then. Why n-not now?!?”
“The odds... s-simply aren't in our favor, precious.” Rarity nuzzled her again. “I know it's positively awful... but maybe—just maybe—you and I and the rest of us ladies are starting to understand Rainbow's struggle.”
Rainbow Dash shut her eyes.
Rarity continued. “Yes, she's done such amazing... awesome things. But let's not forget the stories she's told us—about truly horrible places: Silvadel, the Sacred Hold, Mudtop...” She hesitated for a bit, then looked nervously over her shoulder. “Mmmm... Lerris.”
Rainbow breathed.
“There are situations where Rainbow... simply can't save everypony,” Rarity said, patting Fluttershy's side. She turned to look pointedly at Pinkie Pie. “And to attempt the impossible in every scenario isn't exactly conducive to 'winning.' Besides... some of us have witnessed—first hoof—when Rainbow sought to do the impossible... against her better judgment.”
“Like in the Quade,” Twilight said dryly.
Pinkie Pie winced. She hung her head at that.
“What happened tonight was truly awful,” Rarity said. “But I—for one—am glad that Rainbow didn't do more than she did. I know that may sound selfish, in light of what happened to the skulker and the captain and others who suffered or died tonight... but I'd much rather Rainbow Dash and her companions survive another day in spite of everything. It's what we have to depend on, after all.”
“Not just us,” Applejack added. “But the whole plum world at large.”
“Exactly~”
Rainbow sighed. “Story of my life.” She sensed Shriike glancing her way for a moment, but then the clerk returned to her journal-writing.
“I... I suppose...” Fluttershy rubbed one eye dry while leaning against Rarity. Her shivers remained, but she was finding a way to compose herself. “...I-I suppose we should be thankful that Lexxic didn't try to have Rainbow Dash executed as well.” She bit her lip. “All things considered...”
“Yeah! What's up with that?!” Pinkie Pie looked up with a vexed expression. “Not that I want Dashie to bite it—but am I the only pony surprised he didn't put the knife to her neck?!”
“Probably because he couldn't,” Rarity said. “You saw what happened the moment Rainbow Dash came close to him while leaping into the arena. His powers faltered—and those horrible weapons of him fell limp to the earth!”
“I dun think that's nearly as important a thang to talk about as the fact that Lexxic spared her,” Applejack stated. “He's clearly a stallion who cares about his image in the face of all his followers. So why didn't he have our most loyalest friend tarred-and-feathered the moment she broke Bloodwing protocol?”
“Well, she's got the feathers already~” Pinkie began.
“Pinkie...” Rarity chided.
“What?! I'm sorely behind on my goof-off quota!”
“I think the answer's obvious, Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle spoke through the conversation. “Lexxic has about as much at stake as Rainbow Dash.”
Fluttershy blinked at that. “What do you mean?”
Twilight sighed, rubbing her temple. “What I mean... … … is that Lexxic is obviously wanting this 'relationship' between himself and the Avatar of Luna to carry on without a hitch. So—even with the stunt Rainbow pulled—he's willing to look past it in order to make things work.”
“Make what work?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “You've heard all the stallions who hang out with this big bully! They want nothing to do with Dashie! Or the mares in charge who have asked her to tag along with him!”
“Rainbow's bein' used as a tool of Gibbous Sanctum and the higher folks in charge,” Applejack said. “What little authority the matriarchs have: they're wieldin' it through Rainbow.”
“More specifically—through the essence of Princess Luna that still lingers inside Rainbow's pendant,” Twilight added. “At the end of the day—even the Bloodwings have to answer to Nightmare Moon. From the sound of things, Malaak—the commander of the Third Root—is the last mare actively in charge of the Dark Vigil's military. And even she is starting to lose influence. So if that gives out...”
“...then Rainbow Dash might end up bein' the matriarchy's only bargainin' chip,” Applejack said. “The only reason these ponies are out here on the Dark Side is because they first ever came on a mission to restore glory to Nightmare Moon. Well—Rainbow Dash is a pony who's met and been blessed by Princess Luna and all her power.”
“Then...” Pinkie Pie squinted. “...where does Lexxy-boy fit in? Wouldn't he wanna have Dashie crushed to dust and swept farrrrrrr away from this place?”
“Not necessarily...” Twilight paced in a ghostly little circle. “...not if he stands to reason that she can be an influence. Or—rather—that Princess Luna... … … that Nightmare Moon can still be an influence through her...”
“And if he maintains Rainbow Dash's loyalty and trust,” Rarity began.
Applejack finished: “He reckons he can maintain that bargainin' chip.”
