It was a good half-hour of flight before Rainbow's group even considered the idea of touching down. When they did, it was several corridors deeper into the foundation of Starkiss, separating themselves from the Hollow—and the Rohbreddenite army—by countless ice-cold walls. The enchanted blue aura of the place still hung mysteriously in the air. The Herald used this to good measure, examining each other's bruises and wounds with proper care. This included a thorough re-bandaging of Theanim's wound.
"I know enough first aid to realize that I'm a lucky fool," the Professor stammered. Nevertheless, he leaned over to allow Kepler to examine his shoulder and spine thoroughly. "Just a few centimeters to the right, and that meathead would have sliced his way into my spine."
"Not on my watch," Echo grumbled.
"Old chap, you're no soldier."
"Damn straight." Echo's nostrils flared. "That means I fight dirty. You're welcome by the way."
"Heheh..." Theanim winced from Kepler's ministrations. "Owowowow... ohhhh what I wouldn't g-give for a decent anesthetic right now..."
"Shoulda taken up coral-huffing."
"Hardy har..."
Echo looked over Theanim's shoulder. "He's going to remain in one piece, huh?"
"Yes." Kepler nodded, backtrotting with a sigh. "Fearr not, nocturrnal one. Yourr companion will have a lasting scarr, but he will live a full and rrich life."
"Hrmmmf..." Echo snorted. "I dunno about the 'rich' part. Damn bastard can't tell his own piss from gold."
"You have a strange way of being sentimental, Old Chap," Theanim stammered.
"Yeah, whatever." Echo's fangs showed behind a tight smirk. "I digged how you let loose on that one guy who clobbered me."
"You..." Theanim blinked. "You saw that?"
"No, but I heard it. Friggin' Theams... trying to professor-uppercut a member of the Central Guard."
"What can I say?" Theanim shrugged his shoulders, winced, but flexed his limbs some more. "Mrmmmff... I got righteous indignant."
"You should try it some more. Your balls could use more hair."
"Eugh... Echo... this is neither the time nor the place."
"Oh please. We're in the unholiest of unholies. I mean... that's the whole point of this trip, right?"
"You two continue being so colorrful," Kepler said, turning around and shuffling across the cold corridor. "Perrhaps it is the best medicine! Ha HA!"
Ariel limped up to the wyvern. "Kepler..."
"Ah! Arriel! Strrong like yourr motherr!" Kepler embraced her, squinting through his bifocals at her bruises. "Let us make surre you arre in one piece as well..."
Ariel gulped. "But what about you?"
"Bah! I am fine! Afterr all, I neverr push that farr into the frray—"
"Kepler..." Ariel rested a hoof on his hairy shoulder.
Kepler opened his mouth to say something. His tusks rattled; nothing came out. Slowly, he bowed his head, taking his bifocals off so he could cover his face. Soon, his shoulders shook... heaved.
Ariel held him close, stroking his back as she nuzzled the top of his head.
The wyvern's scorpion tail curled up delicately as he surrendered to her embrace. Flynn and Bard shuffled over, joining the hug as they held him close.
Logan watched from a medium distance. His nostrils flared angrily as he resumed sharpening his axe blade with a stone. "I swear... if we make it back from the Midnight Armory... a lot of heads will friggin' roll across the banks of Frostknife."
"We won't be making it anywhere if we stay here," Remna grumbled, marching across the corridor. "On your hooves, Herald! We've wasted enough time."
"Oh shove it, ya freak!" Flynn growled across the chamber as he held Kepler close. "Give him a breather for crying out loud!"
"Reckon we all could use a breather," Bard muttered. "Ain't no sense marchin' in on that throne room with half of our wits in tact."
"Unacceptable." Remna shook her head. "Mortuana gave me charge over her flock. Now that the alicorn is dead—"
Swoooosh! Wildcard touched down in front of her. The goggled griffon stared coldly into the mare's face.
