Not Believing Or Anything...
The wagon had resumed its lengthy cruise uphill. This time, it took a very serpentine path, weaving in and around rock formations, even doubling back towards Edgeside once or twice in order to navigate its way to the top of the ascending plateau. It was a quiet, uneventful ride. Even the crackle of Ranort's voice was a breathy whisper above the constant hum of the enchanted manastones.
Seraphimus rocked in her shackled seat at the back of the cart. Her lazy eyes traveled upwards. The enormity of the plane curved above her in a thick black swath. Two specks darted in the immediate vacinity, forming a sharp contrest: Ariel's dull gray shadow and the tell-tale glow of Rainbow's ruby pendant.
A sullen breath escaped Seraphimus' break. Her hawkeyes narrowed on the crimson glint as Rainbow continued performing reconaissance for the group.
"Ever wonder what powers that shit up?"
"...?" Seraphimus glanced over.
Logan was fixing the leather straps to a random breastplate. He spoke without looking back at her. "It only responds to Rainbow Dash, y'know. A touch of her hoof... the breath from her lungs..." He shrugged his shoulders and spoke breathily. "When any of us touch it, the lightning bolt pendant does nothing. It's bound to her. And—in many ways—she's bound to it."
"That much is evident," Seraphimus muttered.
"But have you ever thought why? As in... actually why?"
Seraphimus opened her beak—
"It's not the 'Blight.'" Logan turned finally to glare at her over his shoulder. "Only a lazy hag gets to blame everything on 'Blight This' or 'Blight That.' That's the sort of explanation somepony gives when there is no explanation. Don't matter if it's something the powers of Verlaxion recognizes or not."
The former Talon Commander clenched her beak muscles. "She says it's empowered by a royal family far to the west."
"Well, sniff your farts!" Logan belched. "You've got some good memory!" He tightened the straps of the armor plate he was working on. "Too bad the rest of the shit in your head is useless goo."
"What kind of a royal power grants strength while also excommunicating?" Seraphimus murmured.
"Okay... so maybe you don't listen half as well as you remember," Logan grunted. He glanced back at her again. "She wasn't kicked out of her kingdom."
"But she is an exile."
"Quite true."
"...on a mission to eradicate all that's good in this world."
"Quite wrong."
"She burns a path of destruction wherever she goes," Seraphimus hissed. "Tell me you don't see that."
"I can't. And neither can you tell me that at least half of that 'destruction' has been caused by self-righteous ass-gobblers like you who caused a crapton of collateral while chasing her."
Seraphimus went silent.
"And you're right about her being exiled," Logan said. "But her kingdom didn't put the blame on her. In fact..." He pointed at the ruby speck levitating high above the cart. "...that pendant is a sign of their trust in her. Their faith. Their good will."
"Rather misplaced, if you ask me."
"Is it?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "She lost everything that was special to her—just like you and me. But while I was shunned and you were forsaken... her royal authority supported her all the way... even when they knew she'd probably be dead or wasted in the long run."
"... ... ..."
"Faith in the face of adversity is the best kind... the only kind, really." Logan slapped the armor plate back into its container. "What's so 'Blighted' about that?"
"In the absence of Verlaxion's blessing, there is nothing to believe in."
"Must be really damn easy to just give up when nothing makes any sense anymore," Logan said. "Well, why didn't you give up the moment you were born?"
"I... don't understand," Seraphimus muttered. "I'm not even sure I want to."
"And that's your biggest problem right there," Logan said, pointing. "The purposeful blindness. It's like an art."
"Are you trying to make a point...?"
"You had no greater reason to believe in Verlaxion's strength before her 'death' than you did after the fact," Logan remarked. "And yet, in the absence of all signs, you served Verlaxion faithfully, loyally, and—admittedly—quite badflankishly."
"What's the point in bringing her glory when I know for a fact that she no longer graces this plane with her presence?" Seraphimus remarked.
"Did it matter then? Beforehand? I mean... really?" Logan took a breath. "You see, that's the thing about life. Goddess or not... purpose or not... we're all dealt the same cards of uncertainty. Isn't it proper—then—to do whatever we can at all times to make sure we not all eat shit?"
Seraphimus glanced towards the great dark curve once again.
"Who among us really... truly knows what's going on in this fart-fest called life?" Logan remarked. "Even when we discover more before us, there's infinitely as much crud to figure out. It's an endless race. What's the point in tripping those around us?"
"You speak so confidently," Seraphimus said. Her charcoal brown eyes darted towards him yet again, hardening. "But your confidence is hollow."
"Uh huh..."
