The view from the roots of the Tree of Mothers turned out to be far more fantastic than Rainbow Dash had anticipated. Granted, she was only facing inward towards the massive trunk while being first escorted there—and in a very dizzied state of mind following the incident in the Hall of Honor too.
The niche where she and her companions had holed themselves up was slightly elevated—which was a relative description when one viewed the roots as a whole. At a glance, Rainbow guessed that the exposed root structure of the Tree of Mothers accounted for nearly one tenth of its total height. It more resembled an enormous briar patch of winding wooden superstructures, and there were multiple spots where horizontal platforms and decks had been long constructed—each accompanying a similar hollow to the abode where the petite pegasus and her Heraldite familiars retired.
The Tree had much space and shelter to give to seemingly countless ponies, and Rainbow couldn't begin to guess who was bestowed the honor of abiding where—whether it was higher or lower. If she would hazard a guess: these upper roots were likely reserved for veterans, elders, and those lucky enough to have survived countless battles and scrapes into their twilight years. Or—perhaps—they were afforded loftier habitats so as not to be seen by those milling and laboring below, as Rainbow had witnessed enough among the Bloodwings to assume that sarosians who survived most of their years of warmongering weren't entirely respected for their survivability... as opposed to the honor and sacrifice of death itself.
Nevertheless, her specific vantage point gave a relatively breathtaking view of the Bloodwing encampment as a whole. While there was a sizably large cloud of smoke and fog wafting up from the foundries and machines of war below, she could easily gaze beyond the misty summits and see—stretching from horizon to horizon—a vast array of tents, training fields, supply lines, and road systems... all dotted with torchlight and glowing runes as far as the equine eye could discern.
There was just so much life and activity that Rainbow imagined it all must have been very clearly visible from a grand distance. And on a curved plane, that couldn't have been much of a thing worth savoring. Tilting her head up, Rainbow gazed at the upwards bend of the world. She saw—or was certain she saw—rivering bands of twinkling light that formed a grand tapestry of luminescent wonder. At a glance, it was beyond beautiful—like a sliver of extra-special constellations against the grand starry void. What a sobering thought to realize: it was all generated by the largest war effort in that part of the known galaxy. The universe was incalculably huge, and here—on what was ultimately a tiny sliver of rock—all the denizens could do was struggle to murder each other. For hundreds upon hundreds of years. Never ceasing.
All of those souls—all of those tragic ends—had a place to go. But they couldn't get there.
Even in the enormity of it all, laid bare before Rainbow, she couldn't begin to contemplate the weight of the matter. The pressure was too much. It squeezed the words from her muzzle, forming cold vapors in the chill of the Tree's shadow.
“Do you remember the first time we ever met?” said she.
The pony in question knew whom she was addressing. “Yes. You... uh...” Twilight Sparkle drifted closer. “You slammed into me at full force.” Her ears flicked as she tongued the inside of her muzzle. “You were practicing flight maneuvers in hopes of joining the Wonderbolts.”
“The Wonderbolts...” Rainbow looked from right to left. Her ruby eyes reflected stars, world, and more stars. “Sounds kinda boring in hindsight, doesn't it?”
Twilight pawed at nothing in particular. The hint of a smirk crawled across her lavender features. “I don't know...” She gazed aside at her anchor. “I never knew much about them myself. But they mattered to you. So as far as I could care—they were pretty awesome.”
“Yuh huh...” Rainbow nodded. She exhaled... then exhaled some more.
Slowly—one by one—Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie drifted to the mare's side. The six of them huddled casually together—in flesh and in spirit—as the ramparts of a dark world glittered beyond.
Rainbow gulped, eventually murmuring: “Do you remember the first thing we ever did together?”
“You mean...” Twilight's teeth were clenched. “... … …stumbling through the Everfree Forest in order to stop a possessed immortal demigoddess from enacting everlasting night?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, ultimately glancing aside. “I mean after all that nonsense. Do you remember the first few months that we hung out together?”
“I do!” Pinkie Pie piped up. “I do!” She squatted low, shaking her fuzzy tail like a bright banner. “We baked cupcakes and went on hikes and tried on dresses and chased after parasprites—!” She froze briefly. Blue eyes blinking. Her pupils shot over. “...did I mention baking cupcakes?”