"... ... ..." Remna blinked. At last, the mare's violet ears drooped. "Very well," she breathed, wrenching her eyes from Wildcard's gaze. "If you mortals need it so terribly, then I must relent." She trotted ahead. "But not for long. We are at destiny's doorstep."
The air whistled as several wings sliced the ceiling above them. The Talon entered the corridor, forming a tight perimeter.
"I see you decided to join us," Echo muttered.
"Yeah..." Raptr wheezed. He leaned against a cold sheet of ice for support. "...I'm still trying to get over that myself." Gulping, he glanced at his wingmates. "Just how dead are we?"
"Assuming that army follows us in here?" Windburst muttered. "Deader than the siren air force." He pivoted about. "The worse part is... I'm almost out of crossbolts."
"Yeah..." Ratpr exhaled, adjusting his helmet. "Bet you're practically heartbroken."
"I can't believe all of those soldiers were willing to fight for us," Starstorm said. She looked at the others. "Even against so many insurmountable forces." She gulped. "How many of them have given their very lives at this point?"
"Never underestimate the power of true conviction," Keris said, fluttering into the center of the group. "They saw the worst that Verlaxion could manifest." He shuddered, staring into the icy blue haze all around. "They didn't wish it upon Rohbredden or its grandchildren. They gave their all... now we must give ours."
"You made the right choice, Lieutenant," Theanim said, standing up with a pained grimace. "I'm... truly sorry that Commander Seraphimus could not catch a glimpse of your sincerity."
"Yes, well..." Keris nodded. "...she's built many veils for herself over the years."
Wildcard hovered until he was parallel to Keris. He gestured swiftly.
Keris looked at him. "It's not like she gave Rainbow much of a choice. Though, to be honest... I somewhat selfishly wish that she was a bit easier on the Commander." Silence. The Lieutenant's brow furrowed as he turned about. "Wait... where is Rainbow?"
Bard and Ariel looked up from where they held Kepler.
Remna blinked. She turned, squinting curiously across the corridor.
In another chamber, three walls away, Rainbow Dash hovered with folded forelimbs.
Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity floated across from her.
Rainbow's wings flapped with silent precision. The mare took a deep breath, then spoke towards the echoing walls behind her friends: "So... have any of you guys ever played poker? Huh?"
The four spectres simply blinked at her.
"No?" Rainbow arched an eyebrow. "Sooooooo... uhhhh... how about Magic: the Galloping?"
"Do they hurt, Rainbow?" Fluttershy spoke.
"Huh?"
Fluttershy gulped. "Even in the least?"
Rainbow took a deep breath. She then shook her head.
"You're... you're flying with such grace!" Rarity exclaimed. "Such finesse! Is all the stiffness actually gone?"
"Yes, Rarity," Rainbow droned. "It's gone. All gone."
"Do bears make doo-doo in the woods?!" Pinkie Pie barked.
"Goodness, darling!" Rarity blanched at Pinkie.
"What?" Pinkie shrugged. "I thought this was a random guessing-game!"
"Nothing quite so random about it, Pinkie," Fluttershy said. She then cleared her throat. "But... to answer that question... yes..." A slight blush. "Yes they do."
"Fluttershy..." Twilight sighed.
"Even Ursa Majors?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "Are there space woods? Space woods for space turds—"
"Rainbow Dash!"
"Ahem... yes, Twilight?" Rainbow peered down at her.
Twilight hovered a few meters closer to her anchor. She squinted. "...exactly how long ago did your wing mend?"
Rainbow took a deep breath. "How long ago do you think, egghead?"
Silence.
Twilight folded her forelimbs. Her muzzle couldn't settle for a scowl or a smirk, so it hung awkwardly in between.
"Don't get me wrong. Chaos sucks... and I hate turning into that... whatever-it-is with a passion." Gulping, Rainbow clutched her pendant as she hovered. "But... it does come with its benefits." A nervous titter. "Especially when you're surrounded by ponies who don't know them as well as... ahem... you do..."
More silence.
