//------------------------------// // Right Talon of Seraphimus // Story: Ofolrodi // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// Cl-Clunk!!! A rusty mess of jagged junk fell into the back of a wagon, adding to an already-decrepit pile of mangled mish-mash. It Ages exhaled heavily, dusting off her front hooves. Her muscles ached; there wasn't a cycle when they didn't. Nevertheless, with patience and perseverance, the dihmer moved her way towards the front of the wagon and hitched herself to the riggings. Her stub of a horn lingered dull and unpolished in the cold twilight, inactive since that last encounter with Flynn, Logan, and Kepler outside the bleak caves. As It Ages was affixing herself to the vehicle, her bright purple eyes wandered off. She noticed something that made hers pause. There was a time when random—even spectacular details would not phase her. But, for whatever reason now, she could do nothing but stare. A goblin walked side by side with a half-avian, half-feline creature along the outskirts of the dihmer dwellings. The imp was talking to the entity, but that wasn't the odd part. What was strange was that the goblin—judging from his physical posture—wasn't attempting to bribe, extort, or ridicule the stranger. As for the foreigner: she looked calm, contemplative, and almost as neutral as the dihmer themselves. Her feathers fluttered with each pronounced beat issuing from the slimy ocean, but otherwise she appeared completely unaffected by the elements of this plane. As if she belonged to another world. It Ages said nothing. Per the norm, she kept her observations to herself, and carried the wagon off to labor. And purge. “First thang's first...!” Jacko of Tail-Blood held a clawed finger up, walking backwards so he could smile back at the griffon following him. “...ordah of business ees to fetch me skiff back on load to the Fur-Bloodahs!” “I see...” Seraphimus nodded. “And then—presumably—we... sail across the slime to Petra?” “Well... nar...” Jacko shook his head, still walking backwards. He timed his speech between the beats of the throbbing ocean beyond. “Then ol' Jacko hasta settle streeps with the Leatha-Bloodahs. You see... I owe them a heap'o'streeps for an oversupply of creature ketchas that I... er... borrowed durin' me last hike over the bleaks-and-back. And I was bettin' on me load of the skiff to Fur Blood as bein' ways to fetch the necessary streeps to pay it all off, aye?” “Understandable.” Seraphimus nodded again. “So once you've paid off your debts to Leather Blood, you'll be ready to sail across the so-called 'Blob'?” “Well, nar. Not qui—” Jacko backed into a brick outcropping. “Ooomf!” He stumbled, winced, and smiled sheepishly before opting to walk while facing forward. “Ahem... Neext I gotsta swing by Chrome Blood. Get an extra coat of varnish. Ain't no tellin' just how much them Fur-Bloodahs been sloshin' the ol' skiffo around. Wouldn't be propah to head 'cross the Blob with holes through which the slime-o's could bite our spuds, aye?” “I wouldn't know much about that.” “'Course not, pretty bird!” Jacko winked back at her with a razor-toothed smirk. “Just t'ain't the oil in yer feathas!” His ears wobbled as his pointy features took on a flushed expression. “Erm... I swears t'ain't meant as no 'bird-brained' joke or nothin', sheilah, just pointin' out the fact that dealin' with the Blob ain't exactly in your Penumbral repertoire—!” “Do not worry so much about what words you chose,” Seraphimus droned. “There is nothing a creature like you could possibly say or do that would remotely hurt me.” Jacko blinked at that. “...fair suck of the sav!” He ran a gnarled hand through the hair that he didn't have. “If ol' Jacko had a streep for everytime someone said that to him... well... I'd have one streep forevah clingin' to me name! Heheheh...” “Let's just cut to the chase.” Seraphimus squinted down at him. “After you get the varnish from Chrome Blood—” “Then... erm...” Jacko fidgeted slightly in his stride, looking forward. “We will have to slosh on bleakwards, up the stream. About the time the slime fades from the drink, we will be in Bone Blood territory. Roundabouts is a ferry station by the name of Bonahtown. Theah, I gotta turn in a delivery of salamandah skins in order to seal the deal between the Fur-Bloodahs and the Bone-Bloodahs. Thet oughta win me the streeps I need to pay for passage into the rest of the bleak drinks...” “...and then?” “Then!” Jacko beamed. “It's on our way to Tallywackah! Home to the rest of the Tail-Bloodahs! Like me! Reeeal deep in the bleaks, Tallywackah. A tad bit remote, perhaps. But eet's a dayum good trade-o town with lots of drinkies leading every which wheah!” Seraphimus raised an eyecrest. “You plan to... lead me out into the middle of nowhere?” “Oi!” Jacko's teeth flashed as his face showed the barest hint of a frown. “Tallywackah ain't just the crust of Woop-Woop, y'know! The drink streams runnin' through it really do lead everywheah! Includin' to the Blob! Only... we'll be crossin' it with less slime undah our feet! Er... talons... paws... whatevah it ees you might be sportin', pretty bird.” “So you mean—in the end—it's less distance to cross over the ocean?” “Too right!” Jacko nodded, smirking. “And we won't be crossin' over the beatin' heart of the Blob, sheilah. Heh... oh nar...” He shook his head. “Only big bloomin' dihmah cruisahs bother weeth makin' that kind of a trek. They got the varnish for it, aye? Plus—them tomato sauces have theemselves a big ol' dihmah town in the middle of the slimy drink. No gobbo's evah been