“Good afternoon, Kyron,” Menthe said, bowing slightly. “I see that Sonikah has the ponies hard at work.”
Kyron chuckled, his red eyes thinning as he stood before the visitors. “Life is hard. Work liberates. It frees the soul from its attachments.”
“Mmmm... but of course.” Menthe paced over. “Either way, I do terribly hope we're not disturbing anything.”
“All foals of Verlaxion are welcome to the Quade, Mr. Menthe,” Kyron said. His gaze drifted over towards Rainbow and the others. “No matter how secure or wayward.” He sighed. “It's unfortunate... that sin separates us so widely from Verlaxion's grace that some foals would wish to do harm to others.” He nevertheless smiled. “That's why our two kindly stallions here are not just neighbors... but also protectors.”
“Hey...” Rainbow Dash shrugged, smiling nervously. “It's an ugly job, but somepony's gotta do it, huh?”
Galloran cleared his throat. “Allow me to... uh... introduce you ponies to each other.” The young stallion gestured at Kyron. “This is Kyron, the top anointed child of Verlaxion here in the Reed.”
“As I am humbled to serve Her Glory...” Kyron said, bowing once more.
“Kyron, these here are Bard... Wildcard... and Rainbow Dash.”
“Did the Word of the Reed bring you here?” Kyron asked.
“Uhhhhhhhh...” Rainbow squirmed. She glanced at Twilight and Rarity, both of whom were gesturing “swimming” motions with their forelimbs. “Oh! Yeah! I... uh... heard some of your dudes preaching in Shoggoth. Some pretty far out stuff.”
“Mmmmm... Shoggoth...” Kyron nodded, folding his forelimbs. “A shame that such a beautiful city must be as deeply sunken in avarice as it is in water.”
Rainbow blinked.
“But the foals there make for an attentive audience.” Kyron smiled. “You may find that many children who live and meditate here were once citizens of such a trade establishment. They heard Verlaxion's calling and arrived in the shadow of Luminar's Plight to be annointed.”
“Uhm... eheh...” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “I... don't actually have any plans to... y'know...”
“We simply brought her here 'cuz she was curious and wanted to learn more 'bout yer culture,” Bard said. “Assumin' that dun ruffle nopony's feathers.”
Kyron chuckled. “There is nothing that brings us greater contentment than sharing the Word of the Reed. Your presence here is most blessing. And fear not, good sirs and madame. We've learn from the Plight of Luminar that peace and understanding are key to a tranquil existence. We will not force anypony to convert. Should you be open to Verlaxion's enlightenment, then Her Glory shall reach out to you by Her Will.”
“Heh...” Rainbow shrugged with a tiny smirk. “Works for me.”
“Mmmm. Indeed.” Kyron and his fellow pilgrims strolled towards the two guards. “Mr. Menthe. Have you shown them the lengths of the Reed?”
“No sir.” Menthe shook his head. “Naturally, we weren't aiming to tread on holy waters.”
“They just arrived on the western platforms a few minutes ago, Kyron,” Galloran said. “Then we ran into you.”
“Hmmmm...” Kyron smiled. “Verlaxion's Will is great indeed.” He turned towards the group. “It would bring us great honor to show you where we have made our home among the Reed.”
“Sure thang!” Bard nodded. “If... y'know...” He shrugged. “It ain't treaded on anypony's business or nothin'.”
“All business is Verlaxion's business,” Kyron said. “The baptism within which Luminar's sins are purged is a life best displayed in humility and righteous example.” He turned about and shuffled towards the lower platforms to the north. “Please, follow me and I will illuminate.”
Bard and Wildcard shuffled after him while Menthe and Galloran kept an observing distance. As Rainbow Dash took up the rear, she heard a high-pitched giggle. She looked up at Pinkie Pie.
“Heeheehee!” Pinkie pointed at Kyron. “I like him!”
Rainbow, Twilight, and Rarity squinted.
