“Mmmm... curious...” Menthe leaned against a wooden railing, sharpening a fishing spear. “Very... very curious...”
“Wow, that was fast,” Galloran remarked, trotting up and standing next to him. The young stallion balanced his crossbow across his flank while gazing at the woven platform across the way. “Is she actually becoming an anointed monk?”
“No, boy... not quite...” Menthe shook his head slowly, his aged eyes still locked on the scene taking place across from them. “True anointing takes place indoors, under shade and candelight.” He scratched his scruffy chin. “The true path towards communing with Verlaxion's spirit involves total concentration... and that's not something that happens in daylight... with the glitter of the Quade glistening at every second of every minute far below.”
“Then why's this taking place outside?” Galloran asked.
“Because it's meant to be watched.”
“By who?” Galloran raised an eyebrow. “Us? We're always around, though!”
“Mmmmm... this...” Menthe pointed. “This—I do believe—is a very special sacrament. One that hasn't taken place in your lietime... or mine, for that matter.”
“Whoah! For real?”
“Indeed. If I faintly recall from Kyron's historical ramblings, there was once a time when four times as many monks dwelled in the Quade.”
“Heh... there certainly are enough platforms for it.”
“The Luminards once had an active role to play in the politics of the local seas. Mind you, it was all because so many ponies flocked to this place. It was a time of transition... over a century ago... when the social atmosphere was constantly changing. Eventually, it molded the extremely dichotomous balance between Continentalists and Colonialists as we know it today. But, for a long period of time, several highly important ponies—governors, sea captains, barge owners—they all experimented with devoting their entire resources towards religion. I think—for the sake of appealing to an unprecedented hoard of new inductees—the Kyrons of that time established a sort of showcase anointing.”
“Wow, that sounds weird.”
“You're not alone in feeling that way, boy,” Menthe said. “I've always pondered what such a ceremony would be like—where an equine representative was allowed to commune with Verlaxion's spirit for a brief interval.” His nostrils flared. “Well, now I think we're about to see for ourselves what it's like. Ages ago, these very platforms would be filled to the brim with dukes, duchesses, and other delegates—an audience of ponies bearing witness to a very humble act of penitence and respect.”
“So... uhm...” Galloran rubbed his scalp. “...does this mean that Rainbow Dash... is some sort of princess form a faraway land?”
“No. Not exactly.” Menthe cleared his throat. “But something slightly similar, I suspect.”
“Like what?”
“I can only guess.” He gestured. “Keep a close eye on that one, Galloran. She says a great deal many things about herself, but hides even more. Her body language practically screams with secrets. I doubt even the Luminards understand just how much convoluted history there is in that mare.”
“Then...” Galloran gulped. “Sh-shouldn't we warn them about her? I mean... if there's something being held back...”
Menthe took a deep breath, leaning back. “No,” he eventually breathed.
“No?”
Menthe shook his head.
“But... b-but why not, Menthe?”
“Because, I think...” The old stallion smiled slightly. “...Mrs. Dash needs to undergo this ceremony as much as the Luminards need to practice it... if not more so.” He turned to gaze at Galloran. “And, what's more, she obviously knows it's not going to be easy.”
A chorus of pilgrims sat in the distance, their guttural chants forming a deep bass backdrop to the platform. Nicro stood in their midst, directing the group. She turned around, her gaze falling upon Sonikah.
Sonikah paced around Rainbow Dash, calmly speaking between each solid hooftrot. “'Those who come to commune with Verlaxion's spirit are preparing to be foaled anew,'” she said. “'And as we cast off the warmth and security of our mother's body, we shed the detritus of our past life, so that we may proceed into the sanctuary of the Goddess, weightless—save for the matter of our sins and wants, which will be Verlaxion's merciful joy to cleanse.'”
As she said this, a pair of mares stood around Rainbow Dash, unclasping her saddlebag and belongings. As the mare and her ghostly friends watched, the two pilgrims carried the materials away, then laid them at Bard's hooves.
The Desperado picked Luna's saddlebag up, then slung it over his shoulder along with his guitar case. He gave Rainbow a reassuring smile from afar... along with a wink.
Rainbow tried to smirk, but her cheeks could scarcely manage it. The two mares closed in again, reaching for her pendant. “Whoah—whoah... uhhhh...”
Sonikah paced to a stop, squinting at her. “Does the foal of Verlaxion desire to rescind her decision to engage in the Sacrament?”
“Oh! Oh no, I don't... it's j-just that—”
“The gesture is more than symbolic,” Sonikah said. “To enter the deepest sanctuary of Verlaxion... to stand before the Holiest of Holy Reed, the newly anointed must shed all attachments to the past.”