theah. Hrmmff... doubt any gobbo would evah wanna set foot on such an island. Nope. Not even for all the cindahs of Peetra.” “Just how do you normally scale the Blob?” “Like all gobbo's!” Jacko charaded a “circle” with a claw. “Up the coast! Roundabout-like! Bettah for tradin', aye? Lots of gobbo towns blanket the slime-line, seein' as how the Blob-beat drives off most of the big crittahs back into the brinks. Theah's less for change-o's to prey on the closer one geets to the ocean. Plus, the bats-o's dun cotton to crossin' the slime for fear of their fanged lives...” “Sounds like imp society depends on the Blob.” “Eh... it's an okay bloke...” Jacko squinted off towards the massive pink horizon. “Would stand it heaps bettah without the constant drum session. Heh...” He winked up at Seraphimus and resumed walking. “But—as in all things—horses for courses! Figured Penumbrans would get a kick outta thet phrase...!” “Where... are we walking to?” Seraphimus asked, befuddled. “Nowheahs!” Jacko flung his arms out. “Just walkin'! Makes the yabbin' a mite bit agreeable, aye?” “Mrmffffghh...” Seraphimus struggled desperately not to beak-palm. “In all seriousness, sheilah. Ol' Jacko's simply been abidin' his time while them lazy Fur-Bloodahs bring his skiff back so he can geet back to business!” “Uh huh...” “It... erm...” Jacko squirmed a bit in the next few steps. “...it's not like Jacko was waitin' on anythang else. Deadset.” “So, after...” Seraphimus grimaced—mostly because she was forced to pronounce the name outloud. “...after Tallywacker... we follow the coastline of the ocean towards Petra?” “Right-o!” Jacko nodded. “And once I'm there, I can win favor with the Queen by sharing tales of Penumbra.” Seraphimus cocked her head aside. “Due to the... potential revelations that my past observations might have on the expanded nature of Petra?” “Eet's a regular shoe-in, love!” Jacko did a little pirouette and grinned up at her. “You've seen so much light! So much fire! So much flame!” He gestured wildly. “The world dan undah just has to be brimmin' with tongues of Peetra's flickah! We gobbo's have been flailin' in the dark for so dayum long! Yer bound to win hearts ovah with yer good oil! Thet's just the kind of fuel we need! The Metal Mum will see it! You'll be granted a new home! And ol' Jacko will surely be offered a seat back in the high spokes of Peetra!” “Just... what got you booted out of there to begin with?” “Uh uh uh—” He waggled a finger while winking. “You just focus on winnin' Queen Avril ovah! Let ol' Jacko worry about both the past and the future. We may be in thees togethah, Sheilah, but we's still separate.” He shrugged. “Just the way of the flickah's branches, aye?” “Hmmmm...” Seraphimus paused to stand and fold her forelimbs. “Are we certain that my testimony of Penumbra will win your Queen's respect? Or just you?” A feathery eyecrest raised once again. “It seems to me that you're the one with a fixation for the other side of the plane.” “Hey now...” Jacko pointed. “The Metal Mum's no figjam! Her head hangs the highest out of all of us! Real enlightened and bright-like, that noggin' of hers, and closest to Peetra's flame theah ees! She's bound to take a gleam to your words, sheilah!” “But—” “You just gotta have faith!” He stepped closer to the griffon, staring up at her from his short stance. “Ain't that the real reason you came to me, pretty bird?” “... … ...” “Look. Ol' Jacko ain't one to judge.” His smile was a dull one as he shrugged yet again. “I'm a Tail-Bloodah, mate. Ain't much lowah than wheah I stand. Somethin' tells me yer options for livin' have run out of clicks to tread if you find yerself strollin' up to me.” “Even still...” Seraphimus breathed. “It's living.” A beat of silence. “When can I expect you to be ready with the skiff from the Fur Blooders?” Jacko blinked. “Uh... sh-should be barely half-a-cycle, sheilah. You really... … … wanna set out on the drinks that quick?” “Yes.” Seraphimus nodded. “I do.” “What about yer mates—” “You still have business to do with the Guilds of Leather and Chrome.” Seraphimus pointed nebulously into the crumbled depths of Blobstain. “I suggest you get to it.” “Oh... well... alright, sheilah.” Jacko nodded. “Erm... when the moment comes, how shall I summon ya?” “Don't bother. I shall find you.” “... … …” Jacko cleared his throat. “N-no worries! Heh...” He scratched the back of his skull. “Dunno whether I should be excited or scared!” “Doesn't matter.” Seraphimus turned and walked off briskly. “Consider this simply as a business deal. Nothing more.” “You sure about that, love?” She was already gone. “Hmmfff...” Jacko smirked mildly to himself. He adjusted his vest before making for the headquarters of Fur Blood. “Cuttin' ties with mates? That's a cold... cold trade.” The goblin strolled off, sighing sadly. “Unless—of course—that flame melted ages ago...” Seraphimus had barely taken a hundred steps. She passed an outcropping of collapsed mortar and heard a gruff voice sound off from behind: “Should I tell her? Or are you gonna?” The former Talon Commander scuffled to a stop, staring into the twilight above Blobstain. She took a long and contemplative breath. “And just what would I be telling her?” “What else? That you intend to leave the party...” Seraphimus turned around. Logan stood, leaning against a crumbled wall of bricks. He was staring calmly at her. “...for real this time,” the stallion murmured. “Not that dorky emo stunt you pulled in the cave above Abaddon's city.” Silence—save for the beat of the ocean. Seraphimus strolled closer to him. There was no