If They Won't Listen To Prophets...
“How undignified,” the figure slurred, its voice coming out in ethereal blue mists. “A spark with no wick. To be strung up between two horizons, and suddenly neither of them are very appealing...”
“You orchestrated this.” Rainbow clenched her teeth, hovering over the waters of the Quade as she approached the robed being. “You set all of this up, didn't you?”
“So many questions...” The robe flounced, and Rainbow detected the hint of a cold cackle from beneath those blue eyeslits. “...perhaps you should have communed longer with your anchor, child.”
“Don't be coy!” Rainbow gripped the edge of the figure's cloak—instantly regretting it. She winced, floating backwards as she tried to shake the cold sting of deathly frost off her bandages. “Guhhhh... goddess!”
“Speaking.”
“Nnnngh... that chaos metal...” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. She rubbed her hooves while glaring at the figure. “The dizzying dust that I found in the Reed. You put it there purposefully as a final barricade.”
“And just why would you go so far as to desecrate something holy, child?”
“Look. I get it. You're trying to make things tough. Big whoop.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “But what's the friggin' point, ya crazy chaos chameleon?! You're so big on the Sundering undoing itself just to happen again... so why make it that much harder for Austraeoh to make it happen?!”
“It is not a matter of guidance, Austraeoh,” the figure said. It pivoted to face Rainbow, its hooves forming frozen blue circles across the surface of the Quade. “But—rather—of transformation. After all, the Spark won't make any machine move if it is reduced to mere ashes by the time it reaches the Dark Side. No...” The figure shook its hooded head. “No the flame must grow... become brighter.” Misty vapors wafted out of the cloak in short, chortling bursts. “And I have prepared a mighty... mighty feast.”
“Well, nice friggin' job with that, ya psycho!” Rainbow frowned, folding her forelimbs. “I took the tough route! I stooped to the monks' level. I did...” She bit her lips. “... v-very unkind things to myself. And guess what I got in the end?! Excommunication! They're sending me away from where the beacon is!”
The air grew colder from the breathy laughter echoing between them.
Rainbow's brow furrowed. “What...?!”
“My little pony...” The figure shook its hooded head. “You only wished you were that naïve. Funny how—so many continents and massacres away from home—and it is only now that you truly start running away from something. And yet... there is nowhere to go. Not even the edge of the world will appeal to you in this pathetic stagnance.”
“We...” Rainbow Dash grimaced, glancing towards the woven platforms overhead. “...we have a common interest, Verlax...”
“I love you too.”
“I want to bring my friends back. You want to reboot Urohringr. So... let's just make it happen already.” She waved her forelimbs. “The way you are now... and the voice you possess... bring it to the Luminards,” she said... she pleaded. “Let them commune with their Goddess... I mean really commune with them!” She smiled nervously, sweat rolling down her forehead despite the sheer cold. “Get them to accept that there's more to this world than the Reed! Give me a path to Fluttershy... and then help me resurrect Applejack! The flame will burn brighter! Pure and harmonic!”
“You are really terrible at listening to immortals, aren't you?”
Rainbow Dash frowned. “I am not... and will never humor you and your stupid friggin' trials.”
“Spoken like a true Equestrian. Behold...” The figure casually raised a sleeved limb. The waters of the Quade splashed towards the stars between them, only to freeze in mid-air. The icicles formed the effigies of two alicorn sisters, one younger and one older. “...the purveyors of Harmony. Beautiful... inspiring... and yet fallible as anypony else. But... give it enough eons and enough idiots, and they become like gods to the eyes of the masses. Thus, the one element they've fortuitously used to carve their empire becomes worshiped like immaculate ambrosia. But I've said it before, and I'll say it again... a world built on Harmony... that only knows Harmony... is a prison without chaos. Without knowing there's an other... how will such a deluded populace even know when they've suffered or died? You can't live if you've never been foaled to begin with... if you've never been offered the chance to indulge in pain and panic as much as peace and prosperity.”
She flung her limb again, and the effigy shattered, raining back down on the waters in lazy snow.
The twin eyeslits narrowed on Rainbow. “A culture that binds itself simply begs to be freed. These Luminards are calling out to the Spark, Austraeoh. You must free them...”
“No...” Rainbow shook her head.
“Just as you must free the rest of this plane,” the figure hissed. “It is a derelict that's been bound in darkness since it left Urohringr... and its insectoid denizens flounder between harmony and chaos... much like how you are stumbling right now. You must show them—show everyone—that it takes both to fuel the fire of rebirth. But first... you must learn yourself... you must burn...”
“It doesn't have to be that hard...” Rainbow Dash snarled, floating closer, limbs shaking. “Listen to the last piece of your head that's still sane, Verlax! It doesn't have to be that hard!”
“Shhhhh... patience...” The figure sneered, its cloak billowing from an unexpected wind. “...kindness...” The eyeslits dimmed as the cloak fell towards the Quade. “...only the path in life that's worth it is hard...”
“Don't leave—dang it!” Rainbow lunged forward. “Just tell me what you want me to...” The mare gasped, clutching a loose blanket in her grasp. She watched—with a cold shudder—as billowing flakes of white snow fluttered off into the air, making a brief trail, before melting into the cold, distant twinkle of reflected stars.
She was alone.
Rainbow panted... panted...
She gnashed her teeth, pulling and tugging on the empty robe until it nearly tore to shreds—
“Mrmmmff... Rainbow?”
Rainbow spun around in a cold sweat.
Twilight Sparkle rubbed her eyes, blinking blearily at the mare. “Did... mmmfmf...” She fought a yawn, blinking thickly. “Did you summon us?”
Rainbow gaped.
“I... I-I thought... I could have sworn I heard—”
“Did...” Rainbow stammered. “Did you see it?!”
“Huh?” Twilight squinted tiredly. “See... see what?”
Rainbow bit her lip. She looked down at the robe in her grasp.
“Say... what are you doing in the air?” Twlight muttered. “That's against the rules in the Quade. Don't want to make things worse than they already are.”
“It... it's nothing...” Rainbow wheezed. She swallowed a lump down her throat, then hugged the cloak to her chest. “Just... h-had to use the filly's room.” She waved without looking up. “Go back, Twilight. Get your rest.”
“Mmmm—you sure?”
Rainbow nodded.
“Very well...” With a delirious smile, Twilight drifted forward, her ghostly figure dissipating in a lavender sigh. “...ni ni...”
And the mare was alone once again.
Rainbow stared at the blanket... she blinked... then flung a hoof up to her head. She felt her mane blowing in the cold, moist wind. A fresh breath rose warmly through her lungs, and she gritted her teeth in sudden determination. Frowning, the mare spun about and soared towards the upper platforms.
“It's always been dying!”