“But... it's m-more than an attachment.” Rainbow gulped, brushing the Element with her hoof. “It's... it's—”
To Rainbow's joy, Twilight spoke up. “The Revelation of the Reed states that 'an anointed outsider is entitled to the iconography of her representation.'”
Rainbow whispered aside: “'In simpler terms, egghead...'”
“I can't put it in simpler terms!” Twilight exclaimed. “According to scripture, the Luminards rely on the purely written words of previous Kyrons! Just say it like I said it!”
“Uhhh...”
“'An anointed outsider is entitled to the icon—'”
Rainbow cleared her throat and loudly proclaimed: “'An anointed outsider is entitled to the iconography of her representation.'”
The two pilgrims beside her turned towards Sonikah.
Sonikah took a deep breath. “Then you wish to state that the item around your neck is a symbol of Equestria?”
“Yes!” Twilight hissed. “Say yes!”
“Y-yes! It is... th-that!” Rainbow gulped. “A symbol of Equestria!”
“And you do not harbor any egotistical attachment through its proximity to your being?”
Rainbow glanced at Twilight. Twilight was nodding vehemently.
“No, ma'am.” Rainbow shook her head. “No, anchor, ma'am. Eheh...”
The two pilgrims trotted over towards Sonikah, speaking closely with her. The three conferred in tight silence.
“Wow... good call, Twi!” Pinkie remarked.
“That remains to be seen,” Twilight remarked, glancing at the surrounding pilgrims with shifty-eyes. “The whole purpose of the Penitent Sacrament of Anchorage was to reach out to other cultures and bring more ponies to the Quade. It was purely ornamental.” She pointed at Sonikah. “Right now, your anchor was basically stealing quotes out of Second Kyron... where the standard rituals of anointing are written down.”
“I take it she's never done this before,” Rarity said.
“None of them have, Rarity,” Twilight remarked. “The last time this Sacrament took place was at least four or five Kyrons ago.” She gulped. “Even though there's no audience of representatives, I'm hoping that they go on ahead and allow you to take in the Element of Loyalty... just like a historical delegate from centuries ago might carry in a crown... a tiara... or a hooflet.”
“Who says Dashie's got no representatives?” Pinkie pointed, smiling. “She's got the Desperadoes! Heeheehee!”
Bard stood at a distance, craning his neck as he looked at the proceedings.
“Just where is Wildcard, exactly?” Rarity asked.
“He's above us,” Rainbow muttered.
“Huh?”
“Due north. Four platforms up,” The pegasus droned without looking.
The three ghost mares craned their necks. Sure enough—a pair of dark lenses glinted from a lofty position.
“Brbrbrbrbrbrrr...” Rarity shuddered. “That's... curiously unnerving.”
“Someone wanted a balcony seat,” Twilight marked.
“Shhhhh!” Pinkie pointed. “Lookie lookie! Something's happening!”
The group of pilgrims split up. Sonikah emotionlessly at Dash, then turned to gaze at the far end of the platform.
From within the shadow of another level, Kyron and a few other elders stood in the frame of a two-story shack. Kyron gazed back at Sonikah... then slowly nodded her head.
She nodded her head back, then pivoted towards Rainbow Dash. “The foal of Verlaxion is permitted her iconography.”
Rainbow and her three friends exhaled with relief.
Sonikah bowed low. “May the Reed imbue it with Verlaxion's mercy... so that word of her lovingkindness will reach the souls of Equestria beyond.” She stood back up. “Those who are witness to the foal's humility and sacrifice, please do proclaim.”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Rainbow sighed, then flicked her tail hard.
Bard saw it, then jolted in place. “Oh! Uh... proclaim!” He waved a hoof, smiling nervously.
“So be it.” Sonikah held her forelimbs out. “'As anchor to the anointed, I bring herself... I bring myself... I bring ourselves to the brink of the shadow of Luminar's Plight. Clear your mind so that you may feel the undulations of the spirit. Be acquainted with your passions and your sins, for soon you will be parting way with both of them, so as to cleanse yourself in preparation for anointing.'”
Nicro swung her hooves to her sides.
The chanting stop. In unison, the humming monks stood up, forming two solid lines.
Sonikah smiled in Rainbow's direction, then motioned for her to follow as she backtrotted towards a lower platform where a cluster of darkly-shadowed buildings resided.
Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash strolled on ahead.
Bard, Menthe, and Galloran watched from afar as the pegasus made the lone walk down the twin rows of monks.
Rarity and the other ghost mares stared up.
Wildcard's glinting goggles traveled at an even pace with Rainbow Dash, glinting occasionally with the rays of sunlight.
“Is it just me?” Pinkie's muzzle scrunched. “Or is Wildcard all of the sudden playing the role of Guardian Griffon?”
“He has... come to Rainbow's rescue a lot as of late,” Twilight observed.