menace in her voice when she spoke—just a calm and patient tone. “How did you deduce it?” “When the group came back from Lexxic's shindig, Rainbow Dash was there. Ariel was there. Wildcard was there.” Logan's eyes narrowed. “But you weren't.” “Yes. And?” Seraphimus calmly shrugged. “Maybe I simply needed some time alone. It's not atypical of me.” “I stopped pretending a long time ago that you were untouchable,” Logan said. “So could you be respectful enough to stop pretending that I'm as stupid as I am a fatass?” He stood evenly on all fours and faced her. “You witnessed something out there—among the bat ponies. Something that's changed you.” His lips pursed. “Or—if nothing else—it set you dead straight on something that's been cooking deep inside for a long... long time...” Seraphimus looked at him. Eventually, her gaze wandered off. Her talons followed it, and soon the griffon was pacing thoughtfully in that tiny clearing between razed walls. Logan watched her the whole time, calm and poised. At last, one of them spoke. Her: “Rainbow Dash's quest for the treasure within the Midnight Armory is folly,” Seraphimus declared. “I can already see its inevitable failure in motion. I don't see why I need to stay on board this... pathetic parade any longer. I'm getting off now.” “Why?” Logan raised an eyebrow. “Because the mountain left to climb is so damnably steep? Rainbow's accomplished the impossible before. We... have accomplished the impossible before—” “This is not about the obstacles that lie in her path!” Seraphimus' beak clicked. She turned to frown at the Heraldite. “This is about Rainbow Dash herself!” “... … ...” “She is deluded. Self-righteous. Maybe even senile—I'm not entirely sure...” Seraphimus frowned towards the earth. “But whatever lessons may have been forced upon her in Rohbredden... she hasn't truly learned them. Or—if she has—she has learned in all the wrong directions.” “From what I understand,” Logan started. “She has chosen to work alongside Lexxic—for the good of both the soldiers and the matriarchs of the Dark Vigil.” “Choosing is not enough to succeed in something,” Seraphimus said. “It's the laboring that matters. And Rainbow Dash doesn't have the muscle for it. Or the heart.” “I'd say—out of all of us—Rainbow Dash's heart is the most pure—” Seraphimus flashed Logan a sharp look. “That is she will fail.” Logan stared. And listened. “She is forcing herself to align that 'purity' with a heart of darkness,” Seraphimus said. “Lexxic too is a dreamer. A creature of passion. A stallion with high aspirations. But to reach those heights, he must climb a mountain of corpses. Rainbow Dash... simply has not grasped that yet. Or—if she has—she's chosen for the time being to ignore it.” She blew out the side of her beak, glaring towards the stars. “She thinks that her spirit friends will help her. Truth is—they're only a blanket she uses to wrap around herself... to shield herself from the cold kiss of reality... a reality she will soon be drowning in. At some point or another, her barriers will dissolve... and she will find herself drowning in the depths she has chosen. With no exit strategy. And when that time comes... everything will unravel. Her. Her friends. The Herald.” She fidgeted a bit before throwing him a pitiable glance. “You.” “I will not abandon Rainbow Dash,” Logan said firmly. “The Austraeoh is defined as much by her mistakes as by her victories. What's one or a million more?” “That attitude will be the end of you,” Seraphimus declared. “As it will be the end of the Dark Vigil.” “You...” Logan trotted a little closer. The tone of his voice belied his calm curiosity. “...do not believe that she should be teaming up with Lexxic?” “No. I do not.” “She's only doing it with the sarosian elders' blessing—” “They see her as a means to an end. As does Lexxic.” Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “But this is not a case where Rainbow Dash will salvage their culture by maintaining equilibrium. Because there is no equilibrium. With each day... night... cycle that passes by, Lexxic only grows more and more powerful. It is a... frightening momentum that has already reached peak velocity. Long before Rainbow Dash and the rest of us even arrived here. One way or another, Lexxic will gain complete and total control over the midnighters here on this side of the plane. And once he has absolute domination... he... will... not relinquish that grip.” Her beak clenched. “Whatever remains of the Dark Vigil—it will not return to Rainbow Dash's homeland as friends. Nor even as cousins. They will be something far darker than nightmares. Lexxic's future inheritors will make sure of that, provided that even a shred of his creed remains.” “So... you truly... whole-heartily believe that Lexxic will be running the show in the end?” Logan asked. “At least where the Bloodwings are concerned?” “Absolutely.” “Well then...” Logan shrugged. “Maybe Rainbow's headed on the right path. If we buddy up with Lexxic—and he does make some sort of power play—then we can all side with him. Yeah, I know it means screwing over the matriarchs. But this is the fate of Urohringr we're talking about. I certainly won't sleep any less if Bloodwing society crashes and burns. Getting the Harmonic Prism is all that matters.” Seraphimus nodded. “I would expect that sort of calculative planning from you. Perhaps Wildcard. Maybe even the wyvern. But Rainbow Dash?” She slowly, sadly shook her head. “She hasn't the strength and tenacity to be so cold and steadfast.” Logan cocked his head to the side. “Even after the Quade? Frostknife? Bleak's