“Zzzzzz—Snkkkkt—Graaaukkt!” Bard shot up, snorting into his hat. He flung his hooves about, ultimately grasping his guitar by the neck and blindly wielding it like a katana. “Hrmmmff! Who's yourself? Show there! I-I mean... Hells bells...” He struggled where he sat on his sleeping mat. Trembling, he raised his hat so that he could squint across the platform.
Wildcard had also jolted awake. Before both Desperadoes, a frenzied pegasus knelt, grasping several yellow strands in her hooves.
“In fact, it's dying every single day!” she stammered, grinning like an idiot. “All this time, the Luminards have been worshipping death, but they just don't know it! They're blind... because all they know is peace!”
“What...” Bard grimaced. He glanced aside at Wildcard, then set his guitar down. “...are ya even goin' on about, darlin'?”
“The Weave!” Rainbow pointed once more at the strings in her grasp. They were none other than the threads that had previously bound her mane in braid—snipped loose by Wildcard hours ago. “The stuff they use to make all of these stupid platforms! Where do you think it comes from?!”
“Erm...” Bard rubbed his head beneath his hat. He looked at Wildcard.
Wildcard was already gesturing emphatically.
“Oh. Right.” Bard smiled crookedly at Rainbow. “The Reed! Of course! But... uhmm...” He squinted. “Was that lil' revelation really worth wakin' us up with such a fright?”
“Guh!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, then paced towards them both on thudding hooves. “Look closely, Einstallion, and think!” She thrust the twine in Bard's muzzle. “It came from the Reed... but it's not alive. So...” She gawked at him, eyes blinking brightly. “...how is is that something that's supposedly so fragile still sheds stuff that dies, only to be used to build this place?”
Bard's muzzle scrunched. “Are... are you trying to say—”
“Dude... the Reed is just as natural as anything else! It dies! It sheds pieces of itself!” She smirked. “Wanna bet that—just like anything else—it can naturally grow back living parts of itself?”
Wildcard gestured.
Bard nodded at him, then looked at Rainbow. “That makes a whole lotta sense. But ya gotta remember, Rainbow. The ponies who run this place? They dun exactly... go by common sense.”
“I know.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “They've built themselves a prison of ignorance. Perhaps it was for the best intentions, but... but if they were to see the light...” She waved the string around. “If they could be made to grasp the reality of the situation...”
“Reckon... r-reckon they'd not be so dayum sensitive about the preservation of the Reed.”
“Exactly!”
“But Rainbow—”
“I've stooped to their level, Bard! I've gone through hardcore monk-making and pulled myself back to the surface!” She paced in a circle, staving off hyperventilating breaths. “Sure, I may have bucked things up, but—all things considered—I'm the closest darn thing these ponies have to an ambassador of reason! Maybe... m-maybe I can bring them to the surface!” She spun about, shivering slightly. “Maybe I can be the spark that inspires them to not keep the Reed so... constrained to one place!”
“Yeah, but...”
“If I can just talk to them again! Once more!” She gulped and held her bandaged hooves together. “Oh, won't you two help me? Please?”
Wildcard flexed his beak, shrugging.
Bard sighed. He closed his eyes for a prolonged time... then reopened them while smiling calmly at Rainbow. “Aw Hell...” He adjusted his hat. “Just what would it hurt to try...?”
“...because, I'm telling you...” Antsan grumbled in Rainbow Dash's direction. “...you are not welcome here. And what's more, I can guarantee that Kyron won't be bothered with making an appearance.”
“Yeesh...” Menthe smirked, leaning against his spear in the corner of the room. “He's a chatty one, isn't he?”
“I think his name is 'Antsan,'” Galloran said, leaning over in the candlelight. “He's... he's new.” He bit his lip. “Even younger than me.”
“Ah.” Menthe nodded. “Well that explains it.”
“Yeah, it—h-hey!” Galloran frowned.
“Heheheh...”
“Mmmmff...” Antsan sighed, leaning against a wooden table in the middle of the dimly-lit shack. “I do not like this apostate haven that these platforms have become as of late.”
“Child, temper your attitude,” Sonikah insisted. “I brought you here so that you may learn something about proper etiquette. After all, Rainbow and the Desperadoes are far from the last visitors we will ever have in the Quade, by Verlaxion's grace.”
“That's right, kiddo,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “Listen to your anchor.”
Sonikah's muscles tensed... then gradually relaxed. She avoided looking directly at Rainbow the entire time.
Rainbow bit her lip.
Pinkie leaned in, whispering: “Maybe, Dashie, you should save the sassafras for when we're speaking again to Kindly McElderSnuggles.”
“Yeah...” Rainbow muttered aside. “Maybe.”
“I, for one, am glad that we can go about this civil-like,” Bard said, standing in the back next to Wildcard. “I mean... this ain't so hard, is it?”
“That remains to be seen,” Menthe said, shifting his weight against his weapon. “I can't rightly remember the last time Kyron asked me to be present at one of these meetings.”
“Look... buddy...” Bard waved a hoof. “We just wanna talk. Really... why you gotta be so high-strung? T'ain't no need for weapons in this here hut.”
“Tell that to your tastefully 'honest' friend of yours, 'buddy,'” Menthe said, gesturing to Rainbow's neck.
Wildcard winced.
Rainbow sighed out her nostrils, adjusting the lightning bolt pendant.
“Well, who knows?” Rarity smiled brightly. “Maybe things will go swimmingly!”
Twilight and Pinkie gazed at her in silence.
“Or... perhaps like a lead buoy,” the unicorn squeaked, ears folding.
“Yeesh, thanks for the confidence,” Rainbow muttered.
“Did you say something, outsider?” Antsan asked.
“Mrmmff...” Rainbow glanced aside. “I wasn't talking to you.”
“Well, quite frankly, you're not talking to anyone.” The pilgrim with red braids grinned smugly. “The elder made it clear the last time you were here. Kyron is done doing any business whatsoever with you.” At the sound of hoofsteps, he glanced aside—then immediately gasped: “Elder Kyron!”
Kyron bowed as he entered the room, flanked by three other elders. “Child... foals of Verlaxion...” His eyes met with Rainbow's, which summoned a brief frown. He glanced at Menthe, then back at the three guests with a sigh. “It was with a heavy heart that I made the necessary declarations yesterday. Please, do understand, it is merely in hope for peace and understanding that I've agreed to your request here and now.” He took his position at the far end of the table. Looking across the wooden surface, he gazed at the three foreigners, then folded his hooves together. “However, I have many... many devotionals to tebd to today. As you must know by now, I am in charge of a very delicate and blossoming congregation. So my time—as blessed as it is by Verlaxion—is short. I must humbly request that you make swiftly with the words you wish to convey, Rainbow Dash.”
“Right...” Rainbow nodded. “I wouldn't have it any other way, dear elder.”