“I seem to recall a few rough episodes,” Rarity stated, fluffing her mane. “Ruffian diamond dogs. A buffalo train robbery. Atrociously stressful deadlines to finish commissioned outfits...”
“Apple Buckin' Season was a mite bit taxin',” Applejack stated. “But—in the end—y'all helped me out with that.” She smiled through her freckles. “'Course, I'm eternally grateful.”
“Diamond dogs... apple bucking... and bunny stampedes...” Rainbow Dash ignored Applejack's wincing at the last one. She shook her head, getting lost in the stars once again. “Can you believe that—once upon a time—those were the biggest things we ever had to deal with?”
“Uhm...” Fluttershy wilted noticeably. “There... th-there was that dragon that one time.”
“Sure...” Rainbow nodded. “There was a dragon or two—”
“And the Ursa Minor!” Pinkie Pie chimed.
“... … ...and the star bear, right—”
“And a really mischievous phoenix!”
“Oh right!” Fluttershy perked up, rosy-cheeked. “Philomena! Such a dear~”
“Oh oh oh!” Pinkie pointed. “Remember that one time all five of us were reallllllllllllly cruddy to Rarity when she wanted to make us free dresses for the Grand Galloping G—Mrmmmffff!!”
A marshmallowy hoof was clamped over Pinkie's muzzle. After a sigh, the fashionista released her grip. “All... water under the bridge, darling~”
Pinkie blinked. “... … ...did I mention baking cupcakes?!?” She grinned cheekishly at the group. “Squee!”
Rainbow was exhaling. “I used to be soooo lazy. I'd spend entire afternoons napping. I'd hold off weather flying duty until the last second. Unless there was an event that involved the Wonderbolts—somehow—or athletic competitions... … ...I just wanted nothing to do with it.”
“That ain't entirely true, partner, and you know it,” Applejack stated.
“You were always the most loyal of us,” Fluttershy said. “We could depend upon you for anything.”
“We still do, Dashie!” Pinkie nod-nod-nodded. “Not to say that our souls-depend-on-you... or nothing... but... uhhhhh... our souls really friggin' depend on you.”
Rainbow winced.
Twilight glared at the party planner in question.
Pinkie's gaze sank. “Sorry...” She fidgeted with her fetlocks. “I... I know that my attitude doesn't always fit—mmm—the here and now. But... it's always worked before.” She gulped, looking up with vulnerable eyes. “It always used to work before. Back when everything had... more colors and giggles.” Her ears drooped as she looked straight at Rainbow. “But you, Dashie? You're pure awesomeness! You were made for this!”
Rainbow nodded slightly. “Was I?” She breathed. “I guess I was.” A few hard blinks, and her ears twitched. “Doesn't make it feel less strange.”
“We're sitting under a giant tree, surrounded by murderous bat-pony thugs,” Rarity stated. “You're not alone in that sentiment.”
“No—I mean looking back...” Rainbow's ears folded. She looked like she had stepped on something sharp, but didn't know where along the path she had bumbled over it. “I... had a life before this.” A gulp. She glanced aside at the girls. “We all did. But it just... seems so far away now.”
“Shucks, Rainbow...” Applejack took off her hat. “We done slept through most of it. But not you.” Her green eyes hardened. “You went the full nine yards. I...” She slowly shook her head. “...I can't rightly say what that would do to a pony.”
“But for what's worth...” Fluttershy came within nuzzling distance, even if the gesture couldn't physically be committed. “...you're still the same loyal friend we've all come to love.” A slow nod. “And—yes—that takes into account all the decisions you made since you left Ponyville... both good and bad.”
“Decisions...” Rainbow clicked her tongue inside her mouth. “... … ...one way or another, I ended up here. Sometimes... … … I don't feel like there even are decisions. Or at least points to them.” She looked at her friends with glossy eyes. “All that there is... is the journey. And—when the journey and I become one in the same—then why even bother taking stock in the decisions?”
“Because there was a Rainbow Dash before the journey,” Twilight Sparkle spoke up. “And there stands to be a Rainbow Dash after.”
“Do you believe that?”
“... … ...” Twilight Sparkle breathed in deep. It was her turn to gaze at the stars. “You want to know what I really believe?”
“I'm all ears if you're all egghead.”