Plummet?” “Even after all of Verlaxion's trials that she endured,” Seraphimus declared. “The... Divine of Frost tested her ability to sacrifice an entire civilization for the sake of preserving a singular goal in the long-term.” “Yeah? She passed that test, didn't she?” “Did she?” Seraphimus was deadpan. “In the end, she spared me.” “... … ...” “She cannot hope to gain the Harmonic Prism... while sparing Lexxic.” Seraphimus breathed. “He is Rainbow Dash's ultimate obstacle on her journey. And the more she plans to humor his livelihood and authority, she only makes her own obstacle bigger.” “Have you...” Logan chose his words carefully, just like his steps as he paced alongside Seraphimus. “...told Rainbow Dash about your feelings? Your objections?” “Repeatedly,” Seraphimus stated. “She will not give heed.” “You're sure?” “Positive.” “... … ...” Logan scratched at his stubbled chin. “Maybe... if I was to—” “To what? You're just a loyal dog to her.” Seraphimus exhaled sharply. “Face it—you and the rest of the Herald are bench warmers at best. The only souls she's one hundred percent honest and complicit with are the ones whom none of us can actually see.” Seraphimus frowned. “She shares feelings, emotions, and strategies with outright ghosts while tossing nothing but breadcrumbs to the flesh and blood around her... those who still stand to lose both body and spirit. Just what kind of a leader is that?!?” “One whom the the Herald has been preparing entire lifetimes for,” Logan declared firmly. “And we're not fixing to stop now.” Seraphimus nodded. “How I pity the whole lot of you.” A sigh. “Yes—and I know that includes Ariel. Such... blind and unquestionable faith. I had that once. It was used against me—as was my family.” “Don't confuse the Herald with Verlax's bullshit,” Logan grunted. “We're all in this for more than just negative coercion—” “Oh please...” Seraphimus huffed. “As if you aren't just as deeply manipulated by an immortal.” “Mortuana sacrificed as much as the rest of us,” Logan declared. “She shared in the faith of Austraeoh as much as myself, Flynn, or Wildcard—” “And where did that get her?” “... … ...” “Faith—without questioning—is ignorance,” Seraphimus declared. “I've fallen very... very far from a hollow station to come to grips with that. I don't need to tell you how much it has cost you and those whom you care about—the same souls who have had to... t-tolerate the menace it's made out of me.” She swallowed. “Just think about it. If Rainbow Dash had done to me what she should do to Lexxic—back at the edge of the world—then Axan, your strongest ally, would still be around today. And the factions of the Trinary War might have presented far less of an obstacle to the Austraeoh's journey.” Logan bit his lip. “Don't even pretend to argue with me on that,” Seraphimus said coldly. “Some truths simply do not merit dispute.” Logan sighed long and hard. He gave Seraphimus a tired look. “Just what... would you have Rainbow Dash do? If you were in charge of everything?” “Simple.” Seraphimus stood tall and resolute. “I would have her invoke the power of being the 'Avatar of Luna' to its fullest degree. She should ally herself with the remaining female commanders of the Third Root—then spread her influence to the rest of the army until Lexxic himself was demoted.” She gestured. “Reinstate matriarchal authority over the military branches while winning the male fighting force with resources, luxuries, and—most of all—rights. Once the soldiers see that a higher power is affording them both respect and support, they'll turn away from a vagabond pretender like Lexxic. At the end of the day, sustenance and security speaks volume over struggle... no matter how passionate.” “Don't you think that's... going against the grain a bit? At this point?” Logan squinted. “You yourself said that Lexxic's quest for power will ultimately succeed. So why fight it? At best, it all will... just implode.” “Right now, it's the elders—and not Lexxic—who possess the shard of Endrax.” “Yeah? Where?” “None of us know. But Rainbow Dash can learn—if she warms herself up to the elders.” “Isn't she trying to do that by following their directives with Lexxic?” “She still has connections via Princess Luna's influence to exploit,” Seraphimus said. “She should bank on that. Hard. Then—once she finds herself within range of acquiring the shard of Endrax—” “What, she should steal it?” “Whatever it takes to gain a key—any key—to the Midnight Armory that Endrax's corpse has sealed off,” Seraphimus said. “The implosion of the Dark Vigil is going to happen one way or another. It's best that Rainbow accepts that and take from it what she can before it occurs. Because—if she sticks to Lexxic as she plans to—then the only way to remain true to his cause is to accept all of the death and mayhem it will bring.” “That just might be the simplest path to victory,” Logan said. “But not one that she will ultimately be willing to take, no more than she'd be willing to hear me out on my propositions concerning the matriarchs now.” Seraphimus swallowed. “She's settled for a seemingly safe path—down the middle. But... it's only safe for the time being.” She shook her head. “I do not believe that she will commit to either Lexxic or the matriarchs until it is too late. She's... still deluded enough to believe that she can corral the whole of the Dark Vigil that budded off the Equestrian civilization. Once it tears apart, it'll tear Rainbow Dash apart too. Along with the Herald.” Logan leaned back, rubbing his scalp as he stared off in thought. Seraphimus