"Because even she can't stand on a solid foundation," Seraphimus said. "The mare has no idea who her real friends are. She's even struggling to maintain the sanctity of her trusted spirits in order to speak with this malevolent outlier."
"Hrmmm..." Logan smirked. "Hmmmm-heh-heh-heh-heh..."
Seraphimus' feathers crested. "What?"
"I do believe..." Logan cleared his throat before looking at her directly. "...that that's the first time I've heard you speak of her ghostly buddies without second-guessing it."
Seraphimus blinked. Hard. "It's all in her head."
"Uh huh..."
"I was just simplifying it for the sake of explanation!"
"Uh huhhhh..."
Seraphimus rattled within her manacles. "I do not believe in her six haunts!"
"Hah! You've even got a number down in your head!" Logan snickered. "Hell, even I'm losing track of that."
"Six?" Flynn spontaneously spoke up. He looked back briefly from telekinetically guiding the hover wagon. "I thought it was just five!"
"Ach!" Kepler paused Ranort's recording. "You forrget Discorrd! Chaos Lorrd of Mischief!"
"Oh, right." Flynn returned his focus towards the front of the cart. "Got it."
Seraphimus gawked at the group. "... ... ...I do not believe in them."
The Herald were silent.
"Rrrrrrmmm..." The former commander's headcrest raised angrily. "I don't!" She looked aside. "I mean it! How could I possibly—?"
She found herself staring at Wildcard.
Wildcard stifled a yawn. In stretching his talons, he flashed a middle metal finger—then resumed boosting the craft's uphill glide with gentle flaps of his wings.
Sulking, Seraphimus slumped against the back corner of the cart and shut her angry eyes.
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Messed up the bolding at the bottom there.
She's breaking, much like that bold command, missing the last bracket there IC.
She's starting to believe!
Also a bit of an issue with the bolding there at the end.
Got a slight bolding issue there at the end, chief.
That aside, Seraphimus can't kept up the denial forever, but she's clearly being drawn in despite herself.
It's not like I believe in them or anything...B-baka!
Seraphimus, for the first time since she lost family, is relaxing. All her nervous energy from self imposed stress is naturally collapsing in match to her body's restfully restricted (month-long) state within the Gondola-wrought grip of the Harmonic Hugbox.
I love this guy.
I want Rainbow Dash to prove to Seratt from us that her friends are real the way she proved it to herself at the very beginning of whatever that book was two or three or four bucks ago at the YMCA
I swear of Logan klls himself in some misguided attempt to save Logan we'll riot.....I mean it, digital molotovs for everyone!
Hook, line...now all they need to throw in is the sinker
And now we have reached 'Denial' phase; will we reach Acceptance soon?
No one can stay on guard forever.
8404471
Wat.
img03.deviantart.net/b0c8/i/2015/036/7/6/tsundere_gilda_by_jonfawkes-d8gtzay.jpg
8404750 i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/237/411/7d6.png
Wildcard is probably my favourite companion.
8404992
Total war devs had another brain fart?
Or is that another game?
I like how despite all the conflict and the death-faking and the zealotry and everything else between those two, Wildcard still has so much respect for Seraphimus.
"It's not like I even wanted to join your stupid Easthorse quest. Idiot.
"
D'aaw!
New name for Seraphimus: Truthahn. That's german for turkey, but literally translates to "threatening chicken". German is awesome
Well she knows his name know..
8406435
Crusader Kings II, great game if you are into the complex Paradox grand strategies. Best part, you can glitch it and play as a horse!
Hard to see through the wool when the entire continent was brainwashed, but seraphimus is slowly learning.
I love it when they give Sera shit in a joking way. I mean, they are serious at all times, but this wasn't really all that serious. Maybe, sometime soon, Wildcard can flip her off without meaning it.
At this rate we'll almost be able to forget the crazy shit she pulled back at the Gondola! One of us! One of us!
The hardest lies to let go of are the lies we tell ourselves. Seraphimus is at least acknowledging that they might be lies, so that is a start.
10/21/2017
16:46 UTC
Kay, I usually don't say anything because I know that you don't make many corrections because you're moving forward too fast to keep up with it, it's cool.
But.. Seriously, are you okay? Like, make sure you are getting enough sleep when you write, that's an intense set of Spelling errors in a very short time.
Wildcard and I love that middle finger.
First there's five
Then there's six!
And then...there were none.
She admits it!
Thank you, Wildcard. That was perfect.
Hmmm...Sera, you're being slowly worn down by Logan. Just listen for once, you crazy catbird.
The fact that you can remember the Ghost 5 and Discord says a lot more than you're willing to tell us.