“Mrmmfff... he can't protect me where I'm going,” Rainbow Dash muttered. She stared ahead at platform lowering into darkness. “As a matter of fact, neither can you girls.”
The three gawked at her.
“Dashie...?”
“Why... whatever do you mean, darling?”
“What I mean is...” Rainbow quietly murmured. She gulped. “...is that I'm serious about getting Fluttershy out.” Her nostrils flared. “Very serious.”
“Huh?” Rarity and Pinkie exchanged confused looks.
“The Penitent Sacrament of Anchorage requires utmost concentration and deep meditation,” Twilight said. “It's covered over dozens of times in the writing.”
“Wait... does that mean—if Dashie has us around—she'll be cheating?” Pinkie squawked.
“These pilgrims have humility and ritual down to an art,” Twilight said. She gulped. “They might not be able to sense the three of us being in there with Rainbow. But... they could very easily tell that Rainbow isn't paying one hundred percent concentration.”
“Oh, don't be absurd!” Rarity waved a hoof. “As if we're a distraction to Rainbow! If nothing else, she needs us at this intense time of—”
“Twilight's right,” Rainbow said.
“Huh?” Rarity gawked at the mare. “Rainbow, you... you can't be serious!”
Rainbow gazed at the emotionless faces passing by her as she strolled forward. She recognized the emptiness in their eyes. She had seen it reflected back at her in every pond, mirror, and basin she had stared into between Silvadel and Xona.
“I need to be alone with my... my...” Rainbow bit her lip. Her eyes twitched, and she saw bodies, blood, and bone. “...with my thoughts.” She gulped. “For this to work... for us to get Fluttershy—”
“And we totally want you to get Fluttershy.” Pinkie nodded, then looked at the other two. “Right, girls?”
Twilight nodded shakily.
“Well... alright...” Rarity nevertheless squirmed in mid-hover. “But... but the very moment you need our presence—”
“I'll summon you,” Rainbow said. She turned to look over her shoulder, bearing a smile. “It's going to be okay.” A tender breath. “Trust me.”
Pinkie nodded. She smiled at Rainbow, then leaned over to hug Rarity. Together, the two waved and drifted into the Element of Loyalty, fading in a blink. Twilight lingered slightly, pausing to stare Rainbow in the eye.
“Whatever happens, Rainbow...” Twilight's eyes turned glossy. “Don't forget who you're doing this for.” She gulped. “Be patient. Be kind.”
“Way ahead of you—”
And Twilight vanished.
Rainbow looked ahead—and by now she had reached the shade of the platform above. Sonikah stood before the open door to an ancient wooden shack.
“As your anchor, I will be present with you at all times,” Sonikah said. “Should you need counsel or have any questions regarding the Word of Reed—”
“I know who to ask,” Rainbow said.
“However.” Sonikah took a calm breath. “I am not always going to be nearby.” She gestured. “For true meditation to take place—even for the Penitent Sacrament—you will be required to be alone for extended periods of time with the spirit of Verlaxion, so that you may more properly open yourself to her enlightening presence.”
“I... kinda understand... but okay...”
“When in here, you will be acting as an anointed pilgrim of the Quade,” Sonikah said. “But seeing as you're only here through my anchorage, you will return to the guest's platform when it's time to retire. When we are ready to proceed, you will rejoin us in meditation here. It is up to me—your anchor—to provide you with your schedule and directions, oftentimes with no prior preparation.”
Rainbow blinked. Then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
“At all times, follow my directions, and you will not be led astray.” Sonikah leaned her head aside. “Do I have your trust?”
“You do, anchor.”
She smiled and held a hoof out.
Rainbow quietly took it, and she was led inside.
Ten minutes later, Rainbow Dash winced under soft candlelight.
Three pilgrims stood tightly around her, drawing string and tightening a baggy gown of sackcloth.
Rainbow felt the coarse material rubbing up against her legs and flank. She squirmed slightly, but did her best to stand still. Her eyes darted forward.
Sonikah stood a few paces in front of her, standing dead-still, watching her constantly.
Awkwardly, Rainbow looked away. She felt the weight of her pendant, and her ears rang in the absence of all noise. Even the movement of the pilgrims was light as a feather.
She sighed, but maintained her composure, her eyes dancing along with the candlelight.
An hour later...
Rainbow clenched her teeth, squinting out one eye while the other remained clenched.
She sat in an uncomfortable stool... wearing her uncomfortable sackcloth... her back hunched in an uncomfortable position.
Before her, four pilgrims crowded, their hooves carefully winding and braiding Rainbow's mane into several branching directions. They tied the fibers into erratic patterns, utilizing thick twine from the Reed.