“Thatta girl, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, waving her on. “Be swift and to the point.”
“We're right behind you, darling,” Rarity added.
Rainbow Dash stepped forward. Fiddling with her bandaged hooves, she produced a length of yellow twine, then placed it on the table. “Elder Kyron... would kindly tell me what that is.”
Antsan took a deep breath. “It's a strip of twine that we used for weaving the—”
“With all due respect...” Rainbow's voice took on a growling pitch. Her eyes remained locked forward. “I asked the Kyron of this congregation, not the raddish sprout.”
Antsan gasped. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Sonikah frowned at him. With a dull sigh, the stallion hung his head.
Rainbow's eyes implored the old pony from across the long wooden table. “Please, elder, if you would be so kind...”
Kyron slowly nodded. “As our newly-anointed was attempting to convey... it is what we use to fashion together the platforms of our sanctuary. We also use it to bind our manes and tail. You yourself experienced the utilization of this material when... you performed and failed the Sacrament.”
Pinkie and the other two mares winced.
Rainbow Dash shook it off and asked, “Yes, but where does the twine come from, dear elder?”
“It grows off of the Holy Reed itself.”
Rainbow tilted her head aside. “It grows off the Reed?”
“That is correct.”
“But... that's a curious thing, isn't it?” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof. “I mean... if it was once a part of the Reed...” She points at the table in front of her. “...but now it's lying on this table in tatters...” She squinted. “That means it's dead, right?”
“It is inert, yes, but its holy purpose is not lost to us,” Kyron said. “To honor the blessing of Verlaxion, we use the string for many sacramental things—”
“Yeah, but hold the sound stone for a second.” Rainbow waved. “This stuff came off the Reed. Like... what? Did it just jump off it? Did it grow legs and walk away from it?”
Kyron took a deep breath, his ears twitching. “No, child. If you must know, we remove it.”
“You remove it.”
“That is correct. If you had afforded yourself more time inside the Holiest of Holies, then perhaps you would have witnessed the process.”
“Well, as we all know... uh... I didn't. So... ahem...” Rainbow scratched her neck. “Would you kindly mind telling me how you guys rip this stuff off your Holy Reed?”
“It is not ripped child,” Kyron said firmly. “Nor is it removed forcefully through any malevolent or destructive means.” Kyron exhaled. “It grows to a certain length... then withers away. Once it drops of its own holy volition, then and only then do our most highly anointed pilgrims acquire the fibers and distribute them among the rest of the congregation.”
“So... let me get this straight...” Rainbow Dash paced around her end of the table. “This Holy Reed... that you guys have been worshipping since the dawn of recorded history...” She gestured with her hooves. “This sacred and undying blessing from Verlaxion... is constantly shedding dead parts of itself? Like a pony loses gray hairs? Or a cat sheds its coat? Or—”
“That would appear to be the natural process, yes.”
“Natural process!” Rainbow scuffled to a stop, turning to grin at him. “So, Verlaxion's blessing follows the way of nature!”
Kyron stood in silence.
Sonikah and Antsan squinted inquisitively.
“So... if it's natural for the Reed to shed parts of itself... dead parts of itself...” Rainbow Dash approached the table, waving a hoof. “Couldn't it do other natural things? Such as dying...” Her brow furrowed. “Or being reborn?”
There was only more silence.
Bard and Wildcard exchanged glances. Menthe and Galloran watched with quiet curiosity.
At last, after a lethargic breath, Kyron said: “I see what it is you are trying to do, child.” His eyes narrowed. “You are so desperate to regain access to the Reed that you are willing to challenge the very nature of the blessing itself.”
“Who's challenging?!” Rainbow shrugged. “What's there to challenge?!” She pointed. “You yourself said that the Reed sheds this twine cuz of a natural process!”
“Yes—”
“And I'm asking you to approach the Reed with an openness of mind!” Rainbow smiled, taking a shuddering breath. “What proof is there that the Reed can never grow back?”
“The first Kyron gives his tragic account of the original shoots' destruction quite vividly—”
“Yeah, but that was—like—a gazillion years ago! You know what happens when ponies try to preserve any form of communication over any length of space or time? Errors! That's what!”
Sonikah and Antsan gasped. Even Menthe cringed.
Kyron's brow furrowed. “Are you trying to say that our Scripture is at fault?”
“Rather—I'm trying to suggest that maybe... just maybe Verlaxion's blessing isn't limited to a one-time deal! Sure, this Reed is awesome!” She waved a hoof. “Sure, this is your one ticket towards communing with your Goddess' spirit! But maybe it doesn't have to just be one Reed! Maybe the one thing that the Luminards need to get more members is to branch out! Literally!”
“Child...” Sonikah finally spoke to Rainbow Dash. Her lips pursed as her breath took on a shuddering tone. “What... are you even trying to suggest? We hew the Reed apart like sugar cane?”
“No... I mean... not exactly...” Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw. She leaned back, took a deep breath, then finally blurted: “I'm suggesting you grow it elsewhere.”
“Preposterous!” Antsan belched.
“My Goddess...” Sonikah nearly retched.
Kyron hung his head, sighing.
“I-I mean just grow more of it!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She glanced at her wincing marefriends, but still summoned the strength to continue: “You don't have to get rid of all the stuff that's right here! But... like... take off parts of it and graft it to other parts and learn to spread the blessing Verlaxion's given you! That way you could spread your whole... church... commune... sacred slumber party thing! For real!”
“Rainbow...” Bard sighed, leaning in. “Forget it. I think you done lost 'em, darlin'—”
“Hold onto your hat, ya melon fudge,” Rainbow grunted back. “This isn't over yet.”
“Rainbow, he's right,” Twilight began. “They're not going to—”
Antsan's angry voice filled Rainbow's ears. “You dare come into our sanctuary suggesting such a thing?!”
“If I had known you thought so carelessly about the Reed, child...” Sonikah shook her head, bearing a long, sad expression. “...I would have never offered my talents as an anchor.”
“Will you just listen to me?!” Rainbow cackled. “For crying out loud, I'm not trying to weaken your congregation! I'm trying to help it—”
“Help it?!”
Rainbow Dash felt her entire body throttled by that last outburst. It took a few seconds for the shivering mare to understand why—until she realized it was coming from Kyron. She looked across the table to see a set of angry teeth glinting back.
“You—a soul precocious enough to agree to being anointed by Verlaxion and yet dash all of that aside—invite yourself back into our domain... by our good graces...” He paced closer, weighted by an iron frown. “You suggest sacriligious things... beguiling the essence of the sacred Reed... going so far as to suggest—no—insist that we go about dismantling it—the Reed, our very core of honor and worship and salvation—and you dare to imply that this is some means of helping us?”
