The Straight and Narrow
"Hey..." Pinkie Pie blinked, glancing around the claustrophobic corridor. "...does anypony else hear music?"
"Not now, Pinkie," Twilight Sparkle chided, then turned towards their anchor. "Okay. Look. Bottom line..." She gestured with her hooves as she levitated before Rainbow Dash. "...yes she's proven helpful in a pinch. Yes she's the reason why you and Wildcard were able to get away from that stampede alive. But... even still... even if she flies off to the Midnight Armory and opens the doors to the Harmonic Prism with her bare claws..." The ghostly unicorn blinked. "...none of these amazing, glorious, hypothetically heroic things can change the fact that she tried to kill you!" Another blink. "Multiple times!" Yet another, heavy blink. "With psychopathic abandon!!!"
"It's a rather toxic track record," Rarity said. "It cannot be denied."
"Exactly!" Twilight nodded. "Seraphimus—the Commander of the Right Talon of Verlaxion—was hailed as a hero in Rohbredden! But she let that get to her head! And when it all collapsed in on itself—and took her family along with it—she lost any semblance of sanity! All ethical qualms went flying super hard out the window! You remember when she attacked us at the Edge of the World?! She didn't even care that the ambush on the Gondola would end her own life! She wanted nothing more than just to end you, Rainbow Dash! For weeks on end following our arrival on the Dark Side, she even ranted and raved about it!"
"And do you remember who established the domino effect to begin with?" Rarity asked. "Do you recall who set the stars in motion for this one griffin and this one griffin alone to have the mother of all vendettas against you?"
"Verlax!" Twilight Sparkle said. "That's who!"
"With countless centuries of preparation too!" Rarity added. "A most ironclad contract of malevolence and tragedy if there ever was one!"
Fluttershy drifted into the heart of the conversation. "Do you know who else had centuries of preparation in her villainy?" The usually meek pegasus frowned. "Nightmare Moon."
"Rnnnghhhh..." Rarity face-hoofed.
"Scoff if you must..." Fluttershy folded her forelimbs. "...but after festering for a thousand years—alone on the moon—what hope was there for Princess Luna to achieve any sort of cleansing of the soul? And yet..." She gestured dramatically. "...in the face of friendship and sisterly sincerity, she trotted away from her curse a free mare!"
"Fluttershy, darling, that... that was different!" Rarity exclaimed. "Nightmare Moon was cleansed by the Elements of Harmony!"
"Yes? And?" Fluttershy spread her forelimbs wide. "The Elements of Harmony are here as well! Rainbow Dash is simply the vessel by which we spread the virtues of Equestria! Why should it be any different for Seraphimus?"
"Seraphimus isn't just a case of being cursed by some magical possession," Twilight Sparkle said. "The power of friendship can't harness the elements and cleanse her like it did with Luna. The problem with Seraphimus is psychological. It lies deep in her psyche... built after an entire lifetime of deceit, manipulation, and betrayal by all the forces Verlax possessed long before Seraphimus was even born!"
"Quite true," Rarity said with a firm nod. "Fluttershy, dear, we appreciate your kindness and good will... but the fact of the matter is that Seraphimus isn't like any of the creatures we faced back in Equestria. She's troubled and complicated... and it's been her firm choice over the past few months to malign Rainbow Dash at every turn!"
"If she could choose to be evil before, why can't she choose to be good now?" Fluttershy shrugged. "I think everypony here is underestimating the power of Rainbow Dash's influence. Since she left Equestria, Rainbow's been the sole representative of harmony. The Elements flow through her! And awesomely so!" She sighed. "No, Rainbow hasn't been perfect... but I think Seraphimus is the kind of griffin to see that. And to respect it. I know that Seraphimus has been through a lot, but she's no fool. Opportunities have arisen recently where she could have eliminated Rainbow Dash, and yet she hasn't! Now she's wanting nothing but to be free from us. Well, I think we should try and convince her otherwise."
"To what end, darling?!" Rarity remarked, wincing.
"If she could improve herself to the point that she's willing to leave Rainbow Dash alone, then maybe she can improve even further and learn to help the Austraeoh! Just like the Herald!"
"Seraphimus join the Herald?!" Twilight Sparkle gasped.
"Is that really so hard to believe? After all, there was a time when Bard loathed to be in the same room as Rainbow Dash. But then he came around! And even Rainbow Dash herself came around! So did all of us at Red Barge!" Fluttershy clasped her hooves together. "One way or another—with grace and kindness—everypony can come around! I truly... honestly believe that."
