"How fascinating..." Sivrem nodded, then leaned forward, squinting at the golden pendant around Rainbow's neck. "And the purpose of this piece of jewelry...?
"Oh boy..." Rainbow rolled her eyes, smirking. She and Sivrem and several other pegasi flew meters ahead of the Noble Jury as they slowly glided east, following the steady beam of golden light piercing the misty heavens above. "I could write a book on what the Element of Loyalty means and does."
"Then why don't you?"
"Pffft. Too busy flying east to do novels, dude."
"But how is that possible?" Sivrem cocked his head aside in mid-flight. "You'd eventually run into the end of the greens."
"Eheh..." Rainbow tossed her mane and smirked. "I may have been a bit coy at first, but—for real, buddy—I'm not from around here. I flew in from someplace beyond the crater."
"From beyond Durandana?" Sivrem's muzzle scrunched. "I may be willing to believe that about your outsider friends. But you?" He pointed. "You have the Valkyrie's colors written all over you. You even have the mane of a First Born!"
"Yeah... about that..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "I didn't do any dying or coloring or nothin'." She fluffed her mane with a weak smile. "This is about as real as it gets, dude."
"Hah!" Sivrem smirked. "You certainly have the Durandanan sense of humor."
Kitsune flew backwards in front of the two. "Heheheh! As if somepony could be born with something that gorgeous."
"Call it what you want! But it's the Real McColt!" Rainbow blinked. "I promise!"
"One thing I wanna know..." Jagold flew up, hovering alongside Kitsune. "Just how do you condition it."
"Nnnngh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Same as any pegasus! Rainwater, sunlight, and lots and lots of wind."
"Heehee... cute..." Jagold stuck her tongue out. "But you're not convincing anypony."
"Alright, think of it this way..." Rainbow pointed back at the Noble Jury. "Before today, you never saw or even imagined a big hunk of... errrr... 'Valkyrie silver' flying on its own, huh?"
"Well..."
"And what about ponies without wings or feathers, huh?" Rainbow grinned devilishly. "Or lavender stallions with horns that can make stuff float?"
"She has a point there," Smythe said, flying up alongside the rest of the group. He smiled pleasantly. "Strange things have happened before. Remember the time when the Lights From Above refused to light the beacons?"
"I don't see how that's related," Sivrem said, fidgeting in mid-air.
"The point is, nopony could understand what happened that day," Smythe remarked. "But then the Gray Feathers explained that records show it had transpired before."
"But how can the Gray Feathers explain this?" Sivrem remarked.
"Pffft. What's to explain?" Rayvinne flew in and nuzzled Rainbow in mid-flight. "Heehee! She's the most awesome thing to have gusted our way in years!"
"Eh heheheh..." Rainbow gulped, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Seriously, though, my buddies and I were just passing on through. We're on our way to Val Roa."
"Val Roa?" Kitsune asked, squinting. "Who's that?"
Rainbow stared at her blankly. "You seriously haven't heard anything about Val Roa?"
The pegasi flying closest to her stared in dumb silence.
"Or what about Alafreo?"
More awkward silence amidst the winds.
Rainbow gulped. "Erm... oceans?"
"Oceans..." Kitsune tapped her muzzle. "Are those anything like forests?"
"Yes." Jagold nodded with a happy grin. "Because we know all about forests!"
"Hooooooo boy..." Rainbow stared ahead with drooping ears. "This is gonna be a tough one..."
"Perhaps you can humor us, Rainbow Dash." Jerrio flew down, staring at her with a curious smirk. "Just what kind of a world exists beyond the greens?"
"You mean none of you have seriously tried flying past it to find out?" Rainbow grimaced. "Don't tell me it's 'forbidden' or some crap."
"Heh... hardly," Jerrio said. "The winds are simply too chaotic for any pony to fly past them."
Rainbow blinked. "For real?" She turned and squinted past her shoulders at the barely discernible edges of the Sky Stabs. "Huh... must be from all of the rising thermals and stuff."