“It's just... just...” Rainbow gulped. “If you knew the whole picture—”
“But you are never willing to share the whole picture, are you, my child?!” Kyron seethed. “Like a selfish infant, you wander these platforms, trudging past sacred boundaries to take piecemeal from our good intentions, and yet you never give.”
“I... I went through your stupid ritual, didn't I?!” Rainbow's voice cracked. “You call that selfish?”
“Rainbow—” Twilight hissed.
“But you did not give your all!” Kyron exclaimed. “You gave your body and your mind...” He held a hoof over his chest. “But not your heart! Deep inside... in a dark core with much turmoil, you keep hiding the truth... and that, my child, is why you failed then... and that is why you are failing now!”
Rainbow gawked at him.
Sonikah shivered while Antsan enjoyed a brief smirk.
Rainbow, Pinkie, and Twilight were wincing so hard that they scarcely squinted at the scene.
Towards the tail end of the interminable silence, Kyron blinked. Hard. “Well?! What have you truly come here to give us, child?!”
Rainbow stood in place, shivering.
Bard leaned against the edge of the room with a sigh. Wildcard looked on, wordlessly.
At last, Kyron sighed. His head bowed. “I see...” He adjusted the collar of his sackcloth tunic, then turned to face the hallway on the far end. “...and so it remains... as it always was...” As he and his fellow elders made for the exit on cold hooves, he waved a hoof high in the air.
Clearing his throat, Menthe shuffled over. “Alright, kiddo...” He reached for Rainbow's shoulder. “Show's over. You've upset the nest enough as it is.”
“Let's go, Dashie,” Pinkie said in a wilted voice. “I'm starting to like Bard's idea.”
“Yes...” Rarity nodded, sniffling. “Me too.”
Rainbow fumed. Then—at the last second—she snarled, throwing off Menthe's hoof. “Alright... alright!” She barked across the table. “You want the truth, elder?!”
Kyron scuffled to a stop. Slowly, with a calm expression, he turned around. Sonikah and Antsan likewise gazed at the mirror.
“Alright then...” Rainbow breathed and breathed, nostrils flaring. “Here it comes...”
The mare leaned against the table, her bandaged hooves clutching the edge hard.
“In the beginning... there was no beginning... but a continuation... just a piece of a crazy big circle that didn't know what to do with itself. This world... this collection of horizons that we all call 'home'... is really just a mostly flat... slightly curved piece of a much bigger whole... an unbelievably big structure called 'Urohringr'... built by ponies... built by non-ponies... but destroyed by something else in between...”
Kyron blinked. He arched an eyebrow, slowly walking towards the table with a pensive gate.
“Why Urohringr lost a piece of itself, I don't know. What I do know is that—over time... over a very long period of time, life blossomed on this derelict plane. Maybe some of it came from Urohringr. Maybe it came from the chaos cloud that the sliver of landscape had floated through. Whatever the case, everything was all messy and crazy until two different races of immortals chanced upon it. One was the Alicorns—who discovered it floating in space. The other... was the Divines... a group of super-powerful dragon matriarchs. Both groups used their different sets of powerful magic to try and instill order on this plane. Sometimes they worked together. But, for the most part, they worked apart. The Divines lost contact with one another, many of their kind gradually succumbing to chaos and madness. The Alicorns, in the meantime, sacrificed the majority of themselves to make sure that Harmony—their most powerful magic—kept the civilizations of this world living in prosperity.”
Antsan and Sonikah watched with gaping muzzles, their ears twitching. The other elders were similarly speechless.
Rainbow continued: “One such civilization—the last bastion for alicorn magic—is Equestria. It's run by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... ponies so powerful in magic that they control the very Sun and Moon that light this plane. However... because of the limitations of their magic, they can only light one side of the plane. The other side—drenched in eternal night and chaos—houses something called the Midnight Armory. There, under lock and key, rests the final everlasting piece of Alicorn essence, the Harmonic Prism. Celestia's and Luna's ancestors placed it there, hoping to provide counterbalance for the Harmony that they had established on the light side of the plane. But little did they know that their actions—harmonically intended—were part of an even greater mechanism than either them or the Divines.
“This world has always been a part of Urohringr, and because of that, it's still powered by what makes Urohringr tick. As a consequence, every rule of magic—heck—every rule of nature is somehow bound by the wheels and spoke of an unseen machine. That machine exists underneath all of us—hidden beneath the surface of the world—with only a few entrances available to expose it. There are entrances on almost every continent. I've been to several entrances myself, even some in the seas of Rohbredden. And there's also an entrance here... in the Quade.
“The reason I know this is because the mechanics of this world... the worldess magic that imbues and energizes everything—even Harmony and chaos—has empowered me. There are ponies who have attempted to go the distance that I have gone before, but they have failed. Ancient beings of Urohringr who understood what this empowerment is had a word for it: 'Austraeoh.' They're all lost to the desolation of time, but some of their words—just enough to guide a chosen pony's path—came to me. I don't know why it's happened this way, or for what reason the power chose me. But I know that I've become it. I know it because... because it took the utter dismantling of the Elements of Harmmony to make me the Austraeoh. Harmony—the most sacred and powerful force in Equestria—became a tool... a spoke in the machine of Urohringr. And this machine needs a spark... a flame that drives me forward—from my homeland to the dark side of the world and back again—to scour every entrance and ignite every beacon. It beckons me to reclaim the Harmonic Prism. For what reason? I'm not entirely certain... but I know what the end game is—and that's to restore what's lost to Urohringr. I did not always know this, but I've gradually learned. And part of the source of my learning... has been the Divines themselves.”
Rainbow turned towards Antsan and Sonikah.
“The Divines are dying. They are not as powerful as they used to be. Some of them have reacted to the reality of Urohringr with madness... child-like tantrums on an epic scale. Others... have seen the part that I have to play in this. They know—as I now know—that to save this world... to restore what is lost before every living thing on both sides of the plane perish for good... I must access all entrances and make contact with all burning beacons. That way, I will restore the Elements of Harmony...which will in turn help me lay claim to the Harmonic Prism inside the Midnight Armory... which will ultimately help me reboot all of Urohringer. And it is directly because of this necessary Spark... and the Divines' knowledge of it... that I've been allowed to continue as far as I have.”
She then turned to look at Kyron across the table. Her expression turned soft as she conveyed the next part:
“But there is one Divine... a very sick and twisted one... a Goddess of frost and mystery... who seeks to block my path. It is in her demented opinion that she is—in fact—testing me... providing me with trials by which she can s-somehow... improve me... tranform me... by making me doing things that are not right.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I refuse to play by her rules. But—even still—her will is a difficult one to defy. Because she's been molding this landscape... altering this world... and constructing these traps for a very... very long time. And she's set up bulwarks—not in the shape of walls or spikes—but in the fabric of culture... and paranoia... and religion.”