"What makes you think Seraphimus has 'improved?'" Rarity wildly flung a hoof towards the cave walls. "She's still a dangerous, surly, unpredictable brute!"
"She helped us outside with those ghastly trolls—"
"All she helped was herself, Fluttershy!" Rarity shuddered. "Helped herself to a bloodbath of barbaric proportions. Brbrrbrbrrbrrrr..."
"Okay... okay... look." Twilight clasped her hooves together before her muzzle. She thought for a bit, then muttered aloud: "I'd bet all my books back home that the Herald are having the same argument about this as we are right now." A breath. "Whether or not it's morally wrong or right to allow Seraphimus freedom shouldn't be the core issue right now." An even deeper breath. "What is important is what this means for Rainbow Dash... and if Seraphimus can be trusted not to attack us once she's given free rein to... do whatever."
"Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy looked at their anchor. "What do you think about all this?"
The mare in question leaned against the wall. She flexed and unflexed her wings. After a lengthy pause, she sighed and glanced to the side. "AJ? Got any bits to spare?"
Rarity sighed. "I knew she was going to pass it along..."
Applejack cleared her throat. "Well, fact of the matter is, the decision's already been made. Now we're stuck with figurin' out whether or not we should betray the trust Seraphimus has put in us and lasso her up again."
"Yes..." Twilight Sparkle huffed. "...not exactly Big Show's shining moment."
"I beg to differ." Applejack glanced over, eyes piercing. "He made a decision based on the mutual trust he's built with the griffin over time. And... y'know what? In his place, I would have done the same thang."
"You don't know that..."
"I do know that!" Applejack's brow furrowed. "I ain't dense. I've seen the changes in the head hauncho of the Talon. I've sensed the storm surgin' all wild-like in her heart, and I know for a fact that Big Show's been a major factor in it. A lot of us might be mad at him—and rightly so—but he stuck his neck out for Rainbow and Wildcard when we needed it most, and that takes some true grit."
"Do you believe Seraphimus is willing to leave Rainbow Dash alone now, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked.
"If you ask me?" Applejack leaned back. "I'd put my money on it."
"But darling..." Rarity slowly shook her head. "The chaos! The metal stored up in the Herald's wagon! You can't possibly sense what's going on in the griffin's head now! Why—I can't even tell the shape of the nearest cavern, myself!"
"Dun make no difference," Applejack said with a firm expression. "The path in her gut has been wound up awfully tight, and—on more than one occasion recently—it's been sprung loose. She ain't the same homicidal fuss-budge-it she was when she done thrown herself on the Gondola."
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie floated by. "Now she's just a homicidal fuss-budge-it that likes to rip and tear through trolls!" She made several gross, splattery sound effects. "Whoop! Whoop! Spaghetti time!"
Applejack sighed. "Yeah, well... no denyin' that there's a caged animal in that shell. But crazier thangs have been tamed."
"Mmmmhmmm." Fluttershy nodded with a smile.
"Applejack..." Twilight Sparkle sighed. "I know better than to doubt your good judgment. But... but I'm just afraid." Her ears folded. "There's so much at stake right now... so... so very much."
"How do we know that this won't come back to bite Rainbow Dash?!" Rarity asked.
"Reckon we don't." Applejack shrugged. "All I know is that Seraphimus is a legit changed griffin."
"Pffffft..." Pinkie drifted by again. "...what was your first clue?"
"Alright..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Doubly changed griffin. Maybe even triply changed. Fact is—Big Show's confident enough in her to make a pledge, and—from the look of things—she's keeping to her end of it as well."
"That end being a most advantageous intervention with the trolls," Rarity said. "But that was then. What about now? What about the future?"
Applejack was silent.
Twilight and Pinkie looked at one another.
"Uhm..." Fluttershy floated towards Rainbow Dash. "...I know you're digesting all that we have to say, Rainbow Dash, but..." Her eyes darted. "Big Show's right behind you."
Rainbow exhaled. "I know." She looked casually over her shoulder. "What's the damage report?"
"That depends," Logan muttered, his deep voice echoing against the narrow cave walls. "You done with your girl-talk?"
"I'm never done with my girl-talk," Rainbow said. "And—believe me—I hope I never will be."
Logan nodded lazily. "If only all hauntings could be so heart-warming."
"Uh huh." Rainbow turned towards him. "Might as well spill it. How's it going in there?"