peered at him. “You do not believe me?” “No, I believe you. Murder bird or not, you're a wise turkey. That much is certain.” Logan stood evenly with her. “Where we differ... is that I believe—even when everything goes to Hell—we will overcome. The Austraeoh... and the Herald.” “... … ...” “And that's why I gotta stick with her.” “But... why?” Seraphimus' charcoal brown eyes glazed over with confusion. “Why give your lives for a cause—a pony, even—if one day you stand to... give too much?” “Because it's my life to give,” Logan said. “And that's reason enough.” He slowly shook his head. “I'm tellin' ya... it wasn't worth shit before word of the Austraeoh and the Herald came along.” “A pity...” Seraphimus breathed. “I once believed in a cause. And if the Right Talon had crossed paths with you before any of that came to light, maybe your life could have been saved.” “Not with the sort of torches you were carrying at the time.” Silence. “And so it is.” Seraphimus leaned back. “Well... for better or for worse... I do have a new lease on life. I tend to make the best out of it.” “Doing what?” “Living.” Logan slowly nodded at that. “Fair enough. I've no beef with that.” She raised a feathery eyecrest. “Truly?” “Does that surprise you?” “A little, yes...” “I understand why you might think the Herald is a cult'n'shit... but tell me this...” He took a few steps towards her. “Would you expect a cult to just let you go?” “Will you let me go?” “The moment I realized that Rainbow Dash was hell-bent on sparing you, I was pissed out of my mind with anger. But that's because I was an asshole.” Logan shrugged. “Still am. But as time wore on, I saw the sense in it. You and the Herald aren't too different, really. All of us are bastards; we've done things to regret. But the whole point of being with the Herald is to move beyond that—to move beyond ourselves. If that's what you're planning to do now, then I wish you godspeed. Hell...” He snorted. “I may even be a little envious.” “I see.” Seraphimus nodded. “Have you... contemplated the fact that you could join me?” “No.” “No? Not even once?” “This is the Dark Side. My life is vexing enough as it is without eloping with some death chicken.” Logan waved nebulously across the dihmer town. “Besides... I've long chosen what do with my new lease.” “Is she really worth it, though?” Seraphimus grimaced. “She's... so brusque. So impulsive.” “Yeah—but she's got her eyes on the prize. And something ancient—something divine that was poured into this plane long before us ponies even galloped these fields—is empowering her. I know you can't see it, and that's fine... but Rainbow Dash puts jerkoffs like me on the straight and narrow.” Logan gulped, staring at some empty space between them. “I don't know about you, but that's enough to live and die by.” Seraphimus gave the stallion a good long look. “You reached out to me and showed me respect and reason where others wouldn't for so long.” A breath. “I shall not forget that.” “You wanna return the favor?” “By all means.” Logan gestured. “Be the one to tell her. Don't make the news come out of the muzzle of this fatass.” Seraphimus was silent. Logan's eyes narrowed. “She saved your life for this moment. Don't deprive either her or yourself of this. You both stand to learn from it.” Rainbow Dash blinked. She scratched her head. She strolled left... then right... then resolved herself into a sitting position with a sigh. “Well, okay...” Her flank plopped down onto the torch-lit ground. “So...” A gulp. “Uhm...” Another gulp, and finally she looked back at her. “...h-have you decided exactly where you're going to go?” “My eyes are on Petra,” Seraphimus said. She stood before a hollow outcropping of rubble, gazing out across the slimy sea. “I have... facilitated transit to get there.” “Isn't that... uh...” Rainbow squinted in the torchlight. “...that... imp metropolis that all the goblins have built somewhere across the Blob?” “Indeed.” “And... you're going to cross the whole friggin' ocean to get there?” “More or less. The journey isn't quite as important as the destination.” Seraphimus huffed. “It could take days. It could take years. What matters...” She slowly turned to face the once-rainbow-rogue. “...is that they will be my days or years to spend.” “I got it.” Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “But... why Petra?” “Why not Petra?” Seraphimus' feathers ruffled in a random gust of wind. “From the sound of it things—it's the closest this forsaken plane has to a central hub of commerce, communication, and civilization as a whole.” “Yeah—but according to what Kepler has learned from the Chome-Blooders, only imps are allowed in the upper branches of the place.” Rainbow blinked. “Imps—and some mysterious group of creatures named 'kobolds' who apparently provide security to the lofty communities.” “Yes, and from what I've learned, the area beneath and surrounding Petra is likewise home to all sorts of Dark Side creatures.” “It... doesn't exactly sound like a comforting neighborhood.” “I'm not looking for comfort,” Seraphimus said. “I'm looking for purpose.” “Which... y-you can no longer find among the Herald.” “No.” Seraphimus slowly shook her head. “I cannot.” “Look, Sera...” Rainbow Dash stood up and strolled closer. “I... I'm sorry about what went down in Honor Hold.” “Rainbow...” “We can still talk this out, y'know? I'm not quite as thick-headed as you think! Let's—I dunno—sit down and have a long chat about—” “Rainbow Dash, let it go,” Seraphimus said firmly. Her charcoal brown eyes focused on the mare. “Let me go. I assure you... I