A plume of orange flame erupted against the southern rock wall. Pebbles and clumps of dirt littered the forest floor following the culmination of Roarke's latest volley. As the smoke cleared, a jagged scar could be seen blanketing the stone face where the metal mare's miniature missile had landed.
"Hmmm..." Roarke tapped her chin in thought. Her lenses retracted as she murmured, "A little too combustible. Not enough force upon the initial impact." She adjusted the launcher from where it sat on a firmly placed tripod. "It may please you to know, little child, that I need to buffer the explosive factor in this particular case..."
Kera was too busy glancing over her shoulder. "Uhhhh..."
"Is something the matter?" Roarke asked without looking. "I presumed that last rocket was less than satisfactory to your liking as well...?"
"I coulda sworn I heard an explosion from behind us that last time," the filly murmured.
"It's simply the echo of the discharge issuing from the jungle's trees behind us," Roarke muttered. "Nothing more."
Kera raised an eyebrow, her eyes still scanning the patch of misty sky above. "You sure about that, Roarkie? I could have sworn it was slightly above us too."
"Your young imagination is playing tricks on you," Roarke droned. "And don't call me Roarkie."
"Meh." Kera shrugged, then smirked towards the scarred rock wall. "When are we gonna test your weapons on squirrels or something?"
"Nnnnngh... I swear, is everypony in this crater after the traumatization of the elk...?"
At last, the colors of the sonic rainboom dissipated over the canyon. The bulk of the pegasi in Jerrio's group were still whooping with cheers.
From a long distance, Kitsune smirked, then turned towards Sivrem and the others in her group. "Well..." She wiped her sweaty brow. "The rest of the flock certainly liked it."
"Why wouldn't they?!" Jagold grinned wide. "That was so cool!"
"I wonder if they saw that from Central," Smythe remarked.
"Heh... you kidding?" Kitsune smirked, slicking back her multi-colored bangs. "They probably felt it."
"Hmmmm..." Sivrem's squinting eyes scanned the lengths of the ravine. "Has anypony seen where Rainbow Dash landed?"
"No, why?" Smythe blinked. "I figure she'd be joining us again anytime now."
"Yeah. Heehee!" Jagold giggled. "Probably just to brag in our faces!" She turned towards the others. "Face it, guys! That outsider totally owned the whole bunch of us! I don't know whether to hide my face or applaud her!"
"Can we do both?" Smythe remarked, summoning a chuckle from Kitsune.
Sivrem's body jerked in mid-hover.
Kitsune glanced at him. "Wh-what is it, Sivrem?"
Without saying a word, he dove straight down towards a patch of stone overlooking the northern end of the Raked Ravine. Smythe and Jagold craned their necks to see what he was flying to. A gasp emanated between both of them, and they darted after the First-Born. Slightly worried, Kitsune eventually followed suit.
Rainbow Dash was curled up in a little blue ball against a cluster of rocks. Her teeth gnashed as she clutched her head between two forelimbs. Shivers ran through her body, culminating in a continous twitch to her tail hairs.
Sivrem landed first. With a blanching expression, he crouched low and spoke hoarsely, "Rainbow! Rainbow Dash!"
"Nnngh... guh..." Rainbow put on a crooked smile, wincing. "H-hey there, big guy." She gulped. "This isn't as bad as it looks... tr-trust me..."
"Rainbow!" Jagold landed beside her, instantly clutching the pegasus' shoulders and nuzzling her head. "Oh, by Valkyrie's Shout! You destroyed yourself!"
"Please I-I'll be fine... just..."
"I-I don't think you should be touching her," Smythe stammered.
"What's going on?!" Kitsune breathlessly uttered as she landed.
Jagold looked up, misty-eyed. "Somepony go get help! Jerrio, the Gray Feathers, anyone from Central—"
"I'm fine... really..." Rainbow weakly raised a numb hoof. Kitsune grasped it as she and Rainbow made eye contact. "It... it'll pass." She gulped. "Trust me. Just... d-don't freak out anymore, okay?"
"Was it the stunt you just pulled?" Sivrem asked, his eyes narrowing. "Did that take the life out of you?"
"Nah..." Rainbow's winced but nevertheless smiled. "I-I can pull off th-the sonic rainboom in my sleep..."