More than once, Rainbow winced—for the same thing was being done to her tail. One by one, the braids pulled... tugged at the roots of her mane.
“Mmmm... grfff...” Rainbow hissed.
Sonikah strolled forward, gazing down at her. “Is something the matter?”
“It's... it's just that it's so...” Rainbow stopped in mid-sentence. She felt the constant pain of the awkward manestyle—weighing forward on her skull and flank in opposite directions. It was like her body was being slowly tugged in half. She gulped. “No...” A shuddering breath left her as the pilgrims braided her mane tighter and tighter. “No, I suppose it's fine...”
Sonikah said nothing. She stepped back towards her end of the room and stood in place... gazing at Rainbow Dash.
Three hours later...
Rainbow stood as straight as she could.
The mare's head weighed forward from the bulk of her dangling mane. Her tail hairs had been split down the middle, with most of the weight favoring the left side. She constantly felt like teetering forward, and every time she tried leaning back—her body wanted to careen to the left.
And yet, for over an hour, she stood in place, watching stupidly as several monks lined up, murmuring indecipherable incantations. They each strolled up to her and kissed their hooves before pressing them lightly to the mare's forehead. They'd then bow—to which Rainbow also had to return the gesture.
The mare winced from each exchange. After only a few instances of repetition, she felt like her neck was going to snap off. And yet—under the constant gaze of Sonikah—she maintained as solid a posture as was possible. Her eyes glanced into her peripheral, and the line of ritualistic monks appeared four times as long as when this phase of the Sacrament started.
She did her best to hold back an anguished sigh.
Rainbow found it hard to trot straight.
Nevertheless, she shuffled obediently after Sonikah's figure. The sackcloth gown scratched and chaffed her with each step she took.
Eventually, the anchor led Rainbow down a tiny flight of stairs and into a cramped hallway lined with three doors. Two old stallions sat vigilantly at desks, writing down devotionals beneath candle-light. Neither of them looked up when Sonikah entered.
Sonikah approached one door along the hallway, twisted its handle, and opened it up to a tiny-tiny room. More like a closet. She turned and looked at Rainbow. With a calm smile, she pointed at the interior.
“... ... ...” Rainbow looked at the small compartment. She looked at Sonikah. With a hesitant step, she proceeded. The mare was barely two steps into the room before she had to turn around. “I can't—” She cleared her throat. “My braids are brushing up against—”
Sonikah firmly grasped Rainbow's shoulder... then slowly pivoted her to face the splintery wooden wall. A second motion urged Rainbow Dash to squat down on her haunches.
Rainbow reluctantly did so. She heard Sonikah rummaging about behind and above her. A tiny, dim light filled the closet. Rainbow glanced straight up. Through her braids, she saw that a miniature lamp had been lit, with enough oil in the flask to last a over a day. Next to the lamp, there dangled a shiny brass object—which Rainbow guessed was a bell. Her mind stumbled over the meaning behind it.
Sonikah stepped out of the closet. A minute later, she stepped back. “Sit straight,” she said quietly.
Rainbow did so.
“...straighter.”
Rainbow bit her lip. She did as told—then almost teetered. The weight of her braids was throwing her balance off.
Nevertheless, Sonikah ultimately approved of the uncomfortably straight posture. She strolled in to Rainbow's side—a claustrophobic shuffle at best. She brushed her hoof against Rainbow's left forelimb, ushering her to hold her hoof out.
Rainbow did so, then blinked as a tiny glass chalice was placed in her left hoof.
Sonikah poured a canteen of water into the glass... not stopping until the container was mostly full. Once finished, she smiled down at the mare. “This... is your passions.”
She stepped out of the closet... then stepped back in. Raising Rainbow's right hoof, she placed another glass chalice into the mare's grasp, pouring water into it as well.
“This,” Sonikah explained. “Is your sins.”
The anchor stepped back, leaving Rainbow Dash sitting on her haunches, heavy head raised, her hooves outstretched and holding the two glass chalices full of water. There was barely any room to lean in any direction, much less breathe. “Uhhhmm...”
“Do not spill a drop,” Sonikah said.
Rainbow instantly grimaced, glancing left and right.
“When you are ready,” Sonikah spoke calmly. “Knock on the door three times.”
“Ready?” Rainbow gulped. “Ready for what?”
The shadow of the anchor bowed behind her. “You'll know.”
“Do... do I say any prayers?”
“...no.”
“Do... do I quote any scripture?”
“... ... ...no ...”
Rainbow's muzzle hung open.
The wooden door to the closet creaked shut, and all sound dissipated.
Rainbow was left alone with the wood... the lamplight... and her two chalices.
And a whole bunch of aching muscles.
Rainbow took a shuddering breath... ... ...and continued to sit there.
Silent and poised.
As the first of several hours began its slow lurch...