Twilight's smile was a brief one, but she turned serious again as she murmured: “Something was taken from you. Something was taken from all of us. This journey—all-consuming or not—is ultimately about putting things back in place... things where they deserve to be. Things where they were meant to be.” She looked at Rainbow. “And—as overwhelming as it all may seem... you are in charge of your life... and the decisions that take it—that take us—to the next step.”
“Do you think Ilrifa believed that?” Rainbow asked.
Twilight pursed her lips to respond—but ultimately sighed with an exasperated look.
Rainbow motioned her head towards the heavens and the curve of earth slicing against it. “Do you think all of Urohringr was built for that?”
“You can't map your entire existence based on the stars aligning above you, Rainbow—” Rarity began.
“Rares—I've been runnin' on prophecies and golden gates and lavender flames and wacky Heralds—”
“You'll go insane!” Rarity frowned. After a bout of silence, she whispered: “You don't deserve that. You're the last pony to deserve it.”
Rainbow gazed at her, lip quivering. “And what of every soul who lives or dies?”
Rarity and Twilight looked at each other.
“What—...” Rainbow choked. A deep inhale, and she averted her gaze, choosing to scale the heavens. Searching for a zenith that was forever climbing. “What I'm dealing with now... … ...is bigger than even the alicorns could dream of. What I'm d-dealing with now...” A slight shudder, and she composed herself with much guile. “...is only a p-paper moon. And before I can friggin' pat myself on the back for a job well done, it peels away... and there's something even bigger and crazier burning beyond.”
She sighed long and hard. The great roar of Bloodwing industry loomed like white noise all around.
“I used to like a challenge,” Rainbow muttered. She wiped her eyes dry with a fetlock and chuckled lightly, a soft smile lingering between. “And I used to like taking naps in the afternoon.”
Her ghostly companions looked at one another.
All—save for Fluttershy—who could only look at her. “I would gladly give up all the imperiled civilizations floating across this enormous universe... just to hug you right now.”
A shuddering breath—and Rainbow threw her a weak smile. “Heh. Yeah. Well...” She squatted low on the wooden platform, pressing her front hooves together. Studying the wear and tear on the fetlocks. “There's a challenge to work for. What's it that you always used to say? Baby steps?”
“I... sometimes regret meeting you, Rainbow Dash...”
Everypony turned to look curiously at the one who said that.
Twilight had her head hanging. “If only because I know that—in some way or another...” She looked up with sad eyes. “...I set you on this path.”
“Mrrrfff...” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeesh, Twi... haven't we been over this—?”
“But even still.” Twilight spoke firmer, her face stretched and determined. “Knowing what I know now—what we all know now—I can't fathom another path that we would be following.” She looked at Pinkie, then back at Rainbow. “I do whole-heartedly believe that you were made for this.” Her ears perked. “But I do not believe that you were made to do this alone. We became friends for a reason...” She spoke to the group as a whole. “Blessed with magic and virtue that can overcome anything.”
Twilight drifted closer to their anchor, speaking warm and tender—as if Rainbow was the only soul in the world to bear witness.
“Believe in us... as we believe in you. We will find a way. We always do.”
“... … ...” Rainbow couldn't help but grow a devilish smirk. “Did you reallllllllly mean to rhyme just then?”
Applejack snorted.
Fluttershy smiled.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie giggled.
“Please...” Twilight rolled her eyes above a bitter smirk. “I'm trying here, Rainbow. But—do you honestly think the Bloodwings hold court to spontaneous song?”
“Hey—Abaddon had an edge or two.” Rainbow shrugged. “Couldn't hurt to try.” She looked over. “Pinkie? Got any diddies in those gypsy genes of yours?”
“I can certainly try~~” Pinkie Pie sucked in a continent of air. “Duahhhhhh! A one and a two and a—”
The image of Pinkie Pie parted like morning fog, broken by a cold talon and even colder eyes.
“Having a moment?” Seraphimus droned, marching to a stop.
“... … ...” Rainbow's ears drooped on either side of a dull frown. “Was about to.”
“How unfortunate.” The former Talon Commander perched sharply beside the mare, occupying her sight. “We need to talk.”
“Mmmmmmmmyeahhhhh...” Rainbow slumped back down, gazing once more at the starlight. “Story of my life~”