“Whaaaaaat?” Pinkie smiled. “He's nice!” She stuck her tongue out. “And his head looks like a bunch of tree mushrooms! Heeheehee!”
Twilight and Rarity glanced at each other... smirking.
Rainbow couldn't afford the same amused look on her muzzle, and she proceeded forward in awkward silence.
As it turned out, there was another platform where ponies had gathered in tight bunches, hunched over and weaving the round layer into being. Rainbow and the Desperadoes watched as they somehow converted a paper-thin bundle of dead string into an elaborately constructed platform that could support the weight of multiple ponies. The pilgrims worked in tandem with one another, neither hurrying nor slacking off in their labors. They were all committed to the effort, no matter how long or detailed the task got. Rainbow could tell from their expert motions that they were very... very used to the mechanics of the contruction, whether they were young or old. In fact, the closer Rainbow trotted by them, the more eclectic and diversified the group appeared, including male and female unicorns and earth ponies from all trots of life. It was simply that—from afar—they all looked nearly identical from the matching sackcloth gowns and the explosively flaring hairstyles that their manes and tails were tightly braided in.
“How does one eliminate sin?” Kyron mused as he led the visitors past the nearby construction and towards an adjacent platform. He trotted slowly, with swaying grace. “Truth is, sin cannot be fully vanquished. It is a weight, a burden that is tied to this world, and it drowns all things with it just as it drowned the once-glorious landscape of Luminar. However, by Verlaxion's Grace, the Plight of Luminar formed a shadow—a pit within which we can bury our sins... our weight which binds us to this temporal wasteland.”
Rainbow Dash looked past Bard and Wildcard to see an assortment of circular platforms situated along the north end of the array. Unlike the other layers, these appeared to be constructed out of a denser weaving, and—as such—they supported multiple wooden shacks built out of simple planks of splintery wood. The tallest structure stood at two stories, but—for the most part—they resembled tiny sheds lined up with their lengthier sides facing east and west. Rainbow surmised that these must have been where the Luminards took residence overnight.
“Not exactly a honeymoon getaway,” Rarity murmured, making a wretching expression.
“All of this looks and feels old,” Twilight said. “Very... very old.”
“Yeah, but what part of this place is the oldest?” Rainbow murmured.
“Shhhhhh!” Pinkie hissed, hovering ahead and craning her ear to Kyron. “Fungae head guy is talking!”
“Here in the Quade, we commit ourselves to Verlaxion's Glory, and she commits her redemptive spirit to us,” Kyron continued. He paused to turn around and smile at the group. “After all, Her Miraculous Blessing is most evident in these waters, bringing life and purpose to the Shadow of Luminar's Plight.”
“And just what Blessing is that, ya reckon?” Bard asked.
Kyron literally had stars in his eyes when he turned to gesture at the central stalk that held the multiple platforms. “The Reed.”
Rainbow turned to look. She squinted, and it was then that she realized that the vertical structure that supported the struts of the many woven platforms was—in fact—something quite natural.
Upon close inspection, Rainbow observed a dense assortment of vertical beams. They were pale green in color, segmented, like bamboo. In fact, the longer Rainbow looked, the more and more she surmised that it was bamboo—if only a certain specific family or species of it that she had never seen before. The shoots ran up and down the platforms with rigid grace, bunched so tightly together that it was virtually impossible to see through the seams of the hard wooden material. Whenever Rainbow Dash tried to gaze even harder, she was blinded by the glow of Yaerfaerda that shimmered brightly... from within.
Her lips pursed as she contemplated what that may have meant...
“It grows here in the absence of nourishment... in the absence of pure soil... in the absence of life.” Kyron paced closer to the segmented shaft. “By all conventional knowledge and science, it is an impossibility. And yet, here it thrives to serve as the foundation of our pilgrimage. We did not plant the Reed... the Reed planted us... shaped us. Molded us. It reeled us in from all corners of the oceans so that we may bask in its miracle... and give thanks to Verlaxion that life can blossom... even in the sinful abyss of the Plight.”