"Sonic Rainboom?" Smythe made a face.
"A trick that very f-few ponies where I come from know how to do," Rainbow stammered. "And by few, I mean 'none but me.'" She took a shuddering breath. "No, this?" She gulped. "This is something else. It's... it's n-normal. Trust me."
Jagold sniffled and nuzzled the mare closer. "Is there anything we can do?"
"No. I mean..." Rainbow shuddered. "Just... j-just gotta let it pass..." She smiled assuredly. "It doesn't last long. I'll be okay. I promise."
Sivrem simply stared at her in thought.
"Well, you could have fooled us, Rainbow," Smythe said with a smile. "The way you completely owned the four of us back there? You may as well be the healthiest mare in the world."
"I'd like to think so," Rainbow said, her shivers starting to fade. "Y'know, I may have ridden in on a floating barge of Valkyrie Silver, but I'm no spring chicken."
"Huh?"
"Bird pun. Figured you guys would get it." Rainbow shook, struggled, and eventually sat up. "I'm... used to flying anywhere and everywhere I go..." She nodded the last few waves of dizziness out of her skull. "I'm talking hundreds if not thousands of miles. So... y'know... I can pull off a trick or two that most of you likely haven't seen." She smiled, taking a deep breath. "All there is to it. I h-hope you don't mind me showing off."
"And yet a pony capable of so much majesty is still susceptible to the frailties of life," Sivrem said.
"Er..." Rainbow Dash fidgeted. "I guess?"
"You're feeling better now?" Kitsune asked, reaching a hoof forward.
Rainbow took it and stood up. "Yeah. Pretty much." Jagold helped her keep steady. "Though... uhm... I-I wouldn't mind if you guys helped me with something."
"Name it," Smythe said.
Rainbow nodded towards the thick group of ponies still cheering from across the ravine. "Don't let 'em know that I collapsed just now?" She smiled nervously. "I... kinda sorta have a reputation to maintain."
Kitsune glanced at Sivrem. Both First-Borns smiled. "I don't think that'll be a problem..."
"And then she just flew up, grabbed my hooves, and spun the two of us around like we were dancing!" Jagold chirped, doing miniature flips in the air as the whole group flew over the treetops. "What nonchalance! What style!" Jagold giggled and nudged Rayvinne. "I'm tellin' you, Ray! She's one of a kind!"
"Mmmhmmmm..." Rayvine smirked and flipped her mane. "She certainly is."
Rainbow saw the mare's glance from the corner of her eyes. She glanced back with a nervous smile.
"What kills me is that she not only beat all of us, but she was able to throw in such a wicked cool stunt at the end!" Smythe exclaimed. "I mean—we're good fliers! But how come we can't pull something like that off?"
"Because we have two primary functions in the skies of Durandana," Jerrio said, flying firmly through the group. "To herd and to forage. So long as we are able to home, then it doesn't matter what way we choose to gust."
"Yeah... heheh..." Rainbow Dash smirked aside. "But it doesn't hurt to get your kicks in every now and then, r-right?"
Jerrio merely flew on ahead without looking at her. "I shall check to make sure the elders are ready, Sivrem."
"Sure thing, Jerrio," the leader replied.
Rainbow Dash blinked, staring after him. "He's... uh..." She cleared her throat. "...kinda stiff."
"Oh, we all know. Trust me." Sivrem smirked. "But, for what it's worth, I've rarely seen him as enthusiastic as he's been these past twenty-four hours."
"Maybe... uhm..." Rainbow fidgeted, glancing up at the glowing tower as they flew ever closer. "Maybe I shouldn't have pulled that stunt back there."
"Huh?" Sivrem squinted at her. "Why?"
"It's been a long time since I had an opportunity to show off like that," Rainbow said, then sighed. "Especially with pegasi."
"You don't encounter other winged ponies along your travels?"
"No. Believe it or not. You're a rare breed."
"Don't you mean we are a rare breed?"
Rainbow blinked at that. A giggle popped out of her mouth, followed by another one. She rolled over in the air and flew backwards, slicking her mane back as she smiled at him. "Yeah... yeah, I guess so."