"So let me get this straight..." Pinkie Pie waved her forelimbs. Her ears twitched as she stared weirdly up at Rainbow. "...all this time you could have been flying around at the speed of sound but you didn't?!" Her voice took on a squealing octave. "Even if it meant getting beaten around the countryside... freezing to death on snow-covered mountains... and having a stupid crazy fight scene aboard a runaway train?!"
Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat.
"... ... ...do Ursa Majors actually make space turds—mmffrmmff!" Pinkie's eyes crossed as a white hoof clamped daintily over her muzzle.
"Ah-ah-ahem..." Rarity looked up at their anchor. "Rainbow, darling... I do not by any means wish to detract from your... exceptional courage and charisma... but it begs the question." She gulped. "Why?" Her eyes blinked rapidly. "Just... j-just... why?"
"I know... I know..." Rainbow nodded. "I bet you're wondering why an awesome pegasus would throw herself needlessly into so many crazy hazards—"
"Must we forget that you're the Austraeoh?!" Rarity's voice cracked. "And that so much depends on you?! We... depend on you!"
Rainbow gulped. "Ever wondered why an awesome pegasus would forsake all she believes in just to free one of her friends?" She looked at Fluttershy. "Taking a big crap on the Element of Kindness, to boot?"
"Oh Rainbow..." Fluttershy's ears drooped. "Please don't tell me that—"
"At first... I suppose... it was like punishing myself," Rainbow said. "I knew that just taking the pendant off for a little bit—even taking a tiny dip into my chaotic side would fix my left wing right up. But... even after all the crud I did in the Quade, there were some nasty things that even lil' ol' disharmonious me would never ever stoop to. Pretty soon, however..." Her gaze fell on Twilight. "...I found that I didn't have much of a choice."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Red Barge."
"Suddenly, it was all fixed. However..." Rainbow hugged herself, dipping slightly in mid-hover. "I didn't exactly feel 'fixed.'" She gulped. "Even... even after talking so much with Fluttershy... and winning you guys' trust back..."
"Rainbow, you had no reason to doubt yourself," Fluttershy said. "We had forgiven you, hadn't we?"
"You haven't been on this journey as long as me, Flutters." Rainbow sighed. "If you have seen all the things that I've done... heard it... smelled it..."
Her marefriends simply gazed at her.
"I... I-I guess I just got so overwhelmed by all the tests that Verlax has been pushing on me..." Rainbow sighed. "...that I decided that... maybe it was time that I tested myself too."
"But... how?" Pinkie Pie blinked. "And in what way?"
"Loyalty," Twilight spoke up. "You wanted to make sure you were loyal to us... to harmony... to the journey."
"I get it that Verlax is trying to 'temper Austraeoh' or whatnot... but let's face it!" Rainbow frowned. "She doesn't know me! Nopony knows me but... me." She slicked her bangs back. "I'm awesome. But Verlax didn't take that away from me! I took that away from me! And if I wanted to be awesome again... I had to earn it!"
Rarity began: "But how was that going to help you in—"
"And... it's nothing Verlax could have possibly guessed," Rainbow continued. "I mean... this whole last leg of her tests is about honesty, right? It's not like there are any other viable Elements left to throw my way! She tested my generosity at Nealend... my seriousness at Shoggoth! My... k-kindness in Luminar." She gulped. "Now, here in Rohbredden, she wants me to crack under pressure again. What better way to get an edge over her than to throw the wool over the Goddess' eyes?! I mean... she's everywhere, right?! Her frost vessels... her windigoes... her puppets in Chandler's company..." Rainbow shook her head. "I wasn't about to give them the full picture. I wasn't about to let her think she knew the real me."
"So... feigning flightlessness... was your edge?" Fluttershy remarked.
"She must think I'm some harmonious paragon of honesty," Rainbow said with a shrug. "So... what if I maintained a dishonest thing about myself?"
"Just so you could pull the rug out from under her?" Pinkie asked.