Kyron blinked.
Rainbow took a deep breath. “This Goddess... this Divine is none other than the Dragon Matriarch of Frost.”
“Rainbow...” Twilight whispered. “Maybe that's as far as—”
Rainbow frowned, continuing with a bold voice: “The alicorns called her 'Verlax.' But... to the Rohbreddenites, she is 'Verlaxion,' the Queen who unified the Six Tribes.”
The far half of the room filled with sharp gasps and murmurs.
Rainbow took a heavy step forward. “She has been lying to each and every one of you all your lives! All of your ancestors' lives!” She gulped, eyes darting about at the breathless figures. “And their ancestors and their ancestors before them! She's cold... calculated... but mad! And she's using you... she's using all of you and what you believe in to manipulate both the flight of Austraeoh and the fate of Urohringr...”
“Goddess...” Sonikah whimpered, trotting backwards.
“And she's even using the Reed! And the Quade! And the sanctuary right here!” Rainbow pointed. “To keep me from entering the Tower!”
“Verlaxion, bless me...” Antsan hoof-gestured, murmuring prayers. Nevertheless, he managed to sneer: “Guard us from these wicked, poisoned words...”
Rainbow struggled to speak above the amounting bedlam: “You have to understand! I... I-I didn't come here to attack you! What you've created here—this religion—it's a nifty, kind thing! A way of life without murder and suffering... but there will come a time when you can't ignore reality any longer!” She swung a hoof. “You can keep your Reed! You can continue meditating and worshipping and all that song'n'dance! But I need... all of Urohringr needs me to finish my flight! I have to get inside this Tower! I have to retrieve the next Element or everything is lost!” She couldn't even hear herself from the commotion, and so she snarled. “Darn it! Didn't you hear me?! I'm not attacking your faith—”
“An attack on the Reed is an attack on our faith!” Antsan said, frowning. Several elders grumbled and barked angrily behind him as he continued: “Do you even hear yourself, child?! You speak of... of... gigantic machines! Structures in the heavens! Alicorns and Divines... Beacons and Sparks!” He blanched. “You... you even attack the very structure of your own Equestrian traditions by maligning Harmony! And you expect us to think you're keeping the Goddess' divination in consideration?!”
“But it's the truth!” Rainbow's voice yelped, only to disintegrate like sea foam against a cliff. “You asked for the truth, and I gave it to you—”
“A truth that convoluted would be a very nightmarish reality indeed!” Antsan squinted. “Have you ever considered, child, that perhaps you are so haunted by your own sins... so clouded by your own mistakes that you have elected to suffer a very terrible dementia?”
“What?!”
“Hrmmf...” Antsan folded his forelimbs. “No wonder you are always mumbling to the shadows whenever I see you! Tell me... do some of these Alicorns and Divines speak in tongues that only you can hear?”
“Calm down, anointed one,” Kyron murmured across the domain.
“And you!” Antsan frowned at the Desperadoes. “You... you encourage her sickness?”
“Now see here...” Bard shuffled forward. “Deep in Shoggoth, down in the ancient tombs of the Sirens, Dubya-Cee and I done saw with our own eyes the exact sort of 'machinery' that Rainbow's talkin' about—”
Sonikah yelped. “You... you mean you desecrated the Sirens' tombs before coming here?!”
Bard blinked. “Uhm...”
“Oh dear,” Twilight gulped.
Rarity face-hoofed.
“Only the royal guards of the Siren Princess are allowed in those places!” Sonikah shivered. “I... I once lived in Shoggoth before being called to the Quade, and those sepulchers are absolutely sacred!” She backed up, eyes glossing over. “Oh, blessed Verlaxion, what h-have we invited into your domain...?”
“Now...” Bard raised a hoof. “Lemme explain—”
“Pfft! What's to explain?!” Antsan frowned. “Now it all makes sense! Once bounty hunters and thieves, always bounty hunters and thieves! Is this all an elaborate ruse to get us to lower our defenses?!”
“Not in the least ya raggedy-hair'd yahoo!” Bard barked. “Will ya just stop flippin' yer shit and give a little ear for once?!”
“I have given ear... we all have... and yet we still continue to... to...” Antsan pointed. “...to h-humor this pathetic little demon!”
“Anointed one—” Kyron breathed.
“Menthe, do your role, and remove these vagabonds from Verlaxion's sanctuary,” Antsan said with a huff. “In fact, perhaps it would do all of Rohbredden good if you removed their skulls from their necks—”
A hoof viciously grabbed Antsan by the shoulder and spun him around. The young stallion found himself deflating in the shadow of Kyron's yelling muzzle:
“No!” Kyron snarled. “We will not threaten the lives of Verlaxion's children! Is that understood?!”
Antsan paled, his pupils shrinking. “My... my elder—”
“Rainbow Dash may no longer have Verlaxion's blessing, but at least she carries the Goddess' good temperament!” Kyron huffed and puffed. “Maybe I was wrong in removing her anointed status! Maybe I should have removed yours!”
Antsan shivered. He leaned away from the old stallion, his eyes welling up with fearful tears.
Kyron seethed and seethed. Suddenly, he blanched. The elder removed his hoof from Antsan's body, teetering backwards as if struck by a club. Swallowing a lump down his throat, he shivered in place. Then—with quiet motions—he turned ninety degrees and marched straight towards a wooden cabinet along the side of the room. He placed his hooves on the edge, then lifted a panel, revealing a solid row of tiny spurs, carved in metal. The stallion took several deep breaths... then thrust his fetlocks against the sharp teeth.
Rainbow Dash and Bard winced. Rarity and Pinkie blocked their eyes.
Galloran's lips pursed. He stepped forward to stop the elder, but Menthe held him place with a firm hoof.
Kyron's facial muscles flexed, writhed, then relaxed. He took several deep breaths as the pain coursed through his body. At last—as tiny droplets of blood dribbled down to the floor—he tilted his head back with a sigh. Eyes closed, he eventually found the hoarse voice to speak with:
“Rainbow Dash...” He said. “... I... do not appreciate the air of hostility that you have brought to this sanctuary.” He spoke calmly, with evenly placed words. “Perhaps, in your heart of hearts, you mean well. I have no doubt that you possess full conviction of your actions. But, as it stands, all you've done and all you continue to do is only deleterious to the sanctity of spiritual pursuits that we have long established here.”
“But...” Rainbow pointed at Antsan. “But I wasn't...” She gritted her teeth. “You asked for the truth!”