Sivrem smiled calmly at her. "Frankly, I would have been let down if you didn't give us your all. What's life if not an excuse to exhibit the Valkyrie's spirit strongly?"
"Well, thanks for... y'know..." Rainbow glanced at the various ponies flocking with them. "...still counting me as 'strong.'"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Well..." Rainbow glanced down at the jungle canopy.
Sivrem tilted his head aside in mid-flight. "Your condition. Does it have a pattern?"
"Huh?"
"I figured you suffered your spell on account of the effort it took to produce that 'Sonic Rainbooming.'"
"Oh. Uhm..." Rainbow bit the edge of her muzzle. "It's hard to say. It comes and goes. But... erm... it's been having a lot more commonly lately."
"Has that been the prevailing pattern in your life?"
"Oh, I wasn't born with this."
"How so?"
"I... I-I don't want to get into it all that much..."
Sivrem nodded. "I apologize for prying."
"No, it's okay. I just figured that I would have saved it for explaining to the Gray Feathers, seeing as you're all waiting to have them explain stuff to me."
"Heh. Fair enough."
"But, long story short, I... g-got infected by something."
Sivrem raised an eyebrow.
Rainbow stammered, "It's n-not contagious! It's more like a corruption. Something... er... zapped me, and I've been suffering from it ever since." She grasped the pendant around her neck. "You see this thing?"
"Hard not to," Sivrem said with a smile. "It suits you."
"Heh. Yes, well... it's very important to me and my culture for a ton of reasons. But, in my specific case, it's a gift from the Princesses of my kingdom." She gulped. "Not only that, but it's the one thing keeping me alive."
"I... did not know that," Sivrem said, cocking his head aside. "Do you always keep the source of your vulnerability around your neck?"
"I-I've never really seen it as a crutch, to be honest." She rubbed the ruby lightning bolt, summoning a slight glow. Nearby pegasi cooed at the illumination. "It's actually kind of cool, and..." Rainbow sighed gently. "It reminds me of a lot of ponies who were very close to me."
"Then it is a blessing that you still have it on you," Sivrem said with a smile.
"Does... does it freak you out?" Rainbow asked, fidgeting. "Not just this, but the sonic rainboom I just did and the ship I flew in on and the fact that I'm an outsider and—"
"Whoah whoah whoah..." The stallion chuckled. "Slow down! I can see you're concerned for us, Rainbow Dash, and that's quite noble. But we wouldn't be loyal children of the Valkyrie if we succumbed so easily to fear and uncertainty..." He winked. "Now, would we?"
Rainbow gave a nervous smile. "Heheh... g-guess you have a point."
"Some of that which you've shown us is awe inspiring. As for myself... heh... I'm still trying to wrap my head around flying Valkyrie Silver. As for the lights and the sonic rainboom and the stories from beyond the greens... well... I find them all remarkable. I have no doubt the elders will as well. After all, Gray Feathers are simply First-Borns who have given up their days of flight for maintaining the scrolls. I think they'll be ecstatic to talk to you. You'll bring back the spark of youth to their minds."
"Now there's a thought."
"I presume you're concerned about my friend Jerrio."
Rainbow spun around, facing forward as they flew along. "Erm... sh-should I be?"
"He's a stallion who takes things a little too seriously. I swear, he was born a Gray-Feather." Sivrem smirked as the last thing he said summoned a chuckle from Smythe and Jagold nearby. "Personally, I don't understand how anypony could be anything but mesmerized by your presence. I've always assumed there was a world beyond the greens—including ponies like Durandanans. After all, the Valkyrie had to have come from somewhere, and I bet even once I have my hooves on the legendary scrolls and the words contained therein, I'll still have questions to ask."
"I... I-I don't know if I can provide the sort of answers you might be seeking."
"You can't?" Sivrem cocked his head aside. "Or you shouldn't?"
Rainbow Dash winced heavily. At last she murmured, "I really don't know what to say..."
"Nor should you be troubled about it," Sivrem said. He reached over and patted Rainbow's shoulder. "Speak to the Gray Feathers, Rainbow Dash. They'll be as open to your wisdom as you'll be to theirs." He smiled and gestured ahead. "Behold... the Middle Tower in all its glory..."
Rainbow looked up... and up and up and up. Her jaw hung agape.