Rainbow nodded. "Precisely."
"Wow... how stupid!" Pinkie blinked, then grinned at the others. "And the ultimate prank! Heehee! I love it!"
"I just..." Rainbow sighed. "...had to wait for the right time and place to play my hoof." She gulped. "And there were times when I thought it had happened... there were so many times. But... but I kept holding back..."
"Even when it risked your life?!" Rarity exclaimed. "Our lives?"
"And yet..." Fluttershy looked aside. "...if Rainbow hadn't, would she have met so many nice ponies? Would she have reunited with the Desperadoes?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie nodded. "Or discovered the Herald!"
"Or found out about Axan," Rarity muttered, hanging her head in contemplation.
"I meant what I spoke to Seraphimus earlier," Rainbow said. "I lost a lot of awesomeness back in the Quade. Call it what you want: stupid... a waste of energy... whatever. If I wanted to be the Austraeoh that you and the Herald believe in, I had to earn it." She sighed. "I... need to be the me that Eljunbyro knows... so that I can look them in the face again someday." She gulped. "Especially Roarke."
Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "Mortuana... she knew, didn't she?"
Rainbow winced.
"That's what she meant when she told you that 'this wasn't your moment.'" Twilight gulped. "Right before she sacrificed herself."
Rainbow sighed. "Y-yeah," she said with a shuddering breath. "She knew. I'm... pr-pretty sure that Axan knew as well. Right from the start when she fished me out of that frozen cave."
"If you ask me, Rainbow..." Fluttershy smiled gently. "Mortuana believed in you. She knew that you would come through when it mattered... just like she did for us and the Herald."
"Yeah... but it doesn't stop me from thinking..." Rainbow fidgeted in midair. "If I had chosen to fly earlier..."
"She still would have expended herself to save the Herald from certain peril," Rarity said, lifting her head again. "Rainbow... I may never be able to rationalize quite like you do—"
"Heheh..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "'Rationalize...'"
"—but the fact of the matter is, had you... 'played your hoof,' as t'were... before Mortuana was forced to perform her last act of heroism, then I doubt you would have been able to defeat Seraphimus like you did."
"Stone cold stunning the whole army of Rohbredden in the process!" Pinkie yelped, toppling over in midair.
"Otherwise, Seraphimus might have been prepared for you," Fluttershy said. "I think that shock alone is what turned the tide in your favor against her."
Pinkie floated back up. "Or maybe Dashie's just that awesome."
"So... uhm..." Rainbow fidgeted. "...you're all not mad at me?" She chewed on her bottom lip. "You agree that I did what was best for the journey?"
"Aside the fact that I think your motivations came from a distressing... dark place..." Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat. "Yes. I think you made a very good, strategic move, Rainbow."
"Oh..." Rainbow slumped in mid-flight, swiping her brow. "Cool beans..."
"But..." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "...all things considered, your secret... your edge got you past Seraphimus... not Verlax."
Rainbow blinked.
Twilight pointed into the nebulous blue haze of the chamber. "The Divine of Frost is still out there... waiting... holding Applejack at bay." She gulped. "And her test isn't over, Rainbow. What edge do you hope to have over her now?"
Rainbow Dash's jaws clenched. Beads of sweat formed over her blue forehead—
"She has us," Fluttershy said, gazing at the others. "And she has herself again. Isn't that enough?"
"But... if you take that analogy into full consideration, darling..." Rarity fidgeted. "...it just means that Rainbow Dash is a clean slate once more. Where are the edges in that?"
"None. For that's what Verlax is wanting to draw from her." Fluttershy craned her head to the side. "Isn't that the best chance we have at denying her and what she desires out of Rainbow?"
Silence. The mares glanced at one another.
Fluttershy spoke without looking. "Don't worry. It's just the Lieutenant."
FWOOOSH! Keris flew into the room, shattering the silence. Rarity let loose a shriek and clung to Pinkie Pie before sighing limply.