“What d-does that mean in the long run?” Fluttershy asked. “That Rainbow Dash can actually have influence? If so—why don't we... th-that is... why doesn't Rainbow Dash attempt telling these Bloodwings to play nice?”
“T'ain't that simple...” Applejack sighed. “Just seconds after Rainbow made that dive into the arena, Azarias—the Second—was ready to skin her alive! And he wasn't the only one.” She looked at the others. “Dun take senses like mine to tell that none of the other major Bloodwings are willin' to accept what Rainbow brings to the table. She'd be talkin' to a brick wall if she attempted to persuade them over to the path of Harmony.”
“But Lexxic...” Rarity cocked her head aside. “...what does he see?”
“Hard to say,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Applejack can't exactly read him. It's up to us to deduce.”
“Does he actually think he can win Dashie over to his point of view?!?” Pinkie remarked, blanching.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” Twilight breathed. “But I think he's catching on to the fact that Rainbow Dash needs to get inside the Midnight Armory... … ...and that she can't do it without him.”
“Or maybe...” Rainbow Dash rested her forelimbs behind her neck in full recline. “...he can't do it without me.”
Her five friends looked at her.
“Now... here's the rub...” Rainbow squinted back. “Neither of us can get close to one another.”
“Th-that's right...!” Fluttershy's wingtips fluttered with an ounce of hope. “The way he and his floating daggers collapsed! He can't hurt you, Rainbow!”
“He can easily sick his ruffians on our Rainbow~” Rarity chimed.
Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Still... he can't hurt you directly.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow blew out the side of his muzzle. “...but I can't kick his butt either.”
Silence.
“Have you...” Twilight brushed her bangs back with a pensive expression. “...ever faced a situation like this before?”
“I've... … …kinda?” Rainbow peered out into the starlit encampments beyond. “When I met Khao and her bunch—the first Herald on the Light side—they had a bunch of runes sketched in the ancient language of the angels. Y'know—the primordial pegasi of Urohringr?”
“Uh huh...”
“And they used that stuff to gain an edge over me. Made me dizzy and stuff. But...” Rainbow sighed. “It was not like this.”
“J-just how bad is it, darling?” Rarity gulped. “With Lexxic, I mean.”
“I can barely look at the melon fudge,” Rainbow grumbled. “All he has to do is swing that head-plate of his around and it makes me weak in the knees.”
“Does... he experience the same thing?” Pinkie asked the ghostly group. “Has anypony noticed?”
“If Rainbow has that same effect on him, he sure doesn't show it,” Applejack said. “But—then again—he's the kind of feller to keep his moves all subtle-like.”
“AJ makes a very good point.” Twilight nodded. “Lexxic only moves when he needs to. Almost like his strength is... always on reserve.”
“We've all seen how emaciated and pale his front half is,” Fluttershy added. “As if the thing he's wearing on his head is poisoning him.”
“Plus—all this talk of 'sacrifice,'” Rarity remarked. “For all the hints that Lexxic is giving us, I don't think he's yet unveiled the whole picture.”
“Reckon he's not in a place where he's comfortable with Rainbow knowin',” Applejack said.
“Well, I can't just walk up and ask him,” Rainbow muttered. “Only time I encountered him on his own was when he was harassing Shriike. Noticed how he kept his distance the whole time?”
“That's right, Dashie!” Pinkie nod-nod-nodded. “You even tested him!”
“I figured there was something up. Looks like he knew it all along.”
“You really think so?” Rarity asked.
“It's a good bet. And now he probably knows that I know. It could...” Rainbow shifted, wings flexing. “...change things.”
“I doubt by much,” Applejack muttered. “He's a crafty stallion. He'll likely come up with a new approach.”
“Oh Rainbow Dash...” Twilight's voice took on a sympathetic tone. “How I wish we could be able to talk to you every time you're around him. I know you've dealt with horrible characters before—but you could use all the support and advice you can get.”
“Don't I know it,” Rainbow muttered. Her ruby eyes rolled. “Meanwhile—all I have to lean on around Lexxic is everyone's favorite Patchwork McChaosbutt.”
Fluttershy grimaced hard. “How... … … has that gone?”
“Is that super meanie Discord giving you nothing but headaches?” Pinkie asked.
Rainbow Dash laid back within the crook of the chamber's entrance. “Not really,” her tongue rolled. The mare blinked at how easily that answer came out.
The other five blinked at her as well.
“That is... uh...” She grimaced as her thoughts translated into words. “...I'm finding him to be... erm... somewhat more... … ...manageable?”