Rainbow Dash gazed down the length of the structure. Below where they stood was another platform, and she noticed that several wooden shacks and houses rested much closer to the central shaft on the level directly beneath where she stood. In fact, the buildings appeared to have been constructed a very long time ago, erected immediately around the cylindrical circumference of the bamboo shoots. If she had to judge, she guessed that the shaft itself was about twenty-five feet across at its thickest.
“When we meditate here in the shadow of the Reed, we suspend ourselves above the abyss. We dredge the darkness with the Reed as our anchor. Through prayers and the Word of Reed as our guidance, we find the better parts of ourselves and preserve them—all for the glory of Verlaxion.” Kyron smiled. “So, as you see, although we cannot fully rid ourselves of sin, we can at least magnify the goodness within us that Verlaxion desires to exalt, as we humbly exalt Her.”
Bard whistled. “That there is some deep stuff!” He turned to smile at Wildcard. “Dubya-Cee and I have been known to get pretty deep in philosophizin' when we hit a good tavern. Ain't that right, mofo?”
Wildcard merely glared.
“Eh...” Bard rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Who am I kiddin'?” He turned to smile at Kyron. “This here commitment y'all show really puts the likes of us to shame.”
“Ah, but Verlaxion's Miracle calls to you as much as it calls to the rest of us,” Kyron said. “Shame is a natural response when one is exposed to one's own sins, but it mustn't be that which guides us through life.” He gestured. “You have it within you to acknowledge your part in the Plight... and to transcend it... with Verlaxion's Glory as your wings, replacing that which you've used to scale the temporal superficiality of this mortal life.”
“Well... uh... I-I dunno 'bout all of that.” Bard shrugged. “When life starts gnawin' at me, I just play a song and let my soul wheeze it out all poetic-like. Ya feel me?”
Kyron chuckled. “A very creative soul, indeed. Verlaxion has blessed this world with the likes of you. In time, if you so will it—as She wills it—you may find that it's your time to bless Her as well. When that time comes, we will be here to welcome you... as the Reed welcomes you... as the Reed has welcomed all of us.”
“Oh... uh... darn skippy!” Bard smiled tightly. “You can bet yer fancy hairdo that I'll keep a big bright red hooftack on this part of the map from here on out!”
“Hmmmm... a musician at heart such as yourself may appreciate the lengths to which Verlaxion's Glory beautifies the world through expulsion of weight from the soul.” Kyron motioned as he and his close associates led the group towards a platform adjacent to where the houses loomed. “Here—in the Quade—the Foals of Verlaxion are known the world-over for their vocal medication.”
“Huh? You mean chantin' n'stuff? Well... reckon I've heard a thang or two about it. Wouldn't mind givin' an ear myself.”
“Most splendid. I do believe Nicro is leading such a meditation session as we speak. Would you like to witness it?”
“Shucks! Why not?”
While the group moved on, Rainbow Dash lingered behind slightly. She stared at another platform, brow furrowed.
At first, she didn't notice that particular part of the array, due to the shadows being casted over it by the vertical shaft. But—upon closer examination—she noticed several ponies side-stepping around the circular length of it like yellow spiders on a big, wooden web. However, there was something off about the manner in which they approached the construction here.
“That's... odd,” Rarity said.
“What's the matter?” Pinkie asked.
“The structure beneath them is getting thinner... lighter...” Rarity blinked. “Almost as if...”
“They're taking the weaving out,” Rainbow said. She pointed at a bundle of wooden twine growing larger and larger towards the shaft. “See? They're undoing all of their hard work.”
“Hard work maintains itself, in life and in death,” said a gentle, feminine voice.
Rainbow Dash jumped. She looked nervously to her side.
A middle-aged mare smiled at her, her green coat contrasting with the pale colors of her mane and sackcloth. “I have instructed the Foals of Verlaxion as those previously annointed have instructed me.” She pointed. “That which is done must be undone, only to be repeated.”
“You... uh...” Rainbow fidgeted in place. “You don't say...?”