"Good thing the Dark Vigil's forest burnt down decades ago," Logan muttered. "If we had any wood on us, I would have been crucified ten times over in the last hour alone."
"That bad, huh?"
Logan raised an eyebrow. "You surprised?"
Rainbow shook her head. "No, not really."
"You... don't want to hammer the first nail?"
Rainbow... shook her head. "It worked out, didn't it?"
Logan sighed. "Just because things work out—"
"Come on, Big Show," Rainbow's voice cracked. "As if you're the first pony to make stupid decisions that happen to work." She gulped. "Awesomely."
"Is it so awesome?" Logan gulped. "I just promised freedom to your arch nemesis."
"If you're so friggin' remorseful over the decision, then why did you make it to begin with?"
Logan stared at her for a few blank moments. Finally: "Because I believed it was the right thing to do."
"You still do now, right?"
He didn't answer.
"I've seen some crazy-flank things since we arrived here on the Dark Side," Rainbow said, pacing by the stallion. "A giant death wyrm with meat-eating tentacles for body hair... a changeling that can frickin' explode... floating chaos turds... but the craziest?" He nudged the stallion in his chubby chest. "That's gotta be you of all ponies warming up to the griffin who nearly murdered all of us."
"She's a douchebag," Logan droned. "But a useful douchebag—when aimed at the right monster."
Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't change the fact that you were ready and itching to chop her head off as soon as we rolled out of that Gondola. So what changed? You? Her? Both?"
"... ... ..."
"She... means a lot to you, doesn't she?"
"Don't even start," Logan grumbled.
Rainbow shrugged. "What's to finish?"
"... ... ..." Logan sighed. He stared off while leaning on his axe. "One way or another—we're all douchebags." He gulped. "I've done shitty things in the name of protecting Rohbredden citizenry... for the sake of maintaining the Herald... for protecting you."
Rainbow slowly nodded. "And Seraphimus is a smelly bag of crap... rolled up by Verlax... just to accomplish something 'for the Austraeoh' as well."
Logan slowly shrugged. "We... all stink the same in the end, I suppose."
Rainbow cocked her head to the side. "Maybe... just maybe... you finally understand why I held out hope for her... even when she was trying to murder all our faces."
Logan turned his head to look squarely at Rainbow.
Rainbow breathed. "Now she's been granted freedom to go wherever she wants."
"Yeah." Logan muttered. "I shouldn't have made that decision on my own."
"No. You shouldn't have. But awesome adventuring ponies rarely get to make smart decisions at smart times. Maybe the others are mad at you, but I'm not. The ponies... the souls I'm mad at for all this crud on my shoulders can't be bothered any longer." Rainbow's nostrils flared. "Lerris. The Quade. Frostknife." She blew out the side of her muzzle. "It all piles up and it smells. What matters is how much of it you can shake off your shoulders as you keep trotting that straight, narrow line to victory."
"Then..." Logan's eyes narrowed. "...you are willing to just let her go?"
"Pffft. Heck, no!" Rainbow shook her head and trotted down the corridor. "I want her to trot that straight and narrow line with me."
"You actually think you can go talk to her?"
"She made a pact with you to go peacefully, didn't she?"
"No, I mean..." Logan gestured. "The chaos shit. Won't it conk you out? Or at least force you to look Dickard-whatshisname in the face?"
"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash hesitated briefly in mid-step. "Yeah... well..." She strolled along, tail flicking. "I'll work a way around it. Lots of tunnels in this mountain."
"Uh huh..." Logan stumbled after her. "If you say so."
"I swear, girls..." Pinkie floated after her anchor, flickering in and out of harmonic resonance. Her ghostly muzzle scrunched. "I'm hearing music. Is anypony else hearing music...?"
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I have a feeling that this is not good.
Ponk hearing music. First guess was the underground ponies who escaped the changlings. Would explain the tunnels. Problem is they didn't seem like the music type.
Could be a new sense, but those are more often physical twitches. Can't rule it out though.
When the oracle says she hears things, you should heed her.
Especially in a cave, with only a winding stair before your party on the path into the dark and deep beyond.
That back and forth between Dash and Logan was really neat. They're probably the two most impulsive members of the group, so them having a little introspection was really neat.
And Logan is not wrong, as long as Dash is okay with it, that's really all there is to it.
The Herald are practically forcing Dash to take charge and flex her authority as their leader.
Flynn is starting to annoy me, tbh. He's simultaneously too focused on the future and the past, he can't see the present for what it's worth.