“You mean you're getting used to him,” Rarity declared.
The hairs on the back of Rainbow's neck stood on end.
Twilight and the others fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Ahem...” Rarity fluffed her mane and looked aside. “Forget I said anything.”
Silence.
Eventually, Twilight spoke up: “Still—as horrible as the latest events have been—I dare say we're in a better place than we were a cycle or two ago.”
“How do you smarty-smart that smart out?” Pinkie asked. “Didn't Dashie just tick off the entire bat pony army?!”
“Most of them dun even know what happened,” Applejack said. “To Lexxic, that is.”
“Are you sure of that, darling?”
“Pretty darn sure. Oh—they was all confused, for sure.” Applejack tilted her ghostly hat back. “But only a few were close enough to make any sort of connection between Rainbow and Lexxic—what, with both of them collapsin' in the arena at once and what-not.”
“If we're lucky,” Fluttershy spoke, “Barely a few will even know that Rainbow had an effect on Lexxic.”
“Do we even know that Dashie had an effect on her?” Pinkie remarked.
“Pinkie~ We've been through this—”
“I know I know I know.” Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Still—what if it was some crazy coincidence?” She looked at Twilight. “Twily! You're all about the scientific massage!”
“Method. But sure~”
“Could there be a way for Rainbow to—”
“What? Test Lexxic's response again?!” Twilight shook her head. “Pinkie, I think once is enough!”
“And even if we proved ourselves right about what we witnessed...” Fluttershy fidgeted. “Just what would we do with what we learned?”
“Well, zonk-out Lexxic! That's for sure!” Pinkie remarked.
“To what end?” Applejack shrugged. “We'd have all of his lackeys on Rainbow's hind quarters like pigs on mud!” She shook her head. “Ain't worth the risk. Besides, I'm pretty darn sure that Azarias—at least—wants to murder Rainbow dead now!”
“Could the Second Son make a move on Rainbow?” Rarity thought out loud. “Even if it's against Lexxic's orders?” She looked pointedly at the others. “Remember—he did insist that Rainbow not be harmed after the stunt she pulled.”
“If we test Rainbow's tolerance among the Bloodwings—frayed enough as it is—there's no telling what a few angry sarosians might attempt.” Twilight gulped. “With or without Lexxic's blessing.”
“This entire army is a bunch of bloodthirsty bullies.” Fluttershy bore a tiny, indignant frown. “We shouldn't give them any more excuses than we already have.”
“Plus... and here's the biggie...” Rainbow Dash gestured, gathering the attention of her friends. “I couldn't kick Lexxic's butt even if you wanted to.”
“Well...” Pinkie threw on a crooked smile. “You could try.”
“And I'd end up in a dizzy pile of rainbow-colored goo.” Rainbow blew out the side of her muzzle. “No. I just... I just can't approach Lexxic in the same way that I dealt with the Right Talon... or with Queen Chrysalis' doppelgangers in Val Roa...” Her ears drooped as she looked aside. “... … …or with Shell.”
Cold silence.
Pinkie's fluffy face leaned into Rainbow's vision. “Whaaaaaat if we poured the goo into a jar.” A lavender hoof shoved her hard to the side. “Fappo!”
“Rainbow...” Twilight said, staring at their anchor directly. “...if nothing else, we should consider this a blessing.”
“You'll notice I'm not laughing,” Rainbow droned.
“What I mean is—this simplifies your tactics... t-to a certain degree.” Twilight pointed. “You can't deal with Lexxic through violence or brute strength. And—at the same time—you can be certain he won't be able to violently attack you either.”
“He's got his goons...” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Can't forget them.”
Twilight sighed, rubbing her head. “Yes, there's that to consider, but... I think what we have here is a clear and obvious avenue of a more... civil pursuit towards a goal.”
“A mutual goal,” Rainbow said.
Twilight looked left and right—
“Don't pretend that it's not.” Rainbow sat up, leaning forward. “I want the Harmonic Prism. He wants the Harmonic Prism. For me—it's to save all of Urohringr. More importantly—it's to save you guys.”
Twilight opened her muzzle—
“Yeah—no.” Rainbow frowned. “We're not getting into a contest of weighing your worth versus the world's. That's not even an argument worth farting about.” She waved a hoof. “As for Lexxic—he needs the Harmonic Prism in the same way the Dark Vigil needs it.”
“To... bring back and restore Nightmare Moon to glory,” Rarity said aloud. “So she can enact Everlasting Night.”
“Only she doesn't want to do that anymore,” Fluttershy stated. “She's reformed.”