"There." Keris breathed calmly, hovering alongside Rainbow Dash. "For a second there, you had me worried."
"Oh, I'm not going AWOL," Rainbow said, shaking her head. "Not while Flynn can still cook up cheddar bay biscuits, at least."
"... ... ..." Keris stared at her.
"It's a joke, Lieutenant." Rainbow shrugged. "Remember? Jokes? They exist... sometimes."
"I suppose we'll let history be the judge." Keris took a deep breath, glancing at the pegasus' left wing. "So... when exactly were you going to reveal to us that your wing had mended?"
"I don't know." Rainbow stared pointedly at him. "When were you and the Professor going to tell the Herald about what Chandler had planned for Wyvern Point?"
Rarity and Pinkie Pie winced.
Keris stared at her. "Funny... we proclaim to be nobler than all living things... but when it comes to simple revelations, we regress to the basest of cowardly habits."
"Yeah, but my sin was useful." Rainbow nodded. "Yours was just sad."
"A reversal of the past, 'Rainbow Rogue?'"
Rainbow shuddered. "Sure, I-I guess."
Keris sighed. "It is because of diabolical cretins such as Chandler and all others whom Verlaxion has tolerated that the Professor and I made this journey to meet you and your Herald to begin with. It was a leap of faith... but so is the hope that we can stop future nightmares such as the attack on Wyvern Point from happening in the future." He raised an eyecrest. "I don't suppose you believe me."
Rainbow blinked. "Of course I do!"
"Then what else needs to be said?" Keris gulped. "Except... that I'm sorry."
"Not as sorry as Verlaxion is going to be," Rainbow muttered. "Glad to still have you on board, Keris... especially after..." Her words trailed off.
Keris perched on a cold stretch of stone. "I should thank you."
"For what?"
"For not murdering her."
Rainbow blanched. "Did you really think I would?"
"The moment I saw you take off, I didn't know what to think anymore." Keris' headcrest drooped. "Even the windigoes don't move that fast. And... that outstanding explosion that you conjured up..." His beak hung agape as he squinted at her. "Didn't you ever consider outflying them and all of Verlaxion's other instrumentations before?"
"I'm not here to survive, Keris."
Keris stared at her.
"Rohbredden deserves a future just as much as Austraeoh," she considered. "If not more so. Seraphimus deserves to be there. I just... had to knock some sense into her... or else some senselessness out of her. I... I-I may have gone a tad bit overboard." She gulped. "S-sorry..."
"Would you believe me if I told you that the Commander's endured worse?"
"Uh... no?"
"Good." Keris shuddered, glancing aside. "Because I wouldn't believe me either."
Hoofsteps.
The two looked over.
Remna trotted up. "Hmmm. Good." Her violet brow furrowed. "Can we please head towards the throneroom now?"
"Hmmmm... let me see if I remember this right..." Keris flapped his wings until he faced her, hovering. "You're another Dragon Divine... much like Verlax... only stuck in the frame of a deceased bounty hunter."
"That is correct." Remna squinted. "What of it?"
Keris exhaled. "I look forward to a peaceful future devoid of these mind-bending anomalies." He flew higher in the chamber. "So, yes, by all means... let us proceed to Verlaxion's throneroom. I'm ready to embrace the future—no matter it's color."
"Then let's toss you many." Rainbow gained some air. "Axan... go round up the kiddies." She faced Yaerfaerda, squinting into its orange brilliance. "Bathroom break is over."
Rainbow Dash descended. The Herald limped alongside her, led by Remna and followed up by the Talon. Keris and his wingmates studied every nook and cranny of the frozen compartments around them. They observed that the floor was declining steeper and steeper. Soon, fissures formed in the ice-cold stone... and those fissures took form, turning into timeless steps that had been carved into foundation ages ago by incomprehensible forces.
The blue haze in the air grew deeper... denser. Flynn's horn strobed in response. Every other pony and griffon felt their flesh tingling with each minute of their subterranean trek. The cold temperature remained the same, even as icicles diminished, giving way to perfectly geometric slices of rock and stone.