“Indeed. And you gave me what you thought it was, however sadly mistaken. It is with a heavy heart that I must confess... that I have failed to bring the actual truth to you.” He gnashed his teeth... then yanked his hooves off the spurs. Two elders rushed in from another room with sackcloth bandages. He raised his limbs, allowing them to tend to his bloodied fetlocks. “I have failed again... but I intend to learn from my mistakes... to better aid in Verlaxion's glory.” His eyes opened, resting calmly on Rainbow Dash. “I have focused too hard on Scripture... on Sacrament... on the logistics of our faith. I neglected to inspire you with the love... with the kindness of heart and contentment that our congregation embodies. And here... you have been forced to witness us at our... ugliest.” Once the bandages were firmly attached, he leaned forward. The pressure put on his forelimbs forced a brief grimace, but he maintained his firm gaze on the pegasus. “I must not let that happen again.”
The elder strolled forward, pausing to place a gentle, reassuring hoof on both Sonikah's and Antsan's shoulders.
“Never before have I requested that a foal of Verlaxion leave these platforms. But, for now, I believe that such is the only measure that will allow for optimal peace and contentment for everypony. Perhaps, in time, you... the three of you will discover the true will of Verlaxion, and you will be drawn back to the Quade with open hooves... bearing the sins and passions that you finally wish to bury here in the shadow of Luminar's Plight. But... if you stay here any further... I fear that such a Plight might happen again. And, as Kyron, that is something I cannot afford.”
“Please... I-I'm sorry that I had to unload on you like that...” Rainbow stammered. “But... b-but maybe now you can see why I didn't share the truth before. It's... it's just so damn stupid! If you could just—”
“I have given you the full extent of the mercy Verlaxion has granted me,” Kyron said in a stoic tone. “Now... you must leave. I trust you to do so expediently... as you are swift at everything else you do.”
“Please...” Rainbow choked on a sob. “Please... will you h-help me...?” She pointed through the floor. “It's there! The beacon's right there!”
“Come on, ponies...” Menthe muttered, gripping Bard's shoulder with very little grace. “You heard the elder. You had your chance.”
“He's right, Rainbow,” Bard sighed, tugging the mare along. Wildcard was already shuffling out, and the stallion followed. “Let's mosey.”
“I-I can't just leave it...!” Rainbow yelped, whimpered. “Please! You gotta understand! I-I just can't leave Fluttershy!”
Her words fell on nopony's ears. The procession shuffled out in a cold slump with Galloran taking up the rear.
Stats
Page generated in 0.052 seconds
Total duration
1,021 users online
1,872,456 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
6k words... whew...
*reads chapter*
Le sigh...
This is a thing alright. 3 chapters for Dash to snap, and save fluttershy, killing the reed, and ruining everything.
They refuse to hear the truth that is told to them, they refuse to listen to reason nor explanation, and so the situation continues to deteriorate...
Hmm...reminds me a little bit of another culture in Equestria in a different time and place...
Also "they're".
Daaaaaaayum.
So there really is only one more way to go...
-Spirit (Yeast and Treacle)
For a brief moment.. her fire returned, and it was glorious... and once again it is quenched.
Well Dash... what now? Move along like Bard suggested? Or do as Verlax wishes and use force?
Hmm hmm hmm, Antsan showed his true colours it seems. Go change that sackcloth boy, you probably have need of it after getting a face full of angry elder.
Thankfully, Menthe and Galloran are a neutral party.
I actually have to commend you Dash... were I in your hooves, things would be broken and fires started by now.
Once again... I can't help but wonder what Nicro thinks about all this. She was the only one of the monks Dash even remotely bonded with.
One lands holiest mare is another's most foul villain.
I'm starting to think I overuse ellipses when I comment.
-Memories given light, ease a lonely flight. Ynanhluutr.
Holy fuck it's like absolutely everything is wrong right now.
Murphy would be so proud.
i truly hope that each and every one of those sick pathetic monks is thrown down before their "goddess" they worship so much, shown the undeniable truth of Rainbow's words before pleading for her to forgive them, with her refusing, leaving them to a slow and painful fate....
6504072 Quite honestly, I hope she does, just to spite Antsan.
Ok this is the deciding point either they leave Fluttershy and come back for her later or Rainbow snaps and likely beats up and possibly kills some of them to get to the Door. I really hope that they come back for her later but I have a feeling that won't be the case give what IC has said in his journal's. Unless he thinks everyone is going to really hate her leaving Fluttershy as much as what happened to Lerris.
RD: You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!
--Probably a misquote.
Also, Bard should've said the queen or whatever let them in, and believed their story.
It might be time to do some rather.... disharmonious things in order to get Fluttershy back.
If there were some apples to dash around here, Rainbow would just shred that BUCKING reed!
I don't see Rainbow Dash leaving the Quade without Fluttershy. And since we only have 3 chapters left, there's no time to argue with the monks for the peaceful access. Now she can only get to it one way.
Be unkind.
(or if she can somehow through some miracle convince the monks to do a science experiment and prove her right... but we all know that's not going to happen.)
It's refreshing to see Rainbow struggle and struggle against a problem that refuses to be solved no matter how hard she tries. Almost all of her conflicts up until this point have been resolved with a liberal application of whoop-ass. Even if worst comes to worst and that still has to happen here, at least we got to see Rainbow struggle with the diplomatic solution before ultimately failing and resulting to the disharmonious, chaotic, unkind, brute force solution.
Oh Rainbow, what will Fluttershy think of you if you do things the unkind way? What will the rest of the girls think? And when will you ever let them know about Chaos Dash?
I also forgot to give voice to my squees when Rainbow was mentioning Roarke a few chapters ago. Never let the Rainboarke die!!!
heh. Verlax, you make me chuckle "...the last visitors we will ever have in the Quade"
The Luminards have much kindness to give.
The Luminards have Kindness in their pressence.
Rainbow Dash has come to understand their kindness.
Raindbow Dash will claim Kindness.
To be fair, all of that's a lot to take in all at once.
Well, here we are. Officially at the crossroads. Do our heroes move on, if only for now, to travel the continent and come back for Fluttershy another day? Or do they (and by 'they', I mean Rainbow) go all Rambo on these monks and shout "Timber!" over the screams. I gotta admit, I hope it's the former. As dramatic as it would be to end the story on a dark, turbulent note, and as much as the vindictive nougat inside of me would like to see the egg on the monks' faces when they see proof of Rainbow's claims, I would rather Rainbow didn't play into Verlax's frost-bitten claws. That, and the potential story-threads that were dangled in front of us in Bard's plan (complete with wyverns and political intrigue) seem too interesting to dismiss out of hand. And it would be a bummer to see book 8 start with Fluttersobs.
Is this what it sounds like when I talk
Oh dear....
I would have lost my patience a long time ago with these monks. I actually commend Dash for being able to go even this far.