“But are we even sure that's what Lexxic wants?” Applejack said.
The others looked at her.
“Care to elaborate, darling?” Rarity remarked.
“Do you sense something that we don't?” Twilight asked. “You told us before that he's a blank slate to you on account of what that helm's made of.”
“It's simply a matter of putting two and two together, y'all.” Applejack gestured. “Think with yer eyes and ears, girls! These fellers... these punks dun want the same thang that their hoity toity matriarchs want! Shucks, they barely want anythang to do with the mares who have been in charge of the Dark Vigil for generations!”
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie shot up, frowning. “All of this political bolderdashery over 'Malaak of the Third Root' and some-such!”
Fluttershy blanched. “Is 'bolderdashery' even a real thing?!”
Pinkie grinned. “If so—nopony ever reads it!”
“Point is...” Applejack continued. “We know what the matriarchs expect of Lexxic to do with the Harmonic Prism... but I ain't too sure that's what he's gonna do.”
“If that's truly the case here...” Rarity floated closer to Rainbow Dash. “...then representatives of Gibbous Sanctum have been around far longer than Rainbow Dash. Surely they would have... caught on to the attitude of the masculine fighting force beneath the shadow of the Tree.”
“Just what can they do about it?” Twilight shrugged. “From the sound of things—the female generals of the Roots have been whittled away to just one commanding officer. The direct influence of the matriarchs is frayed at best—and soon only Lexxic will be their direct connection to the war effort.”
“Then we really should consider what Lexxic has in mind for the Harmonic Prism,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah? And just what would that be?!?” Pinkie remarked.
The rest of the mares exchanged blank expressions.
Pinkie saw them. She shrugged. “Like... what does he have in mind?! If he doesn't wanna restore the Elements... or restore Nightmare Moon... then just what else can the Harmonic Prism do? And for him?”
“It...” Twilight rubbed her head, gazing off in thought. “...it's a direct focus of alicorn energy... left here by those who first blessed the plane with sunlight and moonlight to begin with.” She looked at Rainbow. “The whole reason Rainbow is on this trip is to claim possession of it... so she can restore what was lost back in Ponyville when Discord created the chaos rift.”
“You mean when I created the chaos rift,” Rainbow muttered.
Twilight looked ready and eager to protest—
Rainbow waved her off, sighing. “Yeah. I know... I know. Ahem.” She folded her forelimbs. “I guess the next order of business is figuring out just what Lexxic has in mind—if anything in particular.”
“Do you think he'd be willing to share that kind of information?” Fluttershy asked. “With you?” Her ears folded as she dared to say: “After what happened just now in Honor Hold?”
Rainbow clamped her mouth shut.
“Also—what was up with those friggin' crystal pony skulls on the friggin' totems?!?” Pinkie cackled.
“Pinkie~” Rarity began—
“No. That's a very good thing to talk about.” Twilight turned towards Rainbow. “You saw it—didn't you? How the... the ruby light from both the skulker and the captain flew into those objects?”
“And how they lit up like Hearth's Warming ornaments too?!” Applejack hugged herself with a brief shiver. “Brrrbrrrbrrrr... gave me the spooks!”
“I'm not sure there're enough spooks to take...” Rainbow exhaled. “I've seen those kinds of skulls before. You'll remember—they weren't actually skeletons.”
“No.” Twilight shook her head. “They looked just like regular pony heads.”
“Uhm...” Pinkie leaned in, squinting. “They were made out of crystal.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “I mean they weren't bone matter. I think they actually—honest-to-goddess—once belonged to equines who trotted this plane.”
“You mean... they were decapitated?!?” Rarity looked like she was about to vomit. “H-how awful!”
“Those weren't like normal decapitations,” Rainbow stated.
“How would you know?” Fluttershy asked—the immediately wished she hadn't. She shrunk back a bit with a guilty expression.
Calmly, Rainbow continued: “Anyways... I've been around a few crystal ponies. Back in Searo's Hold, south of main land Ledomare. Crimson and Roarke and I helped get a bunch of stallions out of the Searonese stronghold with the help of Tweak and Lucky Strike. The latter two were from Aurum—where a bunch of crystal ponies lived. But those who were being captured by Lady Pestiferous' bounty hunters—they were used as living conduits of manaflow. Their crystalline bodies could channel huge amounts of energy. I'm... pretty sure it wasn't an enjoyable experience.”
“So... this energy that we've been seeing here on the Dark Side,” Rarity remarked. “The same... mmmmm... luminescence that exits a body shortly after death...”
“It seems that Lexxic has found a way to use the carcasses of dead crystal ponies to absorb that energy.”