The deeper they went, the more they felt overwhelmed by an ever-pervasive hush in the air, as if the bowels of Rohbredden were silent... a quiet tomb built by a frost dragon that surrounded them, receding at every turn or glance. They could only fathom to guess where they were in relation to Frostknife at this point—if perhaps they were stumbling some untold depths beneath the very crust of the plane.
Rainbow Dash—at least—had a point of reference. Yaerfaerda lulled her forward, its orange glow taking shape, forming a familiar texture that pulsed with its own ghostly heartbeat. Rainbow struggled to fly in a straight descent. Her nostrils tickled, imagining hay... sawdust... apple spices. A hint of moisture sprang every so often from her eyes, and she rubbed her lids dry consistently.
In her peripheral, she sensed a yellow sheen. Fluttershy floated close by, humming an old familiar tune beneath her breath. It calmed Rainbow, as did Fluttershy's warm smile. The mare sighed, closing her eyes... imagining the sway of a hammock to soothe her nerves. Rainbow allowed the orange light to wash over her, becoming the backdrop to the thickening silence. The percussion of her and the Herald's hooves were like white specks... freckles against the horizon surrounding Yaerfaerda. She felt all the closer to her goal... the only goal that mattered at the moment.
The path was a complete stairwell by now, descending steeper and steeper. The walls stretched insanely high. Snow-white bulwarks loomed over the narrowing path... until there was nothing whatsoever. Out of nowhere, the corridor opened up to a great blue chamber, and the claustrophobic journey was replaced by a wide and ever-mesmerizing gasp.
Logan practically ignored it. "So... all this time... Rainbow could fly... but chose not to."
"Yep." Flynn nodded, marching ahead of him. "That seems to be the gest of it."
"Huh... how completely and utterly stupid."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
"Well, yeah... but that sonic rougeboom she did..."
"'Sonic rainboom.'"
"Whatever," Logan belched, dragging his axe. "Could have come in handy a bunch of times earlier."
"Then she would have blown her cover."
"So what? I'd have happily blown a lot of other things just to get out of those messes—"
"Everypony, don't move!" Windburst suddenly hissed from above.
Keris look over his shoulder. "What is it, Sergeant?"
"Eyes up!"
"Hmmm?" Logan tilted his head up. He gasped, jumping aside and clutching ahold of Flynn. "Holy shit!"
"Shhhhhhh!" Ariel insisted, floating below the Talon as her features paled. "No sudden noises!"
"No sudden anything!" Flynn hissed.
High above them... clambering all over the ceiling of the tremendous blue chamber... were hundreds upon hundreds of windigoes. The ghostly horses scuttled across the walls and bowers like ethereal white cockroaches. The more they moved and stirred—with restless abandon—the more of them there appeared to be... until the Herald and the Talon realized that they were standing in the eerie shadow of an entire herd.
"There's..." Starstorm gulped. "...hundreds of them."
"More like thousands," Windburst grumbled. "Must be every single windigo that even exists."
"If that's so..." Kepler thought out loud. "Then it has to be overr fifty times greaterr than any stampede we've faced since setting out from Wyverrn Point."
"Hoooooooo boyo..." Pinkie Pie whimpered. "That's a lot of snowconers!"
"Hey... uh..." Echo raised his hoof. "The token midnighter has a question. Why aren't they attacking us yet?"
"Shhhh!" Theanim Mane hissed. "Don't give them any bright ideas, old chap!"
"It's a mighty fine question, though," Bard remarked. Wildcard nodded.
"They... seem to be just chilling," Ariel said. "Like they don't even see us."
"Why... does that make me even more sc-scared?" Raptr exhaled.
Rainbow and the rest of her marefriends gazed up at the living ceiling of windigoes. "Twilight..." She murmured aside. "Any thoughts?"
Twilight rubbed her forehead. "They're... just as strong and potentially lethal as any of the other windigoes we've faced, Rainbow." She gulped. "However... something's holding them back."