And while Bard's plan is a good one, the problem with it is the answer to everyone's question of 'what's the rush?' Flames or not, Dash is dying. She is always aware of this, and at this rate, I don't think she's going to settle for leaving the Quade without Fluttershy then moving along to grab Applejack, loyalty aside.
On top of that, Verlax already knows what's going on and clearly isn't going to help. There is absolutely no point in leaving and talking to the Council.
6504165 6504141 6504133 6504120 6504188
I would like to take a moment and point out the pattern that each mini-group of friends has joined going to a beacon, and they have separated from RD leaving a beacon. After Kindness is claimed, Bard and Wildcard will split from RD.
While they said that they'd keep with her until the falls and the end. I expect some unkind turn of events to give the Desperadoes no moral choice other than turn away from RD. I fully understand the implications on the horrible situation that would bring us to a slightly-less-worse-than-Lerris ending. I see the storm approaching, and I want to be out there in a Faraday suit to see it up close.
Woooow.
Stupid idea time: show them what happens when the amulet is removed.
Have wildcard do the removing and replacing, though. And don't leave it off for more time than you have to.
Well the best word to describe this situation would be FUBAR.
With my age increasing this Friday this is going to be a powerful weekend for a bunch of things...
Thinking about the trial that Rainbow Dash went through:
One cannot be anointed if they carry passion and sin with them.
One cannot cast a lone drop away; all must be removed.
Dash's strongest, tangible (metaphorically) passion is surrounding her. Three of them have their voices back. Two are to follow.
Dash's largest sin cannot be cast away, considering it gnaws away at her harmonious side and is barely kept in check by Loyalty.
Rainbow understands the revelation necessary towards the Luminard anointment, but can never truly internalize such.
Rainbow can never be at peace. Chaos and Harmony fighting can never be at peace.
Until balance has been carried across the construct.
Though, I feel that there's an implication of the kindness of mercy-killings (metaphorical or otherwise) coming from Verlax.
For that which is constantly withers cannot flourish, and will prevent anything else from flourishing in its place.
The Reed must Heed. Destroy the Reed, and yet, life will find a way to sustain itself. Stagnation shall cede to Change.
Harmony vs. Dredgemane 2: Harmonize Harder
Verlaxion is an interesting character, someone who knows the difficult path gains the best rewards. I'm curious to see where she intends to go with her trials, almost as if she want to turn the world on it's head all over again.
Also, I was so happy when Dashie finally told the truth to them, it felt so good for someone to just yell at them that they've been wrong and to show them how stuck up in their beliefs they are, they've choose to blind themselves to everything else. And though I almost hope Dashie just flies down and takes Fluttershy by force, I think it's probably not a good idea.
*cue music*
should I stay or should I go now?
6504110
Okay, that, right there, is creepy as hell. You want Dash to be unkind as all hell, just to spite the monks. No bueno.
Anyways, happy I got to yell at Antsan. Highlight of my day right there. Punk had it coming. I do also love how Kyron is attempting to remain calm in the face of everything. However, no one explained why they wouldn't try grafting the reed elsewhere. Okay, sure, Dash has ulterior and selfish motives for suggesting this. This does not, in fact, make the suggestion any less valid.
Kyron smiled. “Being wise means striving to be wiser." Ynanhluutr:192
"I love you too."
Sass.
6504257
fair enough.
...still...seeing them find out how they were wrong would be nice to see
Dash has no choice. Bard's plan is a non-starter. Vertex knows full well what's going on, and isn't going to be persuaded by The Council. Talking is over. Each time she tried, it only made things worse. That leaves force.
I don't think she has to remove the pendant. It's possible, and she almost did when faced with the Syndicate—Chekov's Gun?—but who's to fight back? Somehow, I don't think Menthe and Galloran are much of a challenge for Dash and the Desperadoes. The monks? Not likely.
The real problem is what foiled her the last time: the chaos dust on the Reed. That must be dealt with. I wonder what would happen if the Reed was "damaged." What if Dash flew up to the top and slashed the Reed, theoretically killing it all the way down. The monks aren't pegasi, so they couldn't stop her. If the chaos dust fell down with the Reed...
You are really missing the point, Dash. It was never about being unkind to yourself.
It doesn't get more unkind than destroying a way of life.
6504194
Even so, as sad as having Bard and Wildcard leave Rainbow as per the pattern, would be; it is nowhere near a Lerris ending. IMO the unkind thing that drives them away would have to be much, much worse than forcing her way to Fluttershy for it to be even close to a Lerris ending.
Frankly the ending to Odrsjot had a lot more going for it to make people so angry about it. For one Lerris was a perfect place to end Kera,Belle, and Pilate's story. (As much as I loved these three IMO they stuck around for way to long after their story arc was finished) Two by that point everyone was pretty much sick to death of Shell still being around, and Three I don't really think anyone outside of one or two crazy theories saw everyone being slaughtered in Lerris coming.
This ending is rather predictable quite frankly, and outside of Rainbow having to murder or at least severely injure all the monks to get to Fluttershy, or having to kill/seriously injure either Bard or Wildcard or both, I don't think it's going to be that shocking.
Edit: Ok the only other thing I could see that could make it maybe a bit shocking would be Verlax mind controlling Rainbow to get Fluttershy when Rainbow decided instead to leave.
6504194
I dunno. If they do leave, I see it being temporary. The difference between the Desperadoes and the others is that (and like the Jury for awhile), they really don't seem to have anywhere else to go. Plus, we've been given hints that they have quite the backstory, and I don't think IC is going to just dump them without giving us that much first.
If they do decide to seperate, I kind of see them pulling a Roarke and either following or trying to find Rainbow after a bit of time has passed until they somehow rendezvous again somewhere in Rohbredden (probably by the insistence of WC).
Unless, of course, they somehow get seriously injured or killed off. That'd be the most depressing thing...
Well, I suppose Rainbow could always return by the next full moon. An audience with Luna ought to lend some credibility to her words.
Jeez, just keep dangling hope for a peaceful solution in front of us and snatching it away. Every time Rainbow comes up with a new in, she just gets burnt worse. I think the next few chapters will whittle down the number of peaceful options, until even we agree that violence is the only solution...
...Or IC's pulling a double-bluff, and Rainbow just needs to come up with the right magic words to resolve everything diplomatically. Somehow, I doubt it.
Let's be serious, there was no ways Dash's backstory bombshell was going to be well received.
Another random thought: although I know that there have been a few of them before, it's a little weird to read about a religious order, and know from the get-go that their beliefs are objectively, categorically wrong. I'm not sure if it actually makes it easier or harder to sympathize with them.
Looks like it is now time for battle. They are at full impasse and Dash can't be denied.
6504268
Okay, I'm just saying, cut a reed like plant at the top is not going to immediately kill it. It's not an Achilles plant or some nonsense. If you want the whole kill thing, you'd have to cut it at the bottom, which is underwater.