have no part to play in the grand scheme of Austraeoh, whatever it may be. I was—at best—an awful impediment. But that impediment was dealt with ages ago. Allow its shadow to make sense of itself. I promise you... she will find a home amidst all of this darkness. And she will do so enlightened... thanks to you.” “... … ...” Rainbow Dash blinked “...this really isn't the same as that stunt you pulled back above Abaddon's place, is it?” “Hrmmmfff...” Seraphimus breathed out in short, repeated bursts. “It is not. Funny—Logan also voiced the same statement.” “Heh...” Rainbow put on a bittersweet smirk. “Funny—that after all these months, that's the closest I've gotten you to laugh.” “You give yourself too much credit.” “Yeah. I suppose I do.” Rainbow Dash's ears drooped slightly as she looked Seraphimus over. “Y'know... with what we'll be up against—Lexxic and the Bloodwings and all—I could really... really use someone as strong and wise as you.” “No. You couldn't.” Seraphimus exhaled. “Where you're headed, Rainbow Dash—your own tenacity will have to do.” Rainbow bit her lip. “...why do I feel like I'm to blame for this? Someway, somehow, I've lost whatever faith you have left in me.” “It was never about faith,” Seraphimus said. “It was about reality—and a sobering dose at that.” “I... don't think I understand.” “You never had to understand. You simply had to be,” Seraphimus stated in a cold tone. “The only understanding to be had was mine: that you were and forever are a force I simply cannot overcome. Not back in Braum or Steamfall or Starkiss... and certainly not here. Where you serve as the world's only colors.” She slowly shook her head. “I cannot fight you, Rainbow Dash. You and I may both think it ended at Bleak's Plummet, but it ends here.” “You make it sound so sad and pathetic...” Rainbow Dash grimaced. “Like that's all we were ever meant for. To butt heads.” “I wouldn't feel too badly about it,” Seraphimus said. “Ultimately—I see myself doing what you always wanted.” Rainbow Dash breathed warmly. “You're setting out on that new life. You're free.” “I've only lived under the shadow of Verlaxion's lies,” Seraphimus said. A shrug. “What's more darkness? If I don't owe it to you, then I owe it to myself to make sense out of what I now have.” A shudder. “And I owe it to Axan.” “Sera...” Rainbow raised a hoof. “What Axan did—for you and the Herald—” Seraphimus stopped the petite pegasus in her tracks. “You live with your guilt, Rainbow Dash. Allow me to live with mine.” “... … ...” “I assure you. There is a shore waiting beyond it all. There has to be.” Seraphimus wandered over to where a meager allotment of possessions had already been gathered into a thick pack. “I will never fully... truly understand you, so I shall choose to believe that such faith is our common ground. Perhaps it will preserve whatever remains of our mutual sanity.” “We... uh...” Rainbow Dash looked around at the fringes of the Herald's camp. “We can supply you with all you need.” “What I need lies ahead of me, I'm sure,” Seraphimus declared. “But I will be nonetheless grateful for whatever you're willing to donate. Much thanks, Rainbow Dash. Goddess knows how far I can trust the promises of the goblins who are ferrying me to my destination.” “I keep catching glances of you chatting with one particular dude since we arrived here,” Rainbow stated. “Does he even have a name?” “He does indeed. Jacko of Tail Blood.” “And...” Rainbow's brow furrowed. “...do you think he's going to be trouble for you?” “Not even a fraction of the trouble I stand to be for him.” “Then—why bother? I bet you could hoof it to Petra on your lonesome if you wanted.” “Contrary to what seems most obvious...” Seraphimus paused in packing to squint at Rainbow across the way. “...I do not intend to spend the rest of my life in the darkness alone.” “... … ...what's that supposed to mean, exactly?” “I'll leave that to your boundless curiosity. Who knows—you'll likely need some whimsy in the spare moments you aren't murdering and pillaging for Lexxic.” “I don't plan to be murdering and pillaging for Lexxic.” “Right. So I hope you remember this moment when you eventually do.” “... … ...” Seraphimus slung the pack over her haunches—if only to test the weight. She noticed Rainbow Dash staring at her, so eventually she huffed: “Is that quite all?” “Mmmm... no. But...” “But what?” “It's... quite stupid.” “Well, you are you.” Seraphimus cocked her avian head curiously aside. “Speak up.” “... … ...I don't suppose you'd be down for a hug?” Seraphimus snorted. “I haven't tried to murder you since the gondola, Rainbow Dash.” She brushed past her. “Let's not break the streak, shall we?” Rainbow turned to face her. “At least let the others say good bye.” “They do not want to say anything to me.” “Yeah they do.” Seraphimus groaned audibly, her entire body sagging. Rainbow smirked. “Consider this the last favor I ever ask you.” Seraphimus looked over her shoulder. “The last favor?” Her tone belied deliciousness. “You wanna pass that up?” “... … ...” “A most unexpected turrn of events, assurredly... alas...” Kepler marched up to the stately griffon. “...somehow inevitable when examined in a solemn light. Ach!” He reached a claw out towards the former Talon Commander. “I bid thee a fairr and most enlightening sojourrn, Serraphimus of Rrohbrredden! May life—howeverr bleak—prrove most prrovidencial forr yourr futurre out therre.” Seraphimus hesitated. Ultimately—with grace and dignity—she reached a talon out and gently shook Kepler's hand. “The same to you, Kepler.” She cleared her