"Something...?" Rarity looked across the group. "...or someone?"
"We're not alone here," Fluttershy said. "It's not the army. They still haven't caught on to our scent."
"Is it you-know-who?!" Pinkie asked. Just as she said this, her body flickered in a lavender blink.
"...!" Rainbow spun about.
Twilight and the others flickered once again. Twilight looked at Rainbow dead-on. "Either she's coming close to us... or we're getting close to her."
Rainbow Dash stared down the stairs. She saw that several other angled platforms were converging on a central dome at the very bottom of the chamber. There were twelve stairwells total, and they all met a large, round arch that presumably led into the interior of the ice-blue dome. "I'm willing to settle for a little of Column A and a little of Column B."
"Are we just gonna stand here and let these damned freaks shadow us?" Logan remarked.
"I... don't think they're going to attack," Rainbow said.
"Why not?"
Rainbow pointed at the dome below. From its very heart, Yaerfaerda beamed. She could almost touch it. "Because we're right at the throneroom's door. I think this is it... an open invitation."
"After all this time?" Starstorm blinked. "I don't get it."
"It was never Verlaxion's desire to stop the Austraeoh from reaching her," Theanim said. She looked across the way. "Isn't that right, Rainbow?"
Rainbow nodded. "She only wanted to make the journey tougher. These windigoes could end me... which precisely why she hasn't sent them stampeding my way."
"Then what, pray tell, is she saving them for?" Keris asked.
"I suspect that we shall discoverr this shorrtly," Kepler said. He looked at Rainbow. "Rrainbow one?"
Rainbow gulped. "We proceed." She looked over. "Axan?"
Remna nodded. "After me." She turned and resumed marching down the steep, steep steps. "Stay close, Austraeoh. Watch over her, Herald."
"Darn tootin'," Bard said, walking up behind Rainbow.
"Talon..." Keris signaled to his wingmates to descend. "I think it's better if we make the rest of the journey on foot."
"Won't get any protests from me," Starstorm said, nervously eyeing the ceiling.
"Reckon y'all should follow suit, Dubya," Bard said.
Wildcard relented with a sigh. He and Ariel touched down, shuffling carefully between the Herald and the Talon.
Rainbow stared ahead. The distant breaths of the windigoes grew loud and quiet in random waves. The occasional shriek pierced its way to her heart. The petite pegasus shuddered. Clasping her pendant tightly, she proceeded, following Remna's violet figure. Yaerfaerda shone through her like a burning candle.
As they continued down the steps, they passed by frozen statues of Verlaxion flanking the staircase's stone framework. The group strolled under the statue of two facing effigies. Rainbow's marefriends flickered in and out of sight. At that exact same time, the eyeslits of the two statues glowed a bright, icy blue. The windigoes shook and shrieked overhead, and a familiar voice echoed out of the statues' separate cores: "An honest pay for an honest day's work..."
"Whoah dayum!" Bard spun, extending his metal staff.
Wildcard, Logan, and Keris braced themselves, facing the statues.
Neither of them moved. Ice melted, revealing rusted metal beneath their frigid exteriors. "Of course... if you were stale enough to believe in that, you'd never have flown east to begin with, would you?" And as soon ase these words were uttered, the glow in the statues' helms disappeared. Simultaneously, both effigies crumbled, their rusted plates peeling off and plummeting into the icy abyss below.
Nerves wracked by the spontaneous display, the Herald and Talon resumed their descent. Minutes passed. They passed by another pair of statues, and were only partially surprised to find the helms glowing vaporously as they strolled on.
"You've done many... many unkind things." Cracks and fissures formed across the statues. "But bluffing isn't cruel... it's a joke. Do you intend to laugh your way to the Midnight Armory?"
With loud, metallic clangs, the statues crumbled to pieces. Windigoes whinnied and hissed high above. The chamber echoed from the rusted plates coming to a rest far below.