-Through the path long forgotten, into the darkness long begotten. Ofolrodi.
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There will be twenty chapters of suspenseful buildup regarding the mystery music before it is revealed to be Discord singing in the shower in the Vanilla zone.
"Can't you hear the music on the wind, don't you recognize the tune. Is it you my friend, your struggling, your spirit torn limb from limb."
Hmmmmm Perhaps Pinkie is hearing Dwarfs? This is quite the mystery.
What do they hear? The dwarf song, of course.
If this series ends with Sera opening the Midnight Armory with her claws (or any show of brute force) for Rainbow Dash to retrieve the Prism, then I'll throw my head against a wall and laugh at the same time.
Maybe Rainbow can convince Sera to stay along. If she does, that'd be awesome. If not, we'll see her again sometime. She's not out of the story until she's dead, and I know that for a fact.
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>inb4 Dark Side dwarves
Yes Pinkie, hearing the music loud and clear!
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I guess the cave is gonna be full of parasprites!
That seems like it bodes well.
I just had a belated realization: If AJ's empathic sense goes beyond just "lying / not lying", then she has to sense Rainbow's feelings at some point, doesn't she?
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Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up!
i.ytimg.com/vi/ca2ORcfDBnk/maxresdefault.jpg
I'm guessing the music will lead rainbow and gang to some kind of fancy troll garden party. With cucumber sandwiches and lemon tea. Hosted by Trollestia.
Do you really want her to be straight, Rainbow?
Rainbow, do you remember, what Pinkie your "oh, shit" friend?
Singing? In a cave, on the Dark Side?
Where Logans concerned, Adagio is full of it.
Much shit as Logan is getting right now, and as much as I usually find its attitude annoying at best, I'd say he completely made the right call. I mean, what better option was there? Watch Wildcard and Dash get swarmed?
Unstable as Seraphimus is, how many times does she have to save the party's collective asses before its made obvious that surly, stubborn, and violent tempered as she still is she's not going to randomly decide to murder the party? Seriously she and Dash just went Dynasty Warriors on those trolls together. What more does the Herald want?
I do hope Sera at least sticks with the group, or trails near it. I mean, I suppose there's some story potential in her going off by herself, depending on what factions she runs into, but the dynamic is really best served with her staying with the group. Guess we'll see.
Good to at least hear Fluttershy still affirming the notion that anyone is capable of change, no matter how far they've fallen. There are times it feels like the story snags upon a double standard concerning that theme.
Sounds like the next arc is coming up, hopefully with less death this time.
As for the decision regarding Seraphimus, they seem to be forgetting that killing her is exactly what Verlax wanted Rainbow, and her companions, to do. Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement, even the very wise cannot see all ends.
Well, in the face of the orbital rainbow laser much rather, but not to nitpick.
Yeah Fluttershy, don't be stupid, it counts only when we get to zap them in the face!
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*snerk*
Whatever this music stuff is it’s probably not good. Or it’s something very strange.
Debates and debacles abound as Seraphimus prepares to leave. And just what is the music that Pinkie continues to hear?
Don't miss our next mysterious episode "Gambling in the Dark" or "Phantom of the Pair o' Dice."
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If that music is anything like this...
...then we may have trouble
*Cue cantina music.*
inb4 Boatmurdered Fortress
Drums and dum dums in the deep
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And that he was watching the LOTR Trilogy in the shower.
This does not sound good. On the other hand, this is the best chapter in a long time.
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To avoid getting nailed with plagiarism claims, the latter line I state in my last comment comes from Tolkien, and his Lord of the Rings.
I thought I would get up to speed with the most recent works chapters, as Skirts should be coming off his Hiatus soon (I sincerely hope).
01/03/2018
19:21 UTC
This cannot be good.
As much as I was on the "lets end her because she is irredeemable" train it is indeed cruel to keep her chained for no reason other than to (convert her?). I'd like to see her fly off and be a maverick, something that influences Rainbows journey over the long term from afar by accident.
How come I gotta be the holocaust, make jake the holocaust ya big jerk. :P
This is the only real issue about big Show's actions. Aside from that I think he did the right thing, and so can be forgiven.
11/15/2019
15:43 UTC
Once is Pinkie being random. Twice is sus. Three times? That will mean plot.
Logan is pretty much the reason we could even remotely decide to rely on Sera to help us escape the Troll Murder Horde.
OK, if there's music, I'm kinda terrified.