throat. “I... whole-heartily regret whatever part I may have played in the political machinations that almost brought about the genocide of your flesh and kin in the north.” Kepler blinked hard through his spectacles. “I... do suppose that is the most sincerre statement I have everr hearrd frrom yourr beak, frr-frriend!” A delicate clearing of the throat, and he bowed honorably. “I shall cherrish it.” Shifting awkwardly, Seraphimus nevertheless mimicked his gesture. She shuffled down the impromptu line, finding herself staring face-to-face with a balding stallion. “Flynn.” He nodded back. “Seraphimus.” “We... did not exactly speak much.” “No. Most of it was cursing and screaming and spitting. But hey.” Flynn shrugged. “You saved our necks a few times back then. So you weren't all that useless.” “You brunt words shall forever remain refreshing amid such a sycophantic poetry club.” Seraphimus looked at Rainbow Dash, then back at Flynn. She leaned in and spoke in a quiet tone: “As for usefulness... you must not sell yourself so short. This entire group depends on you.” “Pffft...” Flynn bore a wry smirk. “You think I don't know that? Rainbow and Big Show tell me all the time.” “Yes. But coming from someone you loathe...” Seraphimus' charcoal eyes glinted. “...you will no longer have that luxury.” “... … ...” Flynn's good eye blinked. “I wish you the best fortune with your future projects.” Seraphimus leaned back. “This landscape won't have much in the way of resources to lend, but somehow... you will make do.” “Uhm... thanks?” Seraphimus merely walked past him. She stood across from Ariel. “Is there anything?” Seraphimus droned. “Was there ever?” Ariel droned back. “Glad we could come to an agreement for once.” “Earth-shattering.” Ariel smirked bitterly. “I know.” “Be watchful among the Bloodwings,” Seraphimus said. “Tolerance and trust are two different things.” “Meanwhile, you keep an eye on those imps over in Petra,” Ariel muttered. “Don't let them get the jump on you.” “I'd warn you the same about Rainbow Dash, but we both know better.” Ariel's ears drooped. “Buh?” And Seraphimus moved on... ...to Logan. “Polly want a cracker?” the stallion mused. “Ever the charmer~” “I think we've both said enough.” “Perhaps. Perhaps not.” Logan shrugged. “Might never know.” Seraphimus stood tall with a soft gaze. “I have faith your daughter has long found peace, Logan. It's high time that you found your own.” Flynn glanced over at Logan up hearing that. Logan was deadpan. “You know me. Where I go—peace takes a huge shit.” “Maybe it's precisely what the Austraeoh will need when fate determines.” Logan took a contemplative breath before finally saying: “Good luck out there, birdo. If there's any rotten bastards left in this world that's worth you murdering, make sure they deserve it.” “Rest assured...” Seraphimus was already walking off. “...it will never be you.” Logan looked on in silence. Flynn said nothing. At long last, Seraphimus passed by Rainbow Dash. She gave her one steely-eyed look. “Rainbow.” Rainbow gazed back. Silent. A beat. Seraphimus turned with her pack, spread her wings, and— Fwooooosh! —the Herald watched as she soared off in a silver streak towards the opposite end of Blobstain, where a goblin and his skiff lay in wait along the shore of the vast ocean. “Hrmmfff...” Flynn exhaled, muttering: “Good riddance.” “Brrotherr...” Kepler sighed. “A modicum of dignity, please.” “I'm not here to mince words. She was dead weight from the start...” He shuffled off towards his equipment. “...let's face it. We're all better off.” “Hey...” Ariel shrugged, also returning to some task or another. “...he said it first.” With a sigh of defeat, Kepler strolled back to his alchemic projects. This left Logan and Rainbow Dash standing alone, gazing off at Seraphimus' last seen location. “One thing's bothering me,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Like... why isn't he even here...? He didn't say anything to me beforehand. Did he say anything to you?” “Don't worry...” Logan gazed towards the ocean. “He's going to find her.” “...?” Rainbow glanced from Logan to the slimy horizon. Seraphimus landed from the brisk flight. Jacko and his boat could be seen at a distance. She marched towards the imp—but stopped upon feeling a flutter to her crestfeathers. She stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned around to face the stealthy arrival. “I knew you couldn't do it in front of the others, Jordan.” “... … …” Wildcard's glossy goggles reflected her cold visage. She stared back doubly at herself as she continued: “Just like Keris—you always prided yourself on being apart from the rest. Only... you took it a great deal more literally than he ever did.” Wildcard nodded. With swift talons, he signed to her. “No, becoming a 'desperado' is not what changed things.” Seraphimus sighed. “Don't pretend that after all this time, you don't understand what a difference you've made. What a... wedge you've driven. Long before I knew the truth about Verlaxion.” He cocked his head to the side. His talons sliced the air. “Yes, but it's more than that.” She strolled slowly towards him, calm and collected. “With Keris—I valued his wisdom. I valued his intellect. And—frayed as it may have been—I also valued his loyalty. But you, Jordan...” Her claws scuffled to a stop. “I trusted you. Like a brother. And now... you and her...” Her voice caught in her throat. Wildcard's beack was clenched. He didn't move a muscle. “Whatever...” She sighed. “It's all in the past now. Like so many other things. But I wasn't the one who cut the other off