"Plus, there's a lot of nasty cold stuff that slams into your face everytime you try it!" Rayvinne exclaimed.
"What?" Rainbow turned towards her. "You mean like snow?"
Rayvinne's eyes twitched. "Snow...?"
"Several ponies try and fly past the greens," Jerrio said. "None have succeeded."
"Oh?"
"Every First Born tries it," Rayvinne said. "It's something of a tradition. Heehee... not to mention a pretty wicked stunt." She turned towards Kitsune. "Isn't that right, K?"
Kitsune rolled her eyes. "I certainly didn't enjoy the flu I battled with for a month afterwards."
Rainbow winced. "Yowch... talk about a rite of passage."
"Heh, sometimes we get bored in the basin."
"Jee..." Rainbow pivoted her head to gawk at the jungles and ravines below. "I can't imagine how..."
"Sivrem almost made it through!" Smythe exclaimed.
"I did not," Sivrem grumbled, his bone necklace rattling.
"You totally did!" Smythe chuckled. "You were up there for half-a-day, zig-zagging through the currents—longer than any First Born on record!"
"The Gray Feathers have been lazy with their bookkeeping as of late."
"Hah hah hah... come onnnnnn, Sivrem! Enough with the eggshells..."
"There was a time when I felt it was my duty to pierce the winds beyond the greens," Sivrem said. "That was years ago, and I've since taken on my duty as a First-Born."
"You seem to be doing a pretty swell job of it," Rainbow said, glancing back at the Jury. "My buddies tell me that you saved our ship from being smacked to bits by flying fish monsters."
"The leatherbacks are a treasure of Durandana," Jerrio said, brow furrowed. "We provide for them, and they provide for us."
"In fact, this entire basin is a blessed treasure," Sivrem said, nodding. "Once I grew old enough to recognize that, I put away my more adventurous ideas and committed my life to honoring the Valkyrie's legacy."
"Which is fitting," Jerrio said with a nod. "Seeing as you'll be a Gray Feather before me."
"Huh?" Rainbow blinked.
"You've only got two years left, Sivrem!" Rayvinne said. "That beats Jerrio by nearly four! Heehee!"
Jerrio sighed. "Must you rub it in?"
"So, you mean you guys become Gray Feathers someday?" Rainbow asked.
Kitsune smiled. "Only the First-Borns, such as Sivrem, Jerrio, and... erm... myself..."
Rainbow squinted. "How come you don't exactly sound too excited about that?"
"Yes, well..." Kitsune rolled her eyes and smirked. "Gone will be the days of flying, homing, herding, and making love."
"I'm down with at least two of those," Rainbow said, then gulped. "Still, that kinda stinks. Sorry to hear it."
Everypony laughed loudly around the mare.
"Are you kidding?" Kitsune smiled. "Being a Gray Feather means having the honor of maintaining the scrolls." She stared up at the beam of light looming overhead. "All of my life, I've admired the legacy of the Valkyrie. It'll be an honor to serve her in a higher regard."
"Well, guess that's a good thing then." Rainbow bit her lip, then stared at the passing vegetation below. "This 'Valkyrie' character is pretty big, huh?"
"You really... really don't know who she is, do you?" Jerrio remarked.
Rainbow opened her mouth, hesitated, and eventually said. "No." She adjusted the weight of her saddlebag. "But I'd be totally willing to learn."
"The Gray Feathers would love to tell you all about it."
Rainbow chuckled. "Can't you guys tell me?"
"Sure," Jagold said with a nod, then giggled. "But not as well as the Gray Feathers can!"
"Only know that she was the most awesome pony to have ever lived," Sivrem said in a proud tone. "And she and her fellow warriors gave their lives to protect the Gold Lights and all the realms beyond."
"You don't say..." Rainbow took a deep breath and stared ahead of their flight. "Sounds like a kick-flank tale for sure..."
"But one thing at a time." Rayvinne smirked. "I swear, you are going to gust inside out once you see West D!"
"Heh... can't wait..."