“Energy...” Fluttershy began.
“Ughhhh...” Pinkie grabbed at her ghostly mane. “Can we just call it what it is?!”
Rarity looked over. “What's that, Pinkie—?”
“SOULS!” The whites of Pinkie's eyes showed more than normal with that outburst. “Lexxic is SUCKING SOULS out of the dead!” She gestured. “It happened to that poor giant lobster and it happened to Captain Methuselah! Lexxic and the Bloodwings have themselves some soul batteries!”
Fluttershy whimpered inwardly, looking pale.
“I know I'm tempting fate by underplaying the utter horrors of this sun-less world...” Rarity's teeth gnashed. “But that seems downright preposterous!”
“Not... entirely...” Twilight said.
“Oh, Twilight, please...” Rarity gestured. “Let's not entertain wild superstition—”
“Said the ghost mare to the other ghost mare,” Applejack said.
Rarity glanced over.
Applejack put on a wry smirk, lifting the brown stetson off her head. “Ghost hat...!”
Rarity could only blink.
“Do we not remember what Luna and Celestia warned us about?” Twilight remarked. “That the souls of this world were no longer being ferried to the Harmonic Plains like they naturally should be? That something—likely inherent in the structure of Urohringr—was directing them elsewhere?”
“Hmmmmmm...” Fluttershy sniffled. “Hard to forget.”
“I've been wracking and wracking my brain...” Twilight paced in the air. “Trying to figure out just what might be happening on this plane to affect that. And now... with what we've seen and witnessed on the Dark Side...” She drifted to a stop and looked at Rainbow. “The Night Shard. What if it's them?”
“The Night Shard?” Rarity asked.
“Maybe Lexxic didn't come up with the method for absorbing the ruby light that we saw. Maybe he's only reappropriating a system that he didn't invent.”
Applejack sat up. “Those totems... where do you reckon they came from?”
“Uhhhhhhhhh...” Pinkie rubbed her head, then winced in Applejack's direction. “...the pit?”
Applejack pointed. “See—I got that same idea! And just where was that poor legless changeling taken to? The one that replaced M'saalt'ym's war buddy?”
“The pit!” Pinkie chirped.
“Exactly...” Applejack looked at Twilight. “From Chrysalis to Verlaxion to Abaddon, Rainbow's been hearin' bits and pieces of some... big-fangled narrative: about how Lexxic has been learnin' and devisin' 'new and brutal tactics' to overcome his enemies and turn the tide of this here Trinary War.” Her brow furrowed. “What if—all this time—he's been learnin' how to channel the energy of the Night Shard back at them. That—on top of his ways of counterin' Tchern's flux—it would seem that he's gotten one heck of an edge indeed!”
“So...” Fluttershy shivered visibly. “...Lexxic stole the souls of the poor skulker and the captain?”
“Could be possible—if he found a way to chop off the heads of Night Shard ponies and tap into what makes them tick: energy-wise.”
“Then... just what m-might he be doing with them?” Fluttershy squeaked tenderly with each thoughtful breath. “The idea of keeping souls—not bodies—but actual souls hostage is... a h-horror I can't even begin to imagine!”
“But if the Night Shard's been doing it for generations now, then it's less horrible to the Bloodwings... and more commonplace.” Twilight paced again. “It only stands to reason that Lexxic would casually find a way to redistribute the flow of things. I mean—shoot—if I was in his place, I'd be tempted to myself. Especially if I saw victory within reach.” She sighed, brushing her mane back. “I don't know, girls. It's just... so much to take in.” She turned to look at their anchor. “What do you think, Rainbow? Any ideas?”
“... … ...” Rainbow stared at her five friends. She thought about how they fluctuated... in and out of her visual range... the moment that those unicorn clerics energized the totems. She thought of the ruby light from the skulker and M'lywthaal'myn soaring into those otherwise inert skulls... … … and just how easily she could imagine the bright pastel colors of her beloved friends cycling down the same crimson drain of unknowable purgatory.
“Rainbow...?” Twilight repeated.
Rainbow opened her muzzle... hesitated... then ultimately wheezed: “I think I need a breath of fresh air.”
“Huh?” Pinkie belched. But she and her fellow friends could only watch—helpless—as their anchor got up from the crook of the entrance, and sauntered awkwardly towards the dimly-lit environment outside.
Meanwhile, at about that same time, Shriike finished scribbling in her journal. She yawned, laid down peacefully on her bed mat... … ...then promptly got hit repeatedly by the wandering hooves of a slumbering Ariel.