first. Remember that.” Her hawkeyes narrowed. “This... oath of silence... this promise that has somehow long-overwritten your pledge to me...” She shook her head. “I don't think she understands how important it is. Hell, I don't. But... don't pretend for a second that she ever will... … … unless somehow you reach out and make it known to her.” “... … ...” “Promise—if not to me, then promise to her or to yourself—that you will cross that gap, Jordan. If you appreciate her... like truly... honestly appreciate her... enough that you stuck to her longer than your ill-fated 'Bard' friend on the other side...” Seraphimus exhaled. “Then you break this silence someday. If there's hope still remaining in this world, then it's a hope that you of all souls are holding out for. And Rainbow will need that light in her life before the dominoes she's already pushed fall on top of her and her Herald. Or else—you'll have nothing left yourself.” “... … ...” “Good bye, Jordan. But, then again...” She turned and marched towards the shore. “...we said our good-bye's long ago without saying them...” “... … ..” He watched her in silence. His talon clung tight to the collapsed bo-staff in his possession, as if it was the only thing keeping the griffon from following after her, or retreating. Wildcard remained alone and powerless as Seraphimus and Jacko pushed off on the skiff, and soon the drumbeat of a chaotic world filled the lonely gap that draped him. For passage over a body of pink slime filled with grotesque eyeballs and alien percussion... ...the cruise over the Blob was a remarkably smooth one. Seraphimus found herself staring at her glossy reflection in the slick surface of the bubbling material. It felt just like being ferried across a lake in one of the southern prefectures. She had to resist the temptation of dipping a talon into the viscous solution. The knowledge that it was only freedom—and not logic—preventing her was strangely sobering... “You alright theah, pretty bird?” Jacko sat a few spaces ahead of her in the slender boat. He slowly and casually rowed a pair of varnished oars. Canvas packs full of trade goods were packed into the skiff on either side of him. “All business done with back with yer old mates?” “Yes,” Seraphimus' voice drifted amidst the drumbeat. She could feel it resonating through every bone in her body, and yet everything was numb. “It is finished.” “Then why yer feathahs so droopy, as?” “... … …?” Seraphimus squinted at him. “Heheheh...” Jacko freed a hand just long enough to give a clawed thumb's up. “Dun you worry none, sheilah. Yer secret's safe with ol' Jacko.” “There are no secrets,” she said firmly. “Not anymore.” “The Metal Mum will be pleased at that~” “Mrmmfff... just row the boat.” “Aye! Yer wish is my command, love!” And Jacko pushed the boat along, skimming the shore in a brisk glide. Seraphimus stared at the stars looming beyond the bleaks. As Blobstain faded in the distance, she closed her eyes with a meditative breath. When her eyes reopened, Rainbow Dash saw the ghostly bodies of her friends huddled at the full length of their anchorage. They all stared as one at the pink ocean beyond, to where Seraphimus was last seen. “Are they moving along peacefully, Fluttershy?” Rainbow eventually asked. “Can you... at least sense that they're safe?” The group shook—startled from their contemplative gaze. Fluttershy threw Rainbow a pensive glance. “Uhm... yes, they're safe, Rainbow...” She rubbed her forelimbs together. “But... uhm...” “What?” “I... think what Fluttershy is tryin' to say...” Applejack lowered her hat and fiddled with it before her ghostly chest. “...erm... how can I put this delicately...” Pinkie Pie's gasping face exploded in front of Rainbow's gaze. “Have you gone nuts, Dashie?!?” She barked, pointing wildly at the ocean beyond. “How can you just let Sera leave like that?!” “We all know you value her freedom and peace of mind, darling...” Rarity drifted closer, looking no less troubled. “But... honestly... couldn't you have convinced her to stay? We're in for quite a bit of struggle with the ruffians of the Dark Vigil. She would have proven most... exceptional in providing us strength, do you not think as much?” “I do, Rarity,” Rainbow said with a calm nod where she sat on the outskirts of camp. “And—you're right—I could have convinced her to stay.” “Then why didn't you, Rainbow?” Twilight Sparkle stammered. “I mean—don't get us wrong—we will agree to what you think is right... but... but—” “When I spared her life at the gondola, I did it for many reasons. For one, it's what I knew Verlaxion would not have me do,” Rainbow Dash declared. “But far more importantly...” Her features toughened. “I knew it was the right thing to do.” “... … ...” The mares all exchanged humble expressions. “With Lexxic... with Faatail and the Bloodwings...” Rainbow Dash got up and trotted until she stood shoulder to shoulder with her give ghostly friends. “...I will somehow have to find the right thing to do. Just like with Sera... I won't know it until it happens. But it will happen. It's not my fault that she doesn't understand that yet.” Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie could only sigh sadly. “Do you think she ever will?” Twilight asked. “Understand it, that is...?” “Maybe we'll ask her sometime,” Rainbow said. At receiving a bunch of odd looks, she threw her friends a daredevilish smirk. “Lighten up, Twi. If things go right with the Dark Vigil—if they go the way they should go...” She gazed out across the endless ocean. “...then a day will come when we will see her again.”