Twilight and the others exchanged nervous glances. They flickered in and out of lavender waves. The blue haze of the chamber grew dim and dimmer. All the while, Rainbow stared straight ahead... eyes on the orange glow that burned bright and brighter.
"The Sundering started all of this. Tell me, Austraeoh. What is more dishonest? Thinking it will all end without another Sundering?" Sure enough, these statues shattered to pieces as well. Rainbow suspected the same fate for the last pair of statues lingering at the blue dome's doorfame at the base of the stairs. "Everything comes full circle. Bless you, Austraeoh. You've made it this far... and now you shall be prepared to go beyond."
This time, as the plates fell, Twilight and the rest were finding it difficult to stay in one piece.
"Her power..." Twilight winced. "...too much... hard to... in one piece..."
"I know where we are now, Twilight," Rainbow said calmly, although the orange light blinded her. "So long as the beacon's still burning..."
"We will see you on the other side, darling!" Rarity said.
"Don't be afraid," Fluttershy stammered, fading in and out.
"We..." Pinkie danced like a matchstick's flame. "...believe in you..."
"Whatever happens, Rainbow..." Twilight spaced her words out carefully as she morphed into a lavender blur. "...we trust... in you... to do the right thing..."
Rainbow gulped. "Twilight...?"
There was no response. The lavender haze and the blue haze had become one. All Rainbow Dash could seen now was orange. It pulsed with every heartbeat, and Rainbow was at a lost to guess whose it was.
"Girls..." She gulped. One last step, and she stumbled forward on a cold, even plane. "Axan," she whimpered. "I... I can no longer see. What's ahead of me?"
"A door, Austraeoh," Axan said. "A round metal door. It consumes the entire icy frame."
"By the gods," Kepler's voice echoed in a suddenly small space. "Somehow... Verrlax built herr thrrone out of an entrrance to the machine worrld..."
"Wouldn't be the first time she done that," Bard drawled. "Remember back in Lower Shoggoth, Dubya? That chamber full of frost vessels? That was metal too!"
"Is something on the d-door?" Rainbow asked.
"There is," spoke Theanim Mane. Windigoes howled in the distance. "The same symbol that was in Nealend. Six circles inside a larger circle, all joined by a curved line."
Rainbow Dash gulped. "Ynanhluutr..."
"I've seen it myself," Keris said. "On the tower that stood in the Quade."
"Five of them are lit." Ariel. "Blue... lavender... white... pink... and yellow. There's one that isn't lit, though."
"Applejack," Rainbow said.
"Huh?"
"Axan..." Rainbow stretched her hoof out. "Could... could you guide me to the unlit circle?"
"That I shall." Rainbow felt a strong, muscular hoof taking hers. The mare was led forward... until her fetlock made cold contact.
"It's lighting up!" Flynn's voice said, followed by the tingling sound of a glowing horn. "I... I think it's opening!"
"The Austrraeoh's touch is worrking..."
"Stand back, y'all! I've been inside one of them thangs once. It ain't fun."
"No, Mr. Bard." Theanim. "I do not believe that this is going to be very fun."
"This is it, right?" Echo. "Boss time? No turning back?"
"Everyone behind me," Remna spoke. "That includes you, Austraeoh." Her voice drifted ahead, as did her hoofsteps. Rainbow heard an eerie hiss while her body felt a cascade of cold vapors all around them. She felt as though she was strolling right into an ice box illuminated by a heatless orange flame. "I suspect we're in for a fight.... the full extent of my sister's fury..."
"Talon, stay close to Rainbow Dash," Keris said. "We're going in. Jordan?"
Rainbow couldn't sense Wildcard's response. She couldn't sense anything... do anything but move forward. She panted, numb from the absence of her closest friends. Their voices echoed in her mind... along with a fifth's. She concentrated on it... on the pretty green eyes it belonged to. It was almost enough to soothe her nerves... and stifle the urge to whimper as she pressed forward blindly into the cold.