Dang it all this is infuriating how badly this is going.
So if anyone missed it, Verlax wants Rainbow Dash to resort to going chaos-mode in the Quade.
Dash: -give me a Yaerfaerda!
Verlax: -Problem, mortal?
And up to this point, kindness has been the order of the day. Now. kindness is gonna sit this one out.
welp, rainbow failed her diplomacy check
and seems unwilling to use her intimidate check
so now she'll need to fall back and use stealth
maybe curve around out of sight and come from the back? or top?
creep in, cut some reed, prove her point without even being seen?
I think Verlax is trying to play Dash's hoof to do the very unkind thing of simply foregoing kindness and forcing her way to the metal. Based on how much Verlax wants to instill the idea of chaos and harmony working together, this is, indeed, the only way I can see things being achieved. Or they could go to Applejack.
However, I feel like this is all awfully messed up. Like, at first, I felt as if that though Verlax is going about teaching Rainbow a lesson in unorthodox means, it still was a lesson meant to be learned. But now, I feel like Verlax's madness is showing. This is a step too far into the crazy side of things, and I don't like it.
But now we have to ask ourselves the question: what now?
6504092 Next companion is a go?
Man, Kryon means well but all I could think of right now is how Rainbow's going to destroy their whole way of life. How everyone's going to be terrified afterwards and how they'd look back at all she tried to tell them and regret so bad they didn't hear her wake up call.
And of how much I'll enjoy that moment. Yes, I'm a vengeful person.
Kindness, must be
temperedfollowed up by firmness, for true harmony to manifest. Recall the breezies.That said, the Reed is clearly a magically constructed plantform, with neither seeds nor runners, so it would not surprise me in the slightest if the entire thing would wilt and collapse if sufficently damaged. Out of sheer spite. ... Being stuffed with chaos infused metal dust can't be very conductive to natural evolution either.
6504110 6504118
A lot of people here are bemoaning the Luminard's, and I want to take a moment to defend them. While the particular tenets of this faith are abhorrent to me, particularly the high-end flagellation and torturous meditation stuff, they still manage to come off as benevolent and benign because they aren't trying to indoctrinate anyone. They offer their faith willingly, but they aren't interested in forcing anyone to bend to it. That is rare.
The obvious exception to this is the zealot Antsan, who is my personal biggest issue with this arc . . . I just don't see how an upstart like this continually gets allowed into these meetings, particularly given how strong-willed Kyron has shown himself to be. Sonikah is a walking doormat, she only got seven lines the whole meeting. The way Kyron's set it up is asking for conflict, and he ought to know that.
What's lost my sympathy is the way this chapter showed how blind the Luminards are, and how their blindness isn't only hurting Rainbow, it's hurting themselves. Rainbow's "truth" must sound insane, and so from their perspective, they are right to, in a manner of speaking, dismiss it. But the irony here is that Kyron's called her out on blindly believing in Urohringr:
--when that's exactly what he's doing. Their faith has blinded them not to Rainbow's "truth" because to believe her at face value would be utterly insane, but to possibilities, to the notion of experimentally determining fact from fiction. They're so zealous in their conviction, if not temperament, that everything Rainbow says is framed within their tenets. That's why Rainbow is better than them, here, for approaching their faith with reverence, as something worthy outside of her own world-view. That's the moment the Luminards lost me. They're so afraid, unconsciously, of everything they've built being a lie that they can't tolerate blasphemy, they can't meet Rainbow halfway.
Since, my friend, you have revealed your
Deepest fear,
I sentence you to be exposed before
The world.
Tear down the Reed!
As for what Rainbow ought to do next: there's still several options open to her. Bard's plan is still the best idea, given that you don't know about the Chaos-curse, which is why Bard, Wildcard, and all the ghosts are advocating it. A Chaos-fueled attack, which is something lurking in the back of everyone's head, given Shoggoth, is a supremely bad idea: that's happened precisely twice so far, once in Blue Shelf and once in Val Roa. Both of those occasions required Rainbow to be rescued via a third party arriving after all the mayhem and indiscriminate rampaging--Shell in Blue Shelf and Roarke in Val Roa. If Rainbow hulks out here, I don't see anyone surviving long enough to replace the Element once she passes out--or something like that.
That leaves stealth and regular brute force. Stealth first, obviously, leaving Wildcard or Bard to occupy Menthe, or just knock him out.
6504194 By that logic, someone new's going to be joining Rainbow moving into Rohbredden proper. They'd have to be named, and young: Kyron and Menthe are likely to be tied up dealing with the fallout. That leaves Galloran, as has been suggested before, Sonikah, Antsan, and gasp Nicro. Heeheehee, yes please.
Chaos chameleon, heh, that's a good one. I need to write that down. Seriously, I'm running out of lizard terms here for Verlax, that cheeky rime-brained komodo.
So, yeah, Verlax's lines to Dash more or less fit what I figured we'd be hearing out of her. I'm sure she's got it in her head that she's doing what's best for Dash, forcing her down this path of "transformation" or whatever. Suffice to say I'm far from convinced that any and all of Verlax's plans are about as necessary as a colonoscopy with a cactus.
But I get the feeling Dash is going to end up dancing to the sleety skink''s tune.
I can honestly say I'm not certain what's going to happen next, but I have some theories, none of them painting a particularly bright picture.
Dash, try not to buck this up. I mean, I know the writing is already on the wall, as it were, but seriously... don't buck this up. You don't have to grab Fluttershy right now. Bard might be wrong about Verlax being something you can talk to reasonably, but that doesn't mean that walking away from this isn't an idea with some credit to it. At the very least you don't have to go crashing into the Reed with your head, activate the red flame thingie, and doom the entire Quade to falling into the sea. Or risking a fight with Menthe where your pendant gets knocked off and you go full chaos form and eviscerate a bunch of monks.
Somehow I get the very bad impression you'll be doing something epically rash and stupid. I also have a feeling that said stupidity might be something Antsan survives, and ends up leading a witchhunt across the entire mainland to catch and execute the apostate the destroyed the Reed.
So, seriously, again, don't buck this up!
Uhhhhhhhh, this is not looking good. As was previously said, Desperadoes and ghosties doesn't know that Dash is dying or about Chaos Mode. As such, the only way here is the brute force way, though I hope that I'm wrong. To me this ending is really shaping up to be a big one.
6504532 I'm not bemoaning the Luminards, just Antsan.
To quote something the source of which I cannot remember, "It'd almost be worth watching the world be destroyed, just to spite you."
It seems we've reached an impasse. verlax is kinda sassy, think I like it. Rainbows gonna be forced into doing something she's gonna hate or find the most harmonious way to get fluttershy. Antsan sucks.
Imminent Triton moment. Rainbow is gonna lose her shit.