The mare chuckled pleasantly. “The Word of Reed once confused me as well, until I realized that Verlaxion's Glory reflects and magnifies all things. But—most importantly—they allow us to salvage the better parts of ourselves—”
“—from the sinful shadow of Luminar's Plight.”
“Quite true.” The mare bowed. “You have taken Kyron's righteous words to heart quite swiftly.”
“Eh... I'm just a good listener.” Rainbow smiled. “Lemme guess. You're Sonikah.”
“As is my anointed name.”
“Lemme ask you a question, Sonikah... er... if I may.”
“By all means.”
“What happens when you've completely stripped the platform apart?”
“The blessing of the Reed that once constituted it is reformed elsewhere.”
“So... uh...” Rainbow fidgeted. “That's what you guys do? Just... take the platforms apart... put them back together again... only to take them apart once more?”
“As Verlaxion wills it.”
“But... like... don't you guys need these platforms to live on?”
“The Reed provides that which is needed.” Sonikah nevertheless gave a melancholic sigh. “Alas, there are less pilgrims than there used to be. The lengths of the Reed beckons Foals of Verlaxion nevertheless, and we display our admiration and thanks through corporeal manifestation. Those who are newly anointed swiftly join us, and soon they find that honoring the Miracle of the Reed gets them in touch with their inner selves, so that they may righteously undo that which binds us them the outer.”
“I... I-I'm not entirely certain I know what all of that means.”
“Indeed. For you are not anointed. And yet...” Sonikah smiled. “You are called. Enlightenment awaits you, as does the burial of sins within shadow.”
“Well... uh... thanks for the info, I guess.”
Sonikah giggled slightly. “Is there anything else you would wish to know?”
“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie Pie practically climbed on top of Rainbow Dash. “Ask her about her manestyle!”
“Yes. I am also curious,” Rarity remarked.
“Eugh... really, girls?” Twilight looked over her shoulder. “We're getting really far away from the group.”
Rainbow sighed, then put on a brave smile. “Sonikah... I've gotta ask.” She pointed at the mare's head. “What's with the do?”
“Mmmmm...” Sonikah bowed a bit, showing off the tapering ends of her tightly braided mane. The strings and twines of reed glinted golden yellow in the sunlight. “We've chosen to relieve the stress of our sins by replacing them with a different kind of pressure. Meditation is assured through constant exposure to the faults of this temporal realm, so that we may see the better parts of ourselves when suspended over the Plight's shadow.”
“I... I'm not sure I get it,” Rainbow Dash remarked, fidgeting. “It just... looks painful to me.”
“Indeed. It can be.” Sonikah said, nodding. “But pain—like labor—exorcizes the binds of attachment and sin.” She glanced over the platform, then smiled apologetically at Rainbow. “Now, if you must excuse me, Kyron—by Verlaxion's wisdom—has assigned me the task over overseeing the weaving.”
“Sure thing, girl... erm...” Rainbow winced slightly, then made up for it with a smile. “Elder sister girl...”
Sonikah bowed and made her way down to the next platform. As she turned around, Rainbow noticed several scars peaking out from beneath the neckline of sackcloth tunic.
The mare blinked. She exchanged blank expressions with her marefriends. Leaning towards the edge of her platform, she gazed down at where several other Luminards were clustered tightly, weaving and unweaving. As sunlight cascaded over their bodies, Rainbow could notice the tell-tale signs of thick, vaguely-healed scars stretching over their flanks and necks. From as far as she could tell, the tunics concealed only more.
Leaning back, Rainbow coiled her wings, gazing off towards the northern mountain range in deep thought. She sensed a body shuffling in her peripheral vision. She glanced to her left to see that Menthe was pacing at great length, keeping a watchful eye on the platforms, the Reed, the Luminards... and on her.
Biting her lip, Rainbow turned about and swiftly trotted towards the next platform. There, she joined Kyron, Galloran, and the Desperadoes right as they approached a series of wooden-lean-tos where more and more